U.S. 4th-graders showed no measurable change in science 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 student performance in science 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.

On average, U.S. students at grades 4 and 8 scored above the international average (see table 12-1). At grade 4, U.S. students outperformed students in 16 countries, while students in 3 countries scored higher, on average, than U.S. students. At grade 8, U.S. students outperformed students in 32 countries, while students in 7 countries outperformed U.S. students.

The international average scores of males and females were similar at grade 4, while males outperformed females at grade 8 in 2003. Differences by sex were measurable in a few countries. At grade 4, while no measurable difference was detected in the United States between the scores of males and females, males outperformed females in three countries and females outperformed males only in the Islamic Republic of Iran. At grade 8, males outperformed females in the United States and 17 other countries, while females outperformed males in 5 countries.

TIMSS previously assessed students in science at grade 4 in 1995 and at grade 8 in 1995 and 1999. Comparing 2003 scores with these earlier 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 standing of the United States declined relative to that of the 14 other countries participating in both assessments. U.S. 4th-graders outperformed students in 13 of these countries in 1995, on average, compared with outperforming students in 8 countries in 2003 (see table 12-2).

At grade 8, U.S. students scored higher, on average, in 2003 than in 1995 or 1999, with most of the increase occurring between 1999 and 2003. As a result, the standing of the U.S. 8th-graders increased relative to the 21 other countries participating in both the 1995 and 2003 assessments. In 1995, U.S. 8th-graders outperformed students in 5 countries, on average, compared with outperforming students in 11 countries in 2003.