December 4, 2024
No measurable change in science achievement of U.S. fourth- and eighth-graders since beginning of COVID-19 pandemic
WASHINGTON (December 4, 2024)—Mathematics scores for U.S. fourth- and eighth-graders in 2023 declined compared to 2019, before the onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic, according to the latest results from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) released today by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). The average mathematics score for U.S. fourth-graders declined by 18 points since the last time the TIMSS assessment was conducted in 2019, and the average mathematics score for eighth-graders declined by 27 points. Science scores for students in both grades were not measurably different over the short term, between 2019 and 2023, but were 9 points lower for fourth-graders in 2023 compared to the first TIMSS assessment in 1995.
“Globally, we are seeing declines in achievement, even in traditionally high-performing systems,” said NCES Commissioner Peggy G. Carr. “In the U.S., we’re seeing these declines especially among our lowest-performing students, which mirrors what we saw on our nation’s report card. The U.S. score at the 10th percentile in math at grade 4 was the lowest in the roughly 30-year history of the assessment.”
Between 2019 and 2023, scores of the low-performing fourth-graders (those at the 10th percentile) declined 37 points in mathematics and 22 points in science. Scores for top-performing fourth-graders (those at the 90th percentile) were not measurably different from those in 2019 in either subject. Score gaps between these high- and low-performing fourth-graders widened in both mathematics (by 35 points) and science (by 26 points).
At eighth grade, low-performing students‘ scores declined 19 points in mathematics between 2019 and 2023 but were not measurably different in science. Mathematics scores for top-performing eighth-graders fell by 29 points in mathematics but were not measurably different in science. About one-fifth (18 percent) of U.S. eighth-graders were below the Low international benchmark in mathematics, indicating they lacked minimum proficiency in the subject.
Over the long term, average mathematics scores for both fourth- and eighth-graders in the United States have not measurably changed compared to the first TIMSS administration in 1995. The average science score for fourth-graders was lower in 2023 than in 1995, while the average science score for eighth-graders was not measurably different.
“The TIMSS results are providing crucial data we can use to understand how the United States is faring relative to other countries in the wake of the worldwide pandemic,” Carr said. “We‘re finding that education systems around the world are struggling in mathematics and science achievement. Like the U.S., some countries also experienced declines in student achievement since 2019, particularly at grade 8. On the other hand, we‘ve also learned that declines were not inevitable depending on the grade and subject for some education systems.”
In the U.S., boys outperformed girls in both subjects and at both grades in 2023. This was the first time since 2003 that there was a gender gap in eighth-grade mathematics, and a return of a gender gap in eighth-grade science, which has been observed in every TIMSS administration except 2019. Male fourth-graders have outperformed female fourth-graders in mathematics and science in nearly every administration of TIMSS.
Other key findings from the assessment:
FOURTH-GRADE MATHEMATICS
EIGHTH-GRADE MATHEMATICS
FOURTH-GRADE SCIENCE
EIGHTH-GRADE SCIENCE
The full report is available at https://nces.ed.gov/timss/.
Technical Note
Statistics from sample-based surveys and assessments are subject to sampling and non-sampling error. All comparisons in this statistical press release have been tested and found to be statistically significant unless otherwise noted. NCES statistical tests are generally conducted at a 95 percent level of confidence.
# # #
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, is the statistical center of the U.S. Department of Education and the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education in the U.S. and other nations. A part of the Institute of Education Sciences, NCES fulfills a congressional mandate to collect, collate, analyze, and report complete statistics on the condition of American education; conduct and publish reports; and review and report on education activities internationally.
The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) is an international comparative study of student achievement. TIMSS 2023 represents the eighth such study since TIMSS was first conducted in 1995. TIMSS assesses the mathematics and science knowledge and skills of fourth- and eighth-graders and is designed to align broadly with mathematics and science curricula in the participating education systems.
TIMSS is sponsored by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) and managed in the United States by NCES.
CONTACT:
Lydia Malley, NCES, Lydia.Malley@ed.gov, or James Elias, Hager Sharp, JElias@hagersharp.com