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Highlights from PIRLS and TIMSS 2011 Jack Buckley National Center for Education Statistics Washington, DC December 11, 2012

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Overview What are PIRLS and TIMSS and which education systems participate in them? How are U.S. students performing compared to their international peers in: 4th-grade reading? 4th- and 8th-grade mathematics? 4th- and 8th-grade science? How are students performing in participating U.S. states? 2

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What are? 3 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 4th-grade reading assessment * In 1999, no grade 4 assessment. Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 4th- and 8th-grade mathematics and science assessment Developed by the TIMSS & PIRLS International Study Center at Boston College, under contract to the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA)

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4 26 education systems 2011 32 education systems 53 education systems

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5 44 education systems 37 education systems 47 education systems57 education systems 74 education systems 2011

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Participating states 6 9 states participated as separate entities to obtain scores in PIRLS or TIMSS or both Each participated as part of the nation and on its own NCES funded participation at grade 8 of all states except Florida as part of a study to statistically link NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) and TIMSS (Florida received other Education Department funding) PIRLSTIMSS grade 4TIMSS grade 8 Florida North Carolina Florida North Carolina Alabama California Colorado Connecticut Indiana Massachusetts Minnesota

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U.S. national sample size 4th grade Schools: 370 Students: 12,726 4th grade Schools: 369 Students: 12,569 8th grade Schools: 501 Students: 10,477 7

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U.S. state sample sizes (public schools only) 4th grade (FL) Schools: 77 Students: 2,598 4th grade (FL, NC) Schools: 46 77 Students: 1,792 2,661 8th grade (AL, CA, CO, CT, FL, IN, MA, MN, NC) Schools: 53 82 Students: 1,712 2,614 8

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READING

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PIRLS Definition The ability to understand and use those written language forms required by society and/or valued by the individual. Young readers can construct meaning from a variety of texts. They read to learn, to participate in communities of readers in school and everyday life, and for enjoyment. Content Literary and informational texts Cognitive dimensions Focus on and retrieve Make straightforward inferences Interpret and integrate Examine and evaluate 10 PIRLS 2011 framework

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What is on the PIRLS assessment? 11 Percentage of 4th-graders answering correctly: U.S.: 90% Intl Avg.: 89%

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What is on the PIRLS assessment? 12 Percentage of 4th-graders answering correctly: U.S.: 42% Intl Avg.: 29%

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13 U.S. average score (556) higher than the PIRLS scale average (500) Higher than U.S. Not measurably different than U.S. Lower than U.S.

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14 U.S. average score (556) lower than in 5 education systems Higher than U.S. Not measurably different than U.S. Lower than U.S.

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15 U.S. average (556) not measurably different than in 7 education systems Higher than U.S. Not measurably different than U.S. Lower than U.S.

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16 U.S. average score (556) higher than in 40 education systems Higher than U.S. Not measurably different than U.S. Lower than U.S.

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17 *p