PISA: US Teenagers’ Math Scores See Greatest Drop Since 2009

The Wall Street Journal (12/6, Hobbs, Subscription Publication) reports that on Tuesday, the 2015 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) published its results, showing the US with an 11-point drop in its average math score, which the Journal points out was the most sizable decrease since 2009. US Secretary of Education John B. King Jr. said, “We’re losing ground – a troubling prospect when, in today’s knowledge-based economy, the best jobs can go anywhere in the world. As the new PISA results show, U.S. students are scoring well behind their peers in top-performing nations.” National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Acting Commissioner Peggy G. Carr said, “Mathematics remains the subject that the U.S. fares worst in, comparatively, and our students continue to score below the average for OECD member nations. We need to take a strong look at ourselves in mathematics.”

The AP (12/6, Kerr) quotes King as saying, “Students in Massachusetts, Maryland, and Minnesota aren’t just vying for great jobs along with their neighbors or across state lines, they must be competitive with peers in Finland, Germany, and Japan.” Carr added, “This pattern that we’re seeing in mathematics seems to be consistent with what we’ve seen in previous assessments ... everything is just going down.” OECD Director for Education and Skills Andreas Schleicher said “high-performing countries do really well in math in three things: rigor, focus, and coherence.” NEA President Lily Eskelsen Garcia said, “What do the PISA high-performing nations do differently than the United States? They invest in their students. They fully fund all of their schools, regardless of the ZIP code or community they are in.”

Reuters (12/6, Simpson) said that the US “average math score of 470 was down 17 points from 2009, and 20 points below the average of the countries taking part in the survey.” The report found “15-year-old U.S. students ranked 40th in the world in math last year out of 72 countries or cities.” Reuters adds, “A U.S. bright spot was Massachusetts. The state’s reading score would have tied for second behind Singapore, and its science showing tied for sixth.” The Boston (MA) Globe (12/6, Vaznis) focuses on Massachusetts’ results.

Politico Morning Education (12/6, Stratford) reports that King was in Massachusetts “to hail the state’s success with PISA – while noting that the nation as a whole is ‘losing ground.’” King said, “The PISA results announced today for Massachusetts didn’t happen instantly or by accident. It has taken years of people showing courage – principals, teachers, parents, students, and state and district leaders. It has taken years of overcoming challenges. It has taken years to make real and meaningful change happen. And it will take time to see the work we are continuing to do today truly pay off for students.” The Washington Post (12/6, Heim) says King called the PISA results “sobering news,” and the Los Angeles Times (12/6, Resmovits) says King “expressed disappointment” in the overall US results.

Additional general coverage of the US PISA results is provided by the International Business Times (12/6) and the Huffington Post  (12/6).

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