If Utah were a country, it would rank 10th in math and ninth in science compared with 46 countries, according to an American Institutes for Research report released last week. In math and science, Singapore ranked first. Ghana ranked last in math and Tunisia last for science.

Other U.S. states ranked anywhere from sixth to 32nd when individually compared with other countries.

The good news is students in Utah and most other states are better at math and science than students in most countries, said report author and scientist Gary Phillips. The bad news, he said, is no state is at the top of the heap.

The report warns that U.S. schools must do better if the country hopes to compete globally. State leaders said the same goes for Utah.

"I'm pleased Utah is among the top 10, but we should be paced by No. 1 or No. 2," said Utah State Superintendent Patti Harrington. "We must improve for the economic stability of our own economy."

Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper, said Utahns should be shocked at the state's global ranking. Stephenson is chairman of the legislative education interim committee and has been pushing for more rigorous math standards in Utah.

"It once again shines a light on Utah's dirty little secret that our students don't compare well with similar students in the nation and in the world," Stephenson said. "It means unless we change direction, we'll be in big trouble not only academically but economically."

The report used results from the 2005 and 2007 National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) and results from the 2003 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) in grade 8. Data from the two tests were reanalyzed and then expressed on the same scale for comparison.

The legislative Education Interim Committee will meet today and likely discuss forming a math, science and technical education task force to investigate ways to improve Utah's math standards, which were revamped this year.

lschencker@sltrib.com