Mathematics Achievement of Fourth- and Eighth-Graders Between 1995 and 2007

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Comparisons of the mathematics achievement of fourth-graders between 1995 and 2007 are made for the 16 countries that collected data in both years. Comparisons of the mathematics achievement of eighth-graders between 1995 and 2007 are made for the 20 countries that collected data in both years.

• Both U.S. fourth- and eighth-graders improved in mathematics in 2007 compared to 1995.
• The average mathematics achievement of U.S. fourth-graders in 2007 was 11 score points higher than the average score in 1995 (529 v. 518) (table 2).
• Fourth-graders in one-half of the countries (8 of 16), including the United States, showed improvement in average mathematics scores in 2007 compared to 1995, and one-quarter of the countries (4 of 16) showed declines in average scores.
• The average mathematics achievement of U.S. eighth-graders in 2007 was 16 score points higher than the average score in 1995 (508 v. 492) (table 2).
• Eighth-graders in about one-quarter of the countries (6 of 20), including the United States, showed improvement in average mathematics scores in 2007 compared to 1995, and one-half of the countries (10 of 20) showed declines in average scores.
• There was no measurable change in the percentage of either U.S. fourth- or eighth-graders performing at or above the advanced international benchmark in mathematics between 1995 and 2007 (grade four: 9 v. 10 percent; grade eight: 4 v. 6 percent).

Table

• Table 2 — Trends in average mathematics scale scores of fourth- and eighth-grade students, by country: 1995 to 2007

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