PISA Test Highlights Need for U.S. Math Students to Learn with Reasoning and Sense Making

Reston, Va., December 7, 2010 -The results of the 2009 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) released today demonstrate a need to focus on the problem solving skills of U.S. students in mathematics, according to the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. PISA results show that students in the United States performed below average as compared with their counterparts in the 34 participating Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries in the mathematics assessment.

"The performance of U.S. students compared with their international peers in mathematics on the PISA assessment underscores the need for integrating reasoning and sense making in our teaching of mathematics," said Mike Shaughnessy, president of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. "PISA assesses skills that students will use in real-life situations. We need to incorporate more mathematical sense making in those real-world contexts. The U.S. results also emphasize the continued importance of teacher preparation and professional development to produce high-quality teachers who can incorporate reasoning into their mathematics teaching to enable all of our students to learn and perform better in solving real-world problems."

The 2009 U.S. average score on mathematics was higher than the 2006 U.S. average (474) but not measurably different from the 2003 U.S. average (483). Analysis of the 2009 results also revealed that 23 percent of U.S. students scored below level 2 in mathematics literacy, and 27 percent scored at or above level 4. U.S. boys scored 20 points higher than U.S. girls in math literacy, 497 to 477 points. The OECD average was also higher for male students but the difference was less dramatic, 501 to 490 points.

PISA-a test that focuses on the mathematical literacy and problem-solving abilities of 15-year-olds-measures what competencies students have acquired in and outside of school and how they apply that knowledge to meet real-life challenges. Of the 34 OECD countries, U.S. students ranked 25th on the math test, with an average score of 487, falling below the average score of 562 for students in Singapore, 546 for students in Korea, and 600 for students in top-performing Shanghai. Among the 33 other OECD countries, 17 had higher average scores than the U.S., 5 had lower, and 11 had scores that were not measurably different. 

The information gathered from PISA 2009 supports the Council's philosophy that students who learn mathematics with understanding are better able to solve problems that they have not encountered previously but will encounter in real-life situations outside the classroom. 

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics is a public voice of mathematics education, supporting teachers to ensure equitable mathematics learning of the highest quality for all students through vision, leadership, professional development, and research. With more than 100,000 members and 230 Affiliates, NCTM is the world's largest organization dedicated to improving mathematics education in prekindergarten through grade 12. The Council's Principles and Standards for School Mathematics includes guidelines for excellence in mathematics education and issues a call for all students to engage in more challenging mathematics. Its Curriculum Focal Points for Prekindergarten through Grade 8 Mathematics identifies the most important mathematical topics for each grade level. Focus in High School Mathematics: Reasoning and Sense Making advocates practical changes to the high school mathematics curriculum to refocus learning on reasoning and sense making. NCTM is dedicated to ongoing dialogue and constructive discussion with all stakeholders about what is best for our nation's students.