This report presents the first internationally comparable results to OECD's 2003 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) Survey of the educational performance of 15-year-olds in reading, mathematics and science in 25 OECD countries, including Australia. This year, the concentration was on mathematics. Beyond the examination of the relative standing of countries in mathematics, science and reading, the report also looks at a wider range of educational outcomes that include students’ motivation to learn, their beliefs about themselves and their learning strategies. 

The Australian component of PISA 2003, run by Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), involved a randomly selected sample of students from schools from all states and territories and school sectors.