New Answer For Declining Test Scores: Ennui

A study from the University of Arkansas may have stumbled upon one reason for declining test scores–apathy.

A team of researchers from the University of Arkansas looked at Programme for International Assessment (PISA) scores. “Performance decline and non-response explain between 19 and 41 percent of the difference among country scores on PISA, depending on which effort measure and PISA subject the researchers analyzed,” Adam Tyner of the Thomas Fordham Institute writes. “This implies that some top countries earn their ranks because of students’ effort, not necessarily students’ mastery of the content.”

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