Trends in international mathematics and science study
Encyclopedia
The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) is an international assessment of the mathematics and science knowledge of fourth-
and eighth-grade
(Year 5
and Year 9) students around the world. TIMSS was developed by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement
(IEA) to allow participating nations to compare students' educational achievement across borders. The IEA also conducts the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS). TIMSS was first administered in 1995, and every 4 years thereafter. In 1995, forty-one nations participated in the study; in 2007, 48 countries participated. Another similar study is the Programme for International Student Assessment
.
and science
, as well as student, teacher, and school questionnaires. The current assessment includes those topics in mathematics and science that students are likely to have been exposed to up to and including grade 4 and grade 8.
TIMSS was created through an extensive collaboration among participating countries. Curriculum, measurement, and education experts from around the world worked together to create the assessment frameworks, item pools, and questionnaires. TIMSS is based on the curricula of schools around the world, and is organized to investigate how students are provided educational opportunities, and the factors that influence how students make use of these opportunities. Having its basis in the curricula of schools around the world, TIMSS intends to investigate three levels: the intended curriculum; the implemented curriculum; and the achieved curriculum. The intended curriculum is defined as the mathematics and science that societies intend for students to learn and how education systems are organized to meet this demand; the implemented curriculum is what is actually taught in classrooms, who teaches it, and how it is taught; the achieved curriculum is what students have learned. The various questionnaires seek information on the intended and implemented curriculum; the assessment seeks to ascertain what students know.
The U.S. was one of the few countries whose 12th graders scored lower than 8th graders in both math and science. Where eighth grade boys scored only 3 points lower than Norway's (502 vs 505), twelfth grade boys scored 143 points lower (446 vs 589, for a relative decrease of 140 points), Where eighth grade boys scored 30 points higher than Cyprus (502 vs 472), 12th grade boys scored 115 points lower (446 vs 561) for a 145 point swing. Latvian boys scored 6 points lower at eighth grade but 63 points higher at twelfth grade for a 69 point swing, Denmark 9 points higher at the 8th grade and 94 points higher at the 12 grade for an 85 point swing, Sweden 18 points higher, then 140 points higher for a 122 point swing, Greece 12 points lower, then 79 points higher for a 91 point swing, Russia 33 points higher, then 117 points higher for a 150 point swing.
The relative performance in general science knowledge per
Table A5.6
U.S. Department of Education. National Center for Education Statistics
"Pursuing Excellence: A Study of U.S. Twelfth-Grade Mathematics and Science Achievement in International Context"
NCES 98-049. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1998.
February 1998
REVISED August 1998
Available for downloading at http://nces.ed.gov/timss
was in some ways slightly better than the performance in math. Cyprus, South Africa, Lithuania and Hungary scored lower than 12th grade boys, and Cyprus, South Africa, Lithuania, Hungary, Italy, France, Russia, and the Czech Republic scored lower than 12th grade girls--about 30 points lower (except for South Africa whose boys scored 125 points lower than boys and whose girls scored 133 points lower than girls {sic}). New Zealand, Canada, Australia, Switzerland, Iceland, the Netherlands, Sweden, Austria, and Norway all scored 55 or more points higher, with the Netherlands scoring 90 points higher than boys and Sweden scoring 65 points higher than girls.
The amount by which we scored lower than the Netherlands was in the range of the amount by which South Africa scored lower than the United States (90 points vs. 125 points). Excluded from this list are the Asian nations (Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong) who did not participate at the 12th grade level and who all scored more than 100 points higher at the 8th grade level. Had their 12th graders participated it is very likely that they all would have scored higher than the United States by an amount much greater than the amount by which the United States scored higher than South Africa.
of the U.S. Department of Education.
Data for US students is further tracked for ethnic and racial groups, which can be tracked as the nation. As a whole, grade four students in the United States lagged the best Asian and European nations in the 2007 TIMSS international math and science test. However, broken down by race, Asian Americans scored comparably to Asian nations, European Americans scored comparably to the best European nations (although European nations aggregate their own result independent of race or origin). Hispanic Americans averaged 505, comparable to students in Austria and Sweden, while African Americans at 482 were comparable to Norway.
Grade eight students in the United States also lagged the best Asian and European nations in the 2007 TIMSS international math and science test. Broken down by race, in math, US Asians scored comparably to, although lower than sampled Asian nations, at 549, white Americans scored comparably to, although more strongly than, the best European nations, at 533, Hispanic Americans
averaged 475, comparable to students in Malaysia and Norway
, while African Americans at 457 were comparable to Bosnia and Herzegovina
and Lebanon
.
Fourth grade
Fourth grade is a year of education in the United States and many other nations. The fourth grade is the fourth school year after kindergarten. Students are usually 9 or 10 years old, depending on their birthday. It is a part of elementary school. In some parts of the United States, fourth grade...
and eighth-grade
Eighth grade
Eighth grade is a year of education in the United States, Canada, Australia and other nations. Students are usually 13 - 14 years old. The eighth grade is typically the final grade before high school, and the ninth grade of public and private education, following kindergarten and subsequent grades...
(Year 5
Year 5
Year 5 can refer to:*The year 5 AD of the Gregorian calendar*Year Five, the fifth year of education in UK schools...
and Year 9) students around the world. TIMSS was developed by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement
International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement
The International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement is an association of national research institutions and government research agencies related to education. The IEA is an independent organization. It was founded in 1958 and is headquartered in Amsterdam...
(IEA) to allow participating nations to compare students' educational achievement across borders. The IEA also conducts the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS). TIMSS was first administered in 1995, and every 4 years thereafter. In 1995, forty-one nations participated in the study; in 2007, 48 countries participated. Another similar study is the Programme for International Student Assessment
Programme for International Student Assessment
The Programme for International Student Assessment is a worldwide evaluation in OECD member countries of 15-year-old school pupils' scholastic performance, performed first in 2000 and repeated every three years...
.
Method
TIMSS consists of an assessment of mathematicsMathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
and science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
, as well as student, teacher, and school questionnaires. The current assessment includes those topics in mathematics and science that students are likely to have been exposed to up to and including grade 4 and grade 8.
1995
The 1995 assessment included grades 4, 8, and the final year of high school. To be able to assess the knowledge of students, assessment items exhibit a range of difficulty and complexity. The student questionnaires are designed to collect information on students' backgrounds, attitudes and beliefs related to schooling and learning, information about their classroom experiences, among many other topics. The teacher and school questionnaires asks about class scheduling, mathematics and science content coverage, school policies, teachers' educational backgrounds and preparation, among many other topics.TIMSS was created through an extensive collaboration among participating countries. Curriculum, measurement, and education experts from around the world worked together to create the assessment frameworks, item pools, and questionnaires. TIMSS is based on the curricula of schools around the world, and is organized to investigate how students are provided educational opportunities, and the factors that influence how students make use of these opportunities. Having its basis in the curricula of schools around the world, TIMSS intends to investigate three levels: the intended curriculum; the implemented curriculum; and the achieved curriculum. The intended curriculum is defined as the mathematics and science that societies intend for students to learn and how education systems are organized to meet this demand; the implemented curriculum is what is actually taught in classrooms, who teaches it, and how it is taught; the achieved curriculum is what students have learned. The various questionnaires seek information on the intended and implemented curriculum; the assessment seeks to ascertain what students know.
The U.S. was one of the few countries whose 12th graders scored lower than 8th graders in both math and science. Where eighth grade boys scored only 3 points lower than Norway's (502 vs 505), twelfth grade boys scored 143 points lower (446 vs 589, for a relative decrease of 140 points), Where eighth grade boys scored 30 points higher than Cyprus (502 vs 472), 12th grade boys scored 115 points lower (446 vs 561) for a 145 point swing. Latvian boys scored 6 points lower at eighth grade but 63 points higher at twelfth grade for a 69 point swing, Denmark 9 points higher at the 8th grade and 94 points higher at the 12 grade for an 85 point swing, Sweden 18 points higher, then 140 points higher for a 122 point swing, Greece 12 points lower, then 79 points higher for a 91 point swing, Russia 33 points higher, then 117 points higher for a 150 point swing.
The relative performance in general science knowledge per
Table A5.6
U.S. Department of Education. National Center for Education Statistics
"Pursuing Excellence: A Study of U.S. Twelfth-Grade Mathematics and Science Achievement in International Context"
NCES 98-049. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1998.
February 1998
REVISED August 1998
Available for downloading at http://nces.ed.gov/timss
was in some ways slightly better than the performance in math. Cyprus, South Africa, Lithuania and Hungary scored lower than 12th grade boys, and Cyprus, South Africa, Lithuania, Hungary, Italy, France, Russia, and the Czech Republic scored lower than 12th grade girls--about 30 points lower (except for South Africa whose boys scored 125 points lower than boys and whose girls scored 133 points lower than girls {sic}). New Zealand, Canada, Australia, Switzerland, Iceland, the Netherlands, Sweden, Austria, and Norway all scored 55 or more points higher, with the Netherlands scoring 90 points higher than boys and Sweden scoring 65 points higher than girls.
The amount by which we scored lower than the Netherlands was in the range of the amount by which South Africa scored lower than the United States (90 points vs. 125 points). Excluded from this list are the Asian nations (Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong) who did not participate at the 12th grade level and who all scored more than 100 points higher at the 8th grade level. Had their 12th graders participated it is very likely that they all would have scored higher than the United States by an amount much greater than the amount by which the United States scored higher than South Africa.
United States 2007
In the United States, TIMSS is conducted by the National Center for Education StatisticsNational Center for Education Statistics
The National Center for Education Statistics is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance information in the United States...
of the U.S. Department of Education.
Data for US students is further tracked for ethnic and racial groups, which can be tracked as the nation. As a whole, grade four students in the United States lagged the best Asian and European nations in the 2007 TIMSS international math and science test. However, broken down by race, Asian Americans scored comparably to Asian nations, European Americans scored comparably to the best European nations (although European nations aggregate their own result independent of race or origin). Hispanic Americans averaged 505, comparable to students in Austria and Sweden, while African Americans at 482 were comparable to Norway.
Grade eight students in the United States also lagged the best Asian and European nations in the 2007 TIMSS international math and science test. Broken down by race, in math, US Asians scored comparably to, although lower than sampled Asian nations, at 549, white Americans scored comparably to, although more strongly than, the best European nations, at 533, Hispanic Americans
Hispanic and Latino Americans
Hispanic or Latino Americans are Americans with origins in the Hispanic countries of Latin America or in Spain, and in general all persons in the United States who self-identify as Hispanic or Latino.1990 Census of Population and Housing: A self-designated classification for people whose origins...
averaged 475, comparable to students in Malaysia and Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, while African Americans at 457 were comparable to Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
and Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
.
Math (8th grade)
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See also
- Programme for International Student AssessmentProgramme for International Student AssessmentThe Programme for International Student Assessment is a worldwide evaluation in OECD member countries of 15-year-old school pupils' scholastic performance, performed first in 2000 and repeated every three years...
, an educational ranking among OECD nations.
Key publications
- TIMSS 2007 Assessment Frameworks http://isc.bc.edu/TIMSS2007/frameworks.html
- TIMSS 2003 International Mathematics Report http://isc.bc.edu/timss2003i/mathD.html
- TIMSS 2003 International Science Report http://isc.bc.edu/timss2003i/scienceD.html
- IEA's TIMSS 2003 International Report on Achievement in the Mathematics Cognitive Domains http://isc.bc.edu/timss2003i/mcgdm.html
External links
- International TIMSS
- U.S. Department of Education TIMSS
- TIMSS: What Have We Learned about Math and Science Teaching? - Education Resources Information CenterEducation Resources Information CenterERIC - the Education Resources Information Center - is an online digital library of education research and information. ERIC is sponsored by the Institute of Education Sciences of the U.S. Department of Education...
Clearinghouse for Science Mathematics and Environmental Education, Columbus, OhioColumbus, OhioColumbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
.