20 years of TIMSS: International Trends in Mathematics and Science Achievement, Curriculum, and Instruction

TIMSS has measured student achievement in mathematics and science at fourth and eighth grades every four years since 1995, as well as in advanced mathematics and physics at less frequent intervals (1995, 2008, and 2015). TIMSS assessment and questionnaire data provide an authoritative account of how the world’s students are currently performing in mathematics and science, how performance has evolved over the past 20 years, and the changes that have occurred in curriculum, instruction, and other aspects of education that affect learning. This report attempts to summarize the most important and interesting trends emerging from TIMSS across the past two decades. The report is organized from macro to micro perspectives. The first chapter provides an overview of student achievement worldwide, with analyses of both long term and short term trends. The second and third chapters explore curriculum and instruction. Chapter 2 describes not only the evolution of mathematics and science curricula, but also how TIMSS itself has changed to stay in synch with curricular change. Chapter 3 explores the context of instruction, in particular the characteristics of schools, classrooms, and teachers in the local settings where instruction unfolds. The fourth and fifth chapters narrow the focus to two topics of interest among policymakers. Chapter 4 examines short term and long term trends in the distribution of achievement within countries. Chapter 5 investigates students’ enjoyment of mathematics and self-confidence in studying the subject.