Key Findings

Mathematics achievement of New Zealand Year 5 students since 1994

• The average (mean) mathematics achievement of New Zealand Year 5 students in 2023 was higher than that of the students in 1994, but similar to the other cycles (differences were not significantly¹ different).
• The range (interquartile) of achievement among Year 5 students in New Zealand in 2023 was wide compared to earlier cycles and compared to high-performing and most of the English-speaking countries.
• Although New Zealand’s mean achievement in mathematics has increased since 1994/95, many other countries have increased by more.

Classifying New Zealand Year 5 students performances

• Seven percent of New Zealand Year 5 students were classified as advanced performers (reached the advanced benchmark) in 2023. In contrast, 17 percent did not perform simple mathematical tasks and were classified as below low performers.
• The proportions of Year 5 students reaching each benchmark in 2023 were not significantly different from the previous cycle in 2018.

Year 5 students’ strengths and weaknesses in mathematics

• The area of statistics, known as the data domain in TIMSS, continues to be a relative strength for Year 5 students in 2023. Data has been a relative strength for New Zealand students since 2006, while they tend to be relatively weaker on number and measurement and geometry.

TIMSS and the New Zealand mathematics curriculum

• When the TIMSS test was compared to curriculum expectations for New Zealand Year 5 students, 84 percent of the score points were considered relevant to mathematics in the NZC. That is, sixteen percent of the score points were considered more advanced than our curriculum.
• When analysis reduced the test to contain only those questions appropriate to New Zealand Year 5 students, the average score would not have changed by much and other middle primary students in high-performing countries would still have done much better, on average, on the test.

Mathematics achievement of Year 5 boys and girls

• The average Year 5 boy had higher mathematics achievement than the average Year 5 girl. This was the first time in eight cycles of TIMSS where there was a statistically significant difference.
• Year 5 boys had higher mathematics achievement in 2023 than in 2014, whereas the girls’ achievement was lower.

Mathematics achievement of Māori Year 5 students

• There has been no significant change in the average achievement of Māori students (in English-medium schools) since 2011, nor any change in the percentages of students reaching each of the TIMSS benchmarks.

Mathematics achievement of Pacific Year 5 students

• There has been no significant change in the average achievement of Pacific students since 2011, nor in their achievement at each of the benchmarks.

Mathematics achievement of Asian Year 5 students

• There has been no significant change in the average achievement of Asian students since 2011, though more Asian students are reaching the high and advanced benchmarks.

Mathematics achievement of Pākehā/European Year 5 students

• The average achievement of Pākehā/European students has increased significantly since 2018 but is not significantly different from earlier cycles. There are more Pākehā/European students performing at or above the high benchmark.

Mathematics achievement of Year 5 students by socio-economic status

• Children in homes with many resources for learning had higher mathematics achievement, on average, than those whose homes had fewer resources.
• In comparison to other countries, the difference in mathematics achievement between students in more affluent schools and those in more disadvantaged schools within New Zealand was higher than many other countries in the TIMSS study – only six countries had greater differences, including the United States and Australia.
• However, socio-economic status need not determine outcomes of education. There were higher-achieving and lower achieving students across all levels of socio-economic status.

Year 5 student attitudes to and engagement with mathematics

• More than two-thirds of Year 5 students like learning mathematics, but nearly one-third do not. Fewer New Zealand Year 5 students liked learning mathematics compared with on average internationally.
• Nearly 40 percent of Year 5 students were not confident in their own ability to do mathematics. Fewer New Zealand Year 5 students were confident in their ability to do mathematics compared with on average internationally.
• Most New Zealand Year 5 students had some confidence in their abilities to perform digital tasks. Those Year 5 students with high digital self-efficacy had higher mathematics achievement than those with medium or low self-efficacy.

Year 5 student wellbeing at school

• More than half of New Zealand Year 5 students had a high sense of belonging at school. Those students with at least some sense of school belonging had higher mathematics achievement than those students who had little sense of belonging.
• Nearly one in five New Zealand Year 5 students experienced bullying behaviours about weekly. Students who were bullied about weekly had significantly lower mathematics achievement than those who were bullied less often.

Footnote

1. The word 'significant' is used to describe statistical significance. Statistical tests show that these results are 95% certain.