International test results show a sharp decline in reading proficiency among 15-year-olds, with average scores hitting their lowest level since assessments began. The OECD attributes the drop to increased screen time and fewer students reading for enjoyment, linking these trends directly to weaker literacy performance. The latest PISA assessment, the largest ever conducted, evaluated over 760,000 students across nearly 100 countries, revealing a decline equivalent to nearly two years of lost learning in a decade. Experts warn the findings underscore growing disparities in educational outcomes tied to socio-economic factors.
From an article (this succinctly summaries the OECD findings and also touches on socio-economic gaps): Reading scores among 15-year-olds across OECD countries have sunk to their lowest point since international testing began, with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) highlighting how longer screen time and declining rates of reading for pleasure have coincided with weaker literacy outcomes. The findings come from PISA 2025, the largest edition of the assessment to date, which tested 760,000 students across 91 countries and economies. Average reading scores across OECD countries fell by 28 points between 2015 and 2025, a drop the organisation says is equivalent to roughly a year and a half of learning. submitted by /u/ChunkyWaterMonkey [link] [comments]
