Special Analysis 2009

Synthesis of mathematics results

Table A-3. Average TIMSS mathematics scores of fourth-grade students on combined mathematics scale, by jurisdiction: 1995, 2003, and 2007

	1995				2003				2007
Jurisdiction	Average score			s.e.	Average score			s.e.	Average score			s.e.
TIMSS scale average	▼	500		*0.0*	▼	500		*0.0*	▼	500		*0.0*

Algeria		—		†		—		†	▼	378		5.2
Armenia		—		†	▼	456		3.5	▼	500		4.3
Australia	▼	495		3.4	▼	499	²	3.9	▼	516		3.5
Austria	∆	531	¹	2.9		—		†	▼	505		2.0
Belgium (Flemish)		—		†	∆	551		1.8		—		†
Canada	▼	506		3.4		—		†		—		†
Chinese Taipei		—		†	∆	564		1.8	∆	576		1.7
Colombia		—		†		—		†	▼	355		5.0
Cyprus	▼	475		3.2	▼	510		2.4		—		†
Czech Republic	∆	541		3.1		—		†	▼	486		2.8
Denmark		—		†		—		†		523	²	2.4
El Salvador		—		†		—		†	▼	330		4.1
England	▼	484	^2,3	3.3	∆	531	²	3.7	∆	541		2.9
Georgia		—		†		—		†	▼	438	⁴	4.2
Germany		—		†		—		†		525		2.3
Greece	▼	463		5.6		—		†		—		†
Hong Kong SAR⁵	∆	557		4.0	∆	575	²	3.2	∆	607		3.6
Hungary		521		3.6	∆	529	⁶	3.1	▼	510		3.5
Iceland	▼	453		3.0		—		†		—		†
Indonesia		(⁷)		†		—		†		—		†
Iran, Islamic Republic of	▼	387		5.0	▼	389	⁶	4.2	▼	402		4.1
Ireland		523		3.5		—		†		—		†
Israel		(⁸)		4.48		—		†		—		†
Italy		(⁷)		†	▼	503		3.7	▼	507		3.1
Japan	∆	567		1.9	∆	565		1.6	∆	568		2.1
Kazakhstan		—		†		—		†	∆	549	⁴	7.1
Korea	∆	581		1.8		—		†		—		†
Kuwait		(⁸)		†		—		†	▼	316	⁹	3.6
Latvia (LSS)¹⁰	▼	499	^1,4	4.6	∆	533	⁴	3.1	∆	537	⁴	2.3
Lithuania		—		†	∆	534	⁴	2.8		530	⁴	2.4
Mexico		(11)		†		—		†		—		†
Moldova, Republic of		—		†	▼	504		4.9		—		†
Morocco		—		†	▼	347		5.1	▼	341		4.7
Netherlands	∆	549	¹	3.0	∆	540	²	2.1		535	¹²	2.1
New Zealand¹³	▼	469		4.4	▼	496		2.1	▼	492		2.3
Norway	▼	476		3.0	▼	451		2.3	▼	473		2.5
Philippines		—		†	▼	358		7.9		—		†
Portugal	▼	442		3.9		—		†		—		†
Qatar		—		†		—		†	▼	296		1.0
Russian Federation		—		†	∆	532	⁶	4.7	∆	544		4.9
Scotland	▼	493	^2,6	4.2		490	²	3.3	▼	494	²	2.2
Singapore	∆	590		4.5	∆	594		5.6	∆	599		3.7
Slovak Republic		—		†		—		†	▼	496		4.5
Slovenia	▼	462		3.1	▼	479		2.6	▼	502		1.8
Sweden		—		†		—		†	▼	503		2.5
Thailand		(⁸)		4.8		—		†		—		†
Tunisia		—		†	▼	339		4.7	▼	327		4.5
Ukraine		—		†		—		†	▼	469		2.9
United States		518		*3.0*		518	²	*2.4*		529	^2,6	*2.4*
Yemen		—		†		—		†	▼	224		6.0
∆ Score is higher than U.S. score.
▼ Score is lower than U.S. score.
— Not available. (Data were not collected or not reported.)
† Not applicable.
¹Did not satisfy sampling participation rates.
²Met guidelines for sample participation rates only after substitute schools were included.
³National Defined Population covers less than 90 percent of National Target Population (but at least 77 percent).
⁴National Target Population did not include all of the International Target Population defined by the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS).
⁵Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People's Republic of China.
⁶National Defined Population covers 90 percent to 95 percent of National Target Population.
⁷Indonesia and Italy were unable to complete the steps necessary for their data to appear in TIMSS 1995 report.
⁸Data not shown because of unapproved sampling procedures at classroom level and failure to meet other guidelines.
⁹Kuwait tested the same cohort of students as other countries, but later in 2007, at the beginning of the next school year.
¹⁰Only Latvian-speaking schools (LSS) are included.
¹¹Mexico participated in the testing portion of TIMSS, but chose not to release its results at grades 3 and 4 in the international report.
¹²Nearly satisfied guidelines for sample participation rates only after substitute schools were included.
¹³Estimates for New Zealand have been computed for students taught in English only, which represents 98 to 99 percent of the student population.
NOTE: Jurisdictions are ordered alphabetically. Combined mathematics literacy scores are reported on a scale from 0 to 1,000. The TIMSS 1995 average scores were rescaled to allow for trend analysis. For more details, see appendix A. The tests for significance take into account the standard error for the reported difference. Thus, a small difference between the United States and one country may be significant while a large difference between the United States and another country may not be significant. Standard error is noted by s.e.
SOURCE: International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), 1995, 2003, and 2007.

For more information: Gonzales, P., Williams, T., Jocelyn, L., Roey, S., Kastberg, D., and Brenwald, S. (2008). Highlights from TIMSS 2007 Mathematics and Science Achievement of U.S. Fourth- and Eighth-Grade in an International Context, table 3, table C1. National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC; Gonzales, P., Guzman, J.C., Partelow, L., Pahlke, E., Jocelyn, L., Kastberg, L., and Williams, T. (2004). Highlights from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2003, table 2, table C1, and table C3. National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC; and previously unpublished 1995 data tabulations.

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