PISA Day in America: Florida, US underperform

Update (7:35 am):  Leslie Postal’s story in the Orlando Sentinel, “Florida 15-year-olds lag on international tests”, is here.

Update (7:20 am):  The OECD results page is here.

Update (6:45 am):  From the New York Times article on the PISA results:  “Jack Buckley, the commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, noted that American students from families with incomes in the highest quartile did not perform as well as students with similar backgrounds in other countries.”

From the NCES PISA release, kindly posted at the Washington Post’s Answer Sheet.  Massachusetts, Connecticut and Florida participated as individual states.

Massachusetts and Connecticut mathematics literacy average scores were 514 and 506, respectively. Massachusetts’ average was higher than the OECD and U.S. averages and Connecticut’s was higher than the U.S. average but not measurably different than the OECD average. Florida’s average score (467) was lower than the OECD and U.S. averages.

In Massachusetts and Connecticut, 19 and 16 percent of students, respectively, were top performers in mathematics, scoring at PISA proficiency level 5 or above and 18 and 21 percent, respectively, scored below level 2. In Florida, 6 percent of student scored at level 5 or above and 30 percent scored below level 2.

Massachusetts and Connecticut science literacy average scores, 527 and 521, respectively, were higher than the OECD and U.S. averages. Florida’s average score (485) was lower than the OECD average and not measurably different than the U.S. average.

In Massachusetts and Connecticut, 14 and 13 percent of students, respectively, were top performers in science, scoring at PISA proficiency level 5 or above and 11 and 13 percent, respectively, scored below level 2. In Florida, 5 percent of student scored at level 5 or above and 21 percent scored below level 2.

Massachusetts and Connecticut reading literacy average scores, 527 and 521, respectively, were higher than the OECD and U.S. averages. Massachusetts was outperformed by only three education systems, and Connecticut by four. Florida’s average score (492) was not measurably different than the OECD or U.S. averages.

In Massachusetts and Connecticut, 16 and 15 percent of students, respectively, were top performers in science, scoring at PISA proficiency level 5 or above and 11 and 13 percent, respectively, scored below level 2. In Florida, 6 percent of student scored at level 5 or above and 17 percent scored below level 2.