The study was also designed so that it could provide countries with an opportunity to measure trends in mathematics and science achievement in subsequent cycles. This first cycle covered achievement at three educational levels: middle primary (Years 4 and 5), upper primary and lower secondary (Years 8 and 9), and students in their final year of schooling (Years 12 and 13). In addition, a sub-sample of students from Years 5 and 9 participated in the performance assessment component of TIMSS.

Key Findings

• At the middle primary level (Years 4 and 5, or Grades 3 and 4 equivalent), New Zealand students performed significantly below the international averages in mathematics for both grade levels. In science, New Zealand students did slightly better, performing at about the international averages.
• New Zealand 's mean mathematics scores at the lower secondary level (Years 8 and 9 or Grades 7 and 8 equivalent) were slightly below the international averages. In science, students at this level scored just above the international means on average. Boys generally outperformed girls in science.
• New Zealand school-leavers (Years 12 and 13) performed well in both mathematics and scientific literacy, with mean scores significantly above the international means. New Zealand males achieved significantly higher scores than their female counterparts in both subject areas.