8th-grade Azorean students with better maths and science averages than national average in international study - Communication

Secretaria Regional da Educação, Cultura e Desporto

The most recent data from the TIMMS international assessment shows that 8th-grade Azorean students exceeded the national average scores in maths and science in 2023, an indicator praised by the Regional Secretary for Education, Sofia Ribeiro.

In 8th-grade maths, the Region scored an average of 476 points, compared to 475 nationwide, while in science the Azores scored 510 points, four more than the national average.

TIMSS is an international assessment of the performance of 4th and 8th grade students in Maths and Science. It was developed by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), an independent international association made up of educational research institutions and government research agencies dedicated to improving education systems.

Also compared to the national average, due to various fluctuations, the Autonomous Region of the Azores came closer to both national average scores in 4th grade in 2023: it is now only three points behind in Maths, whereas it was 19 points behind in 2019, and it was eight points behind in Science in 2019 and seven points behind in 2023.

In the international context, the Azores are above the international average in 4th grade maths, with 11 more points, and in science, with 10 more points.

This is an assessment involving each student answering a test questionnaire combining maths and science items. The non-public nature of this international study makes it possible to compare results over the various editions of the study and identify trends in the results, with items already tested in previous years of the same study being applied in different contexts. In each cycle, some items that are no longer part of the tests and that illustrate the questions posed to the students are made public.

In each TIMSS cycle, students are selected for each of the school years under assessment, through a two-stage sampling process: in the first phase, a stratified random sample of schools is set up, the selection of which is proportional to the number of schools per stratum and the size of the schools; in the second phase, classes of students from these schools are randomly selected. As such, the sample is representative of the country's target population.

The TIMMS assessment can be consulted at IAVE TIMSS.