The latest PISA survey, which evaluates the knowledge and skills of the world’s 15-year-olds, shows Shanghai students are top performers in math, science and reading tests. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) tested more than 510,000 students in 65 countries.
Asian countries are outpacing their peers in all three subjects. In mathematics Shanghai students score the equivalent of nearly three years of schooling above most OECD countries. Secondly, Shanghai outperforms the rest of the world in science. Across the 65 countries, 8.4% of the students are top performers in science and score at the highest levels, compared to 27.2% of the students in Shanghai. Shanghai also has the largest proportion of top performers in reading, namely 25.1% compared to 8.4% of the students in OECD countries.
The PISA survey concludes children whose parents have high expectations perform better. They tend to try harder, have more confidence in their own ability and are more motivated to learn. This, in combination with Asian students realizing they are responsible for their futures, possibly explains Shanghai as top performer in PISA 2012.
A snapshot of the results: PISA 2012 Results in focus
Read more: OECD latest PISA survey