Illustrative stock photo (source: Sme)
Slovak pupils have achieved average results in the maths literacy. This stems from the recently published PISA tests scores 15-year-olds took in April 2018.
The analysis of the results took about a year.
“It is a historical success, we bounced up from the bottom,” reacted Education Minister Martina Lubyová, as quoted by the Sme daily.
Results of PISA 2018
Mathematics
Slovak students: 486 points
OECD average: 489 points
Reading
Slovak students: 458 points
OECD average: 487 points
Science
Slovak students: 464 points
OECD average: 489 points
The testing takes place every three years, comparing the skills of 15-year-olds among OECD countries.
Slovakia recorded the results comparable with other OECD countries in 2009 for the last time. Since then, scores kept worsening.
Regarding the maths results, similar results as Slovakia were achieved by Portugal, Australia, Italy, Luxembourg, and Hungary.
Manipulated into decisions
Analysts and teachers do not share the enthusiasm of the education minister.
“We have quite a lot of students who reach only the elementary level of maths literacy and they are in a so-called risk group,” said Petra Fridrichová, analyst of the To dá rozum (Learning Makes Sense) initiative, as quoted by Sme.
These are one-quarter of all students what definitely is not a small number, she added.
Besides, in reading literacy and natural scientists, Slovak pupils lag behind the average. They were only slightly better than in the previous testing. About one-third of 15-year-olds did not reach the elementary level in reading literacy, the results suggest.
“It means that they will have a problem to keep on educating themselves, orientate in the world, make a responsible decision as voters,” explained Romana Kanovská, director of the National Institute for Certified Educational Measurements (NÚCEM), as quoted by Sme.
These pupils can be manipulated into a decision they are not able to evaluate critically, she added.
