Prerelease of OECD data on student achievement

Abstract

Finland once again takes the number one spot in OECD\u27s three-yearly PISA test of the abilities of a sample of 15-year old secondary school students, followed by Hong Kong (China) and Canada, according to advance details of results that will be published in full next week. The report shows that Australia performs very well overall, but its top group performs better relative to other nations than its bottom group of achievers. The PISA survey, based on tests carried out in 2006 in 57 countries that together account for nearly 90 per cent of world GDP, is the most comprehensive and rigorous international yardstick of secondary school students\u27 attainments. After focusing in 2000 on reading skills and in 2003 on mathematics, PISA 2006 tested students on how much they knew about science and their ability to use scientific knowledge and understanding to identify and address questions and resolve problems in daily life