The International Achievement Gap

A comparison of math and reading proficiency levels shows a sobering gap between the performance of U.S. students and those of students in other developed countries, according to a new report that analyses data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) tests for the Class of 2011. The report was issued under the auspices of Harvard’s Program on Education Policy and Governance and Education Next, an education policy organization.

Among its findings:

• 22 countries significantly outperform the U.S. in math proficiency, including South Korea, Finland, Switzerland, Japan, Canada, the Netherlands, Germany, Australia, and France.

• The U.S. ranks 17th in percentage of students who are proficient in reading and is outranked by, among others, Finland, New Zealand, Japan, Canada, Australia, and Belgium.

• Among states, Connecticut ranks 6th, with 34.7% of its students proficient in reading. Countries with comparable proficiency rates are Australia, Belgium, France, Japan, and the Netherlands.

• In math, Connecticut’s proficiency rate is 34.7%, 21st among states and comparable to France, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom.

The report also highlights gaps within the U.S. between white and minority students. In math, 42% of white students but only 15% of Hispanic and 11% of African American students are proficient. In reading, the proficiency percentages are: 40% for white, 13% for African American, and 5% for Hispanic, students.