Program for International Student Assessment (PISA): 2012 Results -Problem Solving: Student Race/Ethnicity

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Problem Solving: Student Race/Ethnicity

Proficiency Levels

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2012 Problem Solving Proficiency Levels Description

Table PS7. Percentage distribution of U.S. 15-year-old students on PISA problem solving scale, by proficiency level and race/ethnicity: 2012
Race/ethnicity	Below level 1				Level 1				Level 2				Level 3				Level 4				Level 5				Level 6
Race/ethnicity	Percent		*s.e.*		Percent		*s.e.*		Percent		*s.e.*		Percent		*s.e.*		Percent		*s.e.*		Percent		*s.e.*		Percent		*s.e.*
U.S. average	5.7	**	*0.78*		12.5		*0.85*		22.8		*1.02*		27.0		*0.98*		20.4		*0.89*		8.9		*0.69*		2.7		*0.47*
White	2.6	*	0.74		7.6	*	0.90		19.4	*	1.30		29.0	*	1.37		25.7	*	1.11		12.0	*	0.94		3.7	***	0.69
Black	18.3	*	2.85		25.9	*	2.63		27.7	*	2.29		18.4	*	2.08		8.2	*	1.68		1.4	!*	0.64		‡		†
Hispanic	6.7		1.41		16.3	***	1.79		28.2	*	1.80		27.8		2.13		15.1	*	1.59		4.9	*	0.90		1.0	!*	0.44
Asian	‡		†		5.0	!*	2.30		12.0	*	3.19		22.9		3.53		31.1	*	3.58		18.3	*	3.82		8.8	!*	3.07
Multiracial	‡		†		9.9	!	3.37		23.0		3.68		30.3		4.83		20.0		3.79		10.1		2.48		4.2	!	1.95
OECD average (PS)	8.2	*******	*0.16*		13.2		*0.16*		22.0		*0.18*		25.6		*0.18*		19.6		*0.17*		8.9		*0.14*		2.5		*0.08*
† Not applicable. ! Interpret data with caution. Estimate is unstable due to high coefficient of variation. ‡ Reporting standards not met. * p<.05. Significantly different from both the U.S. and OECD averages at the .05 level of statistical significance. p<.05. Significantly different from the OECD average at the .05 level of statistical significance. * p<.05. Significantly different from the U.S. average at the .05 level of statistical significance. NOTE: To reach a particular proficiency level, a student must correctly answer a majority of items at that level. Students were classified into problem solving literacy 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. Reporting standards were not met for American Indian/Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander. Black includes African American, and Hispanic includes Latino. Students who identified themselves as being of Hispanic origin were classified as Hispanic, regardless of their race. Although data for some race/ethnicities were not shown separately because the reporting standards were not met, they are included in the U.S. and state totals. Standard error is noted by s.e. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. SOURCE: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), 2012.