Holding steady in fourth grade but dropping at 8th grade sums up some of the key results from the eighth administration of the Trends in Mathematics and Science Study. The results, released on December 4, 2024, show that 8th graders in only three countries showed an increase in average math scores (Romania, Sweden, UAE) or in average science scores (England, Hong Kong, UAE), but that roughly equal numbers of countries saw increases or decreases in their math or science scores at the 4th grade level. Top performers in both subjects, as usual, included Asian countries like Singapore, South Korea, and Japan. 650,000 fourth and eighth graders in 64 countries participated in the tests in 2023, which also showed a widening gender gap as boys outperformed girls by significant margins in many education systems. Headlines touted gains in some countries like the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Australia, but highlighted concerns about substantial declines in performance in countries like Israel and the US. In the US, the drop in scores was particularly pronounced for the lowest performing students, with one in five 8th graders able to demonstrate even a basic level of proficiency. Adding to the concerns, yesterday, December 10, OECD released the latest results of the 2023 administration of the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) which showed US adults are getting worse at reading and math as well, while adults in Finland, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden excelled in literacy, numeracy and adaptive problem-solving. To put the latest international assessment figures in a historical context, see the scan of headlines related to the PISA 2022 results, the PISA 208 results and the results of TIMSS 2015.
Australia
Australian primary students score best ever result in global maths and science test, despite pandemic disruption,The Guardian
‘Interesting and disappointing’: Gap between girls and boys in STEM subjects growing, report shows, ABC
Bulgaria
Bulgaria’s Fourth Graders Score 530 in Mathematics and Science, Outperforming Global Averages in 2023 TIMSS Study, Bulgarian News Agency
Bulgaria’s results place its students roughly 14th or 15th globally… Bulgaria’s 530-point score in mathematics matches Czechia and Sweden, surpasses Finland by one point, and exceeds Australia and Germany by 5 and 6 points, respectively.
England
England moves into top five in global rankings for science, Time & Star
Timss 2023: Year 5 maths declines for first time but science scores surge, TES
France
France ranks last in Europe for math skills as education system ‘plagued by inequality’, Anadolu Agency
Hong Kong
Hong Kong students excel in TIMSS 2023 results, Dimsum Daily
“Hong Kong students have consistently demonstrated high levels of performance in mathematics. Our Primary Four students ranked fourth globally with a score of 594, markedly surpassing the international average of 503. Meanwhile, our Secondary Two students secured fifth place with a score of 575, well above the international average of 478. Notably, 38% of Primary Four and 32% of Secondary Two students achieved advanced levels in mathematics, compared to the international median of just 7%.”
Ireland
Pupils in Ireland among top maths performers in Europe, global study finds, The Irish Times
Performance by girls in maths and science falls, RTÉ
Israel
2+2=5? Israeli student math, science scores plummet, study finds, Ynet News
Japan
Japanese Science, Math Scores Remain High in 2023, Nippon.com
Mystery lies behind gender gap in academic performance, The Asahi Shimbun
Latvia
Latvian pupils’ exam results in maths and natural sciences become worse, Baltic News Network
Macau
Macau’s P4 students excel in math and science in TIMSS 2023, Macau Daily Times
Malaysia
MOE Identifies Challenges In Maths, Science Learning Among Students, BERNAMA.com
Malaysia’s Participation Reflects Effectiveness, Quality Of Mathematics And Science Education, BERNAMA.com
Malta
Maltese students obtain positive results in Mathematics and Science, TVMnews.mt
Morocco
Moroccan Students’ Performance Declines in Mathematics, Science, Morocco World News
New Zealand
NZ school science results improve – but international testing highlights a stubborn socioeconomic gap, The Conversation
Taiwan
Taiwan ranks second in global math study for 2023, TVBS News
Singapore
Singapore students top maths and science in 2023 international study, Straits Times
South Africa
Massive maths and science embarassment for South Africa, BusinessTech
South Africa’s grade 5 learners—who were largely assessed against grade 4 learners from other countries—placed stone last among the 58 nations assessed for both mathematics and science. The grade 9 learners—who were largely assessed against grade 8 learners from other countries—placed slightly better, ranking fifth-last, above Morocco, Brazil, Palestine and Jordan in mathematics, and second-last for science, placing above Morocco.
South Africa’s Grade 5 pupils have been ranked last out of 59 countries in maths and science in an international standardised test conducted last year. However, the country’s Grade 9 performance in maths in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) has shown “a remarkable upward trend” after pupils’ scores improved by eight points from 389 in 2019 to 397 last year.
Spain
Los alumnos españoles bajan en matemáticas y ciencias y se agranda la brecha entre niños y niñas (Spanish students are falling behind in maths and science and the gap between boys and girls is widening), El Pais
España, a la cola en matemáticas y ciencias, según el TIMSS 2023 (Spain ranks last in math and science, according to TIMSS 2023), RTVE
“Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, Catalonia and Andalusia, the worst in Mathematics, according to the TIMSS 2023”
Turkey
Türkiye sees big gains in TIMSS 2023 science, math results, Daily Sabah
Türkiye emerges among top 5 in education improvement: TIMSS 2023 report, Hurriyet Daily News
Türkiye tops Europe in elementary science education: TIMSS 2023, Türkiye Today
United Arab Emirates
UAE tops Arab world in TIMSS 2023, The Print
United States
Some countries show improvements in math post-pandemic. Not the United States, Chalkbeat
U.S. students posted dire math declines on international test, New York Times
Math scores plummet, progress ‘erased,’ NCES reports, K-12 Dive
“Average U.S. math scores on the latest Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study reverted to 1995 levels.”
Uzbekistan
Quarter of 4th and 8th graders lack basic understanding of subjects, TIMSS-2023 study reveals, Gazeta.uz
Thomas Hatch 