Math a Concern for US Teens; Science, Reading Flat on Test

‘We’re losing ground – a troubling prospect when, in today’s knowledge-based economy, the best jobs can go anywhere in the world, ‘ Education Secretary John B. King Jr said after the results were published.

Math was a stubborn concern, the experts identifying the drop off the result of something that has been building for years.

The four countries are not included in the main rankings of Pisa, but the constituent countries scores are given.

In 2012, Singapore came in second in mathematics and third in science and reading.

The so-called Pisa survey, carried out last year, tested the science, maths, and reading skills of 540,000 15-year old students in 72 countries – the 37 OECD members and a sample list of “partner states” from around the world.

The test is based on a 1,000-point scale.

However, the poorest 25 percent of students were the only group to improve its average scores in all three subjects, while the average scores of those in the richest 25 percent dropped in all three subjects by 12 to 19 points. Singapore finished top in all three subjects.

Against its own 2012 ratings, Scotland fell 13 points in reading, seven points in maths and 16 points in science.

For reading, the Swiss scored average marks, similar to Austria, France and Italy.

The U.S. score was 535 in reading and in science it was 496.

The UK’s teenagers are continuing to lag behind their peers in countries such as Singapore, Japan and tiny European nations when it comes to science, maths and reading, a major global report has found.

This latest PISA study had a particular focus on Science. “This requires, first and foremost, keeping noise and disorder at bay and making sure that students can listen to what the teacher (and other students) say and can concentrate on academic tasks”.

All eyes are on MA.

When disaggregated by location, the scores of students in Massachusetts, North Carolina and Puerto Rico show sharp divides. The good performance of Hong Kong students in mathematics is believed to have benefitted from the emphasis to develop mathematics knowledge through project work and exploratory activities.

The proportion of Scottish students performing below standard increased from 18.5 per cent in 2012 to 20.5 per cent previous year, while the proportion of high achievers fell from 10.6 per cent to 8.6 per cent, below the OECD average. About 540,000 students took the assessment in 2015, including 5,700 US public and private-school students.

“We do a pretty good job at educating the elite”, said Isaac Shapiro.

England was the best performing United Kingdom nation, while Wales had the lowest results. They set high and universal expectations for all students.

“Studying science offers a wide range of options following school – whether that’s a career in medicine, engineering or teaching science in the classroom, these are the vital skills needed for the future productivity and economic prosperity of this country”.

“Skipping a whole day of school is negatively associated with performance in science in all countries and economies except Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, and a large part of that relationship remains even after accounting for socioeconomic status”.

“If you’re from a low socio-economic background, lots of kids perform really well compared to other OECD countries”, he said. In mathematics, boys continue to outperform girls in Canada overall.

The results are contained in the OECD’s Pisa (Programme for International Student Assessment), which take place every three years.