Not getting worse, not much better

Released every three years, the Programme for International Student Assessment compares the scientific, reading and mathematical literacy of 15-year-old students in OECD countries.

It revealed Victorian students were above the OECD average and had also improved nationally since the last assessment in 2012.

Wodonga Senior Secondary College principal Vern Hilditch said strong academic performance was a top priority of the Victorian government. “I think it’s the way we do it, where we focus on the types of things they were testing for such as problem solving,” he said. 

“In the Victorian curriculum, which is to be fully implemented over the next few years, those types of capacities are pushed very strongly.”

But Victoria’s ranking rested on the fact its students’ performance was not worsening as opposed to improving. 

There was no improvement to year 9 Victorians’ math skills between 2003 and 2015, reading competency had not risen since 2000, and science skills remained steady since 2006.

In contrast, NSW students slipped down the rankings in scientific, reading and mathematical literacy. Only 45 per cent of NSW students could confidently use maths in “real-life situations” compared to 80 per cent in Singapore. 

And the report showed that the average Australian 15-year-old was up to two years behind in science, maths and reading compared to the world’s strongest performers, such as Korea and Japan.

Federal Minister for Education Simon Birmingham said it revealed a worrying trend considering federal funding for schools had risen by 50 per cent since 2003. “I’m not suggesting that adequate funding is not important ... but as the OECD notes Australia ranks as spending the fifth highest amount on education in the OECD and once you get to that level there is little value in just increasing spending,” he said.