A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

Using TIMSS Data to Inform Equity Issues

Low-performing students in the United States are often concentrated in cities and other high-poverty districts. Many urban districts have a high proportion of students performing below the United States average and well below the level demanded in a global economy. In the Boston Public Schools, for example, 81 percent of eighth-graders scored at the lowest level on a national standardized achievement test, meaning that they had not reached the basic level of performance (Maryellen Donahue, Boston Public Schools, TIMSS Policy Forum). TIMSS international comparisons are nevertheless relevant in these very diverse districts, because their students must compete in the same global labor market as other students, and educational quality is a key factor that companies consider when deciding where to locate.

The TIMSS data, along with urban districts’ own benchmarking data, suggest the need for special improvement strategies for high-poverty districts with below-average achievement levels. Major improvements in student achievement in these districts are unlikely to happen without investments in capacity building (Donahue, TIMSS Policy Forum). Generally, these systems enroll very high percentages of low-income children and children with limited English proficiency, have high student mobility, and have difficulty hiring and keeping good teachers. Additional resources are needed to recruit appropriately certified teachers, provide professional development, and do other kinds of capacity building.

[What TIMSS Says About Equity Issues]

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