U.S. 15-year-olds' mathematics score declines in first international assessment since COVID-19 pandemic; reading and science scores stable

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National Center for Education Statistics

Dec 05, 2023, 05:00 ET

U.S. mathematics, reading, science rankings improve as scores in other countries decline

WASHINGTON, Dec. 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The average mathematics literacy score for U.S. 15-year-olds fell in the latest round of the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), according to a report on the 2022 results released today by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), while average reading and science literacy scores for American 15-year-olds held steady. The U.S. ranking in all three subjects improved because of declines in other education systems.

"What is happening with mathematics achievement is a global concern," said NCES Commissioner Peggy G. Carr. "Mathematics declines were widespread, and declined in the U.S., but mathematics achievement declined even more dramatically in many other countries. Helping students recover in mathematics should be a priority worldwide."

PISA is designed to assess what students have learned in mathematics, reading, and science—both inside and outside of school—as they near the end of compulsory schooling, and how well they apply that knowledge in real-world contexts. Developed and coordinated by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), an intergovernmental organization made up of 38 mostly industrialized member countries, PISA is conducted in the United States by NCES and provides a global view of U.S. students' performance compared to their peers around the world. In 2022, 81 countries and education systems participated in PISA.

"When you look across the whole distribution of students, you see that we have high percentages of students who score in the highest proficiency levels internationally in reading and science, but lag behind in mathematics," Commissioner Carr explained. "The U.S. has the second-highest percentage of top-performing students in reading in the world—behind only Singapore—and the sixth-highest percentage of top-performing students in science."

Comparing results internationally, in 2022, U.S. 15-year-olds' average mathematics score was not measurably different from the OECD average, while average reading and science scores were higher than the average scores of OECD member countries.

The major focus of PISA 2022 was on mathematics literacy, defined as students' capacity to formulate, use, and interpret mathematics in a variety of contexts. Mathematics literacy includes reasoning mathematically and using mathematical concepts, procedures, facts, and tools to describe, explain, and predict phenomena. In 2022, U.S. 15-year-olds' average mathematics score was not measurably different from the average of score of OECD member countries, though the U.S. mathematics literacy score in 2022 was lower than in 2018 and 2003, the earliest comparable year for mathematics literacy scores in the U.S. Globally, the U.S. ranked 26^th in mathematics literacy in 2022. The U.S. ranking in mathematics improved from 2018 to 2022 as scores in other countries declined. Norway, France, Iceland, and Portugal all scored higher than the U.S. in mathematics in 2018 but, due to having larger score declines than the U.S., their average scores in 2022 were not significantly different from the U.S. average.

In reading literacy, the performance of 15-year-olds in the U.S. in 2022 was higher than the OECD average. The U.S. average score was not measurably different in 2022 from 2018 or 2000. In reading literacy, the U.S. percentage of top performers was larger than the OECD average, and the U.S. percentage of low performers was smaller than the OECD average. The U.S. had the second-highest percentage of top performers in reading overall and the highest percentage of top performers of any OECD member country. The U.S. ranked 6^th globally in reading literacy in 2022. From 2018 to 2022, the U.S. ranking improved as scores in other countries declined. Macau (China), Hong Kong (China), Estonia, and Canada were higher than the U.S. in 2018 but were not significantly different from the U.S. in 2022. Poland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Germany had average reading scores that were not significantly different from the U.S. in 2018 but were lower than the U.S. in 2022. Finland, which scored higher than the U.S. in 2018, scored lower than the U.S. in 2022.

In science literacy, U.S. 15-year-old students' average score in 2022 was higher than the OECD average score. The U.S. average score was not measurably different in 2022 from 2018 or 2006, the earliest cycle with comparable data. The U.S. percentage of top performers in science literacy was larger than the OECD average, and the U.S. percentage of low performers was smaller than the OECD average. The U.S. ranked 10^th globally in science literacy in 2022, and had the sixth-highest percentage of top performers overall and third-highest in the OECD. The U.S. ranking improved from 2018 to 2022 as the score in Poland declined from higher than the U.S. in 2018 to not significantly different from the U.S. in 2022.

The key findings include:

MATHEMATICS LITERACY:

U.S. 15-year-old students' average performance in mathematics literacy in 2022 (465) was lower than in 2018 (478) and 2003 (483), the earliest cycle with comparable data.
The U.S. average score was not measurably different from the OECD average.
Compared to students in the 80 other participating education systems, U.S. students' average score in mathematics was higher than the average in 43 education systems, lower than the average in 25 education systems, and not measurably different from the average in 12 education systems.
Compared to the 36 other participating members of the OECD, the U.S. average score in math was higher than the average in 6 countries, lower than the average in 21, and not measurably different from the average in 9.

READING LITERACY:

The average score of U.S. 15-year-old students in reading literacy was not measurably different in 2022 compared to both 2018, the most recent cycle, and 2000, the earliest cycle with comparable reading data.
U.S. student performance was higher than the average of the 37 participating OECD member countries.
Compared to students in the 80 other participating education systems, U.S. students' average score in reading was higher than the average in 68 education systems, lower than the average in 5, and not measurably different from the average in 7.
Compared to the 36 other participating members of the OECD, the U.S. average score in reading was higher than the average in 28 countries, lower than the average in 3, and not measurably different from the average in 5.

SCIENCE LITERACY:

U.S. 15-year-old students' average score in science literacy was not measurably different in 2022 compared to 2018, the most recent cycle, and 2006, the earliest cycle to which it can be compared.
The U.S. average score in science was higher than the average of the 37 participating OECD member countries.
Compared to students in the 80 other participating education systems, U.S. students' average score in science was higher than the average in 56 education systems, lower than the average in 9, and not measurably different from the average in 15.
Compared to the 36 other participating members of the OECD, the U.S. average score in science was higher than the average in 16 countries, lower than in 5, and not measurably different from the average in 15.

Additional results and accompanying data tables are available at https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pisa/pisa2022/. Results for an optional domain assessed in 2022—financial literacy—will be released separately in spring 2024.

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, is the statistical center of the U.S. Department of Education and the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education in the U.S. and other nations. A part of the Institute of Education Sciences, NCES fulfills a congressional mandate to collect, collate, analyze, and report complete statistics on the condition of American education; conduct and publish reports; and review and report on education activities internationally.

The Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), first implemented in 2000, is an international assessment that measures the performance of 15-year-old students in reading literacy, mathematics literacy, and science literacy. PISA 2022 was the eighth cycle of the assessment. Target populations for PISA include all 15-year-olds in education institutions with grade 7 or higher, regardless of the type of education institution or whether it is publicly or privately funded. Students could be excluded for functional or intellectual disabilities or limited proficiency in the test language. The U.S. sample included both public and private schools, randomly selected and weighted to be representative of the nation's 15-year-old students.

PISA was developed and organized by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The OECD is an intergovernmental organization made up of 38 mostly industrialized member countries like the United States, Japan, Germany, the Republic of Korea, and the United Kingdom.

Contact: James Elias, (202) 355-4417, [email protected]

SOURCE National Center for Education Statistics