[kids-lib] How does the U.S. measure up in reading and science compared to other countries?

[Katie Anderson]

Hello! Two studies were released today (see the bottom of this email for details and links). I've copied and pasted a few key results directly from report. These results make me think about how libraries are focusing resources on Black and Hispanics youth, kids in poverty, and boys who are struggling more in reading. I also wonder, "What is happening between 4th Grade when American kids are doing okay in science and 8th Grade when American kids drop to the middle of the pack?" How can libraries help? These results may also be useful in grant writing and advocacy.

Comparisons of the reading achievement of 4th-grade students in 2011 are made among the 53 education systems that participated at grade 4.

*         In 2011, the United States was among the top 13 education systems (5 education systems had higher averages and 7 were not measurably different). The United States average was higher than 40 education systems. The 5 education systems with average scores above the U.S. average were Hong Kong-CHN, Florida-USA, the Russian Federation, Finland, and Singapore.

  *   The average score for girls was higher than the average score for boys in the United States (562 vs. 551).
  *   Compared to the U.S. national average reading score: White, Asian, and multiracial students scored higher on average, while Black and Hispanic 4th-graders scored lower on average than the U.S. average.
  *   In the United States, schools were classified into five categories on the basis of the percentage of students in the school eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. In all cases, students from schools with lower proportions of  free lunch eligibility scored higher, on average, than students from schools with higher proportions of free lunch eligibility.

Comparisons of the science achievement of 4th-graders in 2011 are made among 57 countries and other education systems.

  *   At grade 4, the United States was among the top 10 education systems in science (6 education systems had higher averages and 3 were not measurably different) and scored higher, on average, than 47 education systems. The 6 education systems with average science scores above the U.S. score were Korea, Singapore, Finland, Japan, the Russian Federation, and Chinese Taipei-CHN.

Comparisons of the science achievement of 8th-graders in 2011 are made among 56 countries and other education systems.

  *   At grade 8, the United States was among the top 23 education systems in science (12 education systems had higher averages and 10 were not measurably different) and scored higher, on average, than 33 education systems. The 12 education systems with average science scores above the U.S. score were Singapore, Massachusetts-USA, Chinese Taipei-CHN, Korea, Japan, Minnesota-USA, Finland, Alberta-CAN, Slovenia, the Russian Federation, Colorado-USA, and Hong Kong-CHN.

Katie Anderson, Library Development Services
* Youth Services Consultant * Oregon Center for the Book Coordinator *
Oregon State Library, 250 Winter St. NE, Salem, OR 97301
katie.anderson at state.or.us<mailto:katie.anderson at state.or.us>, 503-378-2528

New PIRLS 2011 Highlights Report Compares U.S. Students with Their Peers Around the World. To view the full report please visit http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2013010

This report from the National Center for Education Statistics summarizes the performance of U.S. fourth-grade students on the 2011 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), comparing their scores with their peers internationally as well as documenting changes in reading achievement since 2001. The report also describes additional details about the achievement of students within the United States, by sex, racial/ethnic background, and the poverty level of the schools they attend. It also includes state-level results for public school students in Florida.

The PIRLS 2011 Highlights Report is a product of the National Center for Education Statistics at the Institute of Education Sciences, part of the U.S. Department of Education.

New TIMSS 2011 Highlights Report Compares U.S. Students with Their Peers Around the World. To view the full report please visit http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2013009

This report from the National Center for Education Statistics summarizes the performance of U.S. fourth- and eighth-grade students on the 2011 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), comparing their scores with their peers internationally as well as documenting changes in mathematics and science achievement since 1995. The report also describes additional details about the achievement of students within the United States, by sex, racial/ethnic background, and the poverty level of the schools they attend.

The TIMSS 2011 Highlights Report is a product of the National Center for Education Statistics at the Institute of Education Sciences, part of the U.S. Department of Education.
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