U.S. 4th-graders showed no measurable change in mathematics from 1995 to 2003, while 8th-graders showed improvement over this period.

The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) conducted in 2003 assessed students’ mathematics performance at grade 4 in 25 countries and at grade 8 in 45 countries. The assessment is curriculum based and measures what students have actually learned against what is expected to be typically taught in the participating countries by the end of grades 4 and 8.

U.S. students at grades 4 and 8 scored above the international average in 2003 (see table 11-1). U.S. 4th-graders scored higher, on average, than students in 13 countries, while students in 11 countries outperformed U.S. students. At grade 8, the average U.S. mathematics score was higher than those of students in 25 countries, but below the average scores of students in 9 countries.

While the international average scores of males and females were similar at grades 4 and 8 in 2003, there were measurable differences in a few countries. At grade 4, males outperformed females in the United States and two other countries, while females outperformed males only in Armenia. At grade 8, no measurable difference was detected between the U.S. average scores of males and females; males outperformed females in five countries and females outperformed males in four countries.

TIMSS previously assessed students in mathematics at grade 4 in 1995 and at grade 8 in 1995 and 1999. Comparing 2003 scores with these scores provides additional perspective on U.S. students’ performance. For example, although there was no measurable difference between U.S. 4th-graders’ average scores in 1995 and 2003, the United States’ standing declined relative to the 14 other countries participating in both assessments. In 1995, students in four of these countries outperformed U.S. students on average, compared with students in seven countries outperforming U.S. students in 2003 (see table 11-2).

At grade 8, average U.S. mathematics scores increased from 1995 to 2003. No difference was detected in average scores between 1999 and 2003, indicating that the increase occurred primarily between 1995 and 1999. The standing of U.S. 8th-graders between 1995 and 2003 increased relative to the 21 other countries participating in both assessments: in 1995, students in 12 countries outperformed U.S. students, while students in 7 countries outperformed U.S. students in 2003.