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Physics at the End of High School: Trends

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Table 59. Change in percentage of TIMSS Advanced students reaching the TIMSS Advanced international benchmarks in physics, by education system: 1995-2015
Education system Physics coverage index1 Percentage of students reaching each international benchmark Change in percentage reaching each international benchmark: 1995 to 20152
1995 2015
1995 2015 Advanced (625) s.e. High (550) s.e. Intermediate (475) s.e. Advanced (625) s.e. High (550) s.e. Intermediate (475) s.e. Advanced (625) s.e. High (550) s.e. Intermediate (475) 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 applicable.

# Rounds to zero.

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

1 The physics coverage index is the percentage of the corresponding age cohort covered by students in their final year of secondary school who have taken or are taking physics courses. The corresponding age cohort is determined for education systems individually. In the United States, the corresponding age cohort is considered 18-year-olds. For additional details, see the Technical Notes available at http://nces.ed.gov/timss/timss15technotes.asp.

2 The change in percentage is calculated by subtracting the 1995 estimate from the 2015 estimate using unrounded numbers.

3 Nearly satisfied guidelines for sample participation rates after replacement schools were included in 1995.

4 Did not satisfy guidelines for sample participation rates in 1995.

5 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. Standard error is abbreviated as s.e.

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

Slovenia3 38.6 7.6 15 higher 5.7 45 higher 6.4 73 higher 4.7 17 higher 1.4 43 higher 1.5 73 higher 1.6 1 5.8 -2 6.6 #
Russian Federation 1.5 4.9 21 higher 3.1 53 higher 4.7 77 higher 3.5 16 higher 2.2 38 higher 2.5 62 higher 2.2 -5 3.7 -15 * 5.3 -15 * 4.1
Norway4 8.4 6.5 28 higher 2.6 68 higher 3.5 93 higher 1.6 11 higher 0.9 35 higher 1.9 64 higher 2.0 -16 * 2.8 -33 * 4.0 -29 * 2.6
Sweden 16.3 14.3 25 higher 2.4 66 higher 2.8 92 higher 1.4 6 0.8 21 1.6 46 2.3 -18 * 2.6 -45 * 3.2 -47 * 2.6
United States4, 5 2.7 4.8 3 1.9 13 3.2 41 3.6 5 0.9 18 2.1 39 3.3 2 2.1 5 3.8 -2 4.8
France 19.9 21.5 2 0.7 16 2.1 48 2.5 # lower 2 lower 0.4 13 lower 1.1 -2 * 0.7 -14 * 2.1 -35 * 2.8