Latin America & Caribbean Region T R I N I D A D A N D TO B AG O PISA 2015 1 Figure 1 TAKEAWAYS SCORES OVER TIME • Trinidad and Tobago participated for the MATHEMATICS READING SCIENCE second time in the PISA assessments, and its average performance is third in the region (out of 9 countries with valid results) behind Chile and Uruguay. Since 2009 the country has 2009 414 416 410 made notable improvements in science, this year’s main assessment area, and in reading 2012 (see Figure 1). 2015 417 427 425 • However, the achievement gap between Trinidad and Tobago and OECD countries is Δ 2009-2015 3 11† 15† the equivalent of slightly more than two years of schooling (Figure 2). † Statistically significant change • As in other countries in the region, poverty is a large predictor of achievement. Students in the bottom quintile by socioeconomic status (ESCS) score close to three years of schooling below those in the top quintile (Figure 4). Figure 2 • As in other parts of the Caribbean, male SCIENCE TRENDS underachievement is a stubborn challenge tied 560 to student motivation and educational relevance, and, in the case of Trinidad and 530 OECD Tobago, relatively attractive low-skill jobs in the petrochemical industry. Males in Trinidad 500 and Tobago perform about two thirds of a year of schooling below females in science (Figure 470 { ≈ 1 year of CHILE† 4), and this disparity is the fourth largest schooling among all 72 PISA participants. 440 TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO • Males are overrepresented among low achievers in all subjects. In science, for 410 LCR(6)* example, 51 percent for males score below the basic level of proficiency, compared to 41 380 percent of females. In reading, the contrast is starker: 52 percent below proficient for males 350 and only 33 percent for females—see Figure 3 2000 2003 2006 2009 2012 2015 for aggregate results. † Chile is included for comparison as the LCR country with the highest score in 2015 * LCR-6 includes the six countries in the region with results from 2009 to 2015 PISA: Program for International Student Assessment PISA is the OECD’s benchmarking tool to assess achievement and application of key knowledge and skills of 15-year-olds. Launched in 2000 and administered every three years, PISA tests proficiency in mathematics, reading, science, and problem-solving. In 2015, representative samples from 72 countries and economies (9 LCR client countries) included 540,000 students. 1 In 2015, the OECD introduced several improvements to the design, administration, and scaling of PISA. For further details of these changes and their implications for comparability between the 2015 results and previous PISA assessments, please consult the PISA 2015 international report: OECD 2016. PISA 2015 Results (Volume 1): Excellence and Equity in Education. Paris: OECD. Latin America & Caribbean Region Figure 3 Figure 4 STUDENT PERFORMANCE EQUITY PROFILE ≈ 1 year of schooling { 100% Top 20% ESCS High Proficiency Bottom 20% ESCS 75% Urban Basic Proficiency Rural Below Basic 50% Preschool (2+ years) Proficiency Preschool (0 or 1 year) Males 25% Females 360 390 420 450 480 SCIENCE SCORES 0% 30 points in PISA scale ≈ 1 year of schooling 2009 2015 2009 2015 ESCS: Economic, Social and Cultural Status Clear bars represent LCR averages Science Reading Figure 5 GDP PER CAPITA AND PISA PERFORMANCE WB EDUCATION ENGAGEMENT ANALYTICAL: Education Chapter in Trinidad & Tobago PER (also covers Health and Labor), planned for delivery in August 2017