Germany's students fare worse than ever in PISA school tests

German pupils have performed worse than ever in a key international survey which found that standards of school education have slipped globally – with the exception of Asia.

In the first Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) report commissioned by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) since the COVID-19 pandemic, international average performance among 15-year-olds in reading and mathematics slumped dramatically.

Published on Tuesday, the report surveyed 81 countries and found that the average international math score fell by the equivalent of three-quarters of a year of learning, while reading scores fell by the equivalent of half a year, meaning that students struggle to perform basic arithmetic or interpret simple texts.

PISA report: German education worse than ever

The setbacks spanned nations rich and poor, big and small, with few making progress, but the results in Germany were particularly concerning, with students in Germany recording their lowest scores ever and joining their Polish, Norwegian, Dutch and Icelandic counterparts in suffering a 25-point drop or more.

In math, German pupils achieved a score of 475, compared to 500 in the previous study published in 2019. In reading, they scored 480, down from 498 three years ago, and science was down to 492 from 503.

The results recall those of the first PISA study in 2000, which placed Germany, Europe's biggest economy, below the OECD average and also revealed worrying correlations between social background and educational opportunities.

On the social ramifications brought to light by the results, PISA director Doris Lewalter, an education researcher at the Technical University of Munich and chair of the Board of the Center for International Comparative Studies in Education, highlighted a lack of linguistic support among certain demographics.

"If we have pupils from immigrant backgrounds, we cannot assume that they have already mastered the German language of education when they come to Germany," she said.

Not just Germany: global standards also slipping

This time around, Germany still remains close to the OECD average in math and literacy and just above average in science, but standards have dropped dramatically across the globe.

"Compared to 2018, mean performance fell by 10 score points in reading and by almost 15 score points in mathematics, which is equivalent to three-quarters of a year's worth of learning," the report concluded, adding: "The decline in mathematics performance is three times greater than any previous consecutive change."

"The PISA 2022 results show a fall in student performance that is unprecedented in PISA's history," OECD education analyst Irene Hu told reporters.

The PISA study is usually carried out every three years, the current edition, however, was put back a year due to the pandemic. While the OECD said the disruption of the pandemic was a factor in the global setbacks, it has cautioned against blaming everything on COVID-19.

It found that the link between school closures and academic setbacks was "not so direct" and pointed out that some countries were already trending downward in math, including Belgium, Finland, Canada and France.

A survey of students found about half faced closures of more than three months, but it didn't always lead to lower scores. There was "no clear difference" in performance trends between countries that had limited closures, including Iceland and Sweden, and those with longer closures, such as Brazil and Ireland.

"Many other factors impacted learning during this period, such as the quality of remote teaching and levels of support granted to struggling students," it said.

Exception: Asia — but how happy are the students?

Bucking the trend once again were Asian countries, which dominated the top spots.

Singapore led the way, the island city-state scoring high in all three areas: mathematics, reading and science.

"These results suggest that, on average, Singaporean students are the equivalent of almost three to five years of schooling ahead of their peers," the report said, listing Macao, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea closely behind.

However, academic success doesn't necessarily translate into happiness, which has also been examined by the OECD for the first time using nine aspects of students' lives to measure well-being.

The report found that students in Singapore, Macao and Taiwan who performed best in math often reported "a high fear of failure and limited engagement in extracurricular activities such as sports."

In contrast, students in countries with lower average PISA test scores, such as Spain and Peru, were found to have "lower levels of anxiety" and placed "greater focus on sports."

mf/sms (AFP, AP, dpa)

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