International Assessments

Learn more about tests, like PISA and TIMSS, taken by students in multiple countries that allow for cross-country comparisons
Karin Prien, Federal Minister of Education, Family, Senior Citizens, Women, and Youth; Francesco Avvisati, OECD, co-author of the PISA study; Prof. Dr. Samuel Greiff, Director of the PISA National Center at TUM and Chairman of the Board of the ZIB; and Anna Stolz, President of the Conference of Education Ministers and Bavarian Minister of State for Education and Cultural Affairs, present the PISA study in Berlin, Germany, on Sept. 8, 2026.
The PISA results were released Sept. 8 and showed global declines in three subjects. International education luminaries presented the findings: Karin Prien, the federal minister of education, family, senior citizens, women, and youth; Francesco Avvisati of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and co-author of the PISA report; Prof. Dr. Samuel Greiff, director of the PISA National Center at the Technical University of Munich; and Anna Stolz, president of the conference of education ministers and Bavarian minister of state for education and cultural affairs.
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Student Achievement 3 Takeaways From the Latest PISA Test of Reading, Math, and Science
The results show reading performance dropping across the world—and one uniquely troubling U.S. trend.
Sarah Schwartz, September 8, 2026
5 min read
Undated file photo of students during a class. Teenagers in the UK are still lagging behind their peers from high-performing countries in maths, reading and science, but some progress has been made in the international rankings. The UK remains outside the top 10 in the latest Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa), which is based on tests taken by 15-year-olds from around the world, behind countries like Singapore, Japan and Estonia. Issue date: Tuesday December 5, 2023.
U.K. students participate in a class on Dec. 5, 2023. Most industrialized countries' 15-year-old students, including those in the United States, performed worse in reading in 2025 than three years previously on an international exam. One bright spot: Students in the United Kingdom performed as well in reading as they did before.
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Student Achievement Reading Ability Craters on PISA International Exam, Both in the United States and Abroad
The U.S. outperformed most countries in reading and science, but the results show a global phenomenon of poorer readers.
Stephen Sawchuk, September 8, 2026
7 min read
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Student Achievement U.S. Reading and Math Gap Is Getting Worse for Adults, Too
Results on an international test of adults' math and literacy skills show a growing chasm between the highest and lowest performers.
Sarah Schwartz, December 10, 2024
3 min read
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Student Achievement 'Sharp, Steep Declines': U.S. Students Are Falling Behind in Math and Science
And among American students, gaps among high and low performers are growing wider.
Sarah Schwartz, December 4, 2024
4 min read
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Classroom Technology U.S. Students' Computer Literacy Performance Drops
U.S. scores were on par with the international average for computer and information literacy but below average for computational thinking.
Lauraine Langreo, December 2, 2024
4 min read
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Mathematics Which Nation’s Students Are Defying the Math Anxiety Trend?
Math anxiety is up among students globally, but a few countries deviate from the pattern.
Sarah Schwartz, November 25, 2024
5 min read
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Student Achievement How Motivated Are Students to Drive Their Own Learning?
An international test of students in more than 80 countries and economies finds that many struggle with motivation.
Sarah Schwartz, November 13, 2024
4 min read
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Globally, 15-year-old girls outpaced their male peers in a new international test of creative thinking.
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Federal What the Research Says What Schools Can Learn From a Global Assessment on Creative Thinking
Not all creativity is the same for student achievement, the latest Program for International Student Assessment data show.
Sarah D. Sparks, June 18, 2024
4 min read
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Artificial Intelligence AI May Be Coming for Standardized Testing
An international test may offer clues on how AI can help create better assessments.
Alyson Klein, March 25, 2024
4 min read
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Student Achievement What the Research Says How Absenteeism, Math Anxiety, and Other Factors Shaped the Troubling Results From PISA
Dire results on the Program for International Student Assessment should start conversations. Here's how.
Sarah D. Sparks, December 6, 2023
5 min read
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Student Achievement What the Research Says U.S. Teenagers Decline in Global Test of Math, But Hold Steady in Reading, Science
The Program for International Student Assessment shows U.S. students lost less ground than their global peers during the pandemic.
Sarah D. Sparks, December 5, 2023
4 min read
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Federal What the Research Says It's Not Just U.S. Students. Civics Scores Have Dropped Around the World
Eighth graders are less engaged and knowledgeable about government than they were before the pandemic, a global study finds.
Sarah D. Sparks, November 28, 2023
5 min read
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Student Well-Being & Movement 'Growth Mindset' Linked to Higher Test Scores, Student Well-Being in Global Study
The first global study of "growth mindset" found both academic benefits and better well-being among students who think intelligence is not fixed.
Sarah D. Sparks, April 9, 2021
4 min read
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Leadership Opinion My Hope for the New Education Secretary's Agenda
We must rethink our local and national education goals. Global competence is a good place to start, writes TFA founder Wendy Kopp.
Wendy Kopp, January 27, 2021
5 min read