Panther Valley students will help determine how the United States ranks against countries around the world in terms of math, reading and science.

Panther Valley Junior-Senior High School was chosen by the U.S. Department of Education to participate in a test that compares academic performance in 70 countries around the world.The Program for International Student Assessment, or PISA, takes place every three years, and focuses on 15-year-old students."The main purpose of PISA is on reading, math and science literacy. It's more than what they learned in school. It's about 'Can they apply what they learned in and outside of school,' " Patrick Gonzales, an official with the U.S. Department of Education, said.When you see headlines that say "U.S. lags in math," or "U.S. students middle of the pack in science," they are usually based on data from the PISA.But it serves other important purposes as well. The highest achieving countries can provide some new techniques for teaching. And economists like to use the data to predict economic performance."They're not quite done with school yet, but they're getting close. In many ways they are the next, upcoming workforce," he said.Students have a lot of testing on their plates already with the PSSA and Keystone exams, but PISA is somewhat different. It is taken via computer, and the questions are more situation-based. For instance, instead of a straight-up math question, students will be asked to compare cellphone plan prices."They have to apply what they know in a way that would mimic what they would do in everyday life," Gonzales said.On Tuesday, up to 63 15-year-old students in the district will take the assessment.Students will be paid $25 and get credit for four hours of volunteering.Panther Valley's test results won't actually go into the final test, which will be given in 2018. They are part of a "field test" that is given in all the countries that take PISA.But their performance will help determine if there are any problems that could affect the results."We want to make sure there's no bias in the items - translation problems and cultural issues," Gonzales said."The main study will represent every 15-year-old in the United States."