Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study

File:TIMSS 8th grade average Mathematics scores 2019.png

TIMSS 8th grade average Mathematics scores (2019)

File:TIMSS 8th grade average Science scores 2019.png

TIMSS 8th grade average Science scores (2019)

File:TIMSS 4th grade average Mathematics scores 2019.png

TIMSS 4th grade average Mathematics scores (2019)

File:TIMSS 4th grade average Science scores 2019.png

TIMSS 4th grade average Science scores (2019)

The International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA)'s Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) is a series of international assessments of the mathematics and science knowledge of students around the world. The participating students come from a diverse set of educational systems (countries or regional jurisdictions of countries) in terms of economic development, geographical location, and population size. In each of the participating educational systems, a minimum of 4,000 to 5,000 students is evaluated. Contextual data about the conditions in which participating students learn mathematics and science are collected from the students and their teachers, their principals, and their parents via questionnaires. TIMSS is one of the studies established by IEA aimed at allowing educational systems worldwide to compare students' educational achievement and learn from the experiences of others in designing effective education policy. This assessment was first conducted in 1995, and has been administered every four years thereafter. Therefore, some of the participating educational systems have trend data across assessments from 1995 to 2019. TIMSS assesses 4th and 8th grade students, while TIMSS Advanced assesses students in the final year of secondary school in advanced mathematics and physics.

Definition of terms

"Eighth grade" in the United States is approximately 13–14 years of age and equivalent to:

• Year 9 (Y9) in England and Wales
• 2nd Year (S2) in Scotland
• 2nd Year in the Republic of Ireland
• 1st Year in South Africa
• Form 2 in Hong Kong
• 4ème in France
• Year 9 in New Zealand
• Form 2 in Malaysia

"Fourth grade" in the United States is approximately equivalent to 9–10 years of age and equivalent to:

• Year 5 (Y5) in England and Wales
• Primary 6 (P6) in Scotland
• Group 6 in the Netherlands
• CM1 in France
• Fourth Class in the Republic of Ireland
• Standard 3 or Year 5 in New Zealand

History

A precursor to TIMSS was the First International Mathematics Study (FIMS) performed in 1964 in 11 countries for students aged 13 and in the final year of secondary education (FS) under the auspices of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). This was followed in 1970–1971 by the First International Science Study (FISS) for students aged 10, 14, and FS. Fourteen countries tested 10-year-olds; 16 countries tested the older two groups. These were replicated between 1980 and 1984. These early studies were revised and combined by the IEA to create TIMSS, which was first administered in 1995. It was the largest international student assessment study of its time and evaluated students in five grades. In the second cycle (1999) only eighth-grade students were tested. In the next cycles (2003, 2007, 2011, and 2015) both 4th and 8th grade students were assessed. The 2011 cycle was performed in the same year as the IEA's Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), offering a comprehensive assessment of mathematics, science and reading for the countries participating in both studies. The sixth cycle was conducted in 2015, and the results were released in 2016; the data set was published in February 2017. TIMSS 2015 included data collected from parents for the first time. TIMSS Advanced, previously conducted in 1995 and 2008, was also conducted in 2015, and assessed final-year secondary students' achievement in advanced mathematics and physics. Policy-relevant data about curriculum emphasis, technology use, and teacher preparation and training accompanies the TIMSS Advanced results. The seventh cycle of TIMSS was conducted in 2019 and marked the beginning of the transition to a digital assessment format, with the digital assessment administered to half of participating countries, and the paper assessment administered to the remaining half. 64 countries and 8 benchmarking systems participating in TIMSS 2019. Results were released in December 2020. Preparations are underway for TIMSS 2023.

Method, data and documentation

Along with the overall students' achievement data, TIMSS comprehensive assessments include data on student performance in various mathematics and science domains (algebra, geometry, biology, chemistry, etc.) and on performance in the problem solving challenges in each of these contexts. In addition, TIMSS provides contextual data on crucial curricular, instructional, and resource-related factors that can impact the teaching and learning process. These data are gathered using student, teacher, school, and curriculum (national) questionnaires filled out by students, teachers, school principals and National Research Coordinators, respectively. According to the TIMSS 2019 Assessment Frameworks, "The TIMSS mathematics and science achievement scales were created with the first TIMSS assessment in 1995, separately for each subject and each grade. The scale units were established so that 100 points on the scale was equivalent to one standard deviation of the distribution of achievement across all of the countries that participated in TIMSS 1995, and the scale midpoint of 500 was located at the mean of this international achievement distribution. The TIMSS achievement scales were first used for reporting TIMSS results with TIMSS 1995, and all results from subsequent TIMSS assessments have been reported on the same scale metrics, making it possible to measure growth or decline in countries' achievement distributions from assessment to assessment." Because TIMSS is administered in four-year cycles, it enables participating counties to use the results between the fourth and eighth grades to track the changes in achievement and certain background factors from an earlier study. For example, results of the fourth grade in TIMSS 1995 can be compared with the results of the eighth grade in TIMSS 1999, as fourth graders had become eighth graders in the next cycle of study. The collected information is presented in different formats. For example, for TIMSS 2019 the results are presented as TIMSS 2019 International Results in Mathematics and Science TIMSS 2019 International Results in Mathematics and Science. The TIMSS 2019 Encyclopedia provides an overview of how mathematics and science are taught in each participating country. Methods and Procedures: TIMSS 2019 Technical Report documents the development of the TIMSS assessments and questionnaires, and describes the methods used. The TIMSS 2019 User Guide for the International Database describes the content and format of the data in the TIMSS 2019 International Database The IEA has developed an application for working with data from TIMSS and other IEA large-scale assessments called the IEA International Database (IDB) Analyzer. This application allows researchers to combine data files and facilitates some types of statistical analysis (such as computing means, percentages, percentiles, correlations, and estimating single level multiple linear regression). The application takes into account the complex sample structure of the databases when calculating the statistics and their standard errors. It also allows researchers to estimate achievement scores and their standard errors. For an overview of the IEA study results and interpretation of information, see IEA's Data Visualizer.

Cycles

TIMSS 2019

TIMSS 2019 was the seventh cycle of TIMSS and reported overall achievement as well as results according to international benchmarks, by major content domains (number, algebra, and geometry in mathematics, and earth science, biology, and chemistry in science) and by cognitive domains (knowing, applying, reasoning). TIMSS 2019 collected detailed information about curriculum and curriculum implementation of participating countries and published this information the TIMSS 2019 Encyclopedia: Education Policy and Curriculum in Mathematics and Science. TIMSS 2019 marked the transition to a digital assessment format, allowing for new and innovative item types. In the digital assessment, students solved problems by interacting with shapes and patterns, arranging items on the screen, dragging and dropping items, and drawing. The digital version of TIMSS 2019 also introduced Problem Solving and Inquiry tasks that simulated real-world and laboratory situations and called for students to integrate and apply process skills and content knowledge. Half of the participating countries took the paper version of TIMSS and half of the participating countries took the digital version of TIMSS. TIMSS 2019 results are summarized in TIMSS 2019 International Results in Mathematics and Science. This detailed report presents achievement and contextual data from participating countries and benchmarking entities. The TIMSS 2019 Encyclopedia: Education Policy and Curriculum in Mathematics and Science describes various features of the education systems in each participating country, including the mathematics and science curriculum, professional development requirements for teachers, and methods of monitoring student progress in mathematics and science. Each country's "chapter" in the encyclopedia was authored by that country's TIMSS representative.

Eighth grade

Mathematics Rank Country Average scale score Change over 4 years 1 Singapore 616 Decrease 5 points 2 Chinese Taipei 612 Increase 13 points 3 South Korea 607 Increase 1 point 4 Japan 594 Increase 8 points 5 Hong Kong 578 Decrease 16 points 6 Russia 543 Increase 5 points 7 Ireland 524 Increase 1 point 8 Lithuania 520 Increase 9 points 9 Israel 519 Increase 8 points 10 Australia 517 Increase 12 points 10 Hungary 517 Increase 3 points 12 United States 515 Decrease 3 points 12 England 515 Decrease 3 points 14 Finland 509 N/A 15 Norway 503 Decrease 9 points 15 Sweden 503 Increase 2 points 17 Cyprus 501 N/A 18 Portugal 500 N/A International average 500 Steady 19 Italy 497 Increase 3 points 20 Turkey 496 Increase 38 points 21 Kazakhstan 488 Decrease 40 points 22 France 483 N/A 23 New Zealand 482 Decrease 11 points 24 Bahrain 481 Increase 27 points 25 Romania 479 N/A 26 United Arab Emirates 473 Increase 8 points 27 Georgia 461 Increase 8 points 27 Malaysia 461 Decrease 4 points 29 Iran 446 Increase 8 points 30 Qatar 443 Increase 6 points 31 Chile 441 Increase 14 points 32 Lebanon 429 Decrease 13 points 33 Jordan 420 Increase 34 points 34 Egypt 413 Increase 21 points 35 Oman 411 Increase 8 points 36 Kuwait 403 Increase 11 points 37 Saudi Arabia 394 Increase 26 points 38 South Africa 389 Increase 17 points 39 Morocco 388 Increase 4 points Benchmarking participants – Moscow (Russia) 575 N/A – Quebec (Canada) 543 Steady – Dubai (United Arab Emirates) 537 Increase 25 points – Ontario (Canada) 530 Decrease 8 points – Western Cape (South Africa) 441 N/A – Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) 436 Decrease 6 points – Gauteng (South Africa) 421 N/A

Science Rank Country Average scale score Change over 4 years 1 Singapore 608 Increase 11 points 2 Chinese Taipei 574 Increase 5 points 3 Japan 570 Decrease 1 point 4 South Korea 561 Increase 5 points 5 Russia 543 Decrease 1 point 5 Finland 543 N/A 7 Lithuania 534 Increase 15 points 8 Hungary 530 Increase 3 points 9 Australia 528 Increase 16 points 10 Ireland 523 Decrease 7 points 11 United States 522 Increase 8 points 12 Sweden 521 Decrease 1 point 13 Portugal 519 N/A 14 England 517 Decrease 20 points 15 Turkey 515 Increase 22 points 16 Israel 513 Increase 6 points 17 Hong Kong 504 Decrease 42 points 18 Italy 500 Increase 1 point International average 500 Steady 19 New Zealand 499 Decrease 14 points 20 Norway 495 Decrease 14 points 21 France 489 N/A 22 Bahrain 486 Increase 20 points 23 Cyprus 484 N/A 24 Kazakhstan 478 Decrease 55 points 25 Qatar 475 Increase 18 points 26 United Arab Emirates 473 Decrease 4 points 27 Romania 470 N/A 28 Chile 462 Increase 8 points 29 Malaysia 460 Decrease 11 points 30 Oman 457 Increase 2 points 31 Jordan 452 Increase 26 points 32 Iran 449 Decrease 7 points 33 Georgia 447 Increase 4 points 34 Kuwait 444 Increase 33 points 35 Saudi Arabia 431 Increase 35 points 36 Morocco 394 Increase 1 point 37 Egypt 389 Increase 18 points 38 Lebanon 377 Decrease 21 points 39 South Africa 370 Increase 12 points Benchmarking participants – Moscow (Russia) 567 N/A – Quebec (Canada) 548 Increase 18 points – Dubai (United Arab Emirates) 537 Increase 12 points – Ontario (Canada) 522 Decrease 2 points – Western Cape (South Africa) 439 N/A – Gauteng (South Africa) 422 N/A – Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) 420 Decrease 34 points

Fourth grade

Mathematics Rank Country Average scale score Change over 4 years 1 Singapore 625 Increase 7 points 2 Hong Kong 602 Decrease 13 points 3 South Korea 600 Decrease 8 points 4 Chinese Taipei 599 Increase 2 points 5 Japan 593 Steady 6 Russia 567 Increase 3 points 7 Northern Ireland 566 Decrease 4 points 8 England 556 Increase 10 points 9 Ireland 548 Increase 1 point 10 Latvia 546 N/A 11 Norway 543 Decrease 6 points 12 Lithuania 542 Increase 7 points 13 Austria 539 N/A 14 Netherlands 538 Increase 8 points 15 United States 535 Decrease 4 points 16 Czech Republic 533 Increase 5 points 17 Belgium (Flemish) 532 Decrease 14 points 17 Cyprus 532 Increase 9 points 17 Finland 532 Decrease 3 points 20 Portugal 525 Decrease 16 points 20 Denmark 525 Decrease 14 points 22 Hungary 523 Decrease 6 points 22 Turkey 523 N/A 24 Sweden 521 Increase 2 points 24 Germany 521 Decrease 1 point 26 Poland 520 Decrease 15 points 27 Australia 516 Decrease 1 point 28 Azerbaijan 515 N/A 28 Bulgaria 515 Decrease 9 points 28 Italy 515 Increase 8 points 31 Kazakhstan 512 Decrease 32 points 31 Canada 512 Increase 1 point 33 Slovakia 510 Increase 12 points 34 Croatia 509 Increase 7 points 34 Malta 509 N/A 36 Serbia 508 Decrease 10 points 37 Spain 502 Decrease 3 points International average 500 Steady 38 Armenia 498 N/A 39 Albania 494 N/A 40 New Zealand 487 Decrease 4 points 41 France 485 Decrease 3 points 42 Georgia 482 Increase 19 points 43 United Arab Emirates 481 Increase 29 points 44 Bahrain 480 Increase 29 points 45 North Macedonia 472 N/A 46 Montenegro 453 N/A 47 Bosnia and Herzegovina 452 N/A 48 Qatar 449 Increase 10 points 49 Kosovo 444 N/A 50 Iran 443 Increase 12 points 51 Chile 441 Decrease 18 points 52 Oman 431 Increase 6 points 53 Saudi Arabia 398 Increase 15 points 54 Morocco 383 Increase 6 points 54 Kuwait 383 Increase 30 points 56 South Africa 374 Decrease 2 points 57 Pakistan 328 N/A 58 Philippines 297 N/A Benchmarking participants – Moscow (Russia) 593 N/A – Dubai (United Arab Emirates) 544 Increase 33 points – Quebec (Canada) 532 Decrease 4 points – Madrid (Spain) 518 N/A – Ontario (Canada) 512 Steady – Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) 441 Increase 22 points

Science Rank Country Average scale score Change over 4 years 1 Singapore 595 Increase 5 points 2 South Korea 588 Decrease 1 point 3 Russia 567 Steady 4 Japan 562 Decrease 7 points 5 Chinese Taipei 558 Increase 3 points 6 Finland 555 Increase 1 point 7 Latvia 542 N/A 8 Norway 539 Increase 1 point 8 United States 539 Decrease 7 points 10 Lithuania 538 Increase 10 points 11 Sweden 537 Decrease 3 points 11 England 537 Increase 1 point 13 Czech Republic 534 Steady 14 Australia 533 Increase 9 points 15 Hong Kong 531 Decrease 26 points 15 Poland 531 Decrease 16 points 17 Hungary 529 Decrease 13 points 18 Ireland 528 Decrease 1 point 19 Turkey 526 N/A 20 Croatia 524 Decrease 9 points 21 Canada 523 Decrease 2 points 22 Denmark 522 Decrease 5 points 22 Austria 522 N/A 24 Bulgaria 521 Decrease 15 points 24 Slovakia 521 Increase 1 point 26 Northern Ireland 518 Decrease 2 points 26 Netherlands 518 Increase 1 point 26 Germany 518 Decrease 10 points 29 Serbia 517 Decrease 8 points 30 Cyprus 511 Increase 30 points 30 Spain 511 Decrease 7 points 32 Italy 510 Decrease 6 points 33 Portugal 504 Decrease 4 points 34 New Zealand 503 Decrease 3 points 35 Belgium (Flemish) 501 Decrease 11 points International average 500 Steady 36 Malta 496 N/A 37 Kazakhstan 494 Decrease 56 points 38 Bahrain 493 Increase 34 points 39 Albania 489 N/A 40 France 488 Increase 1 point 41 United Arab Emirates 473 Increase 22 points 42 Chile 469 Decrease 9 points 43 Armenia 466 N/A 44 Bosnia and Herzegovina 459 N/A 45 Georgia 454 Increase 3 points 46 Montenegro 453 N/A 47 Qatar 449 Increase 13 points 48 Iran 441 Increase 20 points 49 Oman 435 Increase 4 points 50 Azerbaijan 427 N/A 51 North Macedonia 426 N/A 52 Kosovo 413 N/A 53 Saudi Arabia 402 Increase 12 points 54 Kuwait 392 Increase 55 points 54 Morocco 374 Increase 17 points 56 South Africa 324 N/A 57 Pakistan 290 N/A 58 Philippines 249 N/A Benchmarking participants – Moscow (Russia) 595 N/A – Dubai (United Arab Emirates) 545 Increase 27 points – Ontario (Canada) 524 Decrease 6 points – Madrid (Spain) 523 N/A – Quebec (Canada) 522 Decrease 3 points – Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) 418 Increase 3 points

TIMSS 2015

In TIMSS 2015, nationally representative samples of students in 57 countries and 7 benchmarking entities participated in the fourth grade assessment, the eighth grade assessment, or both.

Eighth grade

Mathematics Rank Country Average scale score Change over 4 years 1 Singapore 621 Increase 10 points 2 South Korea 606 Decrease 7 points 3 Chinese Taipei 599 Decrease 10 points 4 Hong Kong 594 Increase 8 points 5 Japan 586 Increase 16 points 6 Russia 538 Decrease 1 point 7 Kazakhstan 528 Increase 41 points 8 Canada 527 N/A 9 Ireland 523 N/A 10 United States 518 Increase 9 points 10 England 518 Increase 11 points 12 Slovenia 516 Increase 11 points 13 Hungary 514 Increase 9 points 14 Norway 512 N/A 15 Lithuania 511 Increase 9 points 15 Israel 511 Decrease 5 points 17 Australia 505 Steady 18 Sweden 501 Increase 17 points International average 500 Steady 19 Italy 494 Decrease 4 points 19 Malta 494 N/A 21 New Zealand 493 Increase 5 points 22 Malaysia 465 Increase 25 points 23 United Arab Emirates 465 Increase 9 points 24 Turkey 458 Increase 6 points 25 Bahrain 454 Increase 45 points 26 Georgia 453 Increase 22 points 27 Lebanon 442 Decrease 7 points 28 Qatar 437 Increase 27 points 29 Iran 436 Increase 21 points 30 Thailand 431 Increase 4 points 31 Chile 427 Increase 11 points 32 Oman 403 Increase 37 points 33 Kuwait 392 N/A 33 Egypt 392 N/A 35 Botswana 391 Decrease 6 points 36 Jordan 386 Decrease 20 points 37 Morocco 384 Increase 13 points 38 South Africa 372 Increase 20 points 39 Saudi Arabia 368 Decrease 26 points Benchmarking participants – Quebec (Canada) 543 Increase 11 points – Ontario (Canada) 522 Increase 10 points – Dubai (United Arab Emirates) 512 Increase 34 points – Florida (United States) 493 Decrease 20 points – Norway 487 Increase 12 points – Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) 442 Decrease 7 points – Buenos Aires (Argentina) 396 N/A

Science Rank Country Average scale score Change over 4 years 1 Singapore 597 Increase 7 points 2 Japan 571 Increase 13 points 3 Chinese Taipei 569 Increase 5 points 4 South Korea 556 Decrease 4 points 5 Slovenia 551 Increase 8 points 6 Hong Kong 546 Increase 11 points 7 Russia 544 Increase 2 points 8 England 537 Increase 4 points 9 Kazakhstan 533 Increase 43 points 10 Ireland 530 N/A 10 United States 530 Increase 5 points 12 Hungary 527 Increase 5 points 13 Canada 526 N/A 14 Sweden 522 Increase 13 points 15 Lithuania 519 Increase 5 points 16 New Zealand 513 Increase 1 point 17 Australia 512 Decrease 7 points 18 Norway 509 N/A 19 Israel 507 Decrease 9 points International average 500 Steady 20 Italy 499 Decrease 2 points 21 Turkey 493 Increase 10 points 22 Malta 481 N/A 23 United Arab Emirates 477 Increase 12 points 24 Malaysia 471 Increase 45 points 25 Bahrain 466 Increase 14 points 26 Qatar 457 Increase 38 points 27 Iran 456 Decrease 18 points 27 Thailand 456 Increase 5 points 29 Oman 455 Increase 35 points 30 Chile 454 Decrease 7 points 31 Georgia 443 Increase 23 points 32 Jordan 426 Decrease 23 points 33 Kuwait 411 N/A 34 Lebanon 398 Decrease 8 points 35 Saudi Arabia 396 Decrease 40 points 36 Morocco 393 Increase 17 points 37 Botswana 392 Decrease 12 points 38 Egypt 371 N/A 39 South Africa 358 Increase 26 points Benchmarking participants – Quebec (Canada) 530 Increase 10 points – Dubai (United Arab Emirates) 525 Increase 40 points – Ontario (Canada) 524 Increase 3 points – Florida (United States) 508 Decrease 22 points – Norway 489 Decrease 5 points – Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) 454 Decrease 7 points – Buenos Aires (Argentina) 386 N/A

Fourth grade

Mathematics Rank Country Average scale score Change over 4 years 1 Singapore 618 Increase 12 points 2 Hong Kong 615 Increase 13 points 3 South Korea 608 Increase 3 points 4 Chinese Taipei 597 Increase 6 points 5 Japan 593 Increase 8 points 6 Northern Ireland 570 Increase 8 points 7 Russia 564 Increase 22 points 8 Norway 549 N/A 9 Ireland 547 Increase 20 points 10 England 546 Increase 4 points 10 Belgium (Flemish) 546 Decrease 3 points 12 Kazakhstan 544 Increase 43 points 13 Portugal 541 Increase 9 points 14 United States 539 Decrease 2 points 14 Denmark 539 Increase 2 points 16 Lithuania 535 Increase 1 point 16 Finland 535 Decrease 10 points 16 Poland 535 Increase 54 points 19 Netherlands 530 Decrease 10 points 20 Hungary 529 Increase 14 points 21 Czech Republic 528 Increase 17 points 22 Bulgaria 524 N/A 23 Cyprus 523 N/A 24 Germany 522 Decrease 6 points 25 Slovenia 520 Increase 7 points 26 Sweden 519 Increase 15 points 27 Serbia 518 Increase 2 points 28 Australia 517 Increase 1 point 29 Canada 511 N/A 30 Italy 507 Decrease 1 point 31 Spain 505 Increase 23 points 32 Croatia 502 Increase 12 points International average 500 Steady 33 Slovakia 498 Decrease 9 points 34 New Zealand 491 Increase 5 points 35 France 488 N/A 36 Turkey 483 Increase 14 points 37 Georgia 463 Increase 13 points 38 Chile 459 Decrease 3 points 39 United Arab Emirates 452 Increase 18 points 40 Bahrain 451 Increase 15 points 41 Qatar 439 Increase 26 points 42 Iran 431 Steady 43 Oman 425 Increase 40 points 44 Indonesia 397 N/A 45 Jordan 388 N/A 46 Saudi Arabia 383 Decrease 27 points 47 Morocco 377 Increase 42 points 48 South Africa 376 N/A 49 Kuwait 353 Increase 11 points Benchmarking participants – Florida (United States) 546 Increase 1 point – Quebec (Canada) 536 Increase 3 points – Ontario (Canada) 512 Decrease 6 points – Dubai (United Arab Emirates) 511 Increase 43 points – Norway 493 Decrease 2 points – Buenos Aires (Argentina) 432 N/A – Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) 419 Increase 2 points

Science Rank Country Average scale score Change over 4 years 1 Singapore 590 Increase 7 points 2 South Korea 589 Increase 2 points 3 Japan 569 Increase 10 points 4 Russia 567 Increase 15 points 5 Hong Kong 557 Increase 22 points 6 Chinese Taipei 555 Increase 3 points 7 Finland 554 Decrease 16 points 8 Kazakhstan 550 Increase 55 points 9 Poland 547 Increase 42 points 10 United States 546 Increase 2 points 11 Slovenia 543 Increase 23 points 12 Hungary 542 Increase 8 points 13 Sweden 540 Increase 7 points 14 Norway 538 N/A 15 England 536 Increase 7 points 15 Bulgaria 536 N/A 17 Czech Republic 534 Decrease 2 points 18 Croatia 533 Increase 17 points 19 Ireland 529 Increase 13 points 20 Germany 528 Steady 20 Lithuania 528 Increase 13 points 22 Denmark 527 Decrease 1 point 23 Canada 525 N/A 23 Serbia 525 Increase 9 points 25 Australia 524 Increase 8 points 26 Slovakia 520 Decrease 12 points 26 Northern Ireland 520 Increase 3 points 28 Spain 518 Increase 13 points 29 Netherlands 517 Decrease 14 points 30 Italy 516 Decrease 8 points 31 Belgium (Flemish) 512 Increase 3 points 32 Portugal 508 Decrease 14 points 33 New Zealand 506 Increase 9 points International average 500 Steady 34 France 487 N/A 35 Turkey 483 Increase 20 points 36 Cyprus 481 N/A 37 Chile 478 Decrease 2 points 38 Bahrain 459 Increase 10 points 39 Georgia 451 Decrease 4 points 39 United Arab Emirates 451 Increase 23 points 41 Qatar 436 Increase 42 points 42 Oman 431 Increase 54 points 43 Iran 421 Decrease 32 points 44 Indonesia 397 N/A 45 Saudi Arabia 390 Decrease 39 points 46 Morocco 357 Increase 93 points 47 Kuwait 337 Decrease 10 points Benchmarking participants – Florida (United States) 549 Increase 4 points – Ontario (Canada) 530 Increase 2 points – Quebec (Canada) 525 Increase 9 points – Dubai (United Arab Emirates) 518 Increase 57 points – Norway 493 Decrease 1 point – Buenos Aires (Argentina) 418 N/A – Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) 415 Increase 4 points

TIMSS 2011

TIMSS 2011 had 52 participating educational systems for the fourth grade and 45 for the eighth grade.

Eighth grade

Mathematics Rank Country Average scale score Change over 4 years 1 South Korea 613 Increase 16 points 2 Singapore 611 Increase 18 points 3 Chinese Taipei 609 Increase 11 points 4 Hong Kong 586 Increase 14 points 5 Japan 570 Steady 6 Russia 539 Increase 27 points 7 Israel 516 Increase 53 points 8 Finland 514 N/A 9 United States 509 Increase 1 point 10 England 507 Decrease 6 points 11 Hungary 505 Decrease 12 points 11 Australia 505 Increase 9 points 11 Slovenia 505 Increase 4 points 14 Lithuania 502 Decrease 4 points International average 500 Steady 15 Italy 498 Increase 18 points 16 New Zealand 488 N/A 17 Kazakhstan 487 N/A 18 Sweden 484 Decrease 7 points 19 Ukraine 479 Increase 17 points 20 Norway 475 Increase 6 points 21 Armenia 467 Decrease 32 points 22 Romania 458 Decrease 3 points 23 United Arab Emirates 456 N/A 24 Turkey 452 Increase 20 points 25 Lebanon 449 Steady 26 Malaysia 440 Decrease 34 points 27 Georgia 431 Increase 21 points 28 Thailand 427 Decrease 14 points 29 Republic of Macedonia 426 N/A 30 Tunisia 425 Increase 5 points 31 Chile 416 N/A 32 Iran 415 Increase 12 points 33 Qatar 410 Increase 103 points 34 Bahrain 409 N/A 35 Jordan 406 Decrease 21 points 36 Palestine 404 Increase 37 points 37 Saudi Arabia 394 Increase 65 points 38 Indonesia 386 Decrease 11 points 39 Syria 380 Decrease 15 points 40 Morocco 371 Decrease 10 points 41 Oman 366 Decrease 6 points 42 Ghana 331 Increase 22 points Ninth grade participants – Botswana 397 N/A – South Africa 352 N/A – Honduras 338 N/A Benchmarking participants – Massachusetts (United States) 561 Increase 14 points – Minnesota (United States) 545 Increase 13 points – North Carolina (United States) 537 N/A – Quebec (Canada) 532 Increase 4 points – Indiana (United States) 522 N/A – Colorado (United States) 518 N/A – Connecticut (United States) 518 N/A – Florida (United States) 513 N/A – Ontario (Canada) 512 Decrease 5 points – Alberta (Canada) 505 N/A – California (United States) 493 N/A – Dubai (United Arab Emirates) 478 Increase 17 points – Alabama (United States) 466 N/A – Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) 449 N/A

Science Rank Country Average scale score Change over 4 years 1 Singapore 590 Increase 23 points 2 Chinese Taipei 564 Increase 3 points 3 South Korea 560 Increase 7 points 4 Japan 558 Increase 4 points 5 Finland 552 N/A 6 Slovenia 543 Increase 5 points 7 Russia 542 Increase 12 points 8 Hong Kong 535 Increase 5 points 9 England 533 Decrease 9 points 10 United States 525 Increase 5 points 11 Hungary 522 Decrease 17 points 12 Australia 519 Increase 4 points 13 Israel 516 Increase 48 points 14 Lithuania 514 Decrease 5 points 15 New Zealand 512 N/A 16 Sweden 509 Decrease 2 points 17 Italy 501 Increase 6 points 17 Ukraine 501 Increase 16 points International average 500 Steady 19 Norway 494 Increase 7 points 20 Kazakhstan 490 N/A 21 Turkey 483 Increase 29 points 22 Iran 474 Increase 15 points 23 Romania 465 Increase 3 points 23 United Arab Emirates 465 N/A 25 Chile 461 N/A 26 Bahrain 452 N/A 27 Thailand 451 Decrease 20 points 28 Jordan 449 Decrease 33 points 29 Tunisia 439 Decrease 6 points 30 Armenia 437 Decrease 51 points 31 Saudi Arabia 436 Increase 33 points 32 Malaysia 426 Decrease 45 points 32 Syria 426 Decrease 26 points 34 Palestine 420 Increase 16 points 34 Georgia 420 Decrease 1 point 34 Oman 420 Decrease 3 points 37 Qatar 419 Increase 100 points 38 Republic of Macedonia 407 N/A 39 Lebanon 406 Decrease 8 points 39 Indonesia 406 Decrease 21 points 41 Morocco 376 Decrease 26 points 42 Ghana 306 Increase 3 points Ninth grade participants – Botswana 404 N/A – Honduras 369 N/A – South Africa 332 N/A Benchmarking participants – Massachusetts (United States) 567 Increase 11 points – Minnesota (United States) 553 Increase 14 points – Alberta (Canada) 546 N/A – Colorado (United States) 542 N/A – Indiana (United States) 533 N/A – Connecticut (United States) 532 N/A – North Carolina (United States) 532 N/A – Florida (United States) 530 N/A – Ontario (Canada) 521 Decrease 5 points – Quebec (Canada) 520 Decrease 6 points – California (United States) 499 N/A – Alabama (United States) 485 N/A – Dubai (United Arab Emirates) 485 Decrease 4 points – Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) 461 N/A

Fourth grade

Mathematics Rank Country Average scale score Change over 4 years 1 Singapore 606 Increase 7 points 2 South Korea 605 N/A 3 Hong Kong 602 Decrease 5 points 4 Chinese Taipei 591 Increase 15 points 5 Japan 585 Increase 17 points 6 Northern Ireland 562 N/A 7 Belgium (Flemish) 549 N/A 8 Finland 545 N/A 9 England 542 Increase 1 point 9 Russia 542 Decrease 2 points 11 United States 541 Increase 12 points 12 Netherlands 540 Increase 5 points 13 Denmark 537 Increase 14 points 14 Lithuania 534 Increase 4 points 15 Portugal 532 N/A 16 Germany 528 Increase 3 points 17 Ireland 527 N/A 18 Serbia 516 N/A 18 Australia 516 Steady 20 Hungary 515 Increase 5 points 21 Slovenia 513 Increase 11 points 22 Czech Republic 511 Increase 25 points 23 Austria 508 Increase 3 points 23 Italy 508 Increase 1 point 25 Slovakia 507 Increase 11 points 26 Sweden 504 Increase 1 point 27 Kazakhstan 501 Decrease 48 points International average 500 Steady 28 Malta 496 N/A 29 Norway 495 Increase 22 points 30 Croatia 490 N/A 31 New Zealand 486 Decrease 6 points 32 Spain 482 N/A 32 Romania 482 N/A 34 Poland 481 N/A 35 Turkey 469 N/A 36 Azerbaijan 463 N/A 37 Chile 462 N/A 38 Thailand 458 N/A 39 Armenia 452 Decrease 48 points 40 Georgia 450 Increase 12 points 41 Bahrain 436 N/A 42 United Arab Emirates 434 N/A 43 Iran 431 Increase 29 points 44 Qatar 413 Increase 117 points 45 Saudi Arabia 410 N/A 46 Oman 385 N/A 47 Tunisia 359 Increase 32 points 48 Kuwait 342 Increase 26 points 49 Morocco 335 Decrease 6 points 50 Yemen 248 Increase 24 points Sixth grade participants – Botswana 419 N/A – Honduras 396 N/A – Yemen 348 N/A Benchmarking participants – North Carolina (United States) 554 N/A – Florida (United States) 545 N/A – Quebec (Canada) 533 Increase 14 points – Ontario (Canada) 518 Increase 6 points – Alberta (Canada) 507 Increase 2 points – Dubai (United Arab Emirates) 468 Increase 24 points – Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) 417 N/A

Science Rank Country Average scale score Change over 4 years 1 South Korea 587 N/A 2 Singapore 583 Decrease 4 points 3 Finland 570 N/A 4 Japan 559 Increase 11 points 5 Russia 552 Increase 6 points 5 Chinese Taipei 552 Decrease 5 points 7 United States 544 Increase 5 points 8 Czech Republic 536 Increase 21 points 9 Hong Kong 535 Decrease 19 points 10 Hungary 534 Decrease 2 points 11 Sweden 533 Increase 8 points 12 Slovakia 532 Increase 6 points 12 Austria 532 Increase 6 points 14 Netherlands 531 Increase 8 points 15 England 529 Decrease 13 points 16 Denmark 528 Increase 11 points 16 Germany 528 Steady 18 Italy 524 Decrease 11 points 19 Portugal 522 N/A 20 Slovenia 520 Increase 2 points 21 Northern Ireland 517 N/A 22 Ireland 516 N/A 22 Croatia 516 N/A 22 Australia 516 Decrease 11 points 22 Serbia 516 N/A 26 Lithuania 515 Increase 1 point 27 Belgium (Flemish) 509 N/A 28 Romania 505 N/A 28 Spain 505 N/A 28 Poland 505 N/A International average 500 Steady 31 New Zealand 497 Decrease 7 points 32 Kazakhstan 495 Decrease 38 points 33 Norway 494 Increase 17 points 34 Chile 480 N/A 35 Thailand 472 N/A 36 Turkey 463 N/A 37 Georgia 455 Increase 37 points 38 Iran 453 Increase 17 points 39 Bahrain 449 N/A 40 Malta 446 N/A 41 Azerbaijan 438 N/A 42 Saudi Arabia 429 N/A 43 United Arab Emirates 428 N/A 44 Armenia 416 Decrease 68 points 45 Qatar 394 Increase 100 points 46 Oman 377 N/A 47 Kuwait 347 Decrease 1 point 48 Tunisia 346 Increase 28 points 49 Morocco 264 Decrease 33 points 50 Yemen 209 Increase 12 points Sixth grade participants – Honduras 432 N/A – Botswana 367 N/A – Yemen 345 N/A Benchmarking participants – Florida (United States) 545 N/A – Alberta (Canada) 541 Decrease 2 points – North Carolina (United States) 538 N/A – Ontario (Canada) 528 Decrease 8 points – Quebec (Canada) 516 Decrease 1 point – Dubai (United Arab Emirates) 461 Increase 1 point – Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) 411 N/A

TIMSS 2007

In TIMSS 2007, 43 educational systems participated in the fourth grade and 56 educational systems in the eighth grade.

Eighth grade

Mathematics Rank Country Average scale score Change over 4 years 1 Chinese Taipei 598 Increase 13 points 2 South Korea 597 Increase 8 points 3 Singapore 593 Increase 12 points 4 Hong Kong 572 Decrease 14 points 5 Japan 570 Steady 6 Hungary 517 Decrease 12 points 7 England 513 N/A 8 Russia 512 Increase 4 points 9 United States 508 Increase 4 points 10 Lithuania 506 Increase 4 points 11 Czech Republic 504 N/A 12 Slovenia 501 Increase 8 points International average 500 Increase 33 points 13 Armenia 499 Increase 21 points 14 Australia 496 Decrease 9 points 15 Sweden 491 Decrease 8 points 16 Malta 488 N/A 17 Scotland 487 Decrease 11 points 18 Serbia 486 Increase 9 points 19 Italy 480 Decrease 4 points 20 Malaysia 474 Decrease 34 points 21 Norway 469 Increase 8 points 22 Cyprus 465 Increase 6 points 23 Bulgaria 464 Decrease 12 points 24 Israel 463 Decrease 33 points 25 Ukraine 462 N/A 26 Romania 461 Decrease 14 points 27 Bosnia and Herzegovina 456 N/A 28 Lebanon 449 Increase 16 points 29 Thailand 441 N/A 30 Turkey 432 N/A 31 Jordan 427 Increase 3 points 32 Tunisia 420 Increase 10 points 33 Georgia 410 N/A 34 Iran 403 Decrease 8 points 35 Bahrain 398 Decrease 3 points 36 Indonesia 397 Decrease 14 points 37 Syria 395 N/A 38 Egypt 391 N/A 39 Algeria 387 N/A 40 Morocco 381 Decrease 6 points 41 Colombia 380 N/A 42 Oman 372 N/A 43 Palestine 367 Decrease 23 points 44 Botswana 364 Decrease 2 points 45 Kuwait 354 N/A 46 El Salvador 340 N/A 47 Saudi Arabia 329 Decrease 3 points 48 Ghana 309 Increase 33 points 49 Qatar 307 N/A Benchmarking participants – Massachusetts (United States) 547 N/A – Minnesota (United States) 532 N/A – Quebec (Canada) 528 Decrease 15 points – Ontario (Canada) 517 Decrease 4 points – British Columbia (Canada) 509 N/A – Basque Country (Spain) 499 Increase 12 points – Dubai (United Arab Emirates) 461 N/A

Science Rank Country Average scale score Change over 4 years 1 Singapore 567 Decrease 11 points 2 Chinese Taipei 561 Decrease 10 points 3 Japan 554 Increase 2 points 4 South Korea 553 Decrease 5 points 5 England 542 N/A 6 Hungary 539 Decrease 4 points 6 Czech Republic 539 N/A 8 Slovenia 538 Increase 18 points 9 Hong Kong 530 Decrease 26 points 9 Russia 530 Increase 16 points 11 United States 520 Decrease 7 points 12 Lithuania 519 Steady 13 Australia 515 Decrease 12 points 14 Sweden 511 Decrease 13 points International average 500 Increase 26 points 15 Scotland 496 Decrease 16 points 16 Italy 495 Increase 4 points 17 Armenia 488 Increase 27 points 18 Norway 487 Decrease 7 points 19 Ukraine 485 N/A 20 Jordan 482 Increase 7 points 21 Malaysia 471 Decrease 39 points 21 Thailand 471 N/A 23 Serbia 470 Increase 2 points 23 Bulgaria 470 Decrease 9 points 25 Israel 468 Decrease 20 points 26 Bahrain 467 Increase 29 points 27 Bosnia and Herzegovina 466 N/A 28 Romania 462 Decrease 8 points 29 Iran 459 Increase 6 points 30 Malta 457 N/A 31 Turkey 454 N/A 32 Syria 452 N/A 32 Cyprus 452 Increase 11 points 34 Tunisia 445 Increase 41 points 35 Indonesia 427 Increase 7 points 36 Oman 423 N/A 37 Georgia 421 N/A 38 Kuwait 418 N/A 39 Colombia 417 N/A 40 Lebanon 414 Increase 21 points 41 Egypt 408 N/A 41 Algeria 408 N/A 43 Palestine 404 Decrease 31 points 44 Saudi Arabia 403 Increase 5 points 45 Morocco 402 Increase 6 points 46 El Salvador 387 N/A 47 Botswana 355 Decrease 10 points 48 Qatar 319 N/A 49 Ghana 303 Increase 48 points Benchmarking participants – Massachusetts (United States) 556 N/A – Minnesota (United States) 539 N/A – Quebec (Canada) 526 Decrease 5 points – Ontario (Canada) 526 Decrease 7 points – British Columbia (Canada) 507 N/A – Basque Country (Spain) 498 Increase 9 points – Dubai (United Arab Emirates) 489 N/A

Fourth grade

Mathematics Rank Country Average scale score Change over 4 years 1 Hong Kong 607 Increase 32 points 2 Singapore 599 Increase 5 points 3 Chinese Taipei 576 Increase 12 points 4 Japan 568 Increase 3 points 5 Kazakhstan 549 N/A 6 Russia 544 Increase 12 points 7 England 541 Increase 10 points 8 Latvia 537 Increase 1 point 9 Netherlands 535 Decrease 5 points 10 Lithuania 530 Decrease 4 points 11 United States 529 Increase 11 points 12 Germany 525 N/A 13 Denmark 523 N/A 14 Australia 516 Increase 17 points 15 Hungary 510 Decrease 19 points 16 Italy 507 Increase 4 points 17 Austria 505 N/A 18 Sweden 503 N/A 19 Slovenia 502 Increase 23 points International average 500 Increase 5 points 20 Armenia 500 Decrease 44 points 21 Slovakia 496 N/A 22 Scotland 494 Increase 4 points 23 New Zealand 492 Decrease 1 point 24 Czech Republic 486 N/A 25 Norway 473 Increase 22 points 26 Ukraine 469 N/A 27 Georgia 438 N/A 28 Iran 402 Increase 13 points 29 Algeria 378 N/A 30 Colombia 355 N/A 31 Morocco 341 Decrease 6 points 32 El Salvador 330 N/A 33 Tunisia 327 Decrease 12 points 34 Kuwait 316 N/A 35 Qatar 296 N/A 36 Yemen 224 N/A Benchmarking participants – Massachusetts (United States) 572 N/A – Minnesota (United States) 554 N/A – Quebec (Canada) 519 Increase 13 points – Ontario (Canada) 512 Increase 1 point – Alberta (Canada) 505 N/A – British Columbia (Canada) 505 N/A – Dubai (United Arab Emirates) 444 N/A

Science Rank Country Average scale score Change over 4 years 1 Singapore 587 Increase 22 points 2 Chinese Taipei 557 Increase 6 points 3 Hong Kong 554 Increase 12 points 4 Japan 548 Increase 5 points 5 Russia 546 Increase 20 points 6 Latvia 542 Increase 10 points 6 England 542 Increase 2 points 8 United States 539 Increase 3 points 9 Hungary 536 Increase 6 points 10 Italy 535 Increase 19 points 11 Kazakhstan 533 N/A 12 Germany 528 N/A 13 Australia 527 Increase 6 points 14 Slovakia 526 N/A 14 Austria 526 N/A 16 Sweden 525 N/A 17 Netherlands 523 Decrease 2 points 18 Slovenia 518 Increase 28 points 19 Denmark 517 N/A 20 Czech Republic 515 N/A 21 Lithuania 514 Increase 2 points 22 New Zealand 504 Decrease 16 points 23 Scotland 500 Decrease 2 points International average 500 Increase 11 points 24 Armenia 484 Increase 47 points 25 Norway 477 Increase 11 points 26 Ukraine 474 N/A 27 Iran 436 Increase 22 points 28 Georgia 418 N/A 29 Colombia 400 N/A 30 El Salvador 390 N/A 31 Algeria 354 N/A 32 Kuwait 348 N/A 33 Tunisia 318 Increase 4 points 34 Morocco 297 Increase 7 points 35 Qatar 294 N/A 36 Yemen 197 N/A Benchmarking participants – Massachusetts (United States) 571 N/A – Minnesota (United States) 551 N/A – Alberta (Canada) 543 N/A – British Columbia (Canada) 537 N/A – Ontario (Canada) 536 Decrease 4 points – Quebec (Canada) 517 Increase 17 points – Dubai (United Arab Emirates) 460 N/A

TIMSS 2003

In TIMSS 2003, there were 26 educational systems for the fourth grade and 48 for the eighth grade.

Eighth grade

Mathematics Rank Country Average scale score Change over 4 years 1 Singapore 605 Increase 1 point 2 South Korea 589 Increase 2 points 3 Hong Kong 586 Increase 4 points 4 Chinese Taipei 585 Steady 5 Japan 570 Decrease 9 points 6 Belgium (Flemish) 537 Decrease 21 points 7 Netherlands 536 Decrease 4 points 8 Estonia 531 N/A 9 Hungary 529 Decrease 3 points 10 Malaysia 508 Decrease 11 points 10 Latvia 508 N/A 10 Russia 508 Decrease 18 points 10 Slovakia 508 Decrease 26 points 14 Australia 505 Decrease 20 points 15 United States 504 Increase 2 points 16 Lithuania 502 Increase 20 points 17 Sweden 499 N/A 18 Scotland 498 N/A 19 Israel 496 Increase 30 points 20 New Zealand 494 Increase 3 points 21 Slovenia 493 Decrease 37 points 22 Italy 484 Increase 5 points 23 Armenia 478 N/A 24 Serbia 477 N/A 25 Bulgaria 476 Decrease 35 points 26 Romania 475 Increase 3 points International average 467 Decrease 20 points 27 Norway 461 N/A 28 Moldova 460 Increase 9 points 29 Cyprus 459 Decrease 17 points 30 Republic of Macedonia 435 Decrease 12 points 31 Lebanon 433 N/A 32 Jordan 424 Decrease 4 points 33 Iran 411 Decrease 11 points 33 Indonesia 411 Increase 8 points 35 Tunisia 410 Decrease 38 points 36 Egypt 406 N/A 37 Bahrain 401 N/A 38 Palestine 390 N/A 39 Chile 387 Decrease 5 points 39 Morocco 387 Increase 50 points 41 Philippines 376 Increase 31 points 42 Botswana 366 N/A 43 Saudi Arabia 332 N/A 44 Ghana 276 N/A 45 South Africa 264 Decrease 11 points Ninth grade participants – England 498 N/A Benchmarking participants – Quebec (Canada) 543 N/A – Ontario (Canada) 521 N/A – Indiana (United States) 508 N/A – Basque Country (Spain) 487 N/A

Science Rank Country Average scale score Change over 4 years 1 Singapore 578 Increase 10 points 2 Chinese Taipei 571 Increase 2 points 3 South Korea 558 Increase 9 points 4 Hong Kong 556 Increase 26 points 5 Estonia 552 N/A 5 Japan 552 Increase 2 points 7 Hungary 543 Decrease 9 points 8 Netherlands 536 Decrease 9 points 9 United States 527 Increase 12 points 9 Australia 527 Decrease 13 points 11 Sweden 524 N/A 12 Slovenia 520 Decrease 13 points 12 New Zealand 520 Increase 10 points 14 Lithuania 519 Increase 31 points 15 Slovakia 517 Decrease 18 points 16 Belgium (Flemish) 516 Decrease 19 points 17 Russia 514 Decrease 15 points 18 Latvia 512 N/A 18 Scotland 512 N/A 20 Malaysia 510 Increase 18 points 21 Norway 494 N/A 22 Italy 491 Decrease 2 points 23 Israel 488 Increase 20 points 24 Bulgaria 479 Decrease 39 points 25 Jordan 475 Increase 25 points International average 474 Decrease 14 points 26 Moldova 472 Increase 13 points 27 Romania 470 Decrease 2 points 28 Serbia 468 N/A 29 Armenia 461 N/A 30 Iran 453 Increase 5 points 31 Republic of Macedonia 449 Decrease 9 points 32 Cyprus 441 Decrease 19 points 33 Bahrain 438 N/A 34 Palestine 435 N/A 35 Egypt 421 N/A 36 Indonesia 420 Decrease 15 points 37 Chile 413 Decrease 7 points 38 Tunisia 404 Decrease 26 points 39 Saudi Arabia 398 N/A 40 Morocco 396 Increase 73 points 41 Lebanon 393 N/A 42 Philippines 377 Increase 32 points 43 Botswana 365 N/A 44 Ghana 255 N/A 45 South Africa 244 Increase 1 point Ninth grade participants – England 544 N/A Benchmarking participants – Ontario (Canada) 533 N/A – Indiana (United States) 531 N/A – Quebec (Canada) 531 N/A – Basque Country (Spain) 489 N/A

Fourth grade

Mathematics Rank Country Average scale score Change over 8 years 1 Singapore 594 Decrease 31 points 2 Hong Kong 575 Decrease 12 points 3 Japan 565 Decrease 32 points 4 Chinese Taipei 564 N/A 5 Belgium (Flemish) 551 N/A 6 Netherlands 540 Decrease 37 points 7 Latvia 536 N/A 8 Lithuania 534 N/A 9 Russia 532 N/A 10 England 531 Increase 18 points 11 Hungary 529 Decrease 19 points 12 United States 518 Decrease 27 points 13 Cyprus 510 Increase 8 points 14 Moldova 504 N/A 15 Italy 503 N/A 16 Australia 499 Decrease 47 points International average 495 Decrease 34 points 17 New Zealand 493 Decrease 6 points 18 Scotland 490 Decrease 30 points 19 Slovenia 479 Decrease 73 points 20 Armenia 456 N/A 21 Norway 451 Decrease 51 points 22 Iran 389 Decrease 40 points 23 Philippines 358 N/A 24 Morocco 347 N/A 25 Tunisia 339 N/A Benchmarking participants – Indiana (United States) 533 N/A – Ontario (Canada) 511 N/A – Quebec (Canada) 506 N/A

Science Rank Country Average scale score Change over 8 years 1 Singapore 565 Increase 18 points 2 Chinese Taipei 551 N/A 3 Japan 543 Decrease 31 points 4 Hong Kong 542 Increase 9 points 5 England 540 Decrease 11 points 6 United States 536 Decrease 29 points 7 Latvia 532 N/A 8 Hungary 530 Decrease 2 points 9 Russia 526 N/A 10 Netherlands 525 Decrease 28 points 11 Australia 521 Decrease 41 points 12 New Zealand 520 Decrease 11 points 13 Belgium (Flemish) 518 N/A 14 Italy 516 N/A 15 Lithuania 512 N/A 16 Scotland 502 Decrease 34 points 17 Moldova 496 N/A 18 Slovenia 490 Decrease 56 points International average 489 Decrease 35 points 19 Cyprus 480 Increase 5 points 20 Norway 466 Decrease 64 points 21 Armenia 437 N/A 22 Iran 414 Decrease 2 points 23 Philippines 332 N/A 24 Tunisia 314 N/A 25 Morocco 304 N/A Benchmarking participants – Indiana (United States) 553 N/A – Ontario (Canada) 540 N/A – Quebec (Canada) 500 N/A

TIMSS 1999

In 1999, TIMSS only focused on the eighth grade in 38 educational systems; there was no study done for the fourth grade in that year.

Eighth grade

Mathematics Rank Country Average scale score Change over 4 years 1 Singapore 604 Decrease 39 points 2 South Korea 587 Decrease 20 points 3 Chinese Taipei 585 N/A 4 Hong Kong 582 Decrease 6 points 5 Japan 579 Decrease 26 points 6 Belgium (Flemish) 558 Decrease 7 points 7 Netherlands 540 Decrease 1 point 8 Slovakia 534 Decrease 13 points 9 Hungary 532 Decrease 5 points 10 Canada 531 Increase 4 points 11 Slovenia 530 Decrease 11 points 12 Russia 526 Decrease 9 points 13 Australia 525 Decrease 5 points 14 Finland 520 N/A 14 Czech Republic 520 Decrease 44 points 16 Malaysia 519 N/A 17 Bulgaria 511 Decrease 29 points 18 Latvia (Latvian) 505 Increase 12 points 19 United States 502 Increase 2 points 20 England 496 Decrease 10 points 21 New Zealand 491 Decrease 17 points International average 487 Decrease 26 points 22 Lithuania 482 Increase 5 points 23 Italy 479 N/A 24 Cyprus 476 Increase 2 points 25 Romania 472 Decrease 10 points 26 Moldova 469 N/A 27 Thailand 467 Decrease 55 points 28 Israel 466 Decrease 56 points 29 Tunisia 448 N/A 30 Republic of Macedonia 447 N/A 31 Turkey 429 N/A 32 Jordan 428 N/A 33 Iran 422 Decrease 6 points 34 Indonesia 403 N/A 35 Chile 392 N/A 36 Philippines 345 N/A 37 Morocco 337 N/A 38 South Africa 275 Decrease 79 points

Science Rank Country Average scale score Change over 4 years 1 Chinese Taipei 569 N/A 2 Singapore 568 Decrease 39 points 3 Hungary 552 Decrease 2 points 4 Japan 550 Decrease 21 points 5 South Korea 549 Decrease 16 points 6 Netherlands 545 Decrease 15 points 7 Australia 540 Decrease 5 points 8 Czech Republic 539 Decrease 35 points 9 England 538 Decrease 14 points 10 Finland 535 N/A 10 Slovakia 535 Decrease 9 points 10 Belgium (Flemish) 535 Decrease 15 points 13 Slovenia 533 Decrease 27 points 13 Canada 533 Increase 2 points 15 Hong Kong 530 Increase 8 points 16 Russia 529 Decrease 9 points 17 Bulgaria 518 Decrease 47 points 18 United States 515 Decrease 19 points 19 New Zealand 510 Decrease 15 points 20 Latvia (Latvian) 503 Increase 18 points 21 Italy 493 N/A 22 Malaysia 492 N/A 23 Lithuania 488 Increase 12 points International average 488 Decrease 28 points 24 Thailand 482 Decrease 43 points 25 Romania 472 Decrease 14 points 26 Israel 468 Decrease 56 points 27 Cyprus 460 Decrease 3 points 28 Moldova 459 N/A 29 Republic of Macedonia 458 N/A 30 Jordan 450 N/A 31 Iran 448 Decrease 22 points 32 Indonesia 435 N/A 33 Turkey 433 N/A 34 Tunisia 430 N/A 35 Chile 420 N/A 36 Philippines 345 N/A 37 Morocco 323 N/A 38 South Africa 243 Decrease 83 points

TIMSS 1995

In TIMSS 1995, there were 41 educational systems in five grades (third, fourth, seventh, eighth, and the final year of secondary school).

Eighth grade

Mathematics Rank Country Average scale score 1 Singapore 643 2 South Korea 607 3 Japan 605 4 Hong Kong 588 5 Belgium (Flemish) 565 6 Czech Republic 564 7 Slovakia 547 8 Switzerland 545 9 Netherlands 541 9 Slovenia 541 11 Bulgaria 540 12 Austria 539 13 France 538 14 Hungary 537 15 Russia 535 16 Australia 530 17 Ireland 527 17 Canada 527 19 Belgium (French) 526 20 Thailand 522 20 Israel 522 22 Sweden 519 International average 513 23 Germany 509 24 New Zealand 508 25 England 506 26 Norway 503 27 Denmark 502 28 United States 500 29 Scotland 498 30 Latvia (Latvian) 493 31 Spain 487 31 Iceland 487 33 Greece 484 34 Romania 482 35 Lithuania 477 36 Cyprus 474 37 Portugal 454 38 Iran 428 39 Kuwait 392 40 Colombia 385 41 South Africa 354

Science Rank Country Average scale score 1 Singapore 607 2 Czech Republic 574 3 Japan 571 4 South Korea 565 4 Bulgaria 565 6 Netherlands 560 6 Slovenia 560 8 Austria 558 9 Hungary 554 10 England 552 11 Belgium (Flemish) 550 12 Australia 545 13 Slovakia 544 14 Russia 538 14 Ireland 538 16 Sweden 535 17 United States 534 18 Germany 531 18 Canada 531 20 Norway 527 21 New Zealand 525 21 Thailand 525 23 Israel 524 24 Hong Kong 522 24 Switzerland 522 26 Scotland 517 26 Spain 517 International average 516 28 France 498 29 Greece 497 30 Iceland 494 31 Romania 486 32 Latvia (Latvian) 485 33 Portugal 480 34 Denmark 478 35 Lithuania 476 36 Belgium (French) 471 37 Iran 470 38 Cyprus 463 39 Kuwait 430 40 Colombia 411 41 South Africa 326

Fourth grade

Mathematics Rank Country Average scale score 1 Singapore 625 2 South Korea 611 3 Japan 597 4 Hong Kong 587 5 Netherlands 577 6 Czech Republic 567 7 Austria 559 8 Slovenia 552 9 Ireland 550 10 Hungary 548 11 Australia 546 12 United States 545 13 Canada 532 14 Israel 531 International average 529 15 Latvia (Latvian) 525 16 Scotland 520 17 England 513 18 Cyprus 502 18 Norway 502 20 New Zealand 499 21 Greece 492 22 Thailand 490 23 Portugal 475 24 Iceland 474 25 Iran 429 26 Kuwait 400

Science Rank Country Average scale score 1 South Korea 597 2 Japan 574 3 United States 565 3 Austria 565 5 Australia 562 6 Netherlands 557 6 Czech Republic 557 8 England 551 9 Canada 549 10 Singapore 547 11 Slovenia 546 12 Ireland 539 13 Scotland 536 14 Hong Kong 533 15 Hungary 532 16 New Zealand 531 International average 524 17 Norway 530 18 Latvia (Latvian) 512 19 Israel 505 19 Iceland 505 21 Greece 497 22 Portugal 480 23 Cyprus 475 24 Thailand 473 25 Iran 416 26 Kuwait 401

Additional initiatives

The TIMSS 1999 Video Study was a study of eighth-grade mathematics and science teaching in seven countries. The study involved videotaping and analyzing teaching practices in more than one thousand classrooms. In conjunction with the IEA, the study was conducted by the US National Center for Education Statistics, and the US Department of Education under a contract with LessonLab, Inc. of Los Angeles, California.

Cooperative partners

TIMSS depends on the collaboration of a large number of individuals and organizations around the world including the TIMSS & PIRLS International Study Center at Boston College, IEA's offices in Amsterdam and Hamburg, Statistics Canada, and Educational Testing Service (ETS). In the United States, TIMSS is conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics of the US Department of Education. Data for US students is further tracked for ethnic and racial groups. TIMSS is mainly funded by the participating countries. Also, the US National Center for Education Statistics of the US Department of Education and the World Bank provide major support funding for the assessments.

United States results by race and ethnicity

Eighth grade

Mathematics Race 2019 2015 2011 2007 2003 1999 1995 Score Score Score Score Score Score Score Asian 591 585 568 549 — — — White 548 541 530 533 525 525 516 Multiracial 540 521 513 506 — — — US Average 515 518 509 508 504 502 500 Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander — 495 — — — — — Hispanic 486 492 485 475 465 457 443 American Indian/Alaska Native 483 477 — — — — — Black 445 462 465 457 448 444 419

Science Race 2019 2015 2011 2007 2003 1999 1995 Score Score Score Score Score Score Score Asian 577 573 556 543 — — — White 559 557 553 551 552 547 544 Multiracial 547 536 534 522 — — — US Average 522 530 525 520 527 515 534 Hispanic 493 502 493 480 482 462 446 Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander — 498 — — — — — American Indian/Alaska Native 481 497 — — — — — Black 445 469 470 455 463 438 422

Fourth grade

Mathematics Race 2019 2015 2011 2007 2003 1995 Score Score Score Score Score Score Asian 586 605 583 582 — — White 559 559 559 550 542 541 Multiracial 554 565 554 534 — — US Average 535 539 541 529 518 545 American Indian/Alaska Native 515 527 — — — — Hispanic 508 515 520 504 492 493 Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 500 502 — — — — Black 494 495 489 482 472 457

Science Race 2019 2015 2011 2007 2003 1995 Score Score Score Score Score Score Asian 581 598 570 573 — — White 565 570 568 567 565 572 Multiracial 561 571 559 550 — — US Average 539 546 544 539 536 565 American Indian/Alaska Native 519 530 — — — — Hispanic 508 518 517 502 498 503 Black 497 501 490 488 487 462 Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 495 503 — — — —

All average country scores

• TIMSS 1995: 4th grade [1]; 8th grade [2]
• TIMSS 1999: 8th grade [3]
• TIMSS 2003: 4th grade [4][5]; 8th grade [6][7]
• TIMSS 2007: 4th and 8th grades [8][9]
• TIMSS 2011: 4th grade [10][11]; 8th grade [12][13]
• TIMSS 2015: 4th and 8th grades [14][15]
• TIMSS 2019: [16]

TIMSS and other international math and science studies

Hanushek and Woessmann developed a methodology to rescale 14 different international comparisons of math and/or science achievement to make them comparable. This includes the FIMS, FISS, and PISA, mentioned above, with TIMSS. This methodology is disputed amongst experts. Quantitative methods used in educational and psychological measurement disagree with the approach as it is basically only a linear scale transformation that cannot ensure or examine whether PISA and TIMSS scores are based on the same or at least comparable measurement constructs: The numerical values used to measure shoe size and intelligence can be transformed so that both have the same arithmetic mean and standard deviation, but they still represent two very different characteristics. The equivalency of what is being measured needs to be established in linking studies that utilize well-designed joint data collections such as the TIMSS NAEP link, or IEA's Rosetta Stone. Wu (2003, 2010) has shown that TIMSS and PISA do not produce exchangeable scores. One reason may be reading load even for mathematics and science items. TIMSS questions focus on the mathematics curricula taught around the world as seen in TIMSS example items, while PISA attempts to assess mathematics embedded in descriptions of situations encountered outside of the classroom, see PISA examples.

Participating countries

Country	Years
Albania	2019, 2023
Algeria	2007
Argentina	2015
Armenia	2003, 2007, 2011, 2019, 2023
Australia	1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Austria	1995, 2007, 2011, 2019, 2023
Azerbaijan	2011, 2019, 2023
Bahrain	2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Belgium	1995, 1999, 2003, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Bosnia and Herzegovina	2007, 2019, 2023
Botswana	2003, 2007, 2011, 2015
Brazil	2023
Bulgaria	1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2015, 2019, 2023
Canada	1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Chile	1999, 2003, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Chinese Taipei	1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Colombia	1995, 2007
Croatia	2011, 2015, 2019
Cyprus	1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2015, 2019, 2023
Czech Republic	1995, 1999, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Denmark	1995, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Egypt	2003, 2007, 2015
El Salvador	2007
England	1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Estonia	2003
Finland	1999, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
France	1995, 2015, 2019, 2023
Georgia	2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Germany	1995, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Ghana	2003, 2007, 2011
Greece	1995
Honduras	2011
Hong Kong	1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Hungary	1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Iceland	1995
Indonesia	1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015
Iran	1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Iraq	2023
Ireland	1995, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Israel	1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2023
Italy	1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Ivory Coast	2023
Japan	1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Jordan	1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2023
Kazakhstan	2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Kosovo	2019, 2023
Kuwait	1995, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Latvia	1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2019, 2023
Lebanon	2003, 2007, 2011, 2015
Lithuania	1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Macau	2023
Malaysia	1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2023
Malta	2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Moldova	1999, 2003
Montenegro	2019, 2023
Morocco	1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Netherlands	1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
New Zealand	1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
North Macedonia	1999, 2003, 2011, 2019, 2023
Northern Ireland	2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Norway	1995, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Oman	2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Pakistan	2019
Palestine	2003, 2007, 2011, 2023
Philippines	1999, 2003, 2019
Poland	2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Portugal	1995, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Qatar	2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Romania	1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2023
Russia	1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019
Saudi Arabia	2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Scotland	1995, 2003, 2007
Serbia	2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Singapore	1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Slovakia	1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Slovenia	1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2023
South Africa	1995, 1999, 2003, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
South Korea	1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Spain	1995, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Sweden	1995, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2023
Switzerland	1995
Syria	2007, 2011
Thailand	1995, 1999, 2007, 2011, 2015
Tunisia	1999, 2003, 2007, 2011
Turkey	1999, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Ukraine	2007, 2011
United Arab Emirates	2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
United States	1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
Uzbekistan	2023
Yemen	2007, 2011

See also

• International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement
• Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), an educational ranking among OECD nations
• Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS)

References

• Hanushek, Eric A.; Woessmann, Ludger (2015), The knowledge capital of nations, CESifo, ISBN 978-0-262-02917-9.

External links

• IEA's TIMSS & PIRLS International Study Center at Boston College
• www.iea.nl: TIMSS. Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study
• U.S. Department of Education TIMSS
• TIMSS: What Have We Learned about Math and Science Teaching? Archived 2012-02-11 at the Wayback Machine - Education Resources Information Center Clearinghouse for Science Mathematics and Environmental Education, Columbus, Ohio.
• Benchmarking to the world's best in mathematics. Quality control in curriculum and instruction among the top performers in the TIMSS