PISA 2022 Results: Decline in Education Performance Partly Attributable to Covid-19 Pandemic
The 2022 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) results highlighted a significant decline in math achievement among American 15-year-olds, with a 13-point drop since 2018. This decline is part of a broader trend observed globally, with many countries reporting even more significant decreases in math scores. The PISA test, administered by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), involved 81 countries and found an average decline of 15 points in math and 10 points in reading, while science scores remained relatively unchanged. This marked the first time in PISA's 20-year history that such a significant drop in scores has been recorded. Despite the decline in Math, U.S. students showed resilience in reading and science, with only minor changes in scores. Consequently, the U.S. improved its ranking among PISA participants, increasing in all three subjects. The results provide an international context for the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education, highlighting steep learning losses, especially in math.
The pandemic's role in disrupting education was evident, with prolonged school closures and a shift to virtual learning contributing significantly to the decline in academic performance. In the U.S., a significant portion of students experienced extended school closures, with 20% reporting closures of six months to over a year. These PISA scores are a critical indicator of the pandemic's extensive impact on learning. They emphasize the urgent need for effective educational strategies to counteract the learning loss, particularly in math. Bob Hughes, director of K -12 learning programs at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, suggests a range of evidence-based interventions, including high-impact tutoring, enhanced teacher training, and adopting rigorous curricula to improve student performance. The findings call for immediate action to reverse the declining trend in math skills and ensure students are equipped with the necessary competencies for their future.