The result of an international standardized exam released Tuesday found U.S. 15-year-olds’ test scores in reading and math have remained flat since 2000 and, in some cases, have fallen behind competing countries.
The Program for International Student Assessment, or PISA, found American 15-year-olds were below the middle of the back in math. What’s more, while collectively students were barely above the average in reading, about a fifth of students did not read at their age level, with some reading at a 10-year-old level.
Additionally, the National Center for Education Statistics said that there was a widened gap between high performers and low performers, with the top quarter of students improving while the bottom 10% fell further.
The disappointing exam results come despite years of general bipartisan support for education initiatives like No Child Left Behind and the Common Core State Standards.
Education experts have tossed out several explanations as to why education is failing, including an overabundance of test prep, income inequalities and segregated schools.
Regardless of the reason, Daniel Koretz, a Harvard Graduate School of Education professor and expert on testing, said the entire system needs to be changed.
“It’s really time to rethink the entire drift of policy reform because it just isn’t working,” he said to The New York Times, adding he believes a lack of a centralized education system has left students in certain states and districts behind.
The study did find the gap between native-born and immigrant students shrunk when compared to other countries.
The report comes after a similar test, the National Assessment of Educational Progress, found two-thirds of kids were not reading proficiently.
• Bailey Vogt can be reached at bvogt@washingtontimes.com.
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