TIMSS 2019 - ACER

TIMSS 2019

HIGHLIGHTS

Sue ThomsonNicole WernertSima RodriguesElizabeth O’Grady

AUSTRALIA

This publication has been produced by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) under contract with the Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment. Funding was provided jointly by the Australian Government and all Australian state and territory governments.

© Commonwealth of Australia 2020

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This document provides the highlights from Volume I of the main report TIMSS 2019 Australia. Volume I: Student performance.

Volume I and these Highlights focus on the achievement results, detailing Australia’s results within the international context, as well as the results for the Australian jurisdictions, and for different demographic groups within Australia.

Volume II will present the results from the contextual questionnaires, examining the contexts in which learning and achievement occur, including home, school, and classroom contexts, as well as student attitudes.

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http://www.pmc.gov.au/government/commonwealth-coat-arms

1

1 What is TIMSS?

Australia participated in the seventh cycle of Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). TIMSS is an international sample study that assesses the mathematics and science achievement of Year 4 and Year 8 students every four years. Australia has participated in all cycles of TIMSS since it commenced in 1995 and over this 24-year period has collected rich data about trends in mathematics and science achievement.

TIMSS is directed by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), an independent international cooperative of national research institutions and government agencies that has been conducting studies of cross-national achievement in a wide range of subjects since 1959. As well as the assessment of mathematics and science, TIMSS collects extensive background information that addresses concerns about the quantity, quality and content of instruction. This background information is collected through a series of questionnaires for students, parents, teachers, principals and curriculum specialists.

TIMSS 2019 was the first cycle that offered a computer-based assessment (eTIMSS). Countries could choose either computer-based or paper-based assessments (Australia participated in the paper-based assessment). Over 60 countries participated in TIMSS 2019, about half of which participated in the computer-based assessment. Computer and paper were designed to be equivalent and have been reported as one assessment on the already established TIMSS Grade 4 and Grade 8 mathematics and science scales.

TIMSS is part of the National Assessment ProgramIn Australia, TIMSS is a key part of the National Assessment Program (NAP) and complements other NAP assessments. Results from these NAP assessments allow for nationally comparable reporting of progress towards the Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians (until 2019)1 and the Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration (from 2020).2 These declarations set out a vision for education in Australia that promotes excellence and equity to enable all Australians to become confident and creative individuals, successful learners, and active and informed community members.

1 Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training, and Youth Affairs (Australia). (2008). Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians.

2 Council of Australian Governments Education Council. (2019). Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration. Education Council Secretariat.

2 TIMSS 2019: Highlights

2 Who participated in TIMSS 2019?

ff At the Year 4 level, 58 countries participated, of which 30 undertook eTIMSS.

ff At the Year 8 level, 39 countries participated, of which 22 participated in eTIMSS.

ff More than 330 000 students, 11 000 school principals and 22 000 teachers participated at Year 4.

ff A further 250 000 students, 8000 school principals and 30 000 teachers participated at Year 8.

Which Australians took part?TIMSS is a sample assessment. It isn't possible to test every Year 4 or Year 8 student (that would take too long and cost too much) so we take a sample of these students. We know how many Year 4 and Year 8 students there are in Australia, which lets us extrapolate the results to make inferences about the populations of Year 4 and Year 8 Australian students. In all, 5890 Year 4 and 9060 Year 8 students undertook the assessment, representing the populations of around 302 574 Year 4 and 276 051 Year 8 students in Australia.

Figure 2.1 gives a snapshot of the Australian TIMSS 2019 sample.

QLD 2709 students in 92 schools

NT 538 students in 27 schools

WA 2343 students in 75 schools

SA 1814 students in 80 schools

NSW 2776 students in 91 schools

ACT 1536 students in 59 schools

VIC 2165 students in 89 schools

TAS 1069 students in 58 schools

5890Year 4s

9060Year 8s

571 schoolsgovernment, Catholic & independent; metropolitan, regional and remote

FIGURE 2.1 The Australian TIMSS 2019 sample

TIMSS 2019: Highlights 3

3 What does TIMSS assess?

TIMSS assesses mathematics and science as separate subjects and uses national curricula as the major organising concept. The assessments are based on comprehensive frameworks that are built in collaboration with participating countries to describe the knowledge and skills expected of students at Year 4 and Year 8. In addition, the TIMSS school, teacher, student, and home questionnaires gather extensive information about the contextual factors at school and home that are associated with learning and student achievement.

TIMSS is based on a research model that uses the curriculum, in broad terms, as its foundation. The TIMSS curriculum model includes three curriculum levels, considered in relation to the context in which they occur. These levels are shown in Figure 3.1.

The TIMSS assessment frameworks for mathematics and science are organised around two dimensions:

ff a content dimension specifying the subject matter to be assessed

ff a cognitive dimension specifying the thinking processes to be assessed as students engage with the content.

The content domains for mathematics and science at Year 4 and Year 8 are detailed in Tables 3.1–3.2.

In addition, the cognitive domains (thinking processes) are: Knowing, Applying, and Reasoning.

National, socialand educational

context

Intendedcurriculum

School, teacherand classroom

context

Implementedcurriculum

Studentoutcomes andcharacteristics

Attainedcurriculum

FIGURE 3.1 The TIMSS curriculum model


TABLE 3.1 TIMSS Year 4 and Year 8 mathematics content domains

Mathematics Year 4

Content domains Topic areas

Number(50%)

ff Whole numbersff Expressions, simple equations and relationshipsff Fractions and decimals

Measurement and geometry(30%)

ff Measurementff Geometry

Data(20%)

ff Reading, interpreting and representing dataff Using data to solve problems

Mathematics Year 8


Number(30%)

ff Integersff Fractions and decimalsff Ratios, proportions and percentages

Algebra(30%)

ff Expressions, operations and equationsff Relationships and functions

Geometry(20%)

ff Geometric shapes and measurements

Data and probability(20%)

ff Dataff Probability

Sample items from Year 4 and Year 8 mathematics

�e graph shows the water level in a dam for 10 weeks.

What was the water level for week 8?

Answer: ________________ m

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

18

16

14

12

10

8

6

4

2

0

Week

Wat

er L

evel

(m)

Water Level in the Dam

16

FIGURE 3.2 Year 4 mathematics example item – Data, Knowing

60

What is the value of x ?

x = ________________

115° 85°

x°

100°

FIGURE 3.3 Year 8 mathematics example item – Geometry, Applying


TABLE 3.2 TIMSS Year 4 and Year 8 science content domains

Science Year 4


Life science(45%)

ff Characteristics and life processes of organismsff Life cycles, reproduction and heredityff Organisms, environment and their interactionsff Ecosystemsff Human health

Physical science(35%)

ff Classification and properties of matter and changes in matterff Forms of energy and energy transferff Forces and motion

Earth science(20%)

ff Earth’s physical characteristics, resources and historyff Earth’s weather and climatesff Earth in the Solar System

Science Year 8


Biology(35%)

ff Characteristics and life processes of organismsff Cells and their functionsff Life cycles, reproduction and heredityff Diversity, adaptation and natural selectionff Ecosystemsff Human health

Chemistry(20%)

ff Composition of matterff Properties of matterff Chemical change

Physics(25%)

ff Physical states and changes in matterff Energy transformation and transferff Light and soundff Electricity and magnetismff Motion and forces

Earth science(20%)

ff Earth’s structure and physical featuresff Earth’s processes, cycles and historyff Earth’s resources, their use and conservationff Earth in the Solar System and the universe


Sample items from Year 4 and Year 8 science

Tina and Mary need to move identical heavy boxes. Tina has to pull harder onher box to move it than Mary does.

Why is it easier for Mary to move her box?

a Gravity acting on Tina’s box is much stronger.

b Air resistance acting on Tina’s box is much greater.

c �e cart increases the magnetic force acting on Mary’s box.

�e cart’s wheels decrease the force needed to move Mary’s box.

Tina Mary

FIGURE 3.4 Year 4 science example item – Physical science, Applying

Dixon read a fact sheet about crocodiles.

Crocodile Facts

1. Crocodiles have a lifespan of up to 75 years.

2. Crocodiles today look like ancient crocodiles found in fossils.

3. Crocodiles have an angle of vision of 290° as shown in the diagram.

How can a crocodile’s angle of vision help it to survive in its environment?

Give one reason.

145º 145º

The crocodile can see predators and prey almost allof the way around its body without moving its head.

FIGURE 3.5 Year 8 science example item – Biology, Reasoning


4 Australia’s performance results in an international context

TIMSS results are reported as mean scores – a measure of average performance – and other statistics are given that reflect the distribution of performance. This provides a summary of student performance and allows different countries and subgroups to be compared.

In this report, the focus is on differences that were statistically significant (in other words, are unlikely to have arisen by chance). Where the commentary states that there was a difference between sets of numbers, whether these were score, percentage or percentage point differences, it means that the difference satisfied this condition. Where the commentary states that there was no difference, or where no comment is made regarding a possible comparison, it indicates that the difference was not statistically significant.3

3 For more information about statistical significance, refer to the Reader’s Guide in TIMSS 2019 Australia. Volume I: Student performance.


Year 4 Mathematics Year 8 Mathematics

Australian students achieved an average score of 516 points.

Australia’s score was around 110 score points below that of the highest performing country, Singapore.

There were 22 countries whose performance was significantly higher than Australia’s.

There were 12 countries whose performance was not significantly different to Australia’s.

There were 23 countries whose performance was significantly lower than Australia’s.






400

300

350

450

500

550

600

Singapore 625 points(Highest achieving country)

Philippines 297 points(Lowest achieving country)

Hong Kong 602 points

Korea 600 points

Chinese Taipei 599 points

Japan 593 points

Northern Ireland 566 points

England 556 points

Ireland 548 points

United States 535 points

Australia 516 points

Canada 512 points

New Zealand 487 points

South Africa 374 points

475 points - Australia’s National Proficient Standard

400

450

500

550

600


Morocco 388 points(Lowest achieving country)


Korea 607 points

Japan 594 points


Ireland 524 points




England 515 points



Significantly higher than AustraliaNot significantly different to AustraliaSignificantly lower than Australia

FIGURE 4.1 Mean Year 4 and Year 8 mathematics scores, selected countries


Year 4 Science Year 8 Science











400

300

250

350

450

500

550

600


Philippines 249 points(Lowest achieving country)

Korea 588 points

Japan 562 points



England 537 points



Ireland 528 points

Canada 523 points

Northern Ireland 518 points




400

350

450

500

550

600


South Africa 370 points(Lowest achieving country)


Japan 570 points

Korea 561 points


Ireland 523 points



England 517 points



Significantly higher than AustraliaNot significantly different to AustraliaSignificantly lower than Australia

FIGURE 4.2 Mean Year 4 and Year 8 science scores, selected countries


5 Australia’s proficiency results in an international context

To interpret the results on the Year 4 and Year 8 mathematics and science achievement scales, TIMSS describes achievement at four points along each scale as international benchmarks. Table 5.1 summarises the skills and knowledge that students are able to display at each of the international benchmarks for each scale.

TABLE 5.1 The TIMSS 2019 international benchmarks

The TIMSS international benchmarks for mathematics

Year 4 Year 8

Advanced international benchmark

625 points

Students can apply their understanding and knowledge in a variety of relatively complex situations and explain their reasoning.

Students can apply and reason in a variety of problem situations, solve linear equations and make generalisations.

High international benchmark

550 points

Students can apply conceptual understanding to solve problems.

Students can apply their understanding and knowledge in a variety of relatively complex situations.

Intermediate international benchmark

475 points

Students can apply basic mathematical knowledge in simple situations.

Students can apply basic mathematical knowledge in a variety of situations.

Low international benchmark

400 points

Students have some basic mathematical knowledge.

Students have some knowledge of whole numbers and basic graphs.

The TIMSS international benchmarks for science

Year 4 Year 8

Advanced international benchmark

625 points

Students communicate their understanding of life, physical, and Earth sciences and demonstrate some knowledge of the process of scientific inquiry.

Students communicate understanding of concepts related to biology, chemistry, physics and Earth science in a variety of contexts.

High international benchmark

550 points

Students communicate and apply knowledge of life, physical, and Earth sciences.

Students apply understanding of concepts from biology, chemistry, physics and Earth science.

Intermediate international benchmark

475 points

Students show knowledge and understanding of some aspects of science.

Students show some knowledge of biology and the physical sciences.

Low international benchmark

400 points

Students show limited knowledge of scientific concepts and limited knowledge of foundational science facts.

Students show limited understanding of scientific principles and concepts and limited knowledge of science facts.


Australian proficiency in mathematics and science

This report groups the international benchmarks that describe performance in a different way: by very low performers, very high performers and students who attained the National Proficient Standard.

Very low performers are students who scored below the Low international benchmark and struggled to display even basic mathematical or scientific knowledge and understanding.

Very high performers are students who scored at the Advanced international benchmark and were highly proficient in mathematics or science for their year level.

In Australia, students who achieved the National Proficient Standard were those who scored at or above the Intermediate international benchmark in mathematics and science. This level represents a ‘challenging but reasonable’ level of performance where students need to demonstrate more than the minimal skills expected’.4

Performance in mathematicsThe proportions of very low performers, very high performers and students who attained the National Proficient Standard in Australia for Year 4 and 8 mathematics and science are presented in Figure 5.1. Singapore (the highest performing country) and the International median (by definition, half the countries have a percentage above the median and half below the median), are included for comparison.

4060 50 30 10 0 10 20Students (%)

40 605020 30

Singapore

International median

Australia

Singapore


Australia

Singapore


Australia

Singapore


Australia

10

8

10

7

54

10

13

2

11

5

51

6

8

2

11

6

38

8

15

2

13

7

48

Year 4 Mathematics

70

71

96

Year 8 Mathematics

68

56

92

Year 4 Science

78

71

93

Year 8 Science

74

61

91

Very low performers Very high performers

Students whoattained the

National ProficientStandard (%)

Note: In cases in which the proportion of students in a benchmark band is 1% or less, the numeric label is not shown.

FIGURE 5.1 Proportions of students who were very low performers, very high performers and attained the National Proficient Standard in mathematics and science at Year 4 and Year 8

4 Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2019). Measurement framework for schooling in Australia 2019.

https://www.acara.edu.au/docs/default-source/default-document-library/measurement-framework-for-schooling-in-australia-2019773213404c94637ead88ff00003e0139.pdf?sfvrsn=c2a67007_0


6 Australia’s performance over time

From TIMSS 2015 to 2019Australia’s mean performance increased in Year 8 mathematics and Year 4 and Year 8 science, but did not significantly improve in Year 4 mathematics. The increases in mean performance appear to be mainly due to an increase in the proportion of high performing students.

TABLE 6.1 Changes in performance over time for Australia, TIMSS 2015–2019

Changes in… Year 4 Mathematics

Year 8 Mathematics

Year 4 Science

Year 8 Science

Average performance * ▲ 12 points ▲ 9 points ▲ 16 points

Proportion of very low performers * * * *

Proportion of very high performers * ▲ 5 pp ▲ 3 pp ▲ 5 pp

Proportion of students who attained the National Proficient Standard * * * ▲ 5 pp

pp= percentage points; * There were no significant differences between the two cycles.

Other key pointsff Australia was one of 23 countries that had no change in average Year 4 mathematics achievement.

ff Australia was one of 13 countries that improved in average Year 8 mathematics achievement.

ff Australia was one of 10 countries that improved in average Year 4 science achievement.


From TIMSS 1995 to 2019Australia’s mean performance in Year 4 mathematics has improved significantly since TIMSS 1995. This improvement was across the board at all levels of achievement and occurred mainly between TIMSS 1995 and 2007.

TABLE 6.2 Changes in performance over time for Australia, TIMSS 1995–2019

Changes in… Year 4 Mathematics

Year 8 Mathematics

Year 4 Science

Year 8 Science

Average performance ▲ 21 points * ▲ 11 points ▲ 15 points

Proportion of very low performers ▼ 5 pp * ▼ 4 pp *

Proportion of very high performers ▲ 4 pp ▲ 5 pp * *

Proportion of students who attained the National Proficient Standard ▲ 8 pp * ▲ 7 pp ▲ 5 pp

pp= percentage points; * There were no significant differences between the two cycles.

Other key pointsff Australia was one of 13 countries that improved in average Year 4 mathematics achievement.

ff Australia was one of 5 countries that had no change in average Year 8 mathematics achievement.




7 Australia’s performance in the content domains

Figure 7.1 shows the relative mean achievement across the content domains (comparing the domain score against the overall score) for each of mathematics and science for Australian Year 4 and Year 8 students in TIMSS 2019.

ff Year 4 mathematics – students were stronger in Data, but weaker in Number.

ff Year 8 mathematics – students were stronger in Number and Data and probability, but weaker in Algebra and Geometry.

ff Year 4 science – students were stronger in Life science, but weaker in Physical science and Earth science.

ff Year 8 science – students were stronger in Earth science, but weaker in Chemistry.

-10

0

1810

201510

505

1520

Diff

eren

ce fr

om o

vera

llm

athe

mat

ics

scor

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Number Measurementand geometry

Year 4 Mathematics

Data

Not significantly different from overall score

Significant difference from overall score

4

-16

-4

1510

201510

505

1520

Diff

eren

ce fr

om o

vera

llm

athe

mat

ics

scor

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Number GeometryAlgebra

Year 8 Mathematics

Data andprobability



7

-7 -6

10

201510

505

1520

Diff

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llsc

ienc

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ore

Life science Physical science

Year 4 Science

Earth science



3

-14

0 5

10

201510

505

1520

Diff

eren

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om o

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llsc

ienc

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ore

Biology Chemistry

Year 8 Science

Physics Earth science



FIGURE 7.1 Relative mean achievement across the content domains

From TIMSS 2015 to 2019ff Year 4 mathematics – the score for Measurement and geometry dropped 11 points.

ff Year 8 mathematics – scores for all domains increased (Number by 10 points, Algebra by 11 points, Geometry by 13 points, and Data and probability by 14 points).

ff Year 4 science – the score for Physical science increased by 10 points.

ff Year 8 science – scores for all domains increased (Biology by 9 points, Chemistry by 22 points, Physics by 24 points, and Earth science by 11 points).


8 Australia’s performance in the cognitive domains

Figure 8.1 shows the relative mean achievement across the cognitive domains (comparing the domain score against the overall score) for each of mathematics and science for Australian Year 4 and Year 8 students.

ff Year 4 mathematics – students were stronger in Reasoning, but weaker in Knowing.

ff Year 8 mathematics – students were stronger in Applying, but weaker in Knowing and Reasoning.

ff Year 4 science – students were stronger in Knowing and Reasoning, but weaker in Applying.

ff Year 8 science – students were stronger in Applying and Reasoning, but weaker in Knowing.

-7

0 6

10

201510

505

1520

Diff

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mat

ics

scor

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Knowing Applying

Year 4 Mathematics

Reasoning



-7

4-3

10

201510

505

1520

Diff

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llm

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mat

ics

scor

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Knowing Applying

Year 8 Mathematics

Reasoning



5

-9

5

10

201510

505

1520

Diff

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llsc

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ore

Knowing Applying

Year 4 Science

Reasoning



-14

4 7

10

201510

505

1520

Diff

eren

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llsc

ienc

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ore

Knowing Applying

Year 8 Science

Reasoning



FIGURE 8.1 Relative mean achievement across the cognitive domains.

From TIMSS 2015 to 2019ff Year 4 mathematics – there were no significant changes on any of the cognitive domains.

ff Year 8 mathematics – the score for Applying increased by 19 points.

ff Year 4 science – the scores for Knowing and Reasoning increased by 15 and 10 points, respectively.

ff Year 8 science – the scores for Applying and Reasoning increased by 20 and 23 points, respectively.


9 Results for the Australian jurisdictions

Year 4 mathematicsTable 9.1 provides the Year 4 mathematics performance results for the jurisdictions (states and territories). The performance of students in the Australian Capital Territory was higher than that of students in all other jurisdictions except for New South Wales. Students in the Northern Territory were outperformed by those in all other jurisdictions.

TABLE 9.1 Multiple comparisons of Year 4 mathematics achievement, by jurisdiction

Jurisdiction Mean score SE ACT NSW VIC TAS WA QLD SA NT

ACT 540 7.2 l ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲

NSW 522 6.6 l l l l l ▲ ▲

VIC 522 4.7 ▼ l l l l ▲ ▲

TAS 514 7.6 ▼ l l l l l ▲

WA 510 6.2 ▼ l l l l l ▲

QLD 508 5.7 ▼ l l l l l ▲

SA 503 5.9 ▼ ▼ ▼ l l l ▲

NT 461 9.6 ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼

Read across the row to compare a state/territory’s performance with the performance of each jurisdiction listed in the column heading. ▲ Mean performance significantly higher than in comparison jurisdiction.l Not significantly different from comparison jurisdiction.▼ Mean performance significantly lower than in comparison jurisdiction.

Figure 9.1 shows the proportions of students who were low performers, high performers and those who attained the National Proficient Standard in Year 4 mathematics, by state and territory. The percentages of students who attained the National Proficient Standard ranged from 46% in the Northern Territory to 80% in the Australian Capital Territory.

40 30 10 0 10 20Students (%)

4020 30

NT

SA

QLD

WA

TAS

NSW

VIC

ACT 5

8

9

9

11

12

12

28

13

11

12

9

9

8

7

5

80

72

72

69

68

66

64

46




FIGURE 9.1 Proportions of students who were very low performers, very high performers and attained the National Proficient Standard in Year 4 mathematics, by jurisdiction


Year 8 mathematicsTable 9.2 provides the Year 8 mathematics performance results for the states and territories. The performance of students in New South Wales was higher than that of students in all other jurisdictions except for the Australian Capital Territory and Victoria. Students in the Northern Territory were outperformed by those in all other jurisdictions except for Tasmania.

TABLE 9.2 Multiple comparisons of Year 8 mathematics achievement, by jurisdiction

Jurisdiction Mean score SE NSW ACT VIC QLD WA SA TAS NT

NSW 534 9.5 l l ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲

ACT 521 4.8 l l ▲ l ▲ ▲ ▲

VIC 515 5.7 l l l l l ▲ ▲

QLD 507 4.4 ▼ ▼ l l l l ▲

WA 506 9.3 ▼ l l l l l ▲

SA 503 6.2 ▼ ▼ l l l l ▲

TAS 491 10.9 ▼ ▼ ▼ l l l l

NT 464 13.3 ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ l


Figure 9.2 shows the proportions of students who were low performers, high performers and those who attained the National Proficient Standard in Year 8 mathematics, by state and territory. The percentages of students who attained the National Proficient Standard ranged from 45% in the Northern Territory to 72% in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory.

40 30 10 0 10 20Students (%)

4020 30

NT

TAS

SA

WA

VIC

QLD

ACT

NSW 9

6

10

9

14

10

13

24

18

9

5

11

10

6

4

3

72

72

67

67

64

63

56

45




FIGURE 9.2 Proportions of students who were very low performers, very high performers and attained the National Proficient Standard in Year 8 mathematics, by jurisdiction


Year 4 scienceTable 9.3 provides the Year 4 science performance results for the states and territories. The performance of students in the Australian Capital Territory was higher than that of students in all other jurisdictions. Students in the Northern Territory were outperformed by those in all other jurisdictions.

TABLE 9.3 Multiple comparisons of Year 4 science achievement, by jurisdiction

Jurisdiction Mean score SE ACT TAS VIC NSW QLD WA SA NT

ACT 559 6.1 ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲

TAS 538 6.6 ▼ l l l l l ▲

VIC 536 4.7 ▼ l l l l l ▲

NSW 535 5.1 ▼ l l l l l ▲

QLD 530 4.8 ▼ l l l l l ▲

WA 527 5.3 ▼ l l l l l ▲

SA 527 5.7 ▼ l l l l l ▲

NT 484 10.4 ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼


Figure 9.3 shows the proportions of students who were low performers, high performers and those who attained the National Proficient Standard in Year 4 science, by state and territory. The percentages of students who attained the National Proficient Standard ranged from 55% in the Northern Territory to 88% in the Australian Capital Territory.

40 30 10 0 10 20Students (%)

4020 30

NT

WA

QLD

SA

NSW

VIC

TAS

ACT 3

6

5

6

7

8

7

20

17

12

11

11

8

11

11

5

88

81

80

79

77

77

76

55




FIGURE 9.3 Proportions of students who were very low performers, very high performers and attained the National Proficient Standard in Year 4 science, by jurisdiction


Year 8 scienceTable 9.4 provides the Year 8 science performance results for the states and territories. Students in the Northern Territory were outperformed by those in all other jurisdictions.

TABLE 9.4 Multiple comparisons of Year 8 science achievement, by jurisdiction

Jurisdiction Mean score SE NSW ACT VIC QLD WA SA TAS NT

NSW 540 7.9 l l l l ▲ ▲ ▲

ACT 538 4.3 l ▲ ▲ l ▲ ▲ ▲

VIC 524 4.5 l ▼ l l l l ▲

QLD 524 4.4 l ▼ l l l l ▲

WA 520 9.2 l l l l l l ▲

SA 520 5.4 ▼ ▼ l l l l ▲

TAS 513 10.2 ▼ ▼ l l l l ▲

NT 483 11.3 ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼


Figure 9.4 shows the proportions of students who were low performers, high performers and those who attained the National Proficient Standard in Year 8 science, by state and territory. The percentages of students who attained the National Proficient Standard ranged from 53% in the Northern Territory to 79% in the Australian Capital Territory.

40 30 10 0 10 20Students (%)

4020 30

NT

TAS

WA

SA

VIC

QLD

NSW

ACT 6

8

8

8

7

12

10

18

13

17

9

11

8

13

9

5

79

77

74

73

72

70

69

53




FIGURE 9.4 Proportions of students who were very low performers, very high performers and attained the National Proficient Standard in Year 8 science, by jurisdiction

Performance over time – TIMSS 2015 to 2019Table 9.5 shows that, from 2015 to 2019:

ff 6 jurisdictions did not change.

ff New South Wales improved in Year 8 mathematics and Year 8 science, mostly because of an increase in higher performing students.

ff Queensland improved in Year 8 science, mostly because of an increase in higher performing students.

TABLE 9.5 Changes in performance over time for the Australian jurisdictions, TIMSS 2015–2019

Changes in… Jurisdiction Year 4 Mathematics

Year 8 Mathematics

Year 4 Science

Year 8 Science

Average performance

ACT * * * *

NSW * ▲ 32 points * ▲ 29 points

VIC * * * *

QLD * * * ▲ 17 points

SA * * * *

WA * * * *

TAS * * * *

NT * * * *

Proportion of very low performers

ACT * * * *

NSW * * * *

VIC * * * *

QLD * * * *

SA * * * *

WA * * * *

TAS * * * *

NT * * * *

Proportion of very high performers

ACT * * * *

NSW * ▲ 11pp * ▲ 9pp

VIC * * * *

QLD * * * ▲ 4pp

SA * * * *

WA * * * *

TAS * * * *

NT * * * *

Proportion of students who attained the National Proficient Standard

ACT * * * *

NSW * ▲ 10pp * ▲ 9pp

VIC * * * *

QLD * * * *

SA * * * *

WA * * * *

TAS * * * *

NT * * * *

pp= percentage points; * There were no significant differences between 2015 and 2019.

Performance over time – 1995 to 2019Table 9.6 shows that, from 1995 to 2019:

ff Year 4 mathematics had the greatest amount of change in performance for the most jurisdictions, and the cycles between 2003 and 2011 showed the biggest improvement.

ff Queensland had improvement in the most subjects – Year 4 mathematics, Year 4 science and Year 8 science all had improvements in mean performance and the percentage of students attaining the National Proficient Standard.

TABLE 9.6 Changes in performance over time for the Australian jurisdictions, TIMSS 1995–2019

Changes in… Jurisdiction Year 4 Mathematics

Year 8 Mathematics

Year 4 Science

Year 8 Science

Average performance

ACT * * * *

NSW ▲ 26 points * * *

VIC * * * ▲ 24 points

QLD ▲ 24 points * ▲ 26 points ▲ 17 points

SA * * * *

WA ▲ 27 points * * *

TAS ▲ 28 points * * *

NT ▼ 30 points * * *

Proportion of very low performers

ACT * * * *

NSW * * * *

VIC * * * ▼ 5pp

QLD * * ▼ 7pp *

SA * * * *

WA * ▲ 9pp * *

TAS ▼ 8pp * * *

NT * * * *

Proportion of very high performers

ACT * * * *

NSW ▲ 6pp ▲ 9pp * *

VIC * ▲ 6pp * ▲ 4pp

QLD ▲ 3pp * * *

SA * * * *

WA * * * *

TAS ▲ 5pp * * *

NT * * * *

Proportion of students who attained the National Proficient Standard

ACT * * * *

NSW ▲ 11pp * ▲ 7pp *

VIC * * * ▲ 9pp

QLD ▲ 9pp * ▲ 12pp ▲ 9pp

SA * ▼ 9pp * *

WA ▲ 13pp ▼ 13pp * *

TAS * * * *

NT * * ▼ 14pp *

pp= percentage points; There were no significant differences between 1995 and 2019.


10 Results for Australian female and male students

Figure 10.1 provides the performance results for male and female students.

ff In Year 4 mathematics, male students performed at a higher level than female students with a 10 point difference in mean score. This was mainly because there was a higher proportion of high performing male students compared to female students. There were no differences in the proportions of very low performers or students who attained the National Proficient Standard.

ff There was no significant difference between the average performance of female and male students in Year 8 mathematics, Year 4 science and Year 8 science.

4060 50 30 10 0 10 20Students (%)

40 605020 30

9

10

8

12

9

11

10

13

6

7

10

12

7

10

11

14

Year 4 Mathematics

69

70

Year 8 Mathematics

Year 4 Science

Year 8 Science




Confidenceinterval

MeanscoreSex

505–517

514–527

511

521

Female

Male

2.9

3.3

SE

69

67

508–522

509–530

515

519

Female

Male

3.6

5.5

80

76

527–539

527–537

533

532

Female

Male

2.9

2.7

76

73

522–535

519–537

529

528

Female

Male

3.1

4.6

FIGURE 10.1 Student performance, by sex


11 Results for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander background

Information about the Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander background of Australian students was collected in the Student Questionnaire.5 Nine per cent of the TIMSS 2019 Year 4 sample and six per cent of the Year 8 sample identified as being an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person or First Nations Australian. Figure 11.1 provides the student performance results by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander background.

ff The performance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students was lower than for other Australian students for both mathematics and science at both Year 4 and Year 8.

ff Both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and other Australian students improved in average performance since 1995 in Year 4 mathematics, Year 4 science and Year 8 science. However, the improvement in average performance was greater for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in Year 4 and Year 8 science when compared to other Australian students.

4060 50 30 10 0 10 20Students (%)

40 605020 30

25

8

2

11

29

8 12

18

5

2

12

25

7

2

13

Year 4 Mathematics

42

72

Year 8 Mathematics

Year 4 Science

Year 8 Science




Confidenceinterval

MeanscoreBackground

443–467

516–527

455

522

First Australians

Other Australians

6.1

2.9

SE

39

70

438–461

515–530

449

522

First Australians

Other Australians

5.9

3.9

56

80

469–489

533–543

479

538

First Australians

Other Australians

5.0

2.5

48

76

452–476

527–540

464

533

First Australians

Other Australians

6.2

3.3


FIGURE 11.1 Student performance, by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander background

5 For more information about Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander background, refer to the Reader’s Guide in TIMSS 2019 Australia. Volume I: Student performance.


12 Results for language background

Information about the language background of Australian students was collected in the Student Questionnaire.6 Figure 12.1 provides the student performance results by language spoken at home.

ff In Year 4 mathematics, there was no difference between the average performance of students who spoke English at home and those who spoke a language other than English at home. However, students who spoke English at home were less likely (by 5 percentage points) to be very low performers than those who spoke a language other than English at home.

ff In Year 8 mathematics, students who spoke a language other than English at home performed at a higher level than students who spoke English at home, with a higher mean score (by 27 points) and a higher percentage of very high performing students (by 16 percentage points).

ff In Year 4 science, on average, students who spoke English at home performed at a higher level than students who spoke a language other than English at home. However, this was due to better performance at the lower end of the scale – there were fewer very low performers and a greater percentage of students who attained the National Proficient Standard.

ff In Year 8 science, there was no difference between the average performance of students who spoke English at home and those who spoke a language other than English at home. However, students who spoke English at home were less likely (by 8 percentage points) to be very low performers and more likely (by 9 percentage points) to have attained the National Proficient Standard than students who spoke a language other than English at home.

4060 50 30 10 0 10 20Students (%)

40 605020 30

9

14

10

12

9

12

10

26

5

10

12

9

8

15

12

16

Year 4 Mathematics

71

66

Year 8 Mathematics

Year 4 Science

Year 8 Science




Confidenceinterval

MeanscoreLanguage background

512–522

500–527

517

514

English spoken at home

Language other than English spoken at home

2.7

7.0

SE

68

70

509–522

521–563

516

542



3.4

10.7

80

70

532–541

507–527

537

517



2.4

5.2

75

67

525–536

499–538

530

518



2.9

9.8

FIGURE 12.1 Student performance, by language spoken at home

6 For more information about the Language spoken at home indicator, refer to the Reader’s Guide in TIMSS 2019 Australia. Volume I: Student performance.


13 Results for books in the home

Figure 13.1 provides the student performance results for the number of books in the home, used as an indicator of socio-economic status.7

ff At both year levels and across both mathematics and science, students with many books in the home performed at a higher level than students with an average number of books in the home, who also performed higher than students with only a few books in the home.

ff The difference in the mean scores between students with many books in the home and those with a few books ranged from 78 points in Year 4 science and 100 points for Year 8 science.

4060 50 30 10 0 10 20Students (%)

40 605020 30

5

5

21

19

11

3

3

6

20

22

12

5

3

3

14

23

12

3

2

4

19

28

12

4

Year 4 Mathematics

82

77

48

Year 8 Mathematics

83

75

48

Year 4 Science

88

85

59

Year 8 Science

90

82

52




Confidenceinterval

MeanscoreNumber of books in the home

540–558

525–536

462–475

549

530

469

Many books

Average number of books

A few books

4.5

2.9

3.5

549–569

522–536

465–481

559

529

473

Many books


A few books

5.1

3.7

3.9

559–574

541–551

482–494

566

546

488

Many books


A few books

3.9

2.5

3.1

570–586

536–547

471–485

578

541

478

Many books


A few books

4.0

2.8

3.8

SE

FIGURE 13.1 Student performance, by number of books in the home

7 For more information about the Books in the home indicator, refer to the Reader’s Guide in TIMSS 2019 Australia. Volume I: Student performance.

14 Results for geographic location of schools

Figure 14.1 provides the student performance results for the geographic location of schools using the broad categories of metropolitan, regional and remote defined in the Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS).8

ff At both year levels and across both mathematics and science, students from metropolitan schools performed at a higher level than students in regional and remote schools (although this is not always significant due to large confidence intervals around the mean for students in remote schools).

ff For Year 4 mathematics, the proportions of very high performers and students who attained the National Proficient Standard were greater in metropolitan schools than in regional (and remote) schools, while the proportion of low performing students was lower.

ff For Year 4 science, there was no statistically significant difference in the proportion of very low performers, very high performers, or those who attained the National Proficient Standard across the geographic location of schools.

ff At Year 8, across both mathematics and science, the proportions of very high performers and students who attained the National Proficient Standard were greater in metropolitan schools than in regional or remote schools. In addition, the proportion of very low performers was smaller in metropolitan schools than in regional or remote schools.

4060 50 30 10 0 10 20Students (%)

40 605020 30

9

13

18

12

6

6

8

15

31

15

3

5

8

12

12

8

8

7

12

26

15

7

4

Year 4 Mathematics

72

63

61

Year 8 Mathematics

73

57

41

Year 4 Science

80

75

74

Year 8 Science

77

67

50




Confidenceinterval

Meanscore

Geographic location(ASGS)

516–529

486–507

446–535

522

496

490

Metropolitan

Regional

Remote

3.3

5.5

22.8

522–540

476–495

413–487

531

485

450

Metropolitan

Regional

Remote

4.6

4.9

18.9

531–542

511–531

479–562

536

521

520

Metropolitan

Regional

Remote

2.8

5.2

21.2

530–546

498–516

423–517

538

507

470

Metropolitan

Regional

Remote

3.9

4.6

24.0

SE


FIGURE 14.1 Student performance, by geographic location

8 For more information about the ASGS, refer to the Reader’s Guide TIMSS 2019 Australia. Volume I: Student performance. In TIMSS 2019 analysis and reporting, when the term 'metropolitan' is used in reference to ASGS findings, it refers to the category of Major cities.

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