US Students' Math Scores Drop in First PISA Report Since COVID-19
Summary from the AllSides News Team
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development released the results of its 2022 PISA report, revealing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on academic performance across the globe.
For Context: The Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) tests 15-year-old students around the world on reading, mathematics, and science literacy. The 2022 test was the first administered since the COVID-19 pandemic, during which many schools temporarily shifted to remote instruction.
Details: U.S. students’ score for math literacy dropped 13 points from the last test administered in 2018, remaining lower than the global average but falling roughly in line with an overall global decline. U.S. students dropped one point in reading literacy and three points in science literacy from 2018 but scored above the global average and above 2012 scores in both categories.
How the Media Covered It: Some left-rated outlets more prominently highlighted the reading and science scores, while right-rated outlets focused almost exclusively on the math scores. The Wall Street Journal (Center bias) included a quote from the Education Secretary arguing that President Biden’s funding prevented a worse performance from students. The Daily Caller (Right bias) pulled information from the Axios (Lean Left bias) report but left out context included in Axios’ coverage, such as the fact that U.S. students lagged behind other countries in math scores prior to the pandemic.
Why the Difference? Right-rated outlets are more critical of pandemic-era school closures and shutdowns overall, while left-rated outlets more often defend these closures as necessary.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Left
U.S. students' math scores plunge in global education assessment
U.S. students lag behind their peers in many industrialized countries when it comes to math, according to the results of a global exam released Tuesday.
Why it matters: U.S. students saw a 13-point drop in their 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) math results when compared to the 2018 exam.
The 2022 math score was not only lower than it was in 2012 but it was "among the lowest ever measured by PISA in mathematics" for the U.S., per the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) country note....
From the Center
Learning Loss Hit the U.S. Hard. It’s as Bad or Worse Across the World.
The most comprehensive global look at test scores since the pandemic shows learning loss is a stubborn worldwide problem, with American 15-year-olds experiencing similar or slightly less severe setbacks compared with peers in other countries.
Economically developed nations saw substantial drops in reading and math on international exams, according to new data released Tuesday. U.S. scores also declined sharply in math but held roughly steady in reading.
Among 37 participating countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which coordinates the exam, the U.S.’s scores now rank sixth in...
From the Right
Math Scores Around The US Plunge As Students Suffer From Learning Loss
U.S. students are lagging behind other industrialized students in math in a global assessment released Tuesday, according to Axios.
Students in the U.S. saw a 13-point fall in their 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) score compared to their 2018 results, according to Axios. The score was “among the lowest ever measured by PISA in mathematics” and comes as U.S. students are suffering learning loss following the pandemic.
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