Youth Indicators, 2005: Trends in the Well-Being of American Youth - Indicator 14: International Reading Achievement

Indicator 14: International Reading Achievement

Figure 14. Average scores on reading literacy assessments among 15-year-old students in selected countries: 2003

¹Refers to the average for OECD countries as a single entity, to which each country contributes in proportion to the number of 15-year-olds enrolled in its schools.
NOTE: The scale range for the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) is from 0 to 1000. The scale was designed to have an average score of 500 points across OECD countries, with approximately two-thirds of students achieving between 400 and 600 points
SOURCE: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). (2004). Learning for Tomorrow's World: First Results from the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2003.

The average reading score for United States students (495) was not significantly different than the OECD average reading score (488). The U.S. average was higher than 9 participating OECD countries' averages, but was lower than 9 other OECD countries' averages. No measurable differences were found between the United States average and the remaining 11 OECD country averages. In all OECD countries, females had a higher average score than their male peers. In the United States, females outscored males by 32 points.

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