New PISA scores out

[bookbard]

These are the first post-pandemic PISA scores (an international test of 15yr olds in the OECD) and a lot of countries dropped significantly. Australia didn't, so they've ended up in the top 10, but only by staying where they were last time. So it's not improvement. 

I find the graphs interesting. Australia's scores over the last ten years mirror the OECD, a gradual drop overall. The USA's scores are all over the place, and very mixed, from very high in reading to low in maths. Canada's scores dropped significantly post pandemic, and the UK and NZ also. 

No one can explain why everyone in the OECD has dropped since 2000. Is it the test? Is it screentime?

I haven't linked any articles because they all seem to be so country specific. 

[Arcadia]

21 minutes ago, bookbard said:

No one can explain why everyone in the OECD has dropped since 2000. Is it the test? Is it screentime?

The “explanation” from my country of origin 

“Compared to PISA 2018, our students maintained their performance in Mathematics and improved substantially in Science. While our students' performance declined slightly in Reading, this is similar to peers in half of the 73 systems with trend data and may reflect the impact of a global change in reading habits. MOE will continue to work closely with schools, parents, and community partners to help our students cultivate reading habits from young.”

[bookbard]

1 minute ago, Arcadia said:

The “explanation” from my country of origin 

 

Yes, but scores in maths and science have also dropped globally since 2000. Although Singapore is always up the top! 

Apparently they also tested creativity this year, but we won't see those scores till the beginning on next year. I will be interested to see what they found (and whether it is valid). 

There were a few articles before the PISA scores coming out predicting dire things for Australia, but staying steady considering the pandemic is ok, I think. It's always the same when you dig into the scores - the higher SES, the better the score; rural kids do worse; Indigenous kids do worse. So the kids in the top private schools get high scores and the kids in the poor rural schools get the low scores. Until there's a real effort to do something about the widening gap between the rich and poor in Australia, nothing will change. 

[Arcadia]

4 minutes ago, bookbard said:

Yes, but scores in maths and science have also dropped globally since 2000

Summary chart by country for reading, maths and science https://www.oecd.org/pisa/OECD_2022_PISA_Results_Comparing countries’ and economies’ performance in mathematics.pdf

My guess is that even though reading score has dropped very slightly for my COO, the math and science scores are not as strongly influenced by reading ability. My niece had higher scores in math and science in the 6th grade national exams this year compared to English by knowing the subject vocabulary in maths and science well. 

[deBij]

I am surprised at the ranking of Canada.  My volunteer work at the local elementary school does not give me the impression of a high-performing school system.

I guess if the questions are not too challenging, then our education system does all right in supporting the average student.

[Arcadia]

19 minutes ago, deBij said:

 

I am surprised at the ranking of Canada. 

 

Canada country report https://www.oecd.org/publication/pisa-2022-results/webbooks/dynamic/pisa-country-notes/901942bb/pdf/canada.pdf

Try PISA 2022 Test Questions https://www.oecd.org/pisa/test/

@bookbard from page 251 https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/docserver/a97db61c-en.pdf?expires=1701816558&id=id&accname=guest&checksum=A2FC0C57BA9E4FFEBADEE5B2B88E90AD#page251

“The sharp declines may not be due solely to the pandemic because performance trends vary across subjects...
Between 2018 and 2022, average performance in mathematics and reading deteriorated precipitously while average performance in science did not change significantly, on average across OECD countries. Indeed, in 33 out of 71 countries/economies, science performance remained broadly stable between 2018 and 2022 (Figure I.5.1).
...and across education systems...
During the period, mathematics performance improved in Chinese Taipei, Saudi Arabia, the Dominican Republic, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Paraguay and Guatemala (in descending order) by around 10 to 16 score points. However, in Albania, Jordan, Iceland, Norway and Malaysia (in descending order), mathematics scores dropped by more than 30 points (Figure I.5.1).
Reading performance improved in Brunei Darussalam, Panama*, Chinese Taipei, Qatar, Japan, the Dominican Republic, and Cambodia (in descending order) by around 8 to 21 score points between 2018 and 2022; but in Albania, Iceland and North Macedonia, reading scores declined by more than 30 points during that period.
Science performance improved in 18 countries/economies between 2018 and 2022, including in Kazakhstan, the Dominican Republic, Panama*, Chinese Taipei, Japan, Cambodia and Brunei Darussalam (in descending order), where scores improved by around 15 to 26 points. However, in Albania, North Macedonia, Iceland and Malaysia (in descending order), science scores deteriorated by more than 20 points during the period.”

[Lucy the Valiant]

So many countries on this list are actually smaller than even 1 state in the USA - it's always given me skepticism as to the usefulness or validity of the entire test.