STEM subjects are manifesting increased global importance in achievement of high ability students. This presentation will provide a transnational overview of advanced mathematics achievement subgroup data embedded in the online PISA 2012 results (Age 15), and TIMSS 2011 international testing (Grades 4 & 8). The analyses will contextually and graphically represent overall rankings and comparative subsamples of countries based on geographic relationships. Comparison of countries will emphasize G8 membership, Western and Eastern Europe, and the highest ranking countries of East Asia.
Summary :
STEM subjects are manifesting increased global importance in achievement of high ability students. This presentation will provide a transnational overview of advanced mathematics achievement subgroup data embedded in the online PISA 2012 results (Age 15), and TIMSS 2011 international testing (Grades 4 & 8). The analyses will contextually and graphically represent overall rankings and comparative subsamples of countries based on geographic relationships. Comparison of countries will emphasize G8 membership, Western and Eastern Europe, and the highest ranking countries of East Asia. The transnational methodology of analyzing large scale data is a digital resource strategy that can explore advanced mathematics subgroup factors, and help identify high achievement patterns that might be applied to policy and curriculum development. Advanced Math achievement scores include Total Mean, Ranking, and subgroup data based on 90th Percentile, Gender, as well as International Benchmarks and Proficiency Levels. The TIMSS math results include important content domain subgroups in Number, Algebra, Geometry, and Data, with cognitive domain subgroups in Knowing, Applying, and Reasoning. TIMSS results will be compared with the more problem-based skill imperatives of the PISA assessment. The PISA content subscales include Change & Relationships, Space , Quantity, and Uncertainty & Data. The PISA process subscales include Formulating, Employing, and Interpreting. Results have potential to uncover content balance variance across the developmental frameworks of grades 4 and 8, and age 15, and suggest improvements to align with international standards.
In this digital age of international comparisons, it is advantageous in advocating for high ability students to use the pragmatic facility of access to the rich advanced math achievement online data readily available through TIMSS and PISA. Comparisons of high achievement can provide the persuasive contextual evidence to support and justify policies and provisions that address the advanced mathematics needs of high ability students.