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Maths & Science performance decreasing amongst girls
Posted by SchoolDays Newshound, on 04/12/2024.
Tags: Education And Politics Teachers
Students in Ireland continue to perform highly in TIMSS 2023 - an international assessment of Mathematics and Science achievement.
Minister for Education Norma Foley TD has today welcomed the TIMSS 2023 results, which show Ireland’s fourth class and second year students are performing significantly higher than the international average in Mathematics and Science. Minister Foley congratulated all those involved in the testing, particularly the students themselves and also their dedicated teachers.
TIMSS is one of the world’s largest studies of educational achievement in Mathematics and Science. It assesses the Mathematics and Science skills of students in fourth grade and eighth grade (corresponding to fourth class and second year in Ireland). The study is directed internationally by the TIMSS and PIRLS International Study Centre at Boston College, USA, and is managed by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA).
In 2023, TIMSS was administered to over 650000 students in 65 countries. In Ireland, the assessments were administered to a random sample of approximately 6,365 fourth class pupils in primary schools and 6,321 second year students in post-primary schools.
Results Remain Stable
Gráinne McHugh, one of the report’s authors, said:
“The consistent finding of stability in overall achievement in Mathematics and Science at both fourth class and second year in Ireland is encouraging, especially given the disruptions to schooling as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in the period from the last cycle of TIMSS in 2019”.
Dr Sylvia Denner, another author, said that:
“While overall performance at second year has remained stable since 2015, the mean score achieved by second year girls in TIMSS has decreased significantly over time, since 2019 for Mathematics and since 2015 for Science. So, we now see for the first time in 2023 significant gender differences in TIMSS, with boys significantly outperforming girls in both Mathematics and Science. Over the coming months, we will conduct more detailed analysis on this gender difference including an examination of attitudes towards learning n both subjects.”
Dr Aidan Clerkin, another author, said:
“One challenge that had been highlighted in previous studies was the underperformance of higher-achieving students in Ireland compared to other countries. From that perspective, an important new finding from TIMSS 2023 is that we are now seeing more students reaching the more advanced benchmarks for Mathematics and Science compared to earlier studies. While this is a positive finding, there is still scope for further improvement among higher-achievers. At the same time, it will also be important to ensure that students who experience more difficulties continue to receive appropriate support in the coming years.”
An information note on the report and the report itself can be found online here .
Extract from Source
SchoolDays
(05/12/2024 09:35)
ASTI Statement 4th Dec 2024
Excellent student performance overshadowed by concerns over Senior Cycle Redevelopment
The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), published today, finds Ireland’s second-level schools performing exceptionally well, despite being overshadowed by concerns regarding the ‘accelerated’ Senior Cycle redevelopment programme, large class sizes and under-funding.
Second-year students in Ireland rank first in the EU in maths and third in science. The findings in today’s report mirror other studies of student performance worldwide, including the OECD PISA study.
Commenting on the report ASTI General Secretary Kieran Christie said:
“The TIMSS findings are testament to the high quality of our education service and the efforts of school communities including teachers, parents and students.
“However, only yesterday, the Minister for Education announced a wholly inadequate allocation of funding to Biology, Physics and Chemistry laboratories for the upcoming redevelopment of these subjects. The grants per school range from only €13,000 per school (for schools up to 300 students) to €22,000 per school (for schools over 900 students), depending on the size of the school. These amounts are spread over three subjects, i.e. an average of only €4,333 - €7,333 per subject in each school. This is completely insufficient to equip a laboratory to allow every student of Leaving Certificate Biology, Chemistry and Physics to carry out their own research investigations.
“To further dilute the funding, the grants are also intended to support the broader science programme which may include, for example, Agricultural Science, Transition Year Science, and Junior Cycle Science.
“Today’s TIMSS report highlights performance gaps between students in different socioeconomic contexts in Ireland. The ASTI is very concerned about this finding and in particular the category of students who have fewer resources outside of school to support their learning, as highlighted in the report. It is essential that all schools are resourced adequately so as to ensure they can mitigate against educational disadvantages faced by young people.
“Last month 30,000 second-level teachers – members of the ASTI and the TUI – staged protests outside their schools in an effort to highlight their concerns to the Minister for Education about the rushed implementation of Senior Cycle redevelopment.
“It is crucial that the Senior Cycle redevelopment process improves inclusivity and fairness for students, and does not exacerbate inequalities or create new ones.”
The 2024 OECD Education at a Glance report (published in September 2024) shows Ireland languishing in last place out of 34 countries when it comes to the proportion of GDP invested in education.