Introduction to TIMSS:Assessment Frameworks,

Example Items and

Achievements of HK Students

What is TIMSS?

TIMSS (the Trends in International Mathematics

and Science Study)

An international assessment of the mathematics

and science knowledge of fourth- and eighth-

grade students around the world

A project of the International Association for the

Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) to

allow participating nations to compare students'

educational achievement across borders

Mission of TIMSS

Provides information to improve teaching and

learning in mathematics and science by:

Assessing achievement in mathematics and

science at the forth- and eighth grades on a

regular four-year cycle (the TIMSS 2011 is the

fifth trend measure)

Collecting background information via

questionnaires to address concerns about

school resources and the quality of curriculum

and instruction

Basis of TIMSS Achievement Tests

Intended Curriculum - the mathematics and science that society intends for students to learn and how the education system should be organized to facilitate this learning

Implemented Curriculum - what is actually taught in classrooms, the characteristics of those teaching it, and how it is taught

Attained Curriculum - how it is taught; and what it is that students have learned, and what they think about these subjects

Working from this model, TIMSS uses mathematics and science achievement tests to describe student learning in the participating countries

Exhibit 1. TIMSS Curriculum Model

Value of TIMSS

Has internationally comparable data about what mathematics and science concepts, processes, and attitudes students have learned by the fourth and eighth grades

Assesses progress internationally in mathematics and science learning across time for students at the fourth grade and for students at the eighth grade.

Monitors the relative effectiveness of teaching and learning at the fourth as compared to the eighth grade, since the cohort of fourth-grade students is assessed again as eighth graders

Complement of TIMSS - PIRLS

TIMSS data complement IEA’s Progress in

International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS)

conducted at the fourth grade

By participating in TIMSS and PIRLS, countries

can have information at regular intervals about

how well their students read and what they know

and can do in mathematics and science

General Assessment Framework

The content domains (for example, algebra, geometry,

etc. in mathematics, and biology, chemistry, etc. in

science) and the topic areas within the domains are

described separately for the fourth and eighth grades

with each topic area elaborated with specific objectives.

The cognitive domains describing the thinking students

should be doing within the mathematics and science

content domains are the same for mathematics and

science and parallel across grades, but with different

levels of emphasis

The content and cognitive domains are the foundation of

the TIMSS 2011 fourth- and eighth-grade assessments

Science Framework (1)

The science assessment framework for TIMSS 2011 consists the following dimensions:

A content dimension specifying the subject matter domains to be assessed within science (for example, biology, chemistry, physics, and earth science at the eighth grade);

A cognitive dimension specifying the cognitive domains or skills and behaviors (that is, knowing, applying, and reasoning) expected of students as they engage with the science content.

The content domains differ for the fourth and eighth grades, reflecting the nature and difficulty of the science taught at each grade.

Science Framework (2)

Exhibit 3. Approximate Percentages of the TIMSS 2011 Science Assessment

Devoted to Content and Cognitive Domains at Fourth and Eighth Grades

Science Framework (3)

Content Domain – 4th Grade

A. Life Science

1. Characteristics and Life Processes of Living Things

2. Life Cycles, Reproduction, and Heredity

3. Interactions with the Environment

4. Ecosystems

5. Human Health

Science Framework (4)

Content Domain – 4th Grade

B. Physical Science

1. Classification and properties of matter

2. Sources and effects of energy

3. Forces and motion

Science Framework (5)

Content Domain – 4th Grade

C. Earth Science

1. Earth’s structure, physical

characteristics, and resources

2. Earth’s processes, cycles, and history

3. Earth in the solar system

Science Framework (6)

Content Domain – 8th Grade

A. Biology

1. Characteristics, classification, and life processes of organisms

2. Cells and their functions

3. Life cycles, reproduction, and heredity

4. Diversity, adaptation, and natural selection

5. Ecosystems

6. Human health

Science Framework (7)

Content Domain – 8th Grade

B. Chemistry

1. Classification and composition of

matter

2. Properties of matter

3. Chemical change

Science Framework (8)

Content Domain – 8th Grade

C. Physics

1. Physical states and changes in matter

2. Energy transformations, heat, and

temperature

3. Light and sound

4. Electricity and magnetism

5. Forces and motion

Science Framework (9)

Content Domain – 8th Grade

D. Earth Science

1. Earth’s structure and physical features

2. Earth’s processes, cycles, and history

3. Earth’s resources, their use and

conservation

4. Earth in the solar system and the

universe

Science Framework (10)

Cognitive Domain – 4th & 8th Grades A. Knowing

Knowing refers to students’ knowledge base of science facts, information, concepts, and tools.

Students are expected to recall or recognize accurate science statements; possess knowledge of vocabulary, facts, information, symbols, and units; and select appropriate apparatus, equipment, measurement devices, and experimental operations to use in conducting investigations

This cognitive domain also includes the selection of illustrative examples in support of statements of facts or concepts

Science Framework (11)

Cognitive Domain – 4th & 8th Grades B. Applying

The questions are designed to involve the direct application of knowledge and understanding of science in straightforward situations

Require students to compare, contrast, and classify; and to interpret scientific information in light of a science concept or principle

Use and apply their understanding of science concepts and principles to find a solution or develop an explanation.

Items aligned with this cognitive domain may also involve the direct application or demonstration of relationships, equations, and formulas in contexts likely to be familiar in the teaching and learning of science concepts

Science Framework (12)

Cognitive Domain – 4th & 8th Grades C. Reasoning

Prepares students to engage in scientific reasoning to solve problems, develop explanations, draw conclusions, make decisions, and extend their knowledge to new situations.

Some problem solving situations involve unfamiliar or more complicated contexts that require students to reason from scientific principles to provide an answer.

Students may be required to analyze a problem to determine what underlying principles are involved; devise and explain strategies for problem solving; select and apply appropriate equations, formulas, relationships, or analytical techniques; and evaluate their solutions.

HK Students’ Performance in TIMSS

Mathematics Grade 4 & 8 (2007)

HK Students’ Performance in TIMSS

Science Grade 4 & 8 (2007)

HK Students’ Performance in TIMSS

Mathematics Grade 4 & 8 (2003)Grade 4 Grade 8

HK Students’ Performance in TIMSS

Science Grade 4 & 8 (2003)Grade 4 Grade 8

References

More information are available from the following websites:

National Center for Education Statistics

http://nces.ed.gov/timss/

TIMSS & PIRLS International Study Center

http://timss.bc.edu/