Japanese 15-year-olds rank top in core subjects among OECD countries for the first time

Japan ranked first among Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries in reading, mathematics and science in a global assessment of 15-year-olds, according to results released by the organization Tuesday. The country ranked top for the three core subjects among the OECD’s 38 members for the first time since the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) began in 2000. PISA measures how well 15-year-olds nearing the end of compulsory education can apply knowledge and skills to real-world problems, rather than simply testing what they have memorized in school.