Math and reading scores fall to lowest level in two decades

Math and reading scores in several countries fall to lowest level in two decades, study says

By Susan Carpenter Paris

UPDATED 8:09 AM ET Dec. 06, 2023 PUBLISHED 11:42 AM ET Dec. 05, 2023 PUBLISHED 11:42 AM EST Dec. 05, 2023

Math, reading and science proficiency among teenagers has decreased in dozens of countries, according to a new report the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development released Tuesday.

One in four 15-year-olds is a low performer in all subjects and were not able to perform basic calculations or interpret uncomplicated text, the study found.

What You Need To Know

One in four 15-year-olds is a low performer in math, reading and science, according to a new study from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development

The study is based on a two-hour test taken by 700,000 15-year-olds in 81 countries in 2022

Scores were worst in areas associated with high rates of mobile phone use and in schools that reported a shortage of teachers

Students in Sngapore logged the best scores in all three subjects

“COVID probably played some role, but I would not overrate it,” OECD director of education Andreas Schleicher said during a news conference announcing the test results. “There are underlying structural factors, and they are much more likely to be permanent features of our education systems that policymakers should really take seriously.”

The OECD has been conducting reading, math and science tests in 15-year-olds every three years since 2000. The scores for 2022 marked the lowest results recorded since OECD testing began.

Reading scores fell by 10 points, and math fell 15 points. The OECD said the learning losses were equivalent to losing three-quarters of a year of schooling.

The researchers noted that countries that showed the poorest scores were associated with high rates of mobile phone use and in schools that reported a shortage of teachers.

For the 2022 study, 700,000 15-year-olds took the two-hour test in 81 countries. The largest international education performance test in the world, it was conducted in 38 mostly developed countries and 44 countries that are not members of the OECD.

While Germany, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway and Poland saw especially steep declines in math scores, Singapore, Macau, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea all out performed in math as well as science.

Ireland, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan also scored highest for reading.

Overall, students in Singapore earned the best marks in all three subjects and were an average of three to five years of ahead of their peers in other countries tested by the OECD.