U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2009 Results Stuart Kerachsky Deputy Commissioner December 7, 2010

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION PISA Background International student assessment coordinated by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) 65 participating countries and other education systems o All 34 OECD member countries o 26 non-OECD countries and 5 non-national education systems Administered every 3 years since

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION PISA Background Assessment of 15-year-old students Content knowledge not limited to school-based curricula PISA assesses applied knowledge/literacy: o “How well can students nearing the end of compulsory schooling apply their knowledge to real-life situations?” Three subject areas: o Reading Literacy o Mathematics Literacy o Science Literacy 3

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION What’s in the PISA 2009 U.S. Report Reading Literacy Mathematics Literacy Science Literacy Overall scoresxxx Subscale scoresx Proficiency levels xxx Trendsxxx Subgroup scoresx 4

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION PISA 2009 Reading Literacy Results 5

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION PISA 2009 Reading Literacy : OECD U.S. average score of 500 not measurably different from the OECD average score of 493 o 6 OECD countries had higher average scores. o 14 were not measurably different from the United States. o 13 had lower average scores. 6 SOURCE: Fleischman et al. (2010). Highlights From PISA 2009: Performance of U.S. 15-Year-Old Students in Reading, Mathematics, and Science Literacy in an International Context (NCES ).

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION PISA 2009 Reading Literacy : All Among all participants o 9 had higher average scores than the United States. o 16 were not measurably different. o 39 had lower average scores. 7 SOURCE: Fleischman et al. (2010). Highlights From PISA 2009: Performance of U.S. 15-Year-Old Students in Reading, Mathematics, and Science Literacy in an International Context (NCES ).

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION PISA 2009 Reading Proficiency Levels Highest proficiency level is level 6. Below level 2 students may not be able to consistently “make valid comparisons or contrasts” based on even a single feature in the text or consistently “recognize the main idea in a text unless it is prominent” in the text. At level 4 students are described by PISA as capable of “difficult reading tasks” and “critically evaluating” a text. 8 SOURCE: Fleischman et al. (2010). Highlights From PISA 2009: Performance of U.S. 15-Year-Old Students in Reading, Mathematics, and Science Literacy in an International Context (NCES ).

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION U.S. at the OECD Average for Key Proficiency Levels in Reading 18 percent scored below level 2 (not measurably different from OECD). 30 percent scored at or above level 4 (not measurably different from OECD). 9 SOURCE: Fleischman et al. (2010). Highlights From PISA 2009: Performance of U.S. 15-Year-Old Students in Reading, Mathematics, and Science Literacy in an International Context (NCES ).

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Consistently Higher Average Scores for Females in Reading U.S. female students scored higher on average (513) than male students (488). The U.S. female-male difference was smaller than the OECD average difference and the difference in 45 countries and education systems. Female students scored higher on average than male students in all 65 countries and education systems. 10 SOURCE: Fleischman et al. (2010). Highlights From PISA 2009: Performance of U.S. 15-Year-Old Students in Reading, Mathematics, and Science Literacy in an International Context (NCES ).

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Average U.S. Reading Score Unchanged From 2000 There was no measurable change in the U.S. average scores over time. There was no measurable difference between U.S. and the OECD average scores in 2000 or in OECD averages are based on 27 OECD member countries that participated in 2000 and SOURCE: Fleischman et al. (2010). Highlights From PISA 2009: Performance of U.S. 15-Year-Old Students in Reading, Mathematics, and Science Literacy in an International Context (NCES ).

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION PISA 2009 Mathematics Literacy Results 12

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION PISA 2009 Mathematics Literacy : OECD U.S. average score of 487 lower than the OECD average score of 496 o 17 OECD countries had higher average scores. o 11 were not measurably different. o 5 had lower average scores. 13 SOURCE: Fleischman et al. (2010). Highlights From PISA 2009: Performance of U.S. 15-Year-Old Students in Reading, Mathematics, and Science Literacy in an International Context (NCES ).

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION PISA 2009 Mathematics Literacy : All Among all participants o 23 had higher average scores than the United States. o 12 were not measurably different. o 29 had lower average scores. 14 SOURCE: Fleischman et al. (2010). Highlights From PISA 2009: Performance of U.S. 15-Year-Old Students in Reading, Mathematics, and Science Literacy in an International Context (NCES ).

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION PISA 2009 Mathematics Proficiency Levels Highest level of mathematics proficiency is level 6. Below level 2 students may not be able to consistently “employ basic algorithms,” or make “literal interpretations of the results” of mathematical operations in real-life settings. At level 4 students can “complete higher order tasks” such as “solving problems that involve visual or spatial reasoning…in unfamiliar contexts.” 15 SOURCE: Fleischman et al. (2010). Highlights From PISA 2009: Performance of U.S. 15-Year-Old Students in Reading, Mathematics, and Science Literacy in an International Context (NCES ).

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION * p <.05. Significantly different from the corresponding OECD average percentage at the.05 level of statistical significance. 23 percent of U.S. students scored below level 2 (not measurably different from OECD average). 27 percent of U.S. students scored at or above level 4 (smaller than 32 percent for OECD average). U.S. at OECD Average at PISA Mathematics Proficiency Level 2; Below OECD Average at Level SOURCE: Fleischman et al. (2010). Highlights From PISA 2009: Performance of U.S. 15-Year-Old Students in Reading, Mathematics, and Science Literacy in an International Context (NCES ).

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Higher Average Scores for Males in Mathematics U.S. male students scored higher on average (497) than female students (477). Male students scored higher on average than female students in 35 countries and education systems; female students scored higher on average than male students in 5 countries. The OECD average was higher for male students (501) than female students (490). 17 SOURCE: Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) International Data Explorer, PISA Available at:

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Average U.S. Mathematics Score Up From 2006 In 2009, the U.S. average score was higher than that in 2006, but not measurably different from the U.S. average in The U.S. average score was lower than the OECD average score in 2003 and in OECD averages are based on 29 OECD member countries that participated in 2003 and *p <.05. U.S. average is significantly different from the OECD average at the.05 level of statistical significance. **p <.05. U.S. average in 2006 is significantly different from the U.S. average in 2009 at the.05 level of statistical significance. 499* 18 SOURCE: Fleischman et al. (2010). Highlights From PISA 2009: Performance of U.S. 15-Year-Old Students in Reading, Mathematics, and Science Literacy in an International Context (NCES ).

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION PISA 2009 Science Literacy Results 19

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION PISA 2009 Science Literacy : OECD U.S. average score of 502 not measurably different from the OECD average of 501 o 12 OECD countries had higher average scores. o 12 were not measurably different. o 9 had lower average scores. 20 SOURCE: Fleischman et al. (2010). Highlights From PISA 2009: Performance of U.S. 15-Year-Old Students in Reading, Mathematics, and Science Literacy in an International Context (NCES ).

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION PISA 2009 Science Literacy : All Among all participants o 18 had higher average scores than the United States. o 13 were not measurably different. o 33 had lower average scores. 21 SOURCE: Fleischman et al. (2010). Highlights From PISA 2009: Performance of U.S. 15-Year-Old Students in Reading, Mathematics, and Science Literacy in an International Context (NCES ).

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION PISA 2009 Science Proficiency Levels Highest level of science proficiency is level 6. Below level 2 students may not be able to consistently “provide… explanations in familiar contexts or draw conclusions based on simple investigations” or consistently “make literal interpretations.” At level 4 students “select and integrate explanations from different disciplines of science or technology” and “link those explanations directly to…life situations.” 22 SOURCE: Fleischman et al. (2010). Highlights From PISA 2009: Performance of U.S. 15-Year-Old Students in Reading, Mathematics, and Science Literacy in an International Context (NCES ).

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION U.S. at the OECD Average for Key Proficiency Levels in Science 18 percent of U.S. students scored below level 2 (as did 18 percent in OECD countries, on average). 29 percent of U.S. students scored at or above level 4 (as did 29 percent in OECD countries, on average). 23 SOURCE: Fleischman et al. (2010). Highlights From PISA 2009: Performance of U.S. 15-Year-Old Students in Reading, Mathematics, and Science Literacy in an International Context (NCES ).

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Higher Average Scores for Males in Science U.S. male students scored higher on average (509) than female students (495). Male students scored higher on average than female students in 11 countries, but female students scored higher on average than male students in 21 countries. The OECD average for both male and female students was SOURCE: Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) International Data Explorer, PISA Available at:

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Average U.S. Science Score Up From 2006 In 2009, the U.S. average score was higher than that in The U.S. average score was lower than the OECD average in 2006, but not measurably different than the OECD average in OECD averages are based on the 34 OECD member countries. * p <.05. U.S. average is significantly different from the OECD average at the.05 level of statistical significance. **p <.05. U.S. average in 2006 is significantly different from the U.S. average in 2009 at the.05 level of statistical significance SOURCE: Fleischman et al. (2010). Highlights From PISA 2009: Performance of U.S. 15-Year-Old Students in Reading, Mathematics, and Science Literacy in an International Context (NCES ).

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION International Data Explorer Website 26

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION For More Information PISA at NCES: Supplemental Tables: International Data Explorer: PISA at OECD: Sophie Vayssettes +(33) Contact: Tracy Dell’Angela IES Communications (202)