Secondary Education

Within these indicators, secondary education encompasses two stages: lower secondary education and upper secondary education. Lower secondary education includes programs that are designed to complete basic education; the standard duration in the international classification is 3 years. Upper secondary education typically begins at the end of full-time compulsory education. More specialization may be observed at this level and often teachers need to be more qualified or specialized than in lower secondary education.

Learning Opportunities

Instructional Activities for 8th-Grade Mathematics: 1999

In 8th-grade mathematics lessons in the United States, students spend 53 percent of the time reviewing previously studied content and 48 percent of the time studying new content.

Remedial Language Courses in School: 2000

The percentage of 15-year-olds taking remedial language courses was higher in the United States than in five of the other G8 countries.

Time Spent on Mathematics Learning: 2003

On average, formal classroom instructional time per week on mathematics learning ranged from 3.0 hours in Germany to 3.7 hours in Canada and the United States. The number of instructional weeks per year ranged from 33.5 in Italy to 39.7 in Germany.

Student Achievement

Achievement Differences in Reading by Sex: 2000

Reading literacy scores for 15-year-olds were higher for females than for males in all of the G8 countries, including the United States.

Civic Achievement: 1999

Ninth-grade students in the United States and Italy had the highest average scores on the test of civic knowledge of the five countries participating in the International Civic Education Assessment in 1999.

International Comparisons of Reading Literacy Among 15-Year-Olds: 2000

U.S. 15-year-olds performed not measurably different from the international average in reading literacy in 2000, scored below the average of 3 countries, and above the average of 4 OECD countries.

Mathematics Achievement and Language Spoken at Home: 2003

In all G-8 countries, 15-year-old students who spoke the language of assessment, other official languages, or other national dialects at home most of the time scored higher in mathematics literacy than did their peers who spoke another language at home most of the time.

Mathematics Achievement and Socioeconomic Status: 2003

Although U.S. students were generally at an advantage in terms of socioeconomic status (SES) compared to their G 8 peers, low-SES 15-year-old students in the United States were outperformed by their peers in Germany, France, Japan, and Canada in mathematics literacy.

Mathematics Performance of 15-Year-Olds Across Content Areas: 2003

In the United States, 15-year-old students in PISA 2003 generally scored lower than their peers in Canada, France, Germany, and Japan on each of the four mathematics literacy subscales: space and shape, change and relationships, quantity, and uncertainty.

Mathematics Proficiency of 15-Year-Olds: 2003

About one-quarter of 15-year-old students in the United States scored at or below the lowest proficiency level on the PISA 2003 combined mathematics literacy scale, a higher proportion of students than in Germany, France, Japan, and Canada.

Reading Performance of Secondary School-Age Youth: 2000

Twelve percent of U.S. 15-year-olds performed at the highest proficiency level on the PISA reading literacy scale, which was higher than in Italy and the Russian Federation, but not measurably different than any of the other countries reporting data.

Relationship Between Reading and Mathematics Achievement: 2003

In all G-8 countries, 15-year-old students who scored low in either mathematics or reading tended to score lower than average in the other subject as well.

School Principals’ Uses for Assessments: 2003

A greater percentage of U.S. students than their peers in all other G-8 countries had principals who reported that they used assessment results to compare their school’s performance to district- or national-level performance.

Student Attitudes & Behavior

Civic Conceptions and Attitudes: 1999

Compared to students in most other G8 countries, U.S. 14-year-olds placed more trust in national government and more importance on adult citizenship activities, though they were less affirming of government responsibilities pertaining to society and economy.

Civic Participation in Selected G8 Countries and England: 1999

Eighty-five percent of U.S. 14-year-olds reported in 1999 that they expect to vote in national elections.

International Civic Participation: 1999

Fifty percent of U.S. students in grade 9 participated in a community-related volunteer organization in 1999, a higher percentage than in any other country participating in the Civic Education Study.

Students’ Engagement in Reading: 2000

In the United States, 15-year-olds achieving at the lowest level on the PISA proficiency scale reported lower levels of engagement in reading than their peers who achieved at the highest level, a pattern that was found in all other G8 countries.

Teacher Characteristics

Teachers’ Working Time: 2001

Primary and secondary school teachers in the United States taught more hours per year than teachers in the other G8 countries.

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