WATCH: A new study says Canadian kids are slipping when it comes to math. Mike Le Couteur reports on how Canada ranks.
TORONTO – A new international study ranks Canadian students among the top of the class in key subject areas.
But there has been a decline over the years in math and science scores among the country’s pupils.
Canada was among 65 countries and economies participating in the OECD study.
More than 500-thousand 15-year-olds were tested on their knowledge and skills in math, reading and science.
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Around 21-thousand Canadians across 10 provinces took part and they showed above average scores in math, reading and science.
But the performance of Canada’s students in math has declined, with a 14-point dip in the past nine years.
The performance in reading has remained relatively stable and the decline in science performance was seen as “statistically significant.”
Boys continued to outperform girls in math across most participating countries — including Canada.
And girls placed ahead of boys in Canada and internationally in reading.
The performance in science was similar among boys and girls.
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Alberta Education Minister Jeff Johnson chairs the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada.
He says Canada’s scores are good news.
But he says there are improvements that need to be made to reverse some of the downward trends.
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