The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study
(TIMSS) 2003 is the third comparison of mathematics and science
achievement carried out since 1995 by the International
Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA),
an international organization of national research institutions
and governmental research agencies. TIMSS can be used to track
changes in achievement over time. Moreover, TIMSS is closely
linked to the curricula of the participating countries,
providing an indication of the degree to which students have
learned concepts in mathematics and science they have
encountered in school. In 2003, some 46 countries participated
in TIMSS, at either the fourth- or eighth-grade level, This
summary highlights initial findings on the performance of U.S.
fourth- and eighth-grade students relative to their peers in
other countries on the TIMSS assessment. The summary is based on
the findings presented in two reports published by the IEA:
These two IEA reports were simultaneously publishe