TIMSS 2019 – 150 Primary Schools Selected for High-Profile International Study of Maths and Science

INTO recently met with stakeholders in relation to TIMMS 2019.

TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) is a comparative study of maths and science achievement at both primary (Fourth Class) and post-primary (Second Year) levels. TIMSS is carried out every four years by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). In Ireland, the Educational Research Centre (ERC) manages the implementation of TIMSS on behalf of the Department of Education and Skills. In 2019, Ireland will participate in TIMSS along with more than 60 countries worldwide.

In September 2018, 150 randomly selected primary schools were invited to participate in TIMSS, with the main administration taking place in Spring 2019. As part of the study, Fourth Class pupils in participating schools will complete a test of maths and science.

This research will provide information on the maths and science performance of Irish pupils at Fourth Class in comparison to their peers internationally, and also in comparison to the performance of Fourth-Class pupils in previous cycles (1995, 2011, and 2015).

Principals, teachers, and parents also contribute to the study in important ways. As well as the test itself, there are questionnaires for participating pupils, their parents, class teachers, and school principals. Contextual data from these questionnaires plays an essential role in identifying factors that affect pupils’ learning in maths and science.

The study findings will also continue to inform education policy affecting pupils’ educational experience and our education system as a whole. For this reason, TIMSS is identified in the National Strategy to improve literacy and numeracy, 2011-2020 as a key source of information for Irish educational policy. It is important that schools, if selected, participate in the study to ensure that the results accurately reflect Irish pupils’ skills and, importantly, that the findings are fully representative of the Irish school system more broadly.

INTO encourages schools that have been contacted in relation to TIMSS 2019 to engage with this important research.

A big thank you to the school staff who have already confirmed their participation in TIMSS 2019 with the ERC. For further information about the study, or to read more about the findings of TIMSS 2011 and TIMSS 2015, please visit www.erc.ie/studies/timss