Indicator 9: Performance of Fourth-Grade Students on Subscales in Reading, Mathematics, and Science

G-20 Countries Included: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United Kingdom (England and Northern Ireland), United States

In PIRLS 2011, which tested fourth-graders, the United States' mean score on the reading for literary experience subscale was 563, not measurably different from the Russian Federation's score and higher than scores in eight other G-20 countries.

In PIRLS 201 and TIMSS 2011, as in previous cycles, the overall performance scales in reading, mathematics, and science were composed of subscales that allow a more detailed look at student performance within each content area. Indicator 9 examines he mean performance of fourth-grade students on these subscales in order to highlight the relative strengths and weaknesses in reading, mathematics, and science both within and across the participating G-20 countries.

As the indicator shows, the United States performed strongest on the reading and science subscales at the fourth grade, generally outperforming more countries than on the mathematics sub- scales. There also was generally more variation in the United States' performance relative to other countries on the mathematics subscales compared to the reading and science subscales.

In PIRLS 2011, the reading subscales relate to the purposes for reading and include reading for literary experience and reading to acquire and use information. Mean scores for fourth-grade students on the literary experience subscale ranged 149 points, from 418 in Indonesia to 567 in the Russian Federation (figure 9-1). Mean scores on the acquire and use information subscale had a smaller range (131 points), from 439 in Indonesia to 570 in the Russian Federation. The U.S. mean score on the literary experience subscale was 563, not measurably different from that of the United Kingdom (Northern Ireland) and the Russian Federation, and higher than scores in eight other G-20 countries. On the acquire anduseinformation subscale, the U.S. mean score was 553, lower than that of the Russian Federation, not measurably different from the United Kingdom's (Northern Ireland and England) mean scores, and higher than the scores in seven other G-20 countries.

In TIMSS 2011, the mathematics subscales at grade 4 relate to specific content domains and include number, geometric shapes and measures, and data display. The range of mean scores was similar on each of the three content domain subscales, with 196-, 203-, and 200-point differences between the lowest and highest scoring G-20 countries on number, geometric shapes and measures, and data display, respectively (figure 9-2). The U.S. mean score on the number subscale was 543, lower than the scores of the Republic of Korea, Japan, and the United Kingdom (Northern Ireland), not measurably different from those of the Russian Federation and the United Kingdom (England), and higher than those of five other countries. The performance of the United States was similar on the data display subscale, with a mean score (545) below those of the Republic of Korea, Japan, and the United Kingdom (Northern Ireland), not measurably different from those of the United Kingdom (England) and Germany, and higher than those of five other countries. On the geometric shapes and measures subscale, four countries—the Republic of Korea, Japan, and the United Kingdom (England and Northern Ireland)— had mean scores that were higher than the U.S. mean score of 535, three countries (the Russian Federation, Germany, and Australia) had scores that were not measurably different from the U.S. score, and three countries had scores that were lower.

The science subscales in TIMSS 201 at grade 4 also relate to specific content domains and include life science, physical science, and Earth science. The range of mean scores on the science subscales was smaller than the range on the mathematics subscales, with 156-, 158-, and 171-point differences between the lowest and highest scoring G-20 countries on lifescience, physicalscience, and Earth science, respectively (figure 9-2). The U.S. mean score on the life science subscale was 547, lower than the scores of the Republic of Korea and the Russian Federation and higher than those of eight other countries. The United States' mean score on the physical science subscale was 544, lower than the scores of the Republic of Korea and Japan, not measurably different from that of the Russian Federation, and higher than those of seven other countries. On the Earth science subscale, the Republic of Korea, Japan, and the Russian Federation had higher mean scores than the United States (539), but the United States had a higher mean score than seven other countries.

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Definitions and Methodologie

In PIRLS 201 and TIMSS 201 at the fourth grade, countries were required to sample students in the grade that corresponded to the end of 4 years of formal schooling, providing that the mean age at the time of testing was at least 9.5 years. As defined by PIRLS and TIMSS, the first year of formal schooling begins with the first year of primary school (ISCED 97 level 1), which should mark the begin- ning of formal instruction in reading, writing, and mathematics. (Note that kindergarten is not counted.) For most countries, the target grade was fourth grade or its national equivalent. PIRLS and TIMSS scores are reported on a scale from 0 to 1,000, with the scale average fixed at 500 and the standard deviation fixed at 100. Since both the PIRLS and TIMSS achievement scales were designed to reliably measure student achievement over time, the metric of the scales was established originally in 2001 for PIRLS and in 1995 for TIMSS, the first year in which each assessment was administered.

The PIRLS assessment of reading literacy focuses on the two purposes that account for most of the reading done by young students both in and out of school: reading for literary experience and reading to acquireanduseinformation. Each of these purposes for reading is often associated with certain types of texts. For example, reading for literary experience is often accomplished through reading fiction, while reading to acquire and use information is generally associated with informative articles and instructional texts. In literary reading, the reader engages with the text to become involved in imagined events, settings, actions, consequences, characters, atmosphere, feelings, and ideas, and to enjoy language itself. In reading for information, the reader engages not with imagined worlds, but with aspects of the real world. Readers can go beyond the acquisition of information and use it in reasoning and in action.

The TIMSS 201 assessment at the fourth grade includes three domains that define the mathematic content covered: number, geometric shapes and measures, and data display. The number content domain includes place value, ways of representing numbers, and the relationships between numbers. The geometric shapes and measures domain includes properties of geometric figures such as lengths of sides, sizes of angles, areas, and volumes. The data display content domain includes reading and interp- reting displays of data.

The TIMSS 201 assessment at the fourth grade includes three domains that define the science content covered: life science, physical science, and Earthscience. Together, these content domains cover most of the topics in the various countries' curricula. Life science includes characteristics of the life processes of living things, the relationships between them, and their interaction with the environment. Physical science includes concepts related to matter and energy and covers topics in the areas of both chemistry and physics. Earth science is concerned with the study of Earth and its place in the solar system.

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