SINGAPORE students are significantly better in maths and science than their top-performing peers in the US, a new study has found.

A girl in Tokyo uses a Nintendo device to do maths. Teachers in Japan - which was third in maths proficiency in the US study - often explore new ways to engage students.

They showed the highest proficiency in that subject compared to 47 countries worldwide and 50 US states - 73 per cent of Singapore students were above proficiency in eighth-grade or Sec 2 maths.

In comparison, 30 per cent of New York students and 24 per cent of California students were above proficiency in maths, reported The New York Times.

The study by the American Institutes for Research, a non-profit independent research firm, compared the standardised test scores of students.

It found that those in low-performing states, like Mississippi, do better in maths and science when compared to countries like Egypt and Chile.

However, it also found that students in high-performing states - like Massachusetts - lagged far behind when compared to some Asian countries.

Average maths achievement in Massachusetts was higher compared to 40 other countries, including Australia, Russia, England and Israel, but was lower than that of Singapore, Taiwan and South Korea.

Study author Gary Phillips told Bloomberg: 'The bad news is that even our best-performing states are running far behind the highest-performing countries.'

He added: 'In this case, the bad news trumps the good because our Asian economic competitors are winning the race to prepare students in maths and science.

The US has no states where students were considered proficient in maths, though Massachusetts students fell just short, reported Bloomberg.

Mississippi was the lowest-performing state in both maths and science - comparable to Bulgaria and Moldova in science.'

On the most recent national assessment, North Dakota students were best in science.

REBUTTAL

Not all were willing to accept the comparisons at face value.

Dr Gage Kingsbury, a director at the Northwest Evaluation Association, a group in Oregon that does testing in schools, said 'a flock of difficulties' made it hazardous to compare test results between countries and states.

'Kids don't start school at the same age in different countries,' he told NYT.

The test results were also based on scores recorded in different years: In 2005 and 2007 in the US, and in 2003 for the rest of the world.

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