The Azores is the Portuguese region with the worst results in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) study that measures the average performance of 15-year-old students in mathematics, science, and reading.
The scale used was zero to 1000, with Azorean students scoring 408 points in mathematics, 413 points in reading, and 417 points in science.
The students’ results fell in Portugal and at the European level.
When compared at the national level, in mathematics, the Center of Portugal and Madeira have the best figures (481 and 474 points). The Azores have the worst performance (408), followed by the Algarve (452) and the Alentejo (463).
In reading, the best record is Madeira (487 points) against the Azores’ 413.
The Azorean archipelago (417) and the Algarve (466) occupy the last positions in the sciences. Centro (493) and Madeira (492) are in first place.
PISA is held every three years. The decline in the performance of 15-year-old students in the three areas analyzed is classified as “unprecedented.”
700,000 students from 81 countries were involved. In 224 Portuguese schools, 6,793 students took part. Portugal ranked 29th.
“Obviously, when we have drops in results we should be worried. We should take an in-depth look at the results we have,” said Education Minister João Costa, who was interviewed by Agência Lusa about the study’s conclusions.

The figures recorded in the Azores have prompted criticism from the PS/A, which argues that a “change of course” is needed.
For socialist MP Rodolfo Franca, the poor results obtained by the region’s students in the PISA tests are yet another piece of data, added to others, such as the increase in the rate of early school leavers, which demonstrates that education in the archipelago must “focus on the student and their needs.”
“In mathematical literacy, we dropped from 454 points in 2018 to 417 points in 2022, 67 points below the national average and falling to the bottom of the table; in science literacy, we dropped from 454 points in 2018 to 417 points in 2022, 67 points below the national average and also falling to the bottom of the table. The same goes for reading literacy. We dropped from 445 points to 413 points, 64 points below the national average and also the worst in the country,” he said.
The parliamentarian regretted that “the Azorean government continues to whistle and has never implemented, like the mainland, a strategic learning recovery plan.”

in Diário Insular, José Lourenço-director

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Cultures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance)  at California State University, Fresno

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