Massachusetts students score among world's best

BOSTON — Massachusetts students are in a league with the top-scoring nations in the world, according to new test results released by the state.

If the commonwealth were a country, the test scores from Massachusetts students would place the state tied for first in reading and tied second in science with other countries worldwide.

The results come from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) given in 2015 to 15-year-olds.

“I'm thrilled to see Massachusetts students rank among the top performers in the world in reading, math and science," said Governor Charlie Baker. "The Commonwealth is proud of our longstanding commitment to education, and as we continue to compete in a global economy, it is great to see our students perform well on an international stage."

A random sample of 1,600 students from 49 Massachusetts public schools took a two-hour test in September and November 2015.

In total, over 500,000 students worldwide participate in the PISA.

Students from Massachusetts did better than the U.S. as a whole and outscored North Carolina, the other state that participates.

Other 2015 PISA results for Massachusetts include:

Reading:

• Massachusetts students scored an average of 527 in reading. The U.S. average was 497, while the OECD average was 493. Students in North Carolina scored on average 500.
• No national education systems scored statistically higher than Massachusetts, although eight had similar scores to Massachusetts: Singapore, Hong Kong (China), Canada, Finland, Ireland, Estonia, the Republic of Korea and Japan.
• Fourteen percent of Massachusetts students were top performers in reading.
• Female students in Massachusetts (average scores of 536) outperformed male students (average score of 518), but the gender gap has narrowed since 2012 from 32 points to 18 points.

Science:

• Massachusetts students scored an average of 529 in science. The U.S. average was 496, while the OECD average was 493. Students in North Carolina scored on average 502.
• The only education system that statistically outperformed Massachusetts in 2015 was Singapore (average score of 556).
• Fourteen percent of Massachusetts students were top performers in science, compared to 24 percent of students from Singapore, the top achieving system.
• The difference between the average scores for male (534) and female (524) students in Massachusetts was not statistically significant.

Mathematics:

• Massachusetts students scored an average of 500 in mathematics. The U.S. average was 470, while the OECD average was 490. Students in North Carolina scored on average 471.
• The 11 education systems that statistically outperformed Massachusetts on math in 2015 were Singapore, Hong Kong (China), Macau (China), Chinese Taipei, Japan, Beijing- Shanghai-Jiangsu-Guangdong (B-S-J-G) (China), the Republic of Korea, Switzerland, Estonia, Canada and the Netherlands.
• Ten percent of Massachusetts students were top performers in mathematics, compared to 35 percent of students from Singapore, the top achieving system.
• The difference between the average scores for male (505) and female (496) students in Massachusetts was not statistically significant.

Cox Media Group