Highlights of PISA 2022 U.S. Results
The Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) is an international comparative study of 15-year-old students' performance in reading, mathematics, and science literacy. In 2022, eighty-one education systems participated in PISA, including 37 member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and 44 other countries and subnational education systems. The PISA 2022 results represent outcomes from the 8th cycle of PISA since its inception in 2000 and provide a global view of U.S. students' performance compared to their peers in the 80 other participating education systems.
In PISA 2022, the major domain was mathematics literacy, although reading and science literacy were also assessed. The United States, along with 19 other countries and education systems, also participated in the optional financial literacy assessment in 2022, with the results to be released in May 2024.
Click on the four buttons below to explore the PISA 2022 results by subject area. Make sure to continue reading down the page for more information about PISA.
mathematics literacy
Mathematics literacy was the major domain As the major domain, a greater proportion of the assessment is devoted to the subject area, including newly developed items, allowing for more detailed analyses of student performance in the subject. In addition, most items in the background questionnaires for students and schools focus on some aspect of the major domain subject, such as how it is taught, school resources related to the teaching of the subject, or students' levels of engagement with the subject. in PISA 2022. As the major domain, about half of the main assessment was devoted to mathematics literacy items designed to measure students' capacity to formulate, employ, and interpret mathematics in a variety of contexts. See an example mathematics item.
reading literacy
Reading literacy was a minor domain As a minor domain, a smaller proportion of the assessment is devoted to the subject area and utilizes only items that have been developed for previous cycles of PISA (trend items only). Analysis of the minor domain subject is more limited than when it is a major domain. in PISA 2022. As one of the two minor domains, about one-quarter of the main assessment was devoted to measure students' ability to engage with texts across a variety of scenarios and tasks, including digital contexts.
science literacy
Science literacy was a minor domain As a minor domain, a smaller proportion of the assessment is devoted to the subject area and utilizes only items that have been developed for previous cycles of PISA (trend items only). Analysis of the minor domain subject is more limited than when it is a major domain.in PISA 2022. As one of the two minor domains, about one-quarter of the main assessment was devoted to science literacy items designed to measure students' ability to engage with science-related issues, and with the ideas of science, as a reflective citizen.
financial literacy
Financial literacy was an optional domain As an optional domain, education systems can choose to participate in this assessment in addition to the three core subject areas. In each participating school, a sample of students received financial literacy items in addition to the core subjects of reading and mathematics.in PISA 2022. As an optional domain, it was presented to a sample of PISA-eligible students as blocks of financial literacy items designed to measure their knowledge and understanding of financial concepts, products, and risks, and their ability to apply what they know to real-life situations involving financial issues and decisions. Students who took the financial literacy assessment were also asked to complete a special questionnaire about their financial literacy background and experiences. Results are forthcoming June 2024.
The US also participated in the PISA Global Crises Module (GCM) which was developed to assess how education systems responded to the global spread of COVID-19 and how student learning experiences changed because of unprecedented disruptions caused by the pandemic. The GCM module included 62 student questionnaire items (grouped into 11 questions) and 68 school questionnaire items (grouped into 14 questions). Data findings from the GCM module can be found at the OECD site.
By design, PISA aims to measure how well students can apply knowledge obtained both in and out of school to real-world tasks as they are nearing the end of compulsory schooling. Since 2000 PISA has rotated the focus of the assessment among reading, mathematics, and science literacy in each cycle, with one being the major domain and the other two being minor domains. Read about the PISA cycle of domains.
PISA is conducted in the United States by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and is coordinated by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), an intergovernmental organization of industrialized countries. The PISA assessment was administered to students on computers in the United States and most of the other participating education systems. Data collection for the most recent assessment was completed in fall 2022 for the United States.
Further information about PISA can be found in the technical notes, questionnaires, list of participating OECD and non-OECD countries, released assessment items, and FAQs.
