US DEAD LAST in TIMSS
TIMSS is the largest international study of student
achievement ever undertaken, with more than 500,000 students in 45 countries
tested at five grade levels.
In physics, the United States was last with a score of
423, well below the international average of 501. Norway led the rankings
with a score of 581.
Percent who are aware that the U.S. 12th graders rank near the bottom
on international science tests
= 7%
Study Finds US High School Seniors Lag in Math and Science
(2-24-98) -- A major study conducted by Boston College researchers
shows Europeans are the world's best mathematics and physics students at the
high school level, and that their American counterparts perform well below
the international average in both subjects.
These were among the latest findings of the Third International
Mathematics and Science Study, which were released at a press conference
today at Conte Forum. TIMSS is the largest international study of student
achievement ever undertaken, with more than 500,000 students in 45 countries
tested at five grade levels. The newest set of results is taken from surveys
of students in their final year of secondary school which measured
mathematics and science literacy, as well as skill levels in physics and
advanced mathematics.
According to the report, students in the Netherlands and Sweden fared
best in overall mathematics and science literacy; French students performed
highest in advanced mathematics; and those in Norway and Sweden led in
physics. American high school seniors, meanwhile, showed a sharp drop-off in
math and science skills after elementary school.
But researchers cautioned against jumping to hasty conclusions based on
the TIMSS data.
"We did not find simple relationships between student performance and
school variables such as the amount of homework or the amount of time spent
in mathematics and physics classes," said Prof. Albert Beaton (SOE),
director of the study. "The TIMSS data underscore the important point that
there are no simple answers to complex questions, such as, 'How can schools
improve educational achievement?'"
The study was sponsored by the Amsterdam-based International Association
for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), an independent
international cooperative of research centers. The TIMSS International Study
Center, located at Boston College, managed the study on the international
level.
Researchers had previously examined math and science achievement by
middle and elementary schoolers across the world, releasing results in
November 1996 for 41 countries at the seventh- and eighth-grade levels,
which rated Singapore as highest-performing; and in June 1997 for 26
countries at the third- and fourth-grade levels, which were led by Singapore
and South Korea.
In the newly released survey, the United States received a score of 471
in mathematics and science literacy, well below the international average of
500. Scoring below the United States were Lithuania, Cyprus and South
Africa. Finishing atop the rankings were the Netherlands (559) and Sweden
(555). Also performing above average were Iceland, Norway, Switzerland,
Denmark, Canada, New Zealand and Austria.
In advanced mathematics, the United States' score of 442 was below the
international average of 501. Only Austria (436) scored lower. France, with
a score of 557, finished atop the rankings in this category. Others
performing above average were the Russian Federation, Switzerland, Denmark,
Cyprus and Lithuania.
In physics, the United States was last with a score of 423, well below
the international average of 501. Norway led the rankings with a score of
581. Others performing above average were Sweden, the Russian Federation and
Denmark.
A gender gap also was evident in the findings, with boys outperforming
girls in mathematics and science literacy in all but one of the 21 countries
tested. Similarly, boys outperformed girls in physics in all but one of the
16 countries tested, and in 11 out of 16 countries which tested advanced
mathematics.
The TIMSS research has indicated a downward trend in the math and science
skills of American pupils in the years following the fourth grade: In
mathematics, US students perform above the international average at the
fourth grade, but well below it at the eighth grade. In science, American
pupils are above the international average at the fourth grade, but just
average at the eighth grade.
Researchers said US middle school and high school curricula may be partly
to blame for the drop-off since they do not require many math and science
courses. By contrast, said IEA Chairman Tjeerd Plomp, "In Europe, there is
not a student who can escape mathematics."
European students also must prepare for stiff national exams at the end
of their senior year, while their American counterparts tend to be toning
down the rigor of their classes, researchers added.
In other findings, calculator use was found to be characteristic of high
performance. "On all three tests, students who reported using calculators
daily performed well above those who rarely or never used them," said TIMSS
International Deputy Study Director Michael Martin.
Researchers emphasized that the study is meant to provide a lens through
which each participating country can examine its own educational system with
an international perspective.
"Providing evidence that the students in 'my' country are doing better or
worse than a competitor in the 'global market' does little to explain how
such differences arise," said IEA Chairman Tjeerd Plomp of the Netherlands.
"Such differences can have many possible causes, including differences in
the content of the curriculum, tracking or streaming practices, classroom
time on task, amount of homework, class size, and so forth.
"To provide policy-makers with a better understanding of the complex
interplay among such factors and the most promising avenues to effective
teaching and learning, we need further in-depth analyses of the extremely
rich TIMSS data base," Plomp said.
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Information from Boston College
On page 36 of the December issue of Scientific American appear the
following not amusing statistics
Percentage of U.S. adults who say
Most entry level jobs will require basic science literacy
(whatever that might be )
83%
Science should be given the priority as reading, writing and
arithmetic ( and since our current schools give zilch
priority to those three the question could mean that we
should also give zilch priority to science....but most are not
so cynical )
64%
It is important that the U.S. maintain global leadership in
science and technology
93%
They are aware that the U.S. 12th graders rank near the bottom
on international science tests
7%
Here we are scoring dead last in every international standardized test imaginable, and
only 7% of Americans are aware of it?
