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NATIONALCENTERFOREDUCATIONSTATISTICS Overall Comparative Findings N ATIONAL N ATIONAL N A C ENTER FOR TIONAL Overview C ENTER FOR C ENTER FOR EDUCA EDUCA TION E TION S DUCA S TATISTICS TION TATISTICS STATISTICS FIGURE10–OVERALLCOMPARATIVEFINDINGS and Key Findings U.S.PERFORMANCERELATIVETOTHEINTERNATIONALAVERAGEATAGLANCE Pursuing Excellence Pursuing Excellence Pursuing Excellence A S A STUDY A S TUDY M OF TUDY MATHEMA OF U.S. F ATHEMA U.S. E MATHEMA OF U.S. TICS AND OUR LEARNING TICS AND IGHTH-G TICS AND TWELFTH S TH-G , C SCIENCE RADE -G Content Fourth Eighth Final Year of Advanced Math & IN INTERNA CIENCE RADE URRICULUM IN I SCIENCE RADE A TEACHING, NTERNA A TIONAL CHIEVEMENT IN INTERNA , AND TIONAL CHIEVEMENT CONTEXT TIONAL ACHIEVEMENT CONTEXT CONTEXT Across Grade Levels Area Grade Grade Secondary School Science Students THIRD THIRD I INITIAL I INITIAL NTERNA FINDINGS FROM THE THIRD INITIAL NTERNA FINDINGS FROM THE TIONAL INTERNA F TIONAL TIONAL INDINGS FROM THE M MATHEMA ATHEMA TICS AND MATHEMA TICS AND TICS AND SCIENCE SCIENCE S STUDY CIENCE STUDY STUDY O O FFICE OF Mathematics Above Below Below ____ FFICE OF EDUCA OFFICE OF U.S. D U.S. D EDUCA EP TIONAL EDUCA TIONAL ARTMENT OF R U.S. D TIONAL EPARTMENT OF R ESEARCH AND EPAR ESEARCH AND EDUCA TMENT OF RESEARCH AND With information on a half-million students worldwide,including EDUCA TION IMPROVEMENT EDUCA TION IMPROVEMENT TION IMPROVEMENT NCES 97-198 Overall NCES 97-225 NCES 98-049 more than 33,000 U.S.students in more than 500 U.S.public and Science Above Above Below ____ private schools,the Third International Mathematics and Science Overall Study (TIMSS) is the largest,most comprehensive,and most rigorous interna- tional study ofschools and students ever conducted.During the 1995 school Advanced ____ ____ ____ Below year,students from 41 nations,including our country's major trading partners, Mathematics were assessed at three different grade levels (fourth,eighth,and in the final year ofsecondary school) to compare their mathematics and science achievement. Physics ____ ____ ____ Below SOURCES: TIMSS researchers also looked at schools,curricula,instruction,lessons,text- National Center for Education Statistics.(1997).Pursuing Excellence:A Study of U.S.Fourth-Grade Mathematics and Science Achievement in International TUDY books,policy issues,and the lives ofteachers and students to understand the Context.Figure 1,Figure 2.Washington,D.C.:NCES. National Center for Education Statistics.(1996).Pursuing Excellence:A Study of U.S.Eighth-Grade Mathematics and Science Teaching,Learning, S educational context in which mathematics and science learning take place.By Curriculum,and Achievement in International Context.Figure 1,Figure 2.Washington,D.C.:NCES. combining multiple methodologies and scientific sampling procedures that go National Center for Education Statistics.(1998).Pursuing Excellence:A Study of U.S.Twelfth-Grade Mathematics and Science Achievement in International TIMSS Context.Figure 1,Figure 5,Figure 9,Figure 16.Washington,D.C.:NCES. beyond simple student achievement score comparisons and questionnaires, CIENCE TIMSS created a fair and comprehensive portrait ofhow U.S.mathematics and S science education differs from that ofother nations.The richness ofTIMSS For more information you can visit us on the World Wide Web: includes a videotape study ofeighth grade mathematics teaching,which OM http://nces.ed.gov/timss AND observed 231 classrooms in Japan,Germany,and the United States,and an analy- sis ofover 1,100 textbooks and curriculum frameworks from about 50 countries. TICS You can also contact the TIMSS customer service number: FR At the fourth grade,U.S.students were above the international average in both (202) 219-1333 science and mathematics.In the eighth grade,U.S.students scored above the THEMA international average in science and below the international average in mathe- A matics.At the end ofsecondary schooling (twelfth grade in the U.S.),U.S.per- or send e-mail to: M formance was among the lowest in both science and mathematics,including [email protected] among our most advanced students. TIONAL Because precise scores cannot be determined with perfect accuracy,it is not appropriate to compare U.S.scores to other countries by rank alone.Therefore, NT OF E nations have been grouped into bands in the figures that follow,according to E DU M C T A whether their performance is significantly higher than,not significantly different R NTERNA T A I I P O from,or significantly lower than the U.S. E N D HIRD Key findings from the Pursuing Excellenceseries ofreports for each grade level, U IGHLIGHTS N A T I IC T R as well as overall comparative findings,are detailed inside. ED E S M TAT OF A ES HE FEBRUARY1999 H T OFFICEOFEDUCATIONALRESEARCHANDIMPROVEMENT,U.S.DEPARTMENTOFEDUCATION NCES 1999-081 Fourth Grade Overall Comparative Findings FIGURE 1–GRADE 4 chievement chievement ontexts of Learning NATIONS’ AVERAGE MATHEMATICS A PERFORMANCE COMPARED WITH THE U.S. A C ■ Among the 26 participating nations ■ Our students' performance was ■ The amount of homework does not NATION AVERAGE at this grade level, U.S. students stronger in science than in mathe- appear to be related to U.S. perfor- scored above the international aver- SINGAPORE 625 matics in fourth grade, in eighth mance compared to other nations. U.S. age in mathematics,and were outper- KOREA 611 grade, and in the twelfth-grade gen- fourth graders are assigned about as formed by 7 countries (Figure 1). JAPAN 597 eral knowledge assessment relative much homework as students in other HONG KONG 587 to the other countries participating countries, U.S. eighth graders spend ■ In science, U.S. students were out- (NETHERLANDS) 577 in TIMSS. about as must time outside of school performed by one country, Korea CZECH REPUBLIC 567 studying as students in Japan and (Figure 2). (AUSTRIA) 559 ■ U.S. students' international standing Germany, all U.S. twelfth graders spend was stronger at the fourth grade than ■ In mathematics,U.S.students’perfor- less time on homework, and U.S. at the eighth grade in both mathe- mance exceeded the international advanced twelfth graders were assigned matics and science relative to the 25 average in Whole Numbers; Fractions (SLOVENIA) 552 homework more often. other countries that participated in and Proportionality; Data Represen- IRELAND 550 TIMSS at both grade levels. ■ The amount of instructional time does tation, Analysis and Probability; (HUNGARY) 548 not appear to be related to U.S. perfor- Geometry; and Patterns, Relations (AUSTRALIA) 546 ■ U.S. students' international standing UNITED STATES 545 mance compared to other TIMSS and Functions. Our students were was stronger at the eighth grade than CANADA 532 nations. U.S. fourth graders spend below the international average in at the twelfth grade in both mathe- (ISRAEL) 531 more class time on mathematics and Measurement, Estimation, and matics and science relative to the science than do their average interna- Number Sense. international averages for the 19 tional counterparts. U.S.eighth graders other countries that participated in ■ In science,U.S.fourth-grade students (LATVIA (LSS)) 525 spend more time in mathematics class- TIMSS at both levels. were outperformed by one or two SCOTLAND 520 es per year than students in Germany other nations in Earth Science; Life ENGLAND 513 ■ There was no significant gender gap CYPRUS 502 and Japan. Science; and Environmental Issues in fourth-grade or eighth-grade NORWAY 502 ■ The amount of television watching also and the Nature of Science. In Physical mathematics achievement or eighth- NEW ZEALAND 499 does not appear to be strongly related Science, U.S. students were outper- GREECE 492 grade science achievement in the to U.S. performance compared to other formed by 5 other nations. (THAILAND) 490 U.S. The U.S. was one of ten coun- nations. Heavy television watching is as PORTUGAL 475 tries, out of 26, with a gender gap ■ If an international talent search were ICELAND 474 common among U.S. eighth graders as favoring males in fourth-grade sci- to select the top 10 percent of all IRAN, ISLAMIC REPUBLIC 429 it is among their Japanese counter- ence achievement. fourth graders, 9 percent of U.S. (KUWAIT) 400 parts, and U.S. twelfth graders spend, fourth graders would be included in ■ There was no significant gender gap on average, the same amount of time mathematics, and 16 percent would among U.S. twelfth-grade students watching television or videos as the INTERNATIONAL AVERAGE = 529 be included in science. on the mathematics general knowl- international average. edge assessment. There was a gender ■ Although U.S. twelfth-grade students SOURCE: National Center for Education Statistics. (1997). Pursuing Excellence: A Study of U.S. Fourth- gap favoring males among U.S. Grade Mathematics and Science Achievement in International Context. Figure 1. Washington, D.C.: NCES. are more likely to have jobs outside of twelfth graders in science general NOTES: school than their international counter- 1. Nations not meeting international guidelines are shown in parentheses. knowledge, physics, and advanced parts and work longer hours, this does 2. Latvia is designated LSS because only Latvian-speaking schools were tested. mathematics. 3. The international average is the average of the national averages of the 26 nations. not appear to be related to the relatively Nations with average scores significantly higher than the U.S. poor U.S. performance on the final year of secondary school general knowledge Nations with average scores not significantly different from the U.S. assessments in comparison to their 2 Nations with average scores significantly lower than the U.S. international counterparts. 11 Final Year of Secondary School Fourth Grade FIGURE 9–FINAL YEAR OF SECONDARY SCHOOL FIGURE 2–GRADE 4 urriculum AVERAGE PHYSICS PERFORMANCE NATIONS’ AVERAGE SCIENCE OF ADVANCED SCIENCE STUDENTS IN ALL COUNTRIES PERFORMANCE COMPARED WITH THE U.S.
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