School Context: The School Context for Year 5 Students' Mathematics and Science Achievement in 2006

What is TIMSS?

The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) measures trends in mathematics and science achievement at the fourth and eighth grades (Years 5 and 9) as well as monitoring curricular implementation and identifying the most promising instructional practices from around the world.

Conducted on a regular 4-year cycle, TIMSS has assessed mathematics and science in 1994/95¹, 1998/99, 2002/03, and 2006/07 with planning underway for 2010/11.

What does TIMSS consist of?

TIMSS consists of assessments of students’ achievements in mathematics and science, along with questionnaires for students, teachers, and principals to gather background information. The background information provides a context within which the achievement can be examined.

The TIMSS assessments are organised around two dimensions: a content dimension, specifying the domains or subject matter to be assessed within mathematics and science; and a cognitive dimension, specifying the domains or thinking processes to be assessed. These domains are published in the TIMSS 2007 assessment frameworks (Mullis, Martin, Ruddock, O’Sullivan, Arora, and Erberber, 2005). The contextual factors associated with students’ learning in mathematics and science are also included in the frameworks to guide questionnaire development.

How was TIMSS developed?

The TIMSS tests were developed cooperatively with representatives from participating countries. Questions were field-tested with a representative sample of students in these countries and the results generated were used to select and refine the questions for the final test. Questions for the background questionnaires underwent a similar process.

Who participated?

In TIMSS 2006/07, approximately 425,000 students in 59 countries from all around the world took part. Participants included 183,150 students from 37 countries and 7 benchmarking participants at the middle primary level, and 241,613 students from 50 countries and 7 benchmarking participants at the lower secondary level.² In this cycle of TIMSS 4940 New Zealand Year 5 students from 220 schools participated. New Zealand did not participate at the lower secondary level.

Who administered TIMSS?

A consortium was responsible for managing the international activities required for the project. This consortium comprised: the International Study Centre, Lynch School of Education at Boston College, (Massachusetts) United States; the IEA Secretariat in Amsterdam, the Netherlands; the IEA’s Data Processing Centre in Hamburg, Germany; Statistics Canada in Ottawa, Canada; and the Educational Testing Service (ETS) in Princeton, New Jersey in the United States. In New Zealand the Comparative Education Research Unit in the Ministry of Education was responsible for carrying out TIMSS.

What procedures were used to ensure the quality of the data?

TIMSS procedures are designed to ensure the reliability, validity, and comparability of the data through careful planning and documentation, cooperation among participating countries, standardised procedures, and attention to quality control throughout. Procedures included verification of translations and layout of booklets and questionnaires, monitoring of sampling activities, international and national quality control observers during test administration, checking of data, detailed manuals covering procedures, and rigorous training for all involved. Members of the consortium ensured procedures were adhered to by all participating countries.

Why participate in TIMSS?

Although it is often assumed that the international studies are only useful for international benchmarking purposes, the real value of TIMSS lies in its ability to provide a rich picture of mathematics and science achievement within New Zealand and over time.

TIMSS (along with other international assessment studies) can provide information about the performance of the New Zealand education system at the national level within a global context. The information from studies such as TIMSS is used in the development and review of policy frameworks and also to inform and improve teaching practice. Developments arising out of previous cycles of TIMSS include resource materials for schools and teachers along with teacher in-service training programmes.

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