Americans students falling behind international peers in math and science

AMERICAN STUDENTS ARE FALLING BEHIND THEIR INTERNATIONAL PEERS IN MATH AND SCIENCE, ACCORDING TO A RECENTLY RELEASED GOVERNMENT STUDY.

EVERY FOUR YEARS, THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION STATISTICS RELEASES THE RESULTS OF THE “TRENDS IN INTERNATIONAL MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE STUDY” – OR TIMSS – WHICH LOOKS AT FOURTH AND EIGHTH GRADERS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. 

THE STUDY – CONDUCTED IN 20-23 – WAS THE FIRST TO BE PUBLISHED SINCE THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC… AND IT SHOWS MIXED OUTCOMES ACROSS THE GLOBE.

THE UNITED STATES WAS AMONG THE COUNTRIES THAT SAW A DECLINE.

WHILE AMERICAN STUDENTS STILL SCORE ABOVE THE INTERNATIONAL AVERAGE… FOURTH GRADERS’ MATH SCORES FELL 18 POINTS SINCE 20-19…

AND EIGHTH GRADERS’ SCORES WENT DOWN 27 POINTS, WHICH RESEARCHERS SAY IS THE BIGGEST DROP THE U-S HAS SEEN SINCE IT STARTED PARTICIPATING IN 19-95.

BUT WHEN IT COMES TO SCIENCE – AMERICAN STUDENTS’ SCORES WERE NOT MESURABLY DIFFERENT BETWEEN 20-19 AND 20-23…

BUT FOURTH GRADERS’ SCORES HAVE DROPPED SINCE THE TIMSS WAS FIRST ADMINISTERED.

AND OVERALL – THE GAPS BETWEEN THE HIGHEST- AND LOWEST-PERFORMING STUDENTS ARE WIDENING.

WHILE THERE’S NO GENERAL CONSENSUS AS TO WHAT’S CAUSING THE DECLINE FOR AMERICAN STUDENTS… MANY EDUCATORS SAY THE RISE OF SMARTPHONES, CHANGES IN STANDARDS AND PANDEMIC-RELATED SCHOOL CLOSURES LIKELY PLAYED A ROLE.

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