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Trends in Student Performance: Trends in U.S. Performance


Reading Percentiles

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Figure T2a. Average scores and percentile scores of U.S. 15-year-old students on the PISA reading literacy scale at selected percentiles: 2000, 2003, 2009, 2012, and 2015

data in this figure can be found in the table

* p<.05. Significantly different from the 2015 score at the .05 level of statistical significance.
NOTE: This table shows the threshold (or cut) score for the following: (a) 10th percentile- the bottom 10 percent of students; (b) 25th percentile- the bottom 25 percent of students; (c) 75th percentile- the top 25 percent of students; (d) 90th percentile- the top 10 percent of students.  The PISA 2006 reading literacy results are not reported for the United States because of an error in printing the test booklets. For more details, see Baldi et al. 2007 (available at http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2008016). Scores are reported on a scale from 0 to 1,000.
SOURCE: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), 2000, 2003, 2009, 2012, and 2015.

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Table T2b. Average scores and percentile scores of U.S. 15-year-old students on the PISA reading literacy scale at selected percentiles: 2000, 2003, 2009, 2012, and 2015
Selected percentiles 2000   2003   2009   2012   2015
Score s.e.   Score s.e.   Score s.e.   Score s.e.   Score s.e.
90th percentile 636   6.5   622   3.5   625   5.0   614   4.0   624   3.8
75th percentile 577   6.8   568   3.6   569   4.6   561   3.9   568   3.9
Average score 504   7.0   495   3.2   500   3.7   498   3.7   497   3.4
25th percentile 436   8.8   429   4.1   433   4.0   436   4.5   430   4.7
10th percentile 363   11.4   361   5.2   372   3.9   378   4.8   364   5.4
NOTE: This table shows the threshold (or cut) score for the following: (a) 10th percentile- the bottom 10 percent of students; (b) 25th percentile- the bottom 25 percent of students; (c) 75th percentile- the top 25 percent of students; (d) 90th percentile- the top 10 percent of students. The PISA 2006 reading literacy results are not reported for the United States because of an error in printing the test booklets. For more details, see Baldi et al. 2007 (available at http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2008016). Scores are reported on a scale from 0 to 1,000. Standard error is noted by s.e.
SOURCE: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), 2000, 2003, 2009, 2012, and 2015.