The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) is an international assessment conducted by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). It targets mathematics and science knowledge of students in Grades 4 and 8. TIMSS was first administered in 1995 and has been carried out every four years since then.
TIMSS 2019 is a Mathematics and Science international assessment that will be administered from April 8 to May 10 in 104 schools to Grade 4 students only. Grade 8 students this year will write the PCAP assessment.
The TIMSS assessments are based on a comprehensive framework developed collaboratively with the participating countries. This framework is organized 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 expected of students as they engage with the mathematics and science content.
The TIMSS framework for 2015 is indicated below.
This will be the first year that Newfoundland and Labrador will participate in TIMSS. Assessments like TIMSS provides education policy-makers, administrators, teachers, and researchers with powerful insights into how education systems are functioning as well as critical intelligence about the possibilities for education reform and improvement.
In Newfoundland and Labrador, both the NLSchools Division and the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (EECD) develop programs and allocate resources based on information collected from many data sources, of which TIMSS will now be included.
The assessment takes about 70 minutes to complete at the Grade 4 level. An additional 30 minutes are required for students to complete a contextual questionnaire intended to collect information on students' characteristics and attitudes toward learning.
Parents or guardians of participating Grade 4 students are asked to complete a questionnaire on home contexts, while teachers provide valuable information on the classroom environment in which mathematics and science are taught. School administrators answer questions about student demographic characteristics, the availability of resources, types of programs, and environments for learning in their schools.
For more information on TIMSS specifically and international assessments in general please feel free to explore the links below.
Sources: https://www.cmec.ca/527/TIMSS_2015.html.