Reporting Proficiency in Mathematics 153. The outcomes of the PISA mathematics survey are reported in a number of ways. Estimates
of overall mathematical proficiency are obtained for sampled students in each participating country,
and a number of proficiency levels are defined. Descriptions of the degree of mathematical literacy
typical of students in each level are also developed. For PISA 2021, the six proficiency levels
reported for the overall PISA mathematics in previous cycles will be expanded as follows: Level 1
will be renamed Level 1a, and the table describing the proficiencies will be extended to include
Levels 1b and 1c. These additional levels have been added to provide greater granularity of
reporting in students performing at the lower end of the proficiency scale.
154. As well as the overall mathematics scale, additional described proficiency scales are
developed after the Field Trial and are then reported. These additional scales are for mathematical
reasoning and for the three processes of mathematical problem solving:
formulating situations mathematically; employing mathematical concepts, facts, procedures, and reasoning; and interpreting, applying and evaluating mathematical outcomes .
