A system of initial teacher education must incorporate instruments capable of capturing the complexity of professional learning. In this context, national diagnostic assessments have become central mechanisms for monitoring outcomes in initial teacher education. This study examines student performance in Initial Teacher Education in Physical Education (ITEPE) programs using the themes assessed by the National Diagnostic Assessment (NDA) 2024, comparing achievement levels and analyzing differences according to the type of higher education institution in Chile. A quantitative, cross-sectional, and comparative design was employed, using official data from 1102 students enrolled in all Chilean universities offering the program. Descriptive and nonparametric inferential analyses were conducted to examine differences by sex and type of institution. The results show relatively homogeneous performance across standards, with higher percentages of achievement in dimensions related to didactic organization and assessment, and lower results in the standard associated with understanding student characteristics. Although statistically significant differences were identified according to administrative dependency, the effect sizes were small. Consequently, the NDA is positioned as a formative input to guide contextualized curricular improvements rather than as a mechanism for institutional ranking.
Gallardo-Fuentes et al. (Fri,) studied this question.