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

International Benchmarks

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Table 36a. Change in percentage of 8th-grade students reaching the TIMSS international benchmarks in science by education system: 1995-2015 and 2011-2015
Education system Percentage of students reaching each international benchmark Change in percentage reaching each international benchmark1
1995 2011 2015 Percentage point difference: 1995 to 2015 Percentage point difference: 2011 to 2015
Advanced (625) High (550) Intermediate (475) Low (400) Advanced (625) High (550) Intermediate (475) Low (400) Advanced (625) High (550) Intermediate (475) Low (400) Advanced (625) High (550) Intermediate (475) Low (400) Advanced (625) High (550) Intermediate (475) Low (400)

higher icon Average percentage is larger than U.S. percentage at the .05 level of statistical significance.

lower icon Average percentage is smaller than U.S. percentage at the .05 level of statistical significance.

― Not available.

# Rounds to zero.

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

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

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

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

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

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

NOTE: Education systems are ordered by the percentage of students reaching the Advanced international benchmark in 2015. 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 science 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. Lithuania also is excluded because full trend data are not available.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.

  For 1995, the Russian Federation 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); England-GBR and the United States met guidelines for sample participation rates only after replacement schools were included; and Australia nearly satisfied guidelines for sample participation rates after replacement schools were included.

  For 2011, Georgia and Florida-USA had a National Target Population that did not include all of the International Target Population; the Russian Federation, Singapore, the United States, Ontario-CAN, and Florida-USA had a National Defined Population that covered 90-95 percent of the National Target Population; Israel had a National Defined Population that covered less than 90 percent of the National Target Population (but at least 77 percent); England-GBR nearly satisfied guidelines for sample participation rates after replacement schools were included; and Bahrain tested the same cohort of students as other education systems, but later in the assessment year at the beginning of the next school year.

  The standard errors for the estimates shown in this table are in table 36b available at http://nces.ed.gov/timss/timss2015/timss2015_table36b.asp.

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

Singapore2 29 higher 64 higher 91 higher 99 higher 40 higher 69 higher 87 higher 96 higher 42 higher 74 higher 90 higher 97 higher 13 * 10 * -1 -2 * 2 5 4 2
Chinese Taipei-CHN 24 higher 60 higher 85 higher 96 higher 27 higher 63 higher 86 higher 96 higher 3 3 * 1 #
Japan 18 higher 54 higher 85 higher 97 higher 18 higher 57 higher 86 higher 97 higher 24 higher 63 higher 89 higher 98 higher 7 * 9 * 4 * 1 * 6 * 6 * 3 * 1 *
Korea, Republic of 17 higher 50 higher 81 higher 95 higher 20 higher 57 higher 86 higher 97 higher 19 higher 54 higher 85 higher 97 higher 2 5 * 4 * 2 * -2 -3 -2 #
Slovenia 8 lower 32 lower 69 93 higher 13 higher 48 higher 82 higher 96 higher 17 higher 52 higher 84 higher 97 higher 9 * 20 * 14 * 4 * 3 * 4 2 1
Kazakhstan 4 lower 23 lower 58 lower 86 lower 15 higher 42 74 93 11 * 18 * 16 * 7 *
England-GBR 15 higher 43 higher 75 higher 93 higher 14 higher 44 76 93 14 45 77 95 -1 2 2 2 * # 1 1 2
Russian Federation 11 38 71 92 higher 14 higher 48 higher 81 higher 96 higher 14 49 higher 81 higher 96 higher 3 11 * 10 * 4 * # # # #
Israel3 11 39 69 lower 88 lower 12 37 lower 64 lower 84 lower 1 -2 -5 * -4 *
Hungary 12 44 higher 80 higher 95 higher 9 39 75 92 12 42 74 92 # -3 -6 * -3 * 3 * 2 -1 1
United States4 11 38 68 87 10 40 73 93 12 43 75 93 1 5 * 7 * 6 * 2 3 2 1
Hong Kong-CHN 7 lower 33 70 90 9 47 higher 80 higher 95 12 51 higher 85 higher 96 higher 5 * 19 * 16 * 6 * 2 5 5 * 2
Ireland 11 38 70 90 10 43 77 94 # 5 7 * 3
Sweden 19 higher 52 higher 83 higher 97 higher 6 lower 33 lower 68 lower 91 lower 10 40 73 92 -8 * -12 * -10 * -5 * 4 * 7 * 5 * 1
New Zealand4 9 34 67 89 9 34 lower 67 lower 90 lower 10 36 lower 67 lower 88 lower 1 2 # # 1 2 # -1
Turkey 8 26 lower 54 lower 79 lower 8 lower 29 lower 59 lower 83 lower # 2 5 * 5 *
Australia 10 36 69 89 11 35 70 92 7 lower 34 lower 69 lower 91 lower -3 * -2 # 1 -3 -2 -1 -2
United Arab Emirates 4 lower 19 lower 47 lower 75 lower 7 lower 26 lower 53 lower 76 lower 3 * 7 * 6 * 2
Qatar 3 lower 14 lower 34 lower 58 lower 6 lower 21 lower 46 lower 70 lower 2 * 7 * 11 * 12 *
Bahrain 3 lower 17 lower 44 lower 70 lower 6 lower 22 lower 49 lower 73 lower 2 * 5 * 5 * 3 *
Italy2 4 lower 27 lower 65 lower 90 lower 4 lower 26 lower 64 lower 89 lower # -1 -1 -1
Malaysia 1 lower 11 lower 34 lower 62 lower 3 lower 21 lower 52 lower 77 lower 2 * 10 * 18 * 15 *
Iran, Islamic Republic of 1 lower 11 lower 43 lower 81 lower 5 lower 21 lower 50 lower 79 lower 3 lower 15 lower 42 lower 73 lower 2 4 -1 -8 * -2 -6 * -8 * -6 *
Norway (8)5 6 lower 32 lower 72 94 higher 3 lower 22 lower 62 lower 90 lower 3 lower 22 lower 60 lower 88 lower -4 * -10 * -12 * -6 * # -1 -3 -2
Oman 2 lower 11 lower 34 lower 59 lower 3 lower 17 lower 45 lower 72 lower 1 * 5 * 10 * 13 *
Thailand 1 lower 10 lower 39 lower 74 lower 2 lower 12 lower 41 lower 75 lower 1 2 2 1
Chile 1 lower 12 lower 43 lower 79 lower 1 lower 12 lower 40 lower 75 lower # # -2 -5 *
Jordan 2 lower 15 lower 45 lower 72 lower 1 lower 9 lower 34 lower 63 lower -1 -6 * -11 * -9 *
Georgia2, 6 # lower 6 lower 28 lower 62 lower 1 lower 10 lower 38 lower 70 lower # 4 * 10 * 8 *
Saudi Arabia 1 lower 8 lower 33 lower 68 lower 1 lower 6 lower 22 lower 49 lower # -3 * -11 * -18 *
Lebanon 1 lower 7 lower 25 lower 54 lower 1 lower 7 lower 24 lower 50 lower # # -1 -3
Morocco # lower 2 lower 13 lower 39 lower # lower 3 lower 17 lower 47 lower # * 1 * 4 * 8 *
Benchmarking participants
Dubai-UAE 7 lower 28 lower 57 lower 79 lower 14 43 72 lower 89 lower 7 * 16 * 15 * 10 *
Florida-USA6 13 42 74 93 9 35 lower 65 lower 87 lower -4 -7 -8 -6 *
Ontario-CAN 7 lower 30 lower 69 lower 92 5 lower 34 lower 76 96 higher 7 lower 39 79 97 higher 1 10 * 10 * 5 3 * 5 3 1
Quebec-CAN7 5 lower 26 lower 61 88 6 lower 35 lower 76 96 higher 7 lower 37 lower 77 95 1 11 * 15 * 7 * 1 2 1 #
Abu Dhabi-UAE 4 lower 17 lower 45 lower 74 lower 5 lower 20 lower 44 lower 69 lower 1 3 -1 -5 *