Icelandic Students below Average in Reading

Icelandic students score below average among OECD nations in reading comprehension, according to a PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) study for 2018, mbl.is reports. Icelandic students scored below average, too, in science, but above average in math.

Here, you can see how Iceland compares with other countries in reading comprehension.

About 600,000 15-year-old students in 79 countries were tested in 2018.

The PISA study is done every three years in most OECD countries. The Directorate of Education conducts the PISA study in Iceland on behalf of the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture.

The study reveals that students’ reading competence has deteriorated since the turn of the century, as has their proficiency  in science, while their competence in math has slightly improved.

The results of the study suggest that a small portion of Icelandic students perform exceptionally well. About 7 percent of Icelandic students have excellent reading comprehension, while the OECD average is 9 percent.

Generally, reading comprehension among girls is better than that of boys. The gap between the genders is greater in Iceland than in other countries, or 44 points.

The reading comprehension of 34.4 percent of Icelandic boys and 18.7 of Icelandic girls is below basic grade school guidelines, mbl.is reports. The reading comprehension of Icelandic boys and girls is considerably inferior to that of boys and girls in other Nordic countries. Compared to 2009, when reading comprehension was the main area of testing, the performance of Icelandic students in this regard has markedly deteriorated.

PISA examines what students know in reading, mathematics and science, and what they can do with what they know. Results from PISA demonstrate the quality and equity of learning outcomes attained around the world, and allow educators and policy makers to learn from education practices in other countries.