The results of Portuguese students in the international PISA assessment worsened for the third consecutive year and fell back to 2006 levels. This setback represents a significant loss compared to the progress that had been achieved until 2015, with the OECD indicating that these gains were "completely reversed" by the losses recorded in recent years.
The OECD report for Portugal shows that the performance of 15-year-old students in the three literacies assessed by PISA now sits at the average of the organization's countries. However, it is important to note that the OECD's average results have also been declining, which indicates that this downward trend is not exclusive to Portugal.
The PISA assessment tests three main areas of literacy in students, and in all of them Portugal recorded declines that contributed to this overall picture of regression. The comparison with the year 2006 marks a return to a performance level that the country had previously surpassed.
The central question that remains unanswered is why so many educational systems are failing, both in Portugal and in other countries. Although the phenomenon has been identified and documented, the underlying causes of this widespread deterioration in the academic performance of 15-year-olds remain unexplained.
