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Mathematics for Grades 4 and 8: Trends Over Three Time Points

Average Scores

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Figure 3. Change in average mathematics scores of 4th-grade students, by education system: 1995-2015 and 2011-2015
Education system Average score
1995 s.e. 2011 s.e 2015 s.e.

higher icon Average score is higher than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance.

lower icon Average score is lower than U.S. average score at the .05 level of statistical significance.

― Not available.

† Not applicable.

*p<.05. Change in average scores is significant at the .05 level of statistical significance.

1 The change in average score is calculated by subtracting the 1995 or 2011 estimate, respectively, from the 2015 estimate using unrounded numbers.

2 National Defined Population covers 90 to 95 percent of the National Target Population in 2015.

3 Met guidelines for sample participation rates only after replacement schools were included in 2015.

4 Nearly satisfied guidelines for sample participation rates after replacement schools were included in 2015.

5 National Defined Population covers less than 90 percent of the National Target Population (but at least 77 percent) in 2015.

6 The number in parentheses indicates years of school not grade in schooling.

7 National Target Population does not include all of the International Target Population in 2015.

8 Reservations about reliability because the percentage of students with achievement too low for estimation exceeds 15 percent but does not exceed 25 percent in 2015.

9 Did not satisfy guidelines for sample participation rates in 2015.

NOTE: Education systems are ordered by 2015 average score. Education systems that are not countries are designated by the appended three-letter international abbreviation for their country. Participants that did not administer TIMSS at the target grade are not shown; see the international report for their results. For cross-education system trend tables, data are shown for the first available and most recent year; 1995 is the first year for the overall mathematics scale and benchmark data and 2007 is the first year for the content and cognitive subscales. Participants that only participated in one of the three time points are also excluded. U.S. state data are based on public school students only. Standard error is abbreviated as s.e. For TIMSS 2015, Norway revised its assessed population to students in their 5th and 9th years of schooling to obtain better comparisons with Sweden and Finland. However, in previous TIMSS cycles Norway assessed students in their 4th and 8th years of schooling, which were defined as 4th and 8th grades but have been redefined as 3rd and 7th grades because year 1 in Norway is now considered the equivalent of a year of kindergarten. To maintain trend with previous TIMSS cycles, in 2015 Norway also collected data from students in their 4th and 8th years of schooling, which is used in trend tables. Trend results for Kuwait do not include private schools. Trend results for Lithuania do not include students taught in Polish or in Russian.

  For 1995, Ireland, the Republic of Korea, Portugal, and Ontario-CAN had a National Defined Population that covered 90-95 percent of the National Target Population; England-GBR had a National Defined Population that covered less than 90 percent of the National Target Population (but at least 77 percent) and met guidelines for sample participation rates only after replacement schools were included; and Australia and the Netherlands did not satisfy guidelines for sample participation rates.

  For 2011, Georgia, Kuwait, Lithuania, and Florida-USA had a National Target Population that did not include all of the International Target Population; Croatia, Denmark, Hong Kong-CHN, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Qatar, Serbia, Singapore, and the United States had a National Defined Population that covered 90-95 percent of the National Target Population; Florida-USA had a National Defined Population that covered less than 90 percent of the National Target Population (but at least 77 percent); the Netherlands and Northern Ireland-GBR met guidelines for sample participation rates only after replacement schools were included; and Norway (4) nearly satisfied guidelines for sample participation rates after replacement schools were included. In Oman in 2011, there were reservations about reliability because the percentage of students with achievement too low for estimation exceeded 15 percent but did not exceed 25 percent; in Kuwait and Morocco there were reservations about reliability because the percentage of students with achievement too low for estimation exceeded 25 percent.

SOURCE: International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), 1995, 2011, and 2015.

Singapore2 590 higher 4.5 606 higher 3.2 618 higher 3.8
Hong Kong-CHN3 557 higher 4.0 602 higher 3.4 615 higher 2.9
Korea, Republic of 581 higher 1.8 605 higher 1.9 608 higher 2.2
Chinese Taipei-CHN 591 higher 2.0 597 higher 1.9
Japan 567 higher 1.9 585 higher 1.7 593 higher 2.0
Northern Ireland-GBR4 562 higher 2.8 570 higher 2.9
Russian Federation 542 3.7 564 higher 3.4
Ireland 523 3.5 527 lower 2.6 547 higher 2.1
England-GBR 484 lower 3.3 542 3.5 546 2.8
Belgium (Flemish)-BEL3 549 higher 1.9 546 higher 2.1
Kazakhstan 501 lower 4.5 544 4.5
Portugal2 442 lower 4.0 532 lower 3.3 541 2.2
United States2, 3 518 2.9 541 1.9 539 2.3
Denmark2, 3 537 2.6 539 2.7
Lithuania2 534 lower 2.4 536 2.7
Finland 545 2.4 535 2.0
Netherlands3 549 higher 3.0 540 1.6 530 lower 1.7
Hungary 521 3.5 515 lower 3.4 529 lower 3.2
Czech Republic 541 higher 3.0 511 lower 2.5 528 lower 2.2
Cyprus 475 lower 3.2 523 lower 2.7
Germany 528 lower 2.2 522 lower 2.0
Slovenia 462 lower 3.2 513 lower 2.1 520 lower 1.9
Sweden2 504 lower 2.1 519 lower 2.8
Serbia5 516 lower 3.0 518 lower 3.5
Australia 495 lower 3.5 516 lower 3.0 517 lower 3.1
Italy2 508 lower 2.6 507 lower 2.6
Spain2 482 lower 2.8 505 lower 2.5
Croatia 490 lower 1.9 502 lower 1.8
Slovak Republic 507 lower 3.7 498 lower 2.5
Norway (4)6 476 lower 3.0 495 lower 2.8 493 lower 2.3
New Zealand 469 lower 4.4 486 lower 2.6 491 lower 2.3
Turkey 469 lower 4.7 483 lower 3.1
Georgia7 450 lower 3.7 463 lower 3.6
Chile 462 lower 2.3 459 lower 2.4
United Arab Emirates 434 lower 2.0 452 lower 2.4
Bahrain2 436 lower 3.2 451 lower 1.6
Qatar 413 lower 3.4 439 lower 3.4
Iran, Islamic Republic of 387 lower 4.9 431 lower 3.5 431 lower 3.2
Oman 385 lower 2.9 425 lower 2.5
Saudi Arabia8 410 lower 5.2 383 lower 4.1
Morocco 335 lower 4.0 377 lower 3.4
Kuwait8 342 lower 3.6 327 lower 3.2
Benchmarking participants
Florida-USA7 545 3.0 546 4.7
Quebec-CAN9 550 higher 4.1 533 lower 2.5 536 4.0
Ontario-CAN 489 lower 3.5 518 lower 3.0 512 lower 2.3
Dubai-UAE 468 lower 1.7 511 lower 1.4
Abu Dhabi-UAE2, 8 417 lower 4.6 419 lower 4.7