PISA

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
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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.
Press Association via AP
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
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7 min read
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Collage by Gina Tomko/Education Week and Getty
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
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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
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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
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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
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Mathematics What the Research Says Ready or Not for an AI Economy: How U.S. Students Stack Up
"Artificial intelligence has triggered a global talent race," an expert says, and American students lack the data skills for it.
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Chris Whetzel for Education Week
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
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Diverse group of middle school students working on laptops in a classroom setting.
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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
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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
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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
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Assessment News in Brief PISA Working Toward Exam to Gauge Creative Thinking—Built by ACT
When teenagers worldwide take PISA in 2021, they could face a new kind of test—one that aims to measure their creativity. And the maker of a major U.S. college admissions exam, ACT Inc., would build it.
Catherine Gewertz, September 25, 2018
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Assessment Opinion NAEP vs. PISA? Hands down, It's PISA
PISA's collection of background data provides policymakers critical insights beyond just student performance. Marc Tucker makes the case that NAEP should collect similar information.
Marc Tucker, December 7, 2017
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Student Well-Being & Movement U.S. Students Work Better in Teams, New PISA Test Finds
U.S. teenagers outperform their math, reading, and science skills when it comes to collaborative problems, a new study finds.
Sarah D. Sparks, November 22, 2017
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