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Percentage of 4th-grade students reaching the TIMSS international benchmarks in mathematics, by education system: 2011


TIMSS Results 2003

Table 6. Average science scale scores of eighth-grade students, by country: 2003


Country Average score
International average1 473
Singapore 578
Chinese Taipei 571
Korea, Republic of 558
Hong Kong SAR2,3 556
Estonia 552
Japan 552
Hungary 543
Netherlands2 536
(United States) 527
Australia 527
Sweden 524
Slovenia 520
New Zealand 520
Lithuania4 519
Slovak Republic 517
Belgium-Flemish 516
Russian Federation 514
Latvia 512
Scotland2 512
Malaysia 510
Norway 494
Italy 491
(Israel) 488
Bulgaria 479
Jordan 475
Moldova, Republic of 472
Romania 470
Serbia4 468
Armenia 461
Iran, Islamic Republic of 453
(Macedonia, Republic of) 449
Cyprus 441
Bahrain 438
Palestinian National Authority 435
Egypt 421
Indonesia4 420
Chile 413
Tunisia 404
Saudi Arabia 398
(Morocco) 396
Lebanon 393
Philippines 377
Botswana 365
Ghana 255
South Africa 244
Singapore, Chinese Taipei, Republic of Korea, Hong Kong, Estonia, Japan, Hungary  Average is higher than the U.S. average
Netherlands, United States, Australia, Sweden, Slovenia, New Zealand  Average is not measurably different from the U.S.
International average, Lithuania, Slovak Republic, Belgium-Flemish, Russian Federation, Latvia, Scotland, Malaysia, Norway, Italy, Israel, Bulgaria, Jordan, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Serbia, Armenia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Republic of Macedonia, Cyprus, Bahrain, Palestinian National Authority, Egypt, Indonesia, Chile, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Lebanon, Philippines, Botswana, Ghana, South Africa  Average is lower than the U.S. average
1 The international average reported here differs from that reported in Martin et al. (2004) due to the deletion of England. In Martin et al., the reported international average is 474.
2 Met international guidelines for participation rates in 2003 only after replacement schools were included.
3 Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People's Republic of China.
4 National desired population does not cover all of the international desired population.
NOTE: Countries are ordered by 2003 average score. The test for significance between the United States and the international average was adjusted to account for the U.S. contribution to the international average. 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. Parentheses indicate countries that did not meet international sampling or other guidelines in 2003. Countries were required to sample students in the upper of the two grades that contained the largest number of 13-year-olds. In the United States and most countries, this corresponds to grade 8. See table A1 in appendix A for details.
SOURCE: International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), 2003.

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