Irish 15-year-olds are significantly above average when it comes to their performance in science, maths and reading, according to an OECD study published today.
In the latest Programme for International Student Assessment report, which is a comparative study carried out every three years, Irish students come third out of 35 developed countries when it comes to their literacy skills.
They rank 13th out of 35 OECD countries in both science and maths.
This latest PISA study had a particular focus on science. Despite Ireland's significantly higher than average performance, Ireland was one of a number of high scoring countries that saw a drop in their performance compared to a previous study in 2012.
Irish academics involved in administering the Irish component of the study have attributed this fall to a move to computer-based testing as well as changes to the kinds of questions students were asked.
More than half of the Irish students who participated told examiners they had never done a computer-based test before.
A similar fall was found in other high performing countries.
Half a million 15-year-olds in 72 countries, including 35 OECD countries, took part in the test, including almost 6,000 Irish students.
It found that the gap in performance between boys and girls in Ireland in science and maths has widened, with males doing better. In reading, the gap has decreased, but girls still outperform boys in this area.
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
The OECD study also finds that Ireland has fewer than average low achieving students, compared to other developed countries, and a greater than average proportion of higher performing students when it comes to reading.
But in science and maths the proportion of students classed as high performers here is close to the OECD average.
Measuring equity in education systems, the OECD found that performance differences between schools are lower than average in Ireland.
In science, while the variance in student performance between different schools is 30% across the OECD's 35 countries. In Ireland that variance drops to 12%.
Of the almost 6,000 Irish students who participated, more than 14% were classed as immigrants.
Ireland is among six countries where immigrant students scored similarly or higher than the OECD average in Science tests.
The OECD finds the parents of many immigrant students here are likely to have high education levels.
The second level teacher unions have welcomed the PISA results.
The Teachers' Union of Ireland said the findings were a major endorsement of Irish teachers and students, and a tribute to their resilience at a time of austerity.
The ASTI praised the dedication and commitment of teachers, students, and parents.
The union pointed to a survey it had published five years ago which found that cutbacks and a low level of investment in IT was hindering science teaching and learning.
Overall, Singapore has strongest performing education system in the world, followed by Japan, Estonia, Finland and Canada.
The report says successful countries share characteristics which include: high and universal expectations for all students, a strong focus on great teaching and resources targeted at struggling students and schools.
