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Digest of Education Statistics: 2011
Digest of Education Statistics: 2011

NCES 2012-001
May 2012


Table 415. Average eighth-grade scores, class size, and instructional time in mathematics and science, by country or other jurisdiction: 2007
Country or other jurisdiction Mathematics Science
Average score1 Average class size Instructional time in mathematics Average score1 Average class size Instructional time in science2
Hours per year As a percent of total instruc-
tional time
Hours per year As a percent of total instruc-
tional time
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
International average 500 (†) 29   (0.1) 120   (0.4) 12   (#) 500 (†) 30   (0.1) 110   (0.7) 11   (0.1)
Algeria 387 (2.1) 37 3  (0.7)   (†) 13 4  (0.4) 408 (1.7) 37 3  (0.6)   (†)   (†)
Armenia 499 (3.5) 25 3  (0.4) 110   (3.9) 11   (0.4) 488 (5.8) 25 4  (0.4)   (†)   (†)
Australia 496 (3.9) 26 3  (0.3) 131 3  (2.0) 13 3  (0.2) 515 (3.6) 25 4  (0.4) 123 4  (1.8) 12 4  (0.1)
Bahrain 398 (1.6) 31   (0.1) 96 4  (2.8) 9 3  (0.3) 467 (1.7) 31   (0.2) 80 4  (3.5) 8 3  (0.3)
Bosnia and Herzegovina 456 (2.7) 24   (0.4) 102 3  (0.9) 11 3  (0.3) 466 (2.8) 24   (0.4)   (†)   (†)
                                             
Botswana 364 (2.3) 38   (0.4) 138 3  (1.5) 13 3  (0.3) 355 (3.1) 37   (0.3) 138 3  (2.1) 13 3  (0.3)
Bulgaria5 464 (5.0) 22   (0.3) 93 3  (2.0) 12 3  (0.3) 470 (5.9) 20   (0.5)   (†)   (†)
Chinese Taipei 598 (4.5) 35   (0.5) 158   (3.5) 14   (0.2) 561 (3.7) 35   (0.4) 145   (3.1) 12   (0.3)
Colombia 380 (3.6) 35 4  (0.6) 151 3  (4.7) 12 3  (0.7) 417 (3.5) 36 4  (0.9) 123 3  (5.6) 10 3  (0.6)
Cyprus 465 (1.6) 24 3  (0.2) 72 4  (0.3) 8 4  (#) 452 (2.0) 24 4  (0.1)   (†)   (†)
                                             
Czech Republic 504 (2.4) 24 3  (0.3) 128   (2.1) 14 3  (0.2) 539 (1.9) 24 3  (0.3)   (†)   (†)
Egypt 391 (3.6) 39   (0.6) 93 3  (4.3) 8   (0.4) 408 (3.6) 39   (0.6) 86 3  (4.1) 7   (0.4)
El Salvador 340 (2.8) 29   (0.8) 142   (2.6) 17   (0.5) 387 (2.9) 30   (0.8) 135   (2.7) 16   (0.4)
England6  513 (4.8) 26 4  (0.6) 113   (1.7) 12   (0.2) 542 (4.5) 26 4  (0.6) 137 3  (6.6) 14   (0.7)
Georgia7  410 (5.9) 23   (0.6) 110   (0.8) 13   (0.2) 421 (4.8) 24   (0.5)   (†)   (†)
                                             
Ghana 309 (4.4) 46 3  (1.9) 146 3  (5.0) 13   (0.5) 303 (5.4) 44 3  (1.9) 117 3  (6.3) 11   (0.6)
Hong Kong SAR6,8  572 (5.8) 37   (0.5) 148 4  (3.8) 14 4  (0.4) 530 (4.9) 39   (0.3) 100 4  (2.9) 10 4  (0.3)
Hungary 517 (3.5) 21   (0.5) 99 4  (1.3) 13 4  (0.2) 539 (2.9) 23 3  (0.4)   (†)   (†)
Indonesia 397 (3.8) 38   (0.9) 136 4  (4.7) 11 4  (0.3) 427 (3.4) 36 3  (0.9)   (†)   (†)
Iran, Islamic Republic of 403 (4.1) 26 3  (0.5) 99 4  (2.3) 11 4  (0.3) 459 (3.6) 26 3  (0.5) 98 4  (1.9) 11 4  (0.2)
                                             
Israel5  463 (3.9) 33 4  (0.4)   (†) 12 4  (0.3) 468 (4.3) 33 3  (0.4) 111 4  (5.0) 10 3  (0.4)
Italy 480 (3.0) 22   (0.2) 136 3  (1.5) 13 3  (0.2) 495 (2.8) 22   (0.2) 69 4  (0.8) 6 4  (0.1)
Japan 570 (2.4) 34   (0.5) 105   (1.6) 10   (0.1) 554 (1.9) 35   (0.3) 103 3  (1.8) 10 3  (0.2)
Jordan 427 (4.1) 35   (0.7) 141   (1.1) 14   (0.2) 482 (4.0) 35   (0.7) 141   (1.1) 13   (0.2)
Korea, Republic of 597 (2.7) 37 4  (0.4) 104 4  (0.7) 11 4  (0.2) 553 (2.0) 37 4  (0.3) 104 4  (0.7) 11 4  (0.2)
                                             
Kuwait9  354 (2.3) 30 4  (0.5)   (†) 6 4  (0.6) 418 (2.8) 31 4  (0.8)   (†) 6 4  (0.5)
Lebanon 449 (4.0) 26   (0.6)   (†)   (†) 414 (5.9) 27   (0.7)   (†)   (†)
Lithuania7  506 (2.3) 25 3  (0.3) 116 3  (0.9) 13 3  (0.2) 519 (2.5) 25 3  (0.3)   (†)   (†)
Malaysia 474 (5.0) 36   (0.4) 123   (1.0) 11   (0.1) 471 (6.0) 36   (0.4) 122   (1.3) 11   (0.2)
Malta 488 (1.2) 22   (#) 128   (0.1) 13   (#) 457 (1.4) 20   (#)   (†)   (†)
                                             
Norway 469 (2.0) 25 3  (0.4) 113   (1.6) 13   (0.2) 487 (2.2) 25 4  (0.5) 85   (1.1) 10   (0.1)
Oman 372 (3.4) 32   (0.4) 150 4  (4.5) 15   (0.5) 423 (3.0) 31   (0.5) 130 3  (5.7) 13   (0.5)
Palestinian National
   Authority
367 (3.5) 38   (0.5) 100 4  (4.0) 11 4  (0.4) 404 (3.5) 38   (0.5) 87 4  (3.5) 10 4  (0.4)
Qatar 307 (1.4) 27   (#) 138 4  (0.1) 13 4  (#) 319 (1.7) 26 3  (#)   (†)   (†)
Romania 461 (4.1) 21   (0.3) 122 3  (1.9) 14 3  (0.3) 462 (3.9) 21   (0.3)   (†)   (†)
                                             
Russian Federation 512 (4.1) 21   (0.3) 131 3  (1.4) 15 3  (0.2) 530 (3.9) 21   (0.3)   (†)   (†)
Saudi Arabia 329 (2.9) 30   (0.8) 107 4  (3.2) 11 3  (0.3) 403 (2.4) 30 3  (1.1)   (†)   (†)
Scotland6  487 (3.7) 25 3  (0.5) 135 4  (2.2) 13 4  (0.2) 496 (3.4) 20 4  (0.6) 108 4  (3.1) 10 3  (0.3)
Serbia7,10  486 (3.3) 24   (0.4) 103 4  (0.8) 13 4  (0.2) 470 (3.2) 24   (0.4)   (†)   (†)
Singapore 593 (3.8) 38   (0.2) 124   (1.0) 13   (0.1) 567 (4.4) 38   (0.2) 140   (1.8) 14   (0.2)
                                             
Slovenia 501 (2.1) 16 3  (0.2) 113   (0.4) 13   (0.1) 538 (2.2) 22 3  (0.3)   (†)   (†)
Sweden 491 (2.3) 23 4  (0.5) 93 3  (1.4) 10 3  (0.2) 511 (2.6) 24 3  (0.6)   (†)   (†)
Syrian Arab Republic 395 (3.8) 31   (0.6) 76 3  (3.4) 10   (0.4) 452 (2.9) 32   (0.5)   (†)   (†)
Thailand 441 (5.0) 38 3  (0.6) 124   (2.3) 10   (0.2) 471 (4.3) 38   (0.6) 119   (2.2) 10   (0.2)
Tunisia 420 (2.4) 32   (0.4) 126 4  (2.1) 10 3  (0.2) 445 (2.1) 32   (0.4) 58 3  (1.4) 5 3  (0.1)
                                             
Turkey 432 (4.8) 33   (0.7) 95   (0.4) 11   (0.3) 454 (3.7) 33   (0.6) 72   (0.5) 8   (0.2)
Ukraine 462 (3.6) 25   (0.4) 130   (2.0) 15   (0.2) 485 (3.5) 25   (0.4)   (†)   (†)
United States6,10  508 (2.8) 24 4  (0.4) 148 4  (2.3) 13 4  (0.2) 520 (2.9) 28 3  (0.9) 139 4  (2.4) 13 4  (0.2)
—Not available.
†Not applicable.
#Rounds to zero.
‡Reporting standards not met because data are available for less than 50 percent of the students.
1 TIMSS scores are reported on a scale from 0 to 1,000, with the scale average set at 500 and the standard deviation set at 100.
2 Includes only general/integrated science. Does not include the 19 participating countries that teach the sciences as separate subjects (biology, chemistry, etc.) at eighth grade.
3 Data are available for at least 70 percent but less than 85 percent of students.
4 Data are available for at least 50 percent but less than 70 percent of students.
5 National Defined Population covers less than 90 percent of National Target Population (but at least 77 percent). (For Bulgaria, this note applies only to science data).
6 Met guidelines for sample participation rates only after substitute schools were included.
7 National Target Population does not include all of the International Target Population defined by the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS).
8 Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People's Republic of China.
9 Kuwait tested the same cohort of students as other countries, but later in 2007, at the beginning of the next school year.
10 National Defined Population covers 90 to 95 percent of National Target Population.
NOTE: Countries were required to sample students in the grade that corresponded to the end of 8 years of formal schooling, providing that the mean age at the time of testing was at least 13.5 years. Instructional times shown in this table are actual or implemented times (as opposed to intended times prescribed by the curriculum). Teachers provided class size and instructional time in mathematics and science. Instructional time was reported as hours per week; the hours per year shown in this table were computed by multiplying the hours per week by the number of instructional weeks per year. Schools provided the total instructional time used to calculate the percentage of time devoted to mathematics and science. Standard errors appear in parentheses.
SOURCE: International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), 2007, TIMSS 2007 International Mathematics Report, by Ina V.S. Mullis et al., and TIMSS 2007 International Science Report, by Michael O. Martin et al. (This table was prepared June 2011.)