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The Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) is the largest and most comprehensive study ever undertaken of mathematics and science education. The study focuses on children who are 9, 13, and those in the last year of high school. In the U.S., these are 4th-, 8th- and 12th-graders. TIMSS was conducted on the premise that curriculum and teaching methods help determine what we learn. In fact, TIMSS is the first large-scale international study integrating information on curriculum and teaching ever attempted. The results presented below are from TIMSS' analysis of curricula. Another component of the study, the achievement test results, will be presented in November of this year (for eighth grade) and in 1997 (for fourth and twelfth grade).

The four key findings of the analysis of the U.S. math and science curricula are:

• Currently, U.S. standards are unfocused and aimed at the lowest common denominator. In other words, they are a mile wide and an inch deep.
• This unfocused approach reflects the fragmented nature of the educational system in the U.S.-with the authority for education distributed among federal, state and local bodies--and the lack of common standards on what to teach and how to teach it.
• The achievements of students in other nations reflect the benefits of coherent goals and firmly grounded teaching practices.
• It is wishful optimism to expect our students to do well in science and, especially, in mathematics compared to students in other countries in light of our fragmented curriculum.

• What was "basic" in eighth-grade mathematics in the U.S. differed greatly in Japan and Germany. For example, in the U.S. the basic content included arithmetic, fractions and a relatively small amount of algebra. In Japan and Germany, the basic content included intense coverage of algebra and geometry --- much more than in the U.S.

In the fourth grade, the U.S. considered arithmetic, measurement and simple geometry as basic content for instruction, which corresponds more closely with the other TIMSS countries.
• U.S. algebra I classes had a much more focused curriculum. As a result, mean achievement for students in algebra I might be higher.
• The U.S. generally agreed with other TIMSS countries as to what was basic in science at fourth-grade.
• In the U.S., eighth-grade science students are likely to take only one science course --- either physical, life, earth or general science. U.S. students taking physical, life or earth sciences cover only a few of the topics covered at this grade in the majority of TIMSS countries.
• U.S. general science students (about 30 percent of students) receive a curriculum that is very different from the international composite, lacking especially advanced biology and physics topics commonly covered in other countries.

• Before high school, states in the U.S., on average, cover more topics in math and science than 75 percent of the other countries studied.
• Science and mathematics topics remained in the U.S. curricula for more grades than all but a few other TIMSS countries.
• Within the U.S. the core of mathematics topics covered varies little among the states. In contrast, science topics covered varied greatly among the states.
• U.S. mathematics and science textbooks included far more topics than was typical internationally, but provided significantly less coverage than the international average for the five most emphasized topics in math and science.
• In Contrast, U.S. eighth-grade science books oriented to a single area (physical science, life science, earth science) were highly focused, with the five most emphasized topics accounting for more of the textbooks than was true in the international average. Similarly, the U.S. eighth-grade algebra books were highly focused, with the five most emphasized topics accounting for 100 percent of the books.
• U.S. eighth-grade mathematics and science teachers typically teach far more topic areas than their Counterparts in Germany and Japan.
• The five surveyed topic areas covered most extensively by U.S. eighth-grade mathematics teachers accounted for less than half of their year's instructional periods. In contrast, the five most extensively covered Japanese eighth-grade topic areas accounted for almost 75 percent of their year's instructional periods.
• The topics most extensively covered by U.S. general science teachers accounted for only 40 percent of the instruction periods, as compared to 50 to 60 percent in Germany and Japan.
• U.S. science and mathematics teachers have far more class periods per week than their counterparts in Germany and Japan. This suggests that the lack of desired changes or effectiveness is not due to lack of effort on the part of these U.S. teachers.

The conventional wisdom about the study of mathematics and science in schools is that these subjects are universal (the content of school mathematics and science does not vary across countries), that they follow a fixed sequence, and that mathematics and science education are important. What TIMSS shows is that two of these assumptions are wrong.

First, the content of school mathematics and science is not universal. Content varies considerably across countries, not only in terms of the mathematics and science topics studied in school, but also in the degree and type of focus they receive, and in the types of skills that students are expected to acquire. This variation is affected not only by educational policies, but also by national cultures.

Second, instruction in mathematics and science does not follow an invariable sequence in every country. Topics are introduced at different times, in different ways, to school children of different ages, and any one topic is studied over a varying amount of grades.

Third, mathematics and science education are in fact regarded as important in all of the countries participating in TIMSS.

The importance of this innovative study cannot be overstated. Change will be difficult, but the education of our children has now become an important concern to the American public.

The current policy debates surrounding education encompass many issues, but debate at all levels (federal, state and local) seems to place greatest emphasis on one area in particular: standards. At the National Educational Summit in Palisades, New York, in the spring of 1996, the principle topic of discussion was standards and the need for educational systems in the United States to establish "internationally competitive" goals for all students.

This emphasis on the need to establish and implement international standards for U.S. curricula is supported not just by political leaders (e.g., President Clinton and governors), educational leaders and professional groups, but also by business leaders. They too recognize the critical importance of having our schools produce students who can compete with their counterparts in an increasingly integrated and global economy.

In sum, the results of the TIMSS research will help U.S. educators in their efforts to make changes and improvements necessary for the U.S. workforce to be internationally competitive. It is the beginning of a long, but long overdue, process.