OECD classifies Brazilian students' performance as below adequate

Nearly half of the Brazilian students (44.1%) are below the level of learning regarded as adequate in reading, mathematics, and science. The finding was made public by the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), whose results were released today (Dec. 6) by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Considered separately, results were also below Level 2, seen by PISA as adequate. For science, 56.6% are below Level 2, and a mere 0.02% are on Level 6, the highest on the scale. For reading, 50.99% are below Level 2, and 0.14% are at the highest. In mathematics, these figures reach 70.25% and 0.13%, respectively

This means that these students are unable to get the gist of a text or relate it to their own knowledge. In addition, They cannot interpret data or identify the topic addressed in a simple experimental project or interpret mathematical formulas.

“Level 2 is the level considered the minimum for the exercise of citizenship,” said Maria Helena Guimarães de Castro, executive secretary at the Ministry of Education. “We, as well as all educators, insist on the subject of equity. This result brings to light the problem of gaping inequality.”

PISA assesses 15-year-old students in mathematics, reading, science. The evaluation is carried out every three years, with a different focus in each edition. In 2015, science was the subject with the largest number of questions.

Altogether, 540 thousand students took part in last year's edition—a sample supposed to represent 29 million students in the participating countries. PISA covered the 35 OCDE member countries, in addition to partner economies, like Brazil, where 23,141 students from 841 schools had their performance assessed. Most (77%) were highschool students, in a state school (73.8%), in an urban area (95.4%).

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira