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PISA and TIMSS

The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is an OECD initiative which looks at reading, mathematical and scientific literacy of 15 year-old students around the world. The Trends in Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) is a project of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) which aims to improve teaching and learning of mathematics and science by providing data about Year 4 and Year 8 students’ achievement in relation to different types of curricula, instructional practice, and school environments.

Both of these international assessments are now included in the National Assessment Program agreed by the Ministerial Council for Education, Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs (MCEECDYA), and each assessment cycle involves a sample of Australian schools and students.

Performance of Australian School Students in International Studies in Mathematics

This paper by Professor Kaye Stacey and Dr Max Stephens provides an overview of the PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) and TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) international assessment programs, and what recent results have told us about Australian students' achievement in mathematics and mathematical literacy.

(The paper can be downloaded as a PDF file from the page below).

http://www.dest.gov.au/sectors/school_education/publications_resources/schooling_issues_digest/

Informing Mathematics Pedagogy: TIMSS 2007 Australia and the world

Sue Thomson and Sarah Buckley have authored this report with classroom teachers in mind. They present an overview of the TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Sciences) assessment together with a detailed item analysis of some questions from 2007. Teachers can explore the Australian results for each question, and examine whether the responses and understandings (or misconceptions) of students in the Australian sample are typical of those of their own students.

The report, and files containing all the publicly released 2007 TIMSS assessment items, can be downloaded from the page below.

http://www.acer.edu.au/timss/datarep.html