Conclusions for numeracy performance
Minimum proficiency levels
The PILNA 2021 numeracy results for Federated States of Micronesia show that, at the Grade five level, 55% of students met or exceeded the minimum expected proficiency level (3–8), a lower score than the region by 13%.
In Grade seven, 56% of students are meeting or exceeding the minimum expected proficiency level (5– 8), a lower score than the region by 16%.
Gender
There was no significant gender difference in the performance of boys and girls in numeracy for both Grade five and Grade seven. In Grade five, 57% of girls performed at or above the expected levels in numeracy, compared to 55% of boys. In Grade 7, 58% of girls performed at or above the expected levels compared to 54% boys.
School authority
Students in non-government schools performed slightly better than those in government schools across all numeracy strands. In Grade five, the average performance score of students in non-government schools was 532 points compared to 447 points for students in government schools. In Grade seven, the average performance score of students in non-government schools was 572 points, compared to 498 points for students in government schools.
Note, only a few non-government schools were included in the sample (14% vs. 86% government schools).
Coding
The coding data for numeracy show that the Grade five and Grade seven students were persistent in attempting the questions, with a low proportion of students leaving questions blank. The coding data show that for both Grade five and Grade seven, students struggled with questions involving fractions, place values, telling time and time difference, and comparing numbers and information. The biggest struggle was with solving problems.
Trend performance
There is a significant drop in the percentage of students in Grade five and Grade seven who were at or above the minimum proficiency levels in numeracy in 2021 compared to 2018 levels. This is a reversal of year-on-year improvements in the number of students achieving at or above the minimum proficiency levels from 2012. Grade five: 2021 (55%), 2018 (90%). Grade seven: 2021 (56%), 2018 (85%. It is important to note that the proportion of Grade 7 students at or above the minimum proficiency level has dropped to the 2012 figure (57%).
