In the comments on TIMSS-07 math scores, one important aspect
has not been mentioned.
| Grade 8 | US | Minn. | Korea | Singapore |
| Number | 510 | 537 | 583 | 597 |
| Algebra | 501 | 515 | 596 | 579 |
| Geometry | 480 | 505 | 587 | 578 |
| Data and Chance | 531 | 560 | 580 | 574 |
Korea and Singapore have balanced scores, the US and Minnesota do not. The first three areas are the core areas of mathematics on which otherthings are built. We have to improve on them.
Dick Askey
John Hechinger has more:
U.S. fourth- and eighth-graders improved their math scores in a closely watched international test, but continued to lag well behind peers from top-performing Asian countries. U.S. students also failed to show measurable gains in science.
The U.S. and other governments on Tuesday released the results of the test, Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, the world’s largest assessment of international achievement. Some 425,000 students in almost 60 countries took the exam, administered every four years, starting in 1995.
While the US had only 6% of their 8th-grade students excel on the TIMSS in mathematics, Taiwan, Korea, and Singapore had 40-45% excel. These data suggest that some Asian countries are challenging a large percentage of their students to excel in mathematics, while the US is largely ignoring the needs of their mathematically advanced students, holding back in middle school many who might be able to excel if provided the opportunity.