Friday, January 23, 2009

Minnesota moves into international competition

Minnesota and Massachusetts have decided to get state-level scores that compare them directly to other nations, using the TIMSS math and science tests. Minnesota has released preliminary results with these highlights:
  • Minnesota’s 4th-grade performance gain in math was among the largest of any of the 16 countries that participated in both the 1995 and 2007 TIMSS
  • In 2007 4th-grade math, four nations scored significantly higher than Minnesota; three were not significantly different than Minnesota; and 29 nations score significantly lower than Minnesota
  • In 2007 8th-grade math, five nations scored significantly higher than Minnesota; and 44 nations score significantly lower than Minnesota
  • In 2007 science, Minnesota maintained its relatively high level of performance being outperformed by very few countries at either 4th or 8th grade and significantly outperforming the U.S. at grade 8
  • In both 4th-and-8th grade science there was no significant change in how students performed in 2007 compared to 1995
The full report quoted above in blue is here, an Ed Week analysis here, and Bob Sexton's post on international benchmarks and other testing ideas that we should consider as CATS improvements is here. (Hat tip: Ronda Harmon at KASC.)
Posted by SPWeston at 2:11 PM
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1 comment:

  1. AnonymousJanuary 23, 2009 at 3:20 PM

    This approach in moving to fewer and more focused standards based on international standards was the intent and desired outcome in the recommendation of KY Task Force on Assessment and Accountability. The need to take this approach in science is also evident. National and international comparisons is one of the important purposes of assessment. A balanced system will have mutiple purposes and therefore, mutilple assessments.....both formative and summative. One assessment tool cannot serve all purposes.

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