High and Low Performers

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2012 Problem Solving Proficiency Levels Description

Figure PS1a. Percentage of 15-year-old students performing at PISA problem solving proficiency levels 5 and above and below level 2, by education system: 2012

* p<.05. Significantly different from the U.S. percentage at the .05 level of statistical significance.
NOTE: Education systems are ordered by 2012 percentages of 15-year-olds in levels 5 and above. To reach a particular proficiency level, a student must correctly answer a majority of items at that level. Students were classified into problem solving proficiency levels according to their scores. Exact cut scores are as follows: below level 1 (a score less than or equal to 358.49); level 1 (a score greater than 358.49 and less than or equal to 423.42); level 2 (a score greater than 423.42 and less than or equal to 488.35); level 3 (a score greater than 488.35 and less than or equal to 553.28); level 4 (a score greater than 553.28 and less than or equal to 618.21); level 5 (a score greater than 618.21 and less than or equal to 683.14); and level 6 (a score greater than 683.14). Scores are reported on a scale from 0 to 1,000. The OECD average (PS) is the average of the national percentages of the 28 OECD member countries that participated in the problem solving (PS) assessment, with each country weighted equally. The following OECD countries did not participate in the problem solving assessment: Greece, Iceland, Luxembourg, Mexico, New Zealand, and Switzerland. Italics indicate non-OECD countries and education systems.
SOURCE: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), 2012.

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2012 Problem Solving Proficiency Levels Description

Table PS1b. Percentage of 15-year-old students performing at PISA problem solving proficiency levels 5 and above and below level 2, by education system: 2012
Education system	Below level 2				Levels 5 and above				Education system	Below level 2				Levels 5 and above
	Percent		s.e.		Percent		s.e.			Percent		s.e.		Percent		s.e.
OECD average (PS)	21.4	*	0.24		11.4		0.17
Singapore	8.0	*	0.40		29.3	*	0.83		Israel	38.9	*	1.81		8.8	*	1.03
Korea, Republic of	6.9	*	0.77		27.6	*	1.74		Sweden	23.5	*	1.10		8.8	*	0.64
Japan	7.1	*	0.80		22.3	*	1.24		Denmark	20.4		1.14		8.7	*	0.83
Hong Kong-China	10.4	*	1.08		19.3	*	1.33		Slovak Republic	26.1	*	1.56		7.8	*	0.89
Chinese Taipei	11.6	*	0.92		18.3	*	0.94		Spain	28.5	*	1.44		7.8	*	0.70
Shanghai-China	10.6	*	0.94		18.3	*	1.26		Portugal	20.6		1.35		7.4	*	0.76
Canada	14.7	*	0.69		17.5	*	0.76		Russian Federation	22.1	*	1.48		7.3	*	0.93
Australia	15.5		0.58		16.7	*	0.64		Poland	25.7	*	1.66		6.9	*	0.81
Macao-China	7.5	*	0.46		16.6	*	0.59		Slovenia	28.5	*	1.02		6.6	*	0.50
Finland	14.3	*	0.66		15.0	*	0.82		Hungary	35.0	*	1.51		5.6	*	0.77
Belgium	20.8		0.87		14.4	*	0.76		Serbia, Republic of	28.5	*	1.48		4.7	*	0.43
United Kingdom	16.4		1.35		14.3		1.09		Croatia	32.3	*	1.55		4.7	*	0.71
Netherlands	18.5		1.50		13.6		1.19		Cyprus	40.4	*	0.84		3.6	*	0.26
Norway	21.3		1.07		13.1		0.92		United Arab Emirates	54.8	*	1.10		2.5	*	0.21
Germany	19.2		1.38		12.8		1.12		Turkey	35.8	*	1.93		2.2	*	0.54
France	16.5		1.14		12.0		0.95		Chile	38.3	*	1.84		2.1	*	0.31
Czech Republic	18.4		1.15		11.9		0.82		Brazil	47.3	*	2.34		1.8	*	0.39
Estonia	15.1		1.04		11.8		0.76		Bulgaria	56.7	*	1.90		1.6	*	0.37
United States	18.2		1.34		11.6		0.95		Uruguay	57.9	*	1.53		1.2	*	0.24
Austria	18.4		1.30		10.9		0.95		Colombia	61.5	*	1.63		1.2	*	0.27
Italy	16.4		1.45		10.8		1.10		Malaysia	50.5	*	1.82		0.9	*	0.24
Ireland	20.3		1.13		9.4		0.74		Montenegro, Republic of	56.8	*	0.86		0.8	*	0.18
* p<.05. Significantly different from the U.S. percentage at the05 level of statistical significance. NOTE: Education systems are ordered by 2012 percentages of 15-year-olds in levels 5 and above. To reach a particular proficiency level, a student must correctly answer a majority of items at that level. Students were classified into problem solving proficiency levels according to their scores. Exact cut scores are as follows: below level 1 (a score less than or equal to 358.49); level 1 (a score greater than 358.49 and less than or equal to 423.42); level 2 (a score greater than 423.42 and less than or equal to 488.35); level 3 (a score greater than 488.35 and less than or equal to 553.28); level 4 (a score greater than 553.28 and less than or equal to 618.21); level 5 (a score greater than 618.21 and less than or equal to 683.14); and level 6 (a score greater than 683.14). Scores are reported on a scale from 0 to 1,000. The OECD average (PS) is the average of the national percentages of the 28 OECD member countries that participated in the problem solving (PS) assessment, with each country weighted equally. The following OECD countries did not participate in the problem solving assessment: Greece, Iceland, Luxembourg, Mexico, New Zealand, and Switzerland. Italics indicate non-OECD countries and education systems. SOURCE: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), 2012.