In 2015, more than a half a million 15-year-olds around the world sat for a two-hour exam covering science, math and reading. This Program for International Student Assessment, or PISA, facilitated by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, occurs every three years and aims to measure practical academic abilities in students nearing the end of compulsory schooling.
[ Five things to know about the PISA exam.]
Generally, the results are rather consistent and other findings are unsurprising: Students from countries in Asia perform well, especially in math; a gender gap exists, favoring boys in both confidence in their abilities and actual test performance; and students with a less advantaged socio-economic status, especially immigrants, are far more likely to fall below baseline levels of achievement.
[ These are the Best Countries for Education, according to perception.]
The most recent results for students in 72 countries and economies, released today, are no great exception. Compared to the last PISA testing in 2012, the average score among OECD countries dropped 1 point in each of the three subjects. As in previous years, the U.S. falls below the OECD average in math, and Singapore tops the list in all three subjects.
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But not all is grim. In Jordan, Malaysia and seven other countries or economies, girls scored higher than boys in mathematics, on average. More than one in three socio-economically disadvantaged immigrant students in Australia, Canada and three other countries are considered “resilient,” scoring in the top quarter of all tested students “despite the odds against them.” Students in Argentina scored an average of 45 points better in all three subjects than they did in 2012.
Here are the countries and economies that had the 10 highest average scores in science, math and reading in the 2015 PISA.
| Top PISA Science Scores | Top PISA Math Scores | Top PISA Reading Scores |
| Singapore | Singapore | Singapore |
| Japan | Hong Kong (China) | Hong Kong (China) |
| Estonia | Macao (China) | Canada |
| Taiwan | Taiwan | Finland |
| Finland | Japan | Ireland |
| Macao (China) | China* | Estonia |
| Canada | South Korea | South Korea |
| Vietnam | Switzerland | Japan |
| Hong Kong (China) | Estonia | Norway |
| China* | Canada | New Zealand |
*Note: Scores for China account for students in Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu and Guangdong metro areas.
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2015 PISA Scores Are No Surprise originally appeared on usnews.com
