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I think there is another nuance to this that is more optimistic.  I am assuming that recent (within the generation) immigration also correlates with lower economic status/lower test scores.  These are not young people mired in poverty with no social mobility, but rather (judging by what we see around us in Queens and wider studies) people with aspirations.  It is fascinating to see how disproportionately recent immigrants contribute to entrepeneurship.  And though this is not evenly spread across the immigrant community, recent immigrants are also disproportionately represented among patent holders in the US.  (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/02/opinion/immigrants-as-entrepreneurs.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0), and for a more contemporary perspective: (http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/04/immigrants-play-key-role-as-city-entrepreneurs-study-finds/)

So under the assumption that the US has a larger proportion of recent immigrants taking these tests than some/all of the other countries I think there is cause for optimism that the tests are not representative of the success of US students as compared to other countries.

On another related point, I heard recently that there is a reverse correlation between rates of economic growth in the past 20 years and success on international standardized testing.  I haven't been able to find the article, but here is one that makes a similar point, that none of the largest economies, other than Japan's is at the top of the PISA charts.  The point the author makes is that correlating PISA scores and economic success, in simple terms, is not a good argument for working to improve the PISA scores.  There are other good arguments, but we aren't making them.

http://educationpolicytalk.wordpress.com/2013/03/08/376/


Eric

On Mar 21, 2013, at 8:04 AM, Sarah Gruber <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
> Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
> *****************************************************************************
> 
> Well put. It is important that we understand what the numbers represent (i.e., the presence in the US/US sample of more disadvantaged students, or students with unmet educational needs, than in those countries "below" which we fall on the scale). But that clarification doesn't change reality. 
> 
> The representative sample REPRESENTS the student population we want/need to educate. Sort some of them out and it no longer does so. 
> 
> Sarah 
> 
> 
> On Mar 20, 2013, at 11:03 AM, Alan Friedman <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> 
>> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
>> Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
>> *****************************************************************************
>> 
>> Before we start rejoicing at the dramatic improvement in US student
>> performance rankings as calculated by Stanford researchers, consider
>> carefully what the researchers have done.  They revised the PISA data so
>> that "differences in countries' social class compositions are adequately
>> taken into account."  I think everyone agrees that socio-economic
>> disadvantage is strongly correlated with lower performance on all the
>> major assessments.  The US has a larger percentage of students with lower
>> socio-economic status than many developed countries.  So the researchers
>> have "taken into account" this sad situation by adjusting the scores as if
>> this situation were not true.  And as a result of this adjustment, the US
>> rank rises.
>> 
>> If only the disproportionately greater share of US students in
>> disadvantaged social classes could be fixed so easily.  The hard way would
>> be to reduce the percentage of the disadvantaged students, for example by
>> effective, large-scale programs to reduce poverty and discrimination.
>> 
>> PISA, TIMSS, and NAEP are all designed to take representative samples of
>> the population is it is, rather than how we would like it to be or as it
>> would be if we leveled out the differences between populations.  The
>> Stanford researchers have done a valuable service by pointing out when our
>> disadvantaged populations outperform other disadvantaged populations, and
>> that we have in fact lowered performance gaps in many (but not all)
>> instances.  But whether their calculated re-scoring of the PISA test
>> produces a more accurate and useful ranking is a matter of taste, rather
>> than of repairing errors in the PISA results.
>> 
>> Alan
>> ________________________________________
>> Alan J. Friedman, Ph.D.
>> Consultant for Museum Development and Science Communication
>> 29 West 10th Street
>> New York, New York 10011 USA
>> T  +1 917 882-6671
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>> 
>> a member of The Museum Group
>> www.museumgroup.com <http://www.museumgroup.com/>
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>>> 
>> 
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