International Benchmarks

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International benchmarks for achievement were developed in an attempt to provide a concrete interpretation of what the scores on the TIMSS mathematics and science achievement scales mean (for example, what it means to have a scale score of 555 or 480). Similarly, international benchmarks were developed for the TIMSS Advanced physics and advanced mathematics scales. To describe student performance at various points along the TIMSS mathematics and science achievement scales, TIMSS uses scale anchoring to summarize and describe student achievement at four points on the mathematics and science scales—Advanced (625), High (550), Intermediate (475), and Low (400) international benchmarks. TIMSS Advanced established similar benchmarks for advanced mathematics and physics, but did not include the Low International Benchmark because TIMSS Advanced assesses a highly select population of students. Scale anchoring involves selecting benchmarks (scale points) on the TIMSS and TIMSS Advanced achievement scales to be described in terms of student performance. Once benchmark scores have been chosen, items are identified that students are likely to score highly on. The content of these items describes what students at each benchmark level of achievement know and can do. To interpret the content of anchored items, these items are grouped by content area within benchmarks and reviewed by mathematics and science experts. These experts focus on the content of each item and describe the kind of knowledge demonstrated by students answering the item correctly. The experts then provide a summary description of performance at each anchor point leading to a content-referenced interpretation of the achievement results. See Exhibit 1 for TIMSS and Exhibit 2 for TIMSS Advanced in the Highlights of TIMSS and TIMSS Advanced 2015. Detailed information on the creation of the benchmarks is provided in Chapter 14 of Methods and Procedures in TIMSS 2015 at http://timss.bc.edu/publications/timss/2015-methods/chapter-14.html and of Methods and Procedures in TIMSS Advanced 2015 at http://timssandpirls.bc.edu/publications/timss/2015-a-methods/chapter-14.html.

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