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 American students scored below the international average in math
and about average in science and reading.
The top average scores in each subject came from Shanghai, China's
largest city with more than 20 million people. Singapore, South
Korea, Japan, and Hong Kong were among the participants with
students scoring at the top on average in each subject. Vietnam,
which had its students participate for the first time, had a higher
average score in math and science than the United States.
Education Secretary Arne Duncan called the results a "picture of
educational stagnation."
"We must invest in early education, raise academic standards, make
college affordable, and do more to recruit and retain top-notch
educators," Duncan said.
About half a million students in 65 nations and educational systems
took part in the 2012 Program for International Student Assessment,
or PISA, which is coordinated by the Paris-based Organization for
Economic Cooperation and Development, or OECD.
Most results come from a sampling of scores from countries as a
whole, but in China it was given in select regions. The Education
Department's National Center for Education Statistics released the
results.
The test, which is given every three years to 15-year-olds, is
designed to assess how students use what they've learned inside and
outside of school to solve problems.
U.S. scores on the PISA haven't changed much since testing started
in 2000, even as students in countries such as Ireland and Poland
have shown improvement and have surpassed U.S. students.
"It's hard to get excited about standing still while others around
you are improving, so I don't want to be too positive," said Jack
Buckley, commissioner of the National Center for Education
Statistics. But he added that the country has a respectable
foundation on which to build.
American students historically have not had high marks on
international tests. Factors often cited include high rates of child
poverty and population diversity.
In contrast to the PISA results, American fourth- and eighth-graders
over time have made some progress in reading and math on an
assessment referred to as the Nation's Report Card, even though
recent results found the vast majority of the students still are not
demonstrating solid academic performance in either subject.
In the education community, Finland has drawn notice for its past
test performance, but this year its average PISA score dropped in
all three subjects, most pronounced in math. Finland's students did
better on average than those from the United States.
Shanghai students also topped the PISA test in 2009. Tom Loveless, a
senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, said the school system
in Shanghai is not equitable and the students tested are children of
the elite because they are the ones allowed to attend municipal
schools because of restrictions such as those that keep many migrant
children out.
"The Shanghai scores frankly to me are difficult to interpret,"
Loveless said. "They are almost meaningless."
Buckley said U.S. officials have not seen any evidence of a "biased
sample" of students tested in Shanghai. If the entire nation was
included, he said it's unclear what the results would show.
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Overall, NEA President Dennis Van Roekel said among the Asian
nations dominating the test, "The one thing they all have in common
is that they make a real commitment to education for all kids and
nothing deters them from that vision, and then they do what's
necessary to make that happen. In the United States, we don't have
the commitment for all kids and it needs to change."
One indicator of performance is how many students scored at a high
level on each subject tested. In the United States, 9 percent of
test-takers hit that mark in math, 7 percent did so in science and 8
percent did in reading. Fewer U.S. test-takers hit that mark in math
than the international average. However, they performed at about the
international average in the other two subjects.
Students from all states were tested. But for the first time, three
states, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Florida, opted to increase
participation in PISA to get more state specific results.
Average scores from Massachusetts were above the international
average in all three subject areas. Connecticut's scored on average
around the international average in math and higher than the
international average in science and reading. Florida students on
average scored below the international average in math and science
and around the international average in reading.
The test is based on a 1,000-point scale. Among the findings:
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In math, the U.S. average score was 481. Average scores ranged
from 368 in Peru to 613 in Shanghai. The international average was
494.
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In science, the U.S. average score was 497. Average scores ranged
from 373 in Peru to 580 in Shanghai. The international average was
501.
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In reading, the U.S. average score was 498. Average scores ranged
from 384 in Peru to 570 in Shanghai. The international average was
496.
Some schools and districts are opting to take a "mini-PISA" called
the OECD Test for Schools designed to allow a school to see how it
compares internationally. About 100 schools participated last year
in a pilot program pushed by the nonprofit America Achieves and the
OECD, and more are expected to do so this school year. Participating
schools receive an in-depth analysis of the test results along with
results of a survey given to the students at testing time. The
schools and districts involved decide whether to publish results.
Jon Schnur, executive chairman of America Achieves, called the test
an "opt-in empowerment tool."
"Some say, well our education has failed in the U.S. Well, that's
not true. Some say education is fine in the U.S. That's not true
either," Schnur said. "We need to do a better job helping our
students keep pace with the changed world."
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Online: http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pisa/
[Associated
Press; KIMBERLY HEFLING, AP Education Writer]
Copyright 2013 The Associated
Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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