U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Program for International Student Assessment (PISA)
2009 Results
Stuart KerachskyDeputy 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 2000
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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
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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
What’s in the PISA 2009 U.S. Report
Reading Literacy
Mathematics Literacy
Science Literacy
Overall scores x x x
Subscale scores x
Proficiency levels
x x x
Trends x x x
Subgroup scores x
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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
PISA 2009
Reading Literacy Results
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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 493o 6 OECD countries had higher
average scores. o 14 were not measurably
different from the United States.
o 13 had lower average scores.
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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 2011-004) .
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
PISA 2009 Reading Literacy: All
• Among all participantso 9 had higher average
scores than the United States.
o 16 were not measurably different.
o 39 had lower average scores.
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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 2011-004) .
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.
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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 2011-004) .
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).
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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 2011-004) .
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.
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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 2011-004) .
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 2009.
• OECD averages are based on 27 OECD member countries that participated in 2000 and 2009.
495
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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 2011-004) .
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
PISA 2009
Mathematics Literacy Results
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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
PISA 2009 Mathematics Literacy: OECD
• U.S. average score of 487 lower than the OECD average score of 496o 17 OECD countries had
higher average scores.o 11 were not measurably
different.o 5 had lower average scores.
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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 2011-004) .
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
PISA 2009 Mathematics Literacy: All
• Among all participantso 23 had higher average
scores than the United States.
o 12 were not measurably different.
o 29 had lower average scores.
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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 2011-004) .
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.”
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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 2011-004) .
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 4
23
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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 2011-004) .
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).
17SOURCE: Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) International Data Explorer, PISA 2009. Available at: http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pisa/idepisa/ .
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 2003.
• The U.S. average score was lower than the OECD average score in 2003 and in 2009.
• OECD averages are based on 29 OECD member countries that participated in 2003 and 2009.
*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*
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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 2011-004) .
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
PISA 2009
Science Literacy Results
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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
PISA 2009 Science Literacy: OECD
• U.S. average score of 502 not measurably different from the OECD average of 501o 12 OECD countries had
higher average scores.o 12 were not measurably
different.o 9 had lower average scores.
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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 2011-004) .
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
PISA 2009 Science Literacy: All
• Among all participantso 18 had higher
average scores than the United States.
o 13 were not measurably different.
o 33 had lower average scores.
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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 2011-004) .
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.”
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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 2011-004) .
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).
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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 2011-004) .
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 501.
24SOURCE: Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) International Data Explorer, PISA 2009. Available at: http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pisa/idepisa/ .
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 2006.
• The U.S. average score was lower than the OECD average in 2006, but not measurably different than the OECD average in 2009.
• 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.
501
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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 2011-004) .
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
International Data Explorer Website
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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
For More Information
PISA at NCES: http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pisa
Supplemental Tables: http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pisa/pisa2009/tablefigureexhibit.asp
International Data Explorer:http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/international/ide/
PISA at OECD:Sophie Vayssettes
[email protected] +(33) 1 45 24 91 68
Contact:Tracy Dell’Angela
(202) 219-1412
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