Global Perspectives for Local Action Using TIMSS to Improve U.S. Mathematics and Science Education (1999) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
6 Frequently Asked Questions About TIMSS
6 Frequently Asked Questions About TIMSS
Pages 80-86
The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.
From page 80... ...
As these systems change in future years, the results of TIMSS will provide a baseline against which improvements can be measured. This report highlights many of the key findings from TIMSS and relates those findings to the implementation of standards-based education in the United States.
|
From page 81... ...
At the elementary school level, TIMSS administered achievement tests to students in the two adjacent grades containing the most 9 year olds (a group referred to as population 1, corresponding to grades three and four in the United States)
|
From page 82... ...
Even so, meeting the selection criteria did not necessarily disadvantage a country in the rankings. Countries that met the criteria for the fourth- and eighth-grade tests included Korea and Japan, which generally outperformed the United States, as well as the Czech Republic, Hong Kong, and Singapore, which performed well in many areas.
|
From page 83... ...
Since students who drop out presumably tend to be lower achievers, this phenomenon may enhance the relative rank of the United States. It is true that most countries participating in the end-of-secondary school tests, including the United States, did not meet the selection criteria for representative samples.
|
From page 84... ...
Furthermore, the United States tends to repeat topics over more years than do other countries, at least in mathematics. The data sketch a picture of repeated exposure without time for mastery.
|
From page 85... ...
The equivalent teacher in Japan reviews by lecturing or questioning the students, poses problems and has students work on them individually and perhaps in groups, leads a class discussion of how to solve the problems, and concludes by clarifying and summarizing the main concepts. Germany is closer in practice to the United States than Japan.
|
From page 86... ...
For instance, while many people believe that smaller class size is associated with higher achievement, classes in Korea, one of the top-performing countries, average more than 40 students. The results of TIMSS also reiterate that some factors affecting achievement are not immediately within schools' control.
|
Key Terms
This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More
information on Chapter Skim is available.