The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is a worldwide evaluation of 15-year-old school pupils' scholastic performance, performed first in 2000 and repeated every three years. It is coordinated by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), with a view to improving educational policies and outcomes.
PISA stands in a tradition of international school studies, undertaken since the late 1950s by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). Much of PISA's methodology follows the example of the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS, started in 1995), which in turn was much influenced by the U.S. National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The reading component of PISA is inspired by the IEA's Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS).
Shanghai (China): 599 pts (out of town for classification)
Finland: 543 pts
Singapore: 543 pts
Korea: 541 pts
Japan: 529 pts
Canada: 526 pts
New Zealand: 524 pts
Australia: 518 pts
Netherlands: 518 pts
Switzerland: 517 pts
Germany: 510 pts
... 20.France: 497 pts
.... 21USA: 496 pts