Singapore tops in Maths and Science in global test

Primary 4 pupils and Secondary 2 students in the republic are the world’s best in both subjects, says the global benchmarking study. – ST/ANN

SINGAPORE students are the world's best in Mathematics and Science, according to a global benchmarking study.

Primary 4 pupils and Secondary 2 students here topped both subjects in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), a widely recognised achievement test by policy-makers and educators worldwide.

Around 12,600 students in the island nation took part in the latest test which was conducted in October 2014.

Students across all schools – 179 primary schools and 167 secondary schools - as well as streams were included in the sample, said the Straits Times.

Primary 4 pupils achieved the highest mean score of 618 in Mathematics, with Hong Kong coming in second with a score of 615.

The same pupils also attained the highest score of 590 in science, ahead of South Korea which had 589.

Secondary 2 students who took the test were also ranked first with top scores of 621 and 597 for Mathematics and Science respectively, beating South Korea and Japan.

The results also showed improvements by Singapore students on various fronts from reasoning and application abilities to progress made by weaker students.

This is the second time that Singapore students outdid all other countries across all four categories in the study, which takes place every four years. The last time it did so was in 2003.

In a statement, the Ministry of Education said that the findings show that schools' efforts to impart higher-order thinking skills to students and programmes that cater to their learning needs are bearing fruit.

The ministry said the test results also highlighted the progress made by academically weaker students. The proportion of students with the lowest score of below 400 was much smaller than the international average.

For example, in the Primary 4 Mathematics test, only 1% of Singapore students scored below 400. The international average was 7%.

The latest round of TIMSS by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement tested more than 582,000 students from 64 education systems.

Singapore has taken part in every cycle of TIMSS since its inception in 1995.

Meanwhile AP reports that students in the United States (US) who sat for the same test have strides to make when it comes to both Maths and Science.

The American students lag behind a block of East Asian countries. The US was placed 10th in fourth-grade Science as well as in eighth-grade Maths.

Eighth graders in the US improved their scores in Maths over the last four years, up nine points. Scores for science, however, were flat. In fourth grade, scores were unchanged in both the tests.

“The results do suggest a levelling out in the most recent cycle,” said Ina Mullis, an executive director of the TIMSS & PIRLS International Study Centre at Boston College, where researchers helped to administer the assessments.

The tests are administered to a random sampling of students in dozens of countries. Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan and Japan also dominated the lists for each grade in both subjects.

While the short-term trend for American students overall wasn’t glowing, scores over the last 20 years have improved considerably.

Maths and Science scores for eighth graders had sharp gains, as did scores for fourth-grade Maths. Science scores for fourth graders showed no statistical change over the last two decades.

Matt Larson, president of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, said the results show there’s work to be done, but is encouraged overall by the growth since the mid-90’s.

This may reflect an increased focus on Mathematics in the early grades, he added.

Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, said the steady progress by US students “affirms that when there is an alignment between teachers and students, instruction and standards, and resources – giving teachers the flexibility to teach what students need to know and do – we see success.”

Globally, results from the 2015 exams showed achievement trends were up, with more countries registering increases than decreases in Maths and Science for both grades.

Gender gaps were another highlight. They have narrowed over the last 20 years, especially in Science at the eighth-grade level.

“A lot of countries have been working hard to close that achievement gap, and have promoted girls’ interest and participation in science,” said Michael Martin, who runs the TIMSS & PIRLS International Study Centre with Mullis.

About 600,000 students around the world took part in the 2015 exams. The tests are sponsored by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement in Amsterdam.