Worrying long-term decline in SA and national results in international PISA tests in maths, science and reading
South Australia’s strong showing in high school scores is declining, according to a new test that was applied to almost 80 countries.
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South Australia has gone from being a leader in high school maths to among the worst in the country, international test results show.
The Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) in reading, maths and science is run every three years with 15-year-olds in almost 80 countries. In Australia they are generally Year 10s.
The 2018 results show SA’s mean scores declined in all three areas since 2015, all were below national averages, and for maths, below the OECD average.
But it is the longer-term trends that are the most worrying.
From 2003-18, the proportion of SA students who reached Australia’s national proficient standard in the maths test plummeted from 73 per cent to 50 per cent.
That was the worst long-term fall among Australian states, as SA fell from second to fifth.
In other SA results:
ACROSS all areas, proportions of high-performing students in the top achievement categories have generally halved, and numbers of low performers have doubled.
IN MATHS it’s worse, as high performers fell from 23 per cent to 7 per cent from 2003-18.
LONG-TERM decline in mean reading scores was the second worst in Australia, equivalent to 1.25 years of schooling. Only 58pc met the national reading standard in 2018.
IN SCIENCE, long-term decline for boys was the worst of any Australian state.
State Education Minister John Gardner said PISA was less reliable than NAPLAN because of the small sample of students (about 2000 in SA, who each sat only one of the tests) changes to the tests every three years, and countries choosing their sample of students differently.
He noted the 2018 tests were conducted soon after the Marshall Government was elected, and pointed to lifts in some of SA’s NAPLAN results this year, and in the Year 1 phonics check.
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“With PISA, I note that SA performed at a higher level than the international average in reading and science … with similar results to NSW and QLD,” he said.
SA is not alone in its faltering performance. Federal Education Minister Dan Tehan said national results in maths and science “should have alarm bells ringing”. He will push a “back to basics” approach to literacy and numeracy at a meeting with state education ministers next week.
The Australian Education Union said the much wider gap between high and low achievers in Australia than in other nations pointed to unfair funding favouring private schools.
PISA results for SA
Reading
– SA’s decline in mean student scores since 2000 is the second largest in Australia, equivalent to 1.25 years of schooling.
– SA’s mean score in 2018 was slightly lower than in 2015 and below the national average, and fourth among the states.
– 58pc of students reached national proficient standard (NPS) in 2018, down from 61pc in 2015 and 73pc in 2000.
– The proportion of “low performers” doubled from 10pc in 2000 to 20pc in 2018. It was 18pc in 2015.
– More than a quarter of boys (26pc) are now low performers, up from 22pc in 2015 and 14pc in 2000.
– 15pc of girls are low performers, up from 13pc in 2015 and more than double the 7pc in 2000.
– The proportion of “high performers” fell from 19pc in 2000 to 11pc in 2018 (10pc in 2015).
– Among boys, it halved from 16pc to 8pc from 2000-2015, then rose to 9pc in 2018.
– For girls, it’s fallen from 21pc in 2000 12pc in 2018 (the worst result since 2009).
– Despite the declines, SA performed at a significantly higher level overall than the OECD average in 2018.
Maths
– SA’s mean score in 2018 was lower than in 2015 and below the national average, and fifth among the states.
– The state’s decline in the proportion students reaching the NPS, down from 73pc in 2003 to 50pc in 2018, was the worst long-term fall among the states.
– On that measure, SA has fallen from 2nd to 5th among the states. Declines for boys and girls were the worst among the states (except Tasmania for girls).
– Low performers more than doubled from 11pc in 2003 to 24pc in 2018 (it was 23pc in 2015).
– Among boys, they doubled from 12pc in 2003 to 24pc in 2018 (it was 22pc in 2015). The long-term increase was the worst of all states.
– For girls, low performers more than doubled from 11pc in 2003 to 24pc in 2018 (23pc in 2015).
– High performers fell from 23 per cent in 2003 to 10 per cent in 2015 and 7 per cent in 2018.
– Among boys, high performers fell from 26pc in 2003 to 11pc in 2015 and just 8pc in 2018. That was the biggest long-term decline among the states.
– For girls, it fell from 20pc in 2003 to 8pc in 2015 and 7pc in 2018.
– Overall, SA performed at a lower level than the OECD average in 2018.
Science
– SA’s mean student score was below the national average in 2018, lower than it was in 2015, and equal fourth among the states.
– Since 2006, SA’s drop in mean score was the second worst among the states.
– SA’s decline for boys’ mean scores has been the largest from 2006-18 among the states. For girls, SA had the second worst long-term decline.
– Proportion of students reaching the NPS fell from 69pc in 2006 to 60pc in 2015 and 55pc in 2018. SA was equal second among states on that measure in 2006, but now equal fourth.
– Proportion of low performers rose from 11pc in 2006 to 17pc in 2015 and 19pc in 2018.
– Among boys, it went from 11pc in 2006 to 18pc in 2015 and 21pc in 2018.
– For girls, it rose from 10pc in 2006 to 17pc in 2015 and same again in 2018.
– High performers fell from 15pc in 2006 to 10pc in 2015 and 8pc in 2018.
– Among boys, it dropped from 16pc in 2006 to 11pc in 2015 and 8pc in 2018.
– For girls, it went from 14pc in 2006 to 9pc in 2015 to 7pc in 2018.
– Overall, SA results were significantly above OECD averages.