<p>Actually, each country receives a report where it is broken down along those lines too. If you can read the different languages, you can access the reports and see which countries are equalitarian and which are not, etc. Some countries don’t allow “racial” breakdowns but the SES breakdowns are pretty telling anyway.</p>
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</p>
<p>Oh, I didn’t realize.</p>
<p>Maybe we can compile one here, show something useful instead of an article.</p>
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</p>
<p>When PISA came out in 09, I had a conversation here on CC with a poster who worked with PISA. My complaint was exactly that, adding that I was sure Tibet and Xinjiang would not do anywhere as well.</p>
<p>Since then I have learned a bit more. Apparently 12 jurisdictions were tested but the Chinese did not allow the data from the other jurisdictions be published. Later, the results for Zhejiang and the jurisdictions as a whole became available. For what its worth, the 12 jurisdictions combined scored a respectable 520, a point higher than Taiwan. Zhejiang surprisingly did not do as well as Shanghai, scoring a 563 to Shanghai 577.</p>
<p>This is where I see a problem. Zhejiang did most of the testing in rural areas and not in the major centres. Some of the strong provinces were not part of the twelve tested. (To be fair, some of the laggards were not tested either). Based on the Gaokao results over the years, Shanghai only performed in the average range, lagging behind places like Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Shangdong, Fujian etc.</p>
<p>How large is the gap? Based on Gaokao results of 2012, a Cantonese needs to score 78.53% to get in a first tier college in the arts faculty in Guangdong, while a Tibetan needs only 42.67% to do the same in Tibet. I think this is where a lot of the discontent is coming from: those poor folks simply can not compete.</p>
<p>The Chinese leadership has a serious problem in their hands, if you were to ask me.</p>
<p>Maybe we should stop telling kids math is hard. Maybe there is so much grade inflation in non-stem classes that kids decide they don’t like math and science when confronted with a real grade (and it isn’t always an “A”).</p>
<p>Some stuff from other countries
[Eight</a> lessons we can learn from the latest Pisa rankings - Opinion blog - Opinion blog - TES News](<a href=“http://news.tes.co.uk/opinion_blog/b/weblog/archive/2013/12/04/eight-lessons-we-can-learn-from-pisa-2012.aspx]Eight”>http://news.tes.co.uk/opinion_blog/b/weblog/archive/2013/12/04/eight-lessons-we-can-learn-from-pisa-2012.aspx)
[Pisa’s</a> Andreas Schleicher: Greater school choice doesn’t raise standards - News blog - News blog - TES News](<a href=“http://news.tes.co.uk/news_blog/b/weblog/archive/2013/12/03/uk-shows-great-school-choice-does-not-equal-higher-standards-according-to-pisa.aspx]Pisa’s”>http://news.tes.co.uk/news_blog/b/weblog/archive/2013/12/03/uk-shows-great-school-choice-does-not-equal-higher-standards-according-to-pisa.aspx)
[The</a> TES podcast - Pisa special - News podcast - News podcast - TES News<a href=“Those%20do%20not%20discuss%20inequalities%20in%20reports%20but%20their%20perspective%20is%20interesting%20nevertheless”>/url</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://www.oecd.org/pisa/keyfindings/PISA-2012-results-germany.pdf[/url]”>www.oecd.org/pisa/keyfindings/PISA-2012-results-germany.pdf](<a href=“http://news.tes.co.uk/news_podcast/b/weblog/archive/2013/12/03/the-tes-podcast-pisa-special.aspx]The”>http://news.tes.co.uk/news_podcast/b/weblog/archive/2013/12/03/the-tes-podcast-pisa-special.aspx)</a></p>
<p>France was especially faulted for its inequalitarian system - essentially, performances are correlated with parents’ educational attainment/wealth to an extent not found in other developed countries. Schools do not provide “fair chance” or “equal opportunity” at all. Kids of immigrant origin (I assume meaning most children from African or North African parents but whose families are French and have been French for a while) are especially poorly served.
<a href=“http://www.oecd.org/pisa/keyfindings/PISA-2012-results-france.pdf[/url]”>www.oecd.org/pisa/keyfindings/PISA-2012-results-france.pdf</a></p>
<p>Because math education in US is ridicules. Yes. US has to accept that some students are not capable of math. And that is OK. </p>
<p>Instead of making more accelerated programs for advanced students and shelter programs for non-math students, curriculum is designed for the middle. Overall math curriculum is 1 year behind international curriculum.</p>
<p>BTW, Common Core is even weaker than the current math curriculum. It will put American kids 2 years behind China.</p>
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<p>Sons previous schools accelerated math class had kids making artsy posters which were graded on presentation & effort. We couldn’t pull him out of that school fast enough.</p>
<p>IMHO, kids in China are probably poorer than the “disadvantaged” kids in USA. </p>
<p>I don’t know why everyone is stressing “subgroups”. Do you really believe that all Shanghai kids are coming from wealthy families with tutors? Chinese families probably have less wealth than a typical urban family in USA.</p>
<p>@californiaa - just because you keep saying it, doesn’t make it any more true.</p>
<p>The common core is weaker than maybe 1% of the schools in the country. It is ahead or even for everyone else. Again, you need to consider the current baseline curriculum, not what the top kids are currently doing - they are very different now, and they will continue to be very different under CC.</p>
<p>xiggi ,</p>
<p>PISA is relevant. Look at the curriculum in math. USA can continue race to the bottom with Common Core and make curriculum even easier to accommodate all subgroups of students. However, international competition clearly demonstrates that other countries have real math instead of the fuzzy curriculum.</p>
<p>Dreadpirit ,</p>
<p>Please compare Common Core and Chinese curriculum in math. Common Core is two years behind! </p>
<p>Math education is USA is getting weaker, not stronger.</p>
<p>GMTplus7 ,</p>
<p>At least your son had an option to accelerate math. Most kids - don’t.</p>
<p>I am fighting my D’s school now to get acceleration in science. Our school district told me that this is unheard of. Acceleration in science is simply not possible, under any circumstances. Period.</p>
<p>"In comparison to most other developed countries, our child poverty rates are sickening. A child cannot learn if he or she has an empty belly and doesn’t know where he or she is going home to. "</p>
<p>I am so tired of this argument. My parents are coming from families that were literally living on the streets and were hungry. Yet, both my mom and dad are very successful people. </p>
<p>Most American “disadvantaged” kids, with iPhones and cable TVs, are considered rich by international standards. </p>
<p>Do you really think that all Shanghai kids are wealthy?</p>
<p>What does China have to do with the current US curriculum?</p>
<p>CC math standards are more rigorous than all but the top 1% of districts in the country. There are VERY few people claiming that the CC is decreasing standards. Most people are fighting them because they are too big of a step up.</p>
<p>Even the expert you sited in an earlier debate isn’t claiming that CC isn’t a step up. They say CC should be more challenging, but they don’t say that it isn’t a step up.</p>
<p>Why everyone is so excited about Finland? </p>
<p>They don’t have gender gap, true. On the other hand … do you know famous Universities in Finland? Famous mathematicians? Nobel price laureates? Great scientists? </p>
<p>Kids in Finland are universally mediocre. I won’t envy such education model.</p>
<p>@californiaa - you are certainly in a very strange school district! You have Algebra in the 7th grade and can’t accelerate in science - both very bizarre situations.</p>
<p>Most people in the country have the opportunity to accelerate in HS science (many can take HS science in MS) and almost all schools that I have any familiarity with allow kids to step up in math. The only exceptions to this that I have ever heard of before you are in very high end schools where everyone is already a year or two accelerated.</p>
<p>“CC math standards are more rigorous than all but the top 1% of districts in the country. There are VERY few people claiming that the CC is decreasing standards. Most people are fighting them because they are too big of a step up.”</p>
<p>Who told you this?
California (as a state) is pushing Algebra 1 to 9th grade to align it with Common Core. Before, California was aiming to prepare students for Algebra 1 in 8th grade. </p>
<p>I don’t know a single expert (except Mr. Duncan himself) who claims that Common Core math is <em>more advanced</em> than the current state curriculum.</p>
<p>University of Helsinki is a top university.</p>
<p>Dreadpirit,</p>
<p>Please!!! Can you give me at least one example of public school that can accelerate kids in science? Especially, to take HS science in MS. </p>
<p>I really need at least one example. My district tells me that it is not possible, ever.</p>
<p>California may have been aiming to prepare kids for 8th grad algebra, but that wasn’t the way any schools implemented it. Most schools had two math tracks and most schools will continue to have (at least) two math tracks.</p>
<p>I am all for Algebra in 8th (or 7th) grade, FOR THOSE WHO ARE READY. Most kids aren’t ready! </p>
<p>The CC is a minimum standard - no school is required to get rid of 8th grade Algebra.</p>