Taiwan moved up nine places to rank fourth in the science category of the 2015 Programme for International Student Assessment implemented by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, according to results released Dec. 6.
With a score of 532, compared to the OECD average of 493, Taiwan trailed only Singapore, Japan and Estonia in that order and finished ahead of Hong Kong in ninth and South Korea, which placed 11th, in the triennial survey of 72 countries and economies.
In the mathematics portion of the assessment, Taiwan remained No. 4 with 542 points, well above the OECD average of 490. The survey also found nearly 30 percent of local participants to be top performers in at least one subject, the second highest percentage after Singapore. Male students generally outperformed their female counterparts in math and science, while female participants fared much better in reading, the results showed.
While the nation’s mean score of 497 in reading is higher than the OECD average of 493, it put the country at No. 23 on the global list, down 15 places from the previous survey and behind most major economies in Asia.
Launched by the Paris-based organization in 2000, PISA aims to appraise the efficiency, equity and quality of school systems worldwide by evaluating the skills and knowledge of 15-year-old students. The assessment is widely regarded as an important indicator for education policymaking.
Roughly 540,000 students around the world took part in the latest tests, including 7,708 local youths from 214 junior and senior high schools as well as vocational schools and junior colleges. Taiwan students have participated in the tests since 2006. (SFC-E)
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