The academic performance of 15-year-olds in the United States has stayed relatively the same in recent years, but with other nations improving, American students are slipping behind their international counterparts, according to a study released Tuesday.
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) released data on the 2012 academic performance of 15-year-olds around the world in three subjects: reading, mathematics, and science.
"We are not seeing any improvement in the U.S. … our ranking is slipping because other countries are improving," said Jack Buckley, NCES commissioner.
Shanghai, one of three educational systems in China that participated in the assessment -- known as the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) -- has remained the top performer in all three subjects. Sixty-five countries took part in all.
Singapore, the Republic of Korea, and Japan also had high averages.
The assessment was developed and organized by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and is implemented in the U.S. by NCES.
PISA is designed to evaluate what students have learned inside and outside of school and how well they apply that knowledge in real-world contexts.
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