Program for International Student Assessment (PISA): 2015 Results - Mathematics Literacy: Student Race and Ethnicity

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Mathematics Literacy: Student Race and Ethnicity

Proficiency Levels

Table M6. Percentage distribution of U.S. 15-year-old students on the PISA mathematics literacy scale, by proficiency level and race/ethnicity: 2015
	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	10.6	**	*0.81*	18.8	**	*1.01*	26.2	**	*1.00*	23.8		*0.89*	14.7	**	*0.80*	5.0	**	*0.61*	0.9	**	*0.20*
White	4.9	*	0.60	11.9	*	0.87	24.3		1.40	28.6	*	1.22	20.9	***	1.20	8.0	***	1.04	1.4	*	0.32
Black	21.5	*	1.97	29.5	*	2.30	29.0	**	2.57	14.7	*	2.12	4.4	*	1.25	‡		†	‡		†
Hispanic	14.5	*	1.85	24.7	*	1.77	27.7	**	1.73	20.8	*	1.54	9.6	*	1.27	2.1	*	0.62	‡		†
Asian	7.6	!	2.36	11.4	!	4.24	24.0		5.03	23.6		4.36	22.4	***	3.78	9.7	!	3.19	‡		†
Multiracial	7.1		1.86	18.8		3.33	28.0		3.63	25.8		3.44	14.9		2.41	4.8	!	2.04	‡		†
OECD average	8.5	***	*0.12*	14.9	***	*0.13*	22.5	***	*0.15*	24.8		*0.15*	18.6	***	*0.14*	8.4	***	*0.10*	2.3	***	*0.06*

† Not applicable.
# Rounds to zero.
! Interpret data with caution. Estimate is unstable due to high coefficient of variation (>30 percent and ≤50 percent).
‡ Reporting standards not met due to coefficient of variation over 50 percent.
* 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 mathematics literacy levels according to their scores. Exact cut scores are as follows: below level 1 (a score less than or equal to 357.77); level 1 (a score greater than 357.77 and less than or equal to 420.07); level 2 (a score greater than 420.07 and less than or equal to 482.38); level 3 (a score greater than 482.38 and less than or equal to 544.68); level 4 (a score greater than 544.68 and less than or equal to 606.99); level 5 (a score greater than 606.99 and less than or equal to 669.30); and level 6 (a score greater than 669.30). Scores are reported on a scale from 0 to 1,000. The OECD average is the average of the national percentages of the OECD member countries, with each country weighted equally. 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. 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), 2015.