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Science for Grades 4 and 8: Percentiles

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TIMSS 2015 Results
Table 29. Cut scores of 4th-grade students at the 10th, 25th, 75th, and 90th percentiles in science, by education system: 2015
Education system Percentile
10th 25th 75th 90th
Cut score s.e. Cut score s.e. Cut score s.e. Cut score s.e.

higher icon Percentile cut score is higher than U.S. percentile cut score at the .05 level of statistical significance.

lower icon Percentile cut score is lower than the U.S. percentile cut score at the .05 level of statistical significance.

1 National Defined Population covers 90 to 95 percent of the National Target Population.

2 Met guidelines for sample participation rate only after replacement schools were included.

3 National Target Population does not include all of the International Target Population.

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

5 Nearly satisfied guidelines for sample participation rates after replacement schools were included.

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

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

8 Did not satisfy guidelines for sample participation rates.

NOTE: 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. 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. Jordan did not participate in the science assessment at 4th grade.

SOURCE: International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), 2015.
Australia 423 lower 4.7 476 lower 3.8 576 lower 3.1 617 lower 2.9
Bahrain1 317 lower 7.0 391 lower 4.3 533 lower 2.8 587 lower 2.7
Belgium (Flemish)-BEL2 430 3.8 471 lower 3.2 554 lower 2.8 588 lower 3.1
Bulgaria 403 lower 12.1 483 8.1 602 5.2 644 5.3
Canada1, 2, 3 429 4.4 479 lower 3.6 575 lower 2.4 615 lower 2.7
Chile 380 lower 4.5 428 lower 3.2 530 lower 3.1 571 lower 3.3
Chinese Taipei-CHN 465 higher 3.5 513 higher 2.3 602 2.4 639 2.3
Croatia 453 higher 3.7 494 2.8 576 lower 2.5 611 lower 3.4
Cyprus 381 lower 5.4 432 lower 3.5 534 lower 2.4 574 lower 3.2
Czech Republic 444 4.3 490 3.5 583 lower 2.7 620 lower 2.7
Denmark1, 2 436 4.3 483 lower 3.3 575 lower 2.7 612 lower 2.1
England-GBR 445 4.7 490 3.2 583 lower 3.0 623 lower 3.0
Finland 472 higher 4.3 514 higher 2.7 597 2.9 633 lower 2.7
France 391 lower 5.7 439 lower 3.6 539 lower 2.7 579 lower 2.8
Georgia3 337 lower 8.0 397 lower 5.1 511 lower 3.6 557 lower 5.9
Germany 437 4.1 483 lower 3.0 577 lower 2.6 616 lower 2.3
Hong Kong-CHN2 465 higher 6.4 512 higher 4.0 604 3.6 644 4.0
Hungary 433 8.9 493 5.6 598 2.6 639 3.6
Indonesia 259 lower 6.4 327 lower 6.3 471 lower 6.3 526 lower 5.4
Iran, Islamic Republic of 279 lower 7.8 354 lower 7.5 496 lower 4.1 545 lower 3.9
Ireland 437 4.7 486 3.2 577 lower 3.3 612 lower 4.2
Italy1 429 4.7 474 lower 4.4 562 lower 2.5 597 lower 2.3
Japan 486 higher 3.0 528 higher 2.4 613 higher 1.9 648 2.7
Kazakhstan 442 5.3 493 5.0 606 5.7 659 higher 6.9
Korea, Republic of 508 higher 3.5 550 higher 2.5 632 higher 2.8 666 higher 2.8
Kuwait4 171 lower 7.9 246 lower 7.7 431 lower 7.8 503 lower 8.0
Lithuania1 437 4.2 483 lower 3.9 576 lower 3.0 613 lower 3.1
Morocco4 197 lower 4.9 266 lower 4.6 440 lower 6.5 512 lower 7.1
Netherlands2 438 4.5 477 lower 2.8 559 lower 2.8 592 lower 3.4
New Zealand 389 lower 5.8 451 lower 4.4 566 lower 2.4 608 lower 3.1
Northern Ireland-GBR5 429 5.4 477 lower 3.5 568 lower 2.9 605 lower 2.2
Norway (5)6 457 higher 4.3 498 3.4 580 lower 3.1 615 lower 3.8
Oman 271 lower 5.1 348 lower 4.1 516 lower 3.9 581 lower 4.1
Poland 457 higher 3.8 504 higher 3.3 596 lower 2.2 632 lower 2.7
Portugal1 430 3.2 469 lower 2.6 549 lower 2.5 583 lower 2.6
Qatar 285 lower 6.5 359 lower 5.8 517 lower 3.9 574 lower 4.8
Russian Federation 479 higher 5.1 524 higher 3.6 615 higher 3.4 653 4.1
Saudi Arabia 235 lower 7.6 310 lower 6.4 474 lower 5.3 537 lower 5.3
Serbia7 419 lower 9.0 480 lower 4.8 580 lower 3.3 619 lower 3.2
Singapore1 476 higher 6.6 540 higher 5.2 650 higher 3.5 692 higher 4.2
Slovak Republic 406 lower 5.2 473 lower 4.4 578 lower 3.2 620 lower 2.4
Slovenia 451 higher 4.1 499 3.4 591 lower 2.4 628 lower 2.8
Spain1 427 lower 4.2 474 lower 3.8 566 lower 2.0 604 lower 2.0
Sweden1 444 7.0 496 4.9 591 lower 3.4 629 lower 3.6
Turkey 358 lower 7.4 428 lower 4.4 547 lower 2.5 593 lower 3.5
United Arab Emirates 285 lower 4.2 365 lower 3.8 541 lower 2.6 602 lower 2.9
United States1, 2 439 3.3 495 3.2 602 2.1 644 2.7
Benchmarking participants
Abu Dhabi-UAE1 249 lower 6.7 319 lower 6.4 510 lower 7.2 577 lower 7.2
Buenos Aires-ARG 300 lower 7.4 355 lower 6.2 483 lower 4.1 531 lower 4.3
Dubai-UAE 373 lower 3.8 455 lower 3.6 591 lower 2.2 641 2.5
Florida-USA3 447 7.0 499 5.7 601 6.7 646 6.7
Ontario-CAN 435 3.2 484 lower 2.8 580 lower 2.8 619 lower 3.7
Quebec-CAN8 442 5.5 481 lower 4.7 569 lower 5.1 607 lower 5.4
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