Study: Student Learning Decreased in Math, Reading Worldwide
2023-12-13
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1Students around the world suffered historic setbacks in reading and math during the COVID-19 pandemic.
2That information comes from results of the latest Program for International Student Assessment (PISA).
3The PISA is an international comparative study of the scores of 15-year-old students on tests in reading, math and science.
4Nearly 700,000 students took part in the study.
5PISA is administered every three years.
6The latest results showed an "unprecedented drop in performance" since 2018.
7The PISA 2022 study was supposed to happen in 2021.
8But it was postponed because of the pandemic.
9The 2022 results were released on December 5.
10It is the first extensive study with data on how the pandemic has affected student performance around the world.
11The study looked at 81 education systems.
12They include 37 member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
13OECD has been administering the test since 2000.
14The study found decreasing test scores in both rich and poor countries.
15Andreas Schleicher is the director for education and skills at OECD.
16He said, "The world is no longer divided between rich and well-educated countries and poor and badly educated countries."
17The study found the average international math score fell by 15 points since 2018.
18Reading scores across participating countries fell by 10 points.
19The OECD considers 20 points to be equal to one year of learning.
20Scores did not change in a major way in science.
21Albania saw the biggest decrease in math scores, with a massive 69-point decrease.
22That means Albanian students lost more than three years of learning.
23Many countries fell by more than one year's worth of learning in math, including Germany, Iceland and the Netherlands.
24Four places did improve their performance between PISA 2018 and 2022 in all three subjects: Brunei, Cambodia, the Dominican Republic and Taiwan.
25Six East Asian education systems outperformed all other countries in math.
26Scores in Singapore were measurably higher than all other countries in all three subjects.
27The math scores for U.S. students were about even with the international average.
28Science and reading were slightly higher.
29The COVID-19 pandemic was a major reason for the worldwide score drops.
30But science and reading scores were dropping even before the pandemic.
31This suggests there are other reasons for the decrease.
32Factors such as the level of investment in education, the social value and pay levels of teachers, and educational beliefs of students have all influenced educational results, the OECD's Schleicher said.
33The PISA tests explore how well students can solve complex problems, think critically and communicate effectively.
34The goal of PISA is to provide useful information to educators and policymakers on the strengths and weaknesses of their country's education system.
35OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann released the latest PISA results in Paris.
36He said, "PISA 2022 helps to identify the comparative strengths of education systems that have performed well despite recent shocks."
37Policymakers can use such information to consider reforms to education systems for a brighter, more financially successful future, Cormann added.
38The study also reported on the fast-changing influence of technology on educational performance.
39The results found that moderate use of electronic devices in school is connected to higher performance.
40Khan Academy is a popular test prep web site.
41It offers a free PISA quiz.
42You can see example questions and compare your math skills against the 15-year-old students from around the world who took the PISA 2022.
43I'm Gena Bennett.
1Students around the world suffered historic setbacks in reading and math during the COVID-19 pandemic. That information comes from results of the latest Program for International Student Assessment (PISA). 2The PISA is an international comparative study of the scores of 15-year-old students on tests in reading, math and science. Nearly 700,000 students took part in the study. 3PISA is administered every three years. The latest results showed an "unprecedented drop in performance" since 2018. 4The PISA 2022 study was supposed to happen in 2021. But it was postponed because of the pandemic. The 2022 results were released on December 5. It is the first extensive study with data on how the pandemic has affected student performance around the world. 5The study looked at 81 education systems. They include 37 member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). OECD has been administering the test since 2000. 6Decreasing scores 7The study found decreasing test scores in both rich and poor countries. 8Andreas Schleicher is the director for education and skills at OECD. He said, "The world is no longer divided between rich and well-educated countries and poor and badly educated countries." 9The study found the average international math score fell by 15 points since 2018. Reading scores across participating countries fell by 10 points. The OECD considers 20 points to be equal to one year of learning. Scores did not change in a major way in science. 10Albania saw the biggest decrease in math scores, with a massive 69-point decrease. That means Albanian students lost more than three years of learning. Many countries fell by more than one year's worth of learning in math, including Germany, Iceland and the Netherlands. 11Some Good News 12Four places did improve their performance between PISA 2018 and 2022 in all three subjects: Brunei, Cambodia, the Dominican Republic and Taiwan. 13Six East Asian education systems outperformed all other countries in math. Scores in Singapore were measurably higher than all other countries in all three subjects. 14The math scores for U.S. students were about even with the international average. Science and reading were slightly higher. 15Effects of the pandemic 16The COVID-19 pandemic was a major reason for the worldwide score drops. But science and reading scores were dropping even before the pandemic. This suggests there are other reasons for the decrease. 17Factors such as the level of investment in education, the social value and pay levels of teachers, and educational beliefs of students have all influenced educational results, the OECD's Schleicher said. 18Purpose of PISA 19The PISA tests explore how well students can solve complex problems, think critically and communicate effectively. 20The goal of PISA is to provide useful information to educators and policymakers on the strengths and weaknesses of their country's education system. 21OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann released the latest PISA results in Paris. He said, "PISA 2022 helps to identify the comparative strengths of education systems that have performed well despite recent shocks." 22Policymakers can use such information to consider reforms to education systems for a brighter, more financially successful future, Cormann added. 23The study also reported on the fast-changing influence of technology on educational performance. The results found that moderate use of electronic devices in school is connected to higher performance. 24Test your skills 25Khan Academy is a popular test prep web site. It offers a free PISA quiz. You can see example questions and compare your math skills against the 15-year-old students from around the world who took the PISA 2022. 26I'm Gena Bennett. 27Gena Bennett wrote this story for VOA Learning English using sources from the Associated Press, PISA, OECD, and others. 28Words in This Story 29setback-n. an event that delays progress 30score-n. a piece of information, usually a number, that demonstrates the performance level of a skill 31participating-adj. taking part in 32factor-n. something that contributes to a result 33despite-prep. without being affected by 34quiz-n. a short, informal quiz