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Highlights From the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2003
Introduction
Mathematics
Science
• How did U.S. fourth- and eighth-graders perform in science in 2003?
• Did the science performance of U.S. fourth- and eighth-graders change between 1995 and 2003?
• Has the relative science performance of U.S. fourth- and eighth-grade students changed since 1995?
• Did the performance of U.S. fourth- and eighth-graders in the science content areas change between 1999 and 2003?
• Did the science performance of U.S. population groups change between 1995 and 2003?
Summary
List of Tables
List of Figures
References
Acknowledgements
pdf file Appendices (PDF–493kb)
pdf file Full Report (PDF–664kb)
SCIENCE
Did the performance of U.S. fourth- and eighth-graders in the science content areas change between 1995 and 2003?

Fourth Grade:

  • Changes in average performance between 1995 and 2003 on the three science content areas measured in TIMSS in the fourth grade (Life Science; Physical Science; and Earth Science) could not be calculated due to a limited number of items in common between the two assessments.
Eighth Grade:
  • Between 1999 and 2003, there was an increase in the average percentage of U.S. eighth-graders who correctly answered items in two of the five eighth-grade content areas in science: Earth Science and Physics (see table C16 in appendix C).1 There were no measurable differences detected in the average percentage of U.S. eighth-graders who correctly answered items in Chemistry, Environmental Science, and Life Science between 1999 and 2003.

 

Footnotes

1 Although many of the participating countries collected data in all three years, analyses of changes in the science content areas at eighth grade are limited to 1999 and 2003 due to the limited number of in common items from year to year.
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