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Students near top in main subjects

AUSTRALIAN school students are among the best in the world at reading, maths and science, with West Australian and South Australian pupils outperforming their eastern State rivals.

An international survey of 15-year-olds in 41 countries showed Australia was fourth in reading, with only Finland scoring significantly higher.

In science, Australia ranked sixth, with only Finland, Japan and Korea doing considerably better under the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development assessment system.

The 2003 tests were the second OECD survey comparing school student performance across the globe. In mathematics, Australia came in llth, well behind Hong Kong, Finland, Korea and The Netherlands, and down on its 2000 result of fifth.

In state and territory comparisons, the ACT, Western Australia and South Australia outstripped New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria across the three disciplines. Canberra and Western Australia achieved average scores comparable with the top OECD countries.

The disparity between the states has not been explained and needs more research, according to Geoff Masters, chief executive officer of the Australian Council for Educational Research, which leads the international body implementing the assessment system.

"The pattern is not new. Western Australia has done well in international studies for some time. It is interesting when you look at these studies over time, how some states, for example Queensland and Victoria, have slipped down the list," Professor Masters said.

"Explanations usually relate to the degree to which curriculum is centrally specified and perhaps whether there are external examinations."

More than 12,500 Australian students in government, Catholic and private schools took part in the tests.

While Australia's overall performance and ranking are not substantially changed from the 2000 assessments, the 2003 results suggest the achievement gap between children of high and low socio-economic backgrounds is closing.