Results from the 2009 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA): How does the United States compare to other nations? December 2010.

Results from the 2009 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA):

How does the United States compare to other nations?

December 2010

© 2010 THE EDUCATION TRUST

Subject2000 Rank

(out of 26)

2003 Rank

(out of 26)

2006 Rank

(out of 26)

2009 Rank

(out of 26)

Reading 14th 14th n/a Tied 10th

Mathematics 17th 22nd 22nd Tied 20th

Science 13th Tied 17th 19th 13th

Source: PISA 2009 Results, OECD

Note: Rankings are for the 26 countries that were members of the OECD and participated in PISA in 2000, 2003, 2006, and 2009. 2006 results for U.S. reading performance are not available.

Performance Among the 26 OECD Countries Continuously Participating in PISA Since 2000

U.S. Ranks Low but has Risen Since 2006


2000 2003 2006 2009350

400

450

500

550

600

504500

489*

502

483474*

487

PISA – All Subjects

ReadingLinear (Reading)Linear (Reading)Linear (Reading)ScienceMathematics

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Note: Possible scores range from 0 to 1,000. Trends are not available from 2000 for all subjects due to revised assessment frameworks. * indicates score is significantly different from 2009 score at the p<.05 level. Source: “Highlights from PISA 2009,” NCES, 2010

U.S. Performance Over Time


2006 2009350

400

450

500

550

600

489*

502498501

United StatesOECD

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Source: “Highlights from PISA 2009,” NCES, 2010

Science Performance on PISA

Note: Possible scores range from 0 to 1,000. * indicates score is significantly different from the 2009 score at the p<.05 level

Source: PISA 2009 results, NCES, Table S3A

2006 2009300

350

400

450

500

550

600

650

700

318*341

412* 433

488*502

567 572

662 662

PISA – Science

5th percentile25th percentile50th percentile75th percentile95th percentile

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* Indicates score is significantly different from 2009 score at the p<.05 level

Improvement Among Average and Lower Performing Students


Despite some improvements, the U.S. has a long way to go.

Source: “Highlights from PISA 2009,” NCES, 2010

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350

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Higher than U.S. average Not measurably different from U.S. average Lower than U.S. average

Of 34 OECD Countries, U.S.A. Ranks17th in Science

U.S.A.


Low SES students in the U.S. do not compare as well to their international counterparts as

high SES students do . . .

SES alone does not explain performance . . .


Some students in countries with lower SES perform at higher levels

Source: PISA 2009 Results, OECD, Table II.1.1

-1.50 -1.00 -0.50 0.00 0.50 1.00350

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Average ESCS score

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Low-SES students in the U.S. are less likely to be high performing than low-SES students in many

other countries . . .

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The U.S. is tied for 17th among 34 OECD Countries on the Percentage of Low-SES Students who are High-Performing

U.S.A.OECD

Note: High-performing, low-SES students are those who are in the bottom quarter of the ESCS in their country but perform in the top quarter across students from all countries after accounting for socioeconomic background.


U.S. performance doesn’t improve if we consider only native-born

students . . .

Source:

The U.S.A. has a larger percentage of immigrants and children of immigrants than most OECD countries

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PISA 200 Results, OECD, Table II.4.1

U.S.A.

OECD


Within the United States, performance varies widely

across groups of students . . .

Source:

African American and Latino Students Score Far Below White and Asian Counterparts

White African Amer-ican

Latino Asian OECD Average350

400

450

500

550

600

532

435

464

536

501

PISA 2009 – Science

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International Data Explorer, NCES


White and Asian students in the U.S. perform near the national averages

of several high-performing economies, but African American

and Latino students do not . . .


Reading Math Science

White U.S. Students

525 515 532

Canada 524 527 529Estonia 501 512 528Australia 515 514 527New Zealand 521 519 532Japan 520 529 539

Source: PISA 2009 Results, NCES

White Students in the U.S. Perform at about the Same Level as the National Average in Some of the Highest-

Achieving Countries



Asian U.S. Students

541 524 536

Korea 539 546 538Finland 536 541 554Singapore 526 562 542


Asian Students in the U.S. Perform at About the Same Level as the National Average in Some of the Highest-

Achieving Economies



African American U.S. Students

441 423 435

Serbia 442 442 443Bulgaria 429 428 439


African American Students in the U.S. Perform at About the National Average of Several Lower-Performing

Countries



Latino U.S. Students

466 453 464

Lithuania 468 477 491Turkey 464 445 454Dubai 459 453 466


Latino students in the U.S. Perform at About the Same Level as the National Average of Several Lower-

Performing Countries


The U.S. is wealthier than and spends more money per pupil than

most other countries, but this spending doesn’t translate into

higher performance . . .

Source: PISA 2009 Results, OECD, Table IV.3.21

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The U.S. has the third highest per capita GDP among OECD countries


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The U.S. spends more money per student than all but one other OECD country


The U.S. spends more money per student than other countries, but students perform at a lower level

$0 $20,000 $40,000 $60,000 $80,000 $100,000 $120,000 $140,000 $160,000 $180,000350

400

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550

600

Cumulative per pupil expenditures on students aged 6-15, in US dollars

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New ZealandFinland

Korea

And only about a third of American students meet reading benchmarks that indicate

readiness for higher-level work.

In the U.S.A., schools with lower SES tend to have larger classes


The only other OECD countries in which this is true?

Israel, Slovenia, and Turkey



Countries with greater school responsibility over curriculum and assessment generally have higher performance

Note: School responsibility over the curriculum and assessment is measured by an index comprised of the principal’s report of who has responsibility over establishing student assessment policies, determining which textbooks are used, determining course content, and deciding which courses are offered.

-1.5 -1 -0.5 0 0.5 1 1.5350

400

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School responsibility for curriculum and assessment

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U.S.A.

Netherlands

Australia Korea


Countries in which fewer students are tracked tend to have higher reading performance

0 10 20 30 40 50 60300

350

400

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Percentage of schools in which principals report students are tracked in all subjects

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KoreaFinland

U.S.A.

ChileLuxembourg

Source:

What does all this mean for teaching?• Talk to a peer and make a list of what this

means to you as a teacher. Be ready to share out.

Results from the 2009 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA): How does the United States compare to other nations? December 2010.

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