TIMSS+2007

TORONTO, Dec. 9 /CNW/ - Ontario Grades 4 and 8 students performed at the Intermediate level and maintained the province's position internationally according to the results of the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2007. Today, the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO), which coordinated the province's participation on behalf of the Government of Ontario, released highlights of Ontario's student achievement as well as a detailed provincial report. The International Association for the Evaluation of Education Achievement (IEA), which conducted the study, has also published a full international report.

Ontario's international position: Ontario has held its position internationally from 1995 to 2007; there has been little change in the list of countries achieving higher results than Ontario over this period. The top-performing jurisdictions on TIMSS 2007 were Hong Kong, Singapore, Taipei and Japan for Grade 4 mathematics; Taipei, Korea and Singapore for Grade 8 mathematics; Singapore, Taipei, Hong Kong and Japan for Grade 4 science; and Singapore, Taipei, Japan and Korea for Grade 8 science. The average scale scores obtained by these jurisdictions in each grade and for each subject were significantly higher than Ontario's.

Ontario student performance: In Grades 4 and 8 mathematics and science, Ontario students' average scale scores on TIMSS 2007 met the Intermediate achievement benchmark. This benchmark is one of the four categories defined by TIMSS: Low, Intermediate, High and Advanced. Though the study defines an Advanced benchmark, no participating jurisdiction had average scale scores reaching it. Since the first administration of the study, in 1995, the proportion of Ontario students reaching the Intermediate benchmark has increased significantly from 59% to 71% in Grade 4 mathematics, from 65% to 74% in Grade 8 mathematics, from 71% to 79% in Grade 4 science and from 61% to 77% in Grade 8 science. "International assessments such as TIMSS give the public and our education policy makers information about how well Ontario's publicly funded school system is preparing students relative to other systems around the globe," said Brian L. Desbiens, Chair of EQAO's board of directors. "The results from this and other recently released international assessments paint a clear picture: Ontario's students stack up quite well on the international stage, but there is still work to be done to ensure they are consistently among the world's top performers."

Ontario in relation to the other Canadian provinces: Ontario's students generally performed on par with those from the other participating Canadian provinces. Ontario students performed as well as those in Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia in Grade 4 mathematics; as well as those in British Columbia, but not as well as those in Quebec, in Grade 8 mathematics; as well as those in Alberta and British Columbia and better than those in Quebec in Grade 4 science; and as well as those in British Columbia and better than those in Quebec in Grade 8 science. Ontario is also the only Canadian province that has improved continually since the first administration of TIMSS, in 1995. While it is not possible to make direct comparisons between the four TIMSS achievement benchmarks and the four achievement levels for EQAO's provincial assessments, the substantial improvements in student achievement on the Grade 4 TIMSS mathematics assessment since 1995 mirror the improvement tracked by EQAO's Grade 3 assessment over a similar period. "The fact that trends in Ontario's achievement on TIMSS are in line with the improvements we have seen on EQAO's provincial assessments confirms the progress Ontario students have been making in mathematics," stated Marguerite Jackson, Chief Executive Officer of EQAO. "However, this doesn't mean we can become complacent. The limited improvement on both the provincial and international assessments in recent years serves as a reminder that achievement in math - that of individual students and that of the system as a whole - continues to require focused attention. Highlights of the provincial results, a complete TIMSS 2007 Ontario Results Report and the IEA's full TIMSS 2007 International Report are available at [|www.eqao.com].

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<< BACKGROUNDER

About TIMSS

- The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) is an international study that measures the mathematics and science achievement of students in Grades 4 and 8. - TIMSS is coordinated by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). - The first cycle of TIMSS was administered in 1995 in 41 countries. The second cycle, in 1999, involved 38 countries. Continuing the regular cycle of studies at four-year intervals, TIMSS 2003 involved more than 50 countries, and approximately 60 countries participated in TIMSS 2007. - Ontario has participated in TIMSS assessments since their inception, in 1995. - In 2007, - 40 jurisdictions participated in the Grade 4 TIMSS mathematics study; - 52 jurisdictions participated in the Grade 8 TIMSS mathematics study; - 40 jurisdictions participated in the Grade 4 TIMSS science study and - 52 jurisdictions participated in the Grade 8 TIMSS science study. - In TIMSS 2007, the three other participating Canadian provinces were Alberta, British Columbia and Quebec. However, Alberta students participated only in the Grade 4 assessment of mathematics and science. - In the TIMSS 2007 Grade 4 assessment, - a total of 3496 Grade 4 students in Ontario participated; - 2322 students from the English-language school system in Ontario participated and - 1174 students from the French-language school system in Ontario participated. - In the TIMSS 2007 Grade 8 assessment, - a total of 3448 Grade 8 students in Ontario participated; - 2377 students from the English-language school system in Ontario participated and - 1071 students from the French-language school system in Ontario participated. - The mathematics and science achievement results for the TIMSS assessment are expressed in two related ways: as average scale scores and according to the percentage of students at four international benchmarks. - The four benchmarks defined by TIMSS are (average scale scores in brackets) - Low (400 to 474 points); - Intermediate (475 to 549 points); - High (550 to 624 points) and - Advanced (625 points and higher). - Most of the questions (items) on TIMSS are covered in The Ontario Curriculum to the end of the grade being tested, as below: - In Grade 4 mathematics, 83% of the items are covered in The Ontario Curriculum and 17% are not. - In Grade 8 mathematics, 89% of the items are covered in The Ontario Curriculum and 11% are not. - In Grade 4 science, 82% of the items are covered in The Ontario Curriculum and 18% are not. - In Grade 8 science, 85% of the items are covered in The Ontario Curriculum and 15% are not.

Note: When the Ontario averages are computed excluding the items that are not covered by The Ontario Curriculum, there are no significant differences in the averages. >>

About EQAO

The Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) acts as a catalyst for increasing the success of Ontario students by measuring their achievement in reading, writing and mathematics against a common curriculum benchmark. As an independent provincial agency, EQAO plays a pivotal role by conducting province-wide tests at key points in every student's primary, junior and secondary education and reporting the results. The objective and reliable facts obtained add to the current knowledge about student learning and are an important tool for improvement at the individual, school and provincial levels. EQAO also coordinates the province's participation in national and international assessments on behalf of the Government of Ontario.