KEY POINTS:
A large number of Kiwi 15-year-olds are struggling to reach the minimum reading level, despite New Zealand's fifth placed ranking in an OECD education report.
The study by The Programme for International Student Assessment looked at 57 countries world-wide.
Korea took out the highest percentage for students at the top level in reading, at 22 per cent, with New Zealand the next highest with 16 per cent.
But New Zealand's average reading score was bought down by having a large number of readers at the lower end of the scale. About 15 per cent of Kiwi kids scored at level one or below. As a comparison, only five per cent of Finland's 15-year-olds scored in the lower grouping.
Kiwi teens scored a respectable score in maths, with a ranking of 11th and performances consistently over the OECD average.
In science 15-year-olds from New Zealand and Finland were three times more likely than other countries to be able to explain and apply science to every day life situations.
Over one in six New Zealand students, or 18 per cent, and one in five in Finland, 21 per cent, reached the top level five ranking. The OECD average was nine per cent.
Education Minister Chris Carter said overall the results are pleasing given New Zealand's mean performance was better than 46 other countries including the UK.
"It's also pretty good that there were no gender differences in the performance of students in science and I think that means programmes aimed at increasing girls' interest in, and study of, science have had some success," Mr Carter said.
But he said he is concerned that Maori and Pasifika students are still over-represented at the lower end of the scientific literacy scale and there are still too many students achieving at a low level.
"The new curriculum focuses on literacy and numeracy as key areas where we need our young people to achieve and we must continue that focus," Mr Carter said.
Read the executive summary (pdf)
