The 2012 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) findings released this month show American students lagging behind those in other developed countries, particularly in Asia, in math. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) tested over 510,000 15-year-old students in 65 countries. Released every three years, PISA data are an invaluable resource for education researchers.
Average scores in mathematics for American students came in at 481, lower than the OECD average of 494 and the highest performing education system, Shanghai-China, at 613. This result ranks the United States lower than 29 education systems, higher than 26, and not measurably different from 9. The pattern was repeated among the highest and lowest scoring students. Shanghai-China and Singapore performed highest in math; OECD estimated that students in Shanghai are nearly three years of schooling above most OECD countries.
In May, AERA’s Institute on Statistical Analysis for Education Policy will focus on international data sets, featuring PISA.