December seems to be a time when we don’t just celebrate the festive season but also the release of international large-scale assessments. It was the Programme for International Student Assessment last year, and this year we have two in the form of the Trends in Mathematics and Science Study (Timss) and the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC).
It is interesting to look at these studies and get a sense of how things are going in several international education systems. Of course, we always need to keep in mind that countries are vastly different, and that curricula and culture - as well as many other variables - differ between education systems.
The Timss 2023 results showed that England has maintained quite a strong performance in mathematics and demonstrated improvement in science.
More from Christian Bokhove:
In primary schools (Year 5), the average mathematics score remained stable, while in secondary schools (Year 9), scores in England climbed from 515 in 2019 to 525 in 2023. This increase was not significant, however. Areas of concern included the lower scores for measurement and geometry in Year 5, and algebra in Year 9.
Science scores also improved, with progress in both Year 5 (significantly so, from 537 in 2019 to 556 in 2023) and Year 9 (also significant, from 517 in 2019 to 531 in 2023). It must be noted, though, that for Year 9 that meant a return to “normal” proficiency after a dip in 2019. Increases were not always across the range of students, potentially increasing inequalities. Overall, though, after the pandemic, this was encouraging.
Behind the data
In many ways, the scores and the rankings are not the most important part. It’s the context questionnaires, which ask students and schools about teaching, resources and attitudes, that are perhaps even more interesting. They provide a way to look at specific ingredients in education systems.
It was interesting, for example, to see that a quarter of students in Year 9 do not value mathematics, and three in five do not like mathematics. I hope that such findings are taken into account in future curriculum reforms for key stage 3. Of course, it is important that we do well in mathematics, but ideally we do this without alienating students from this beautiful subject.
The PIAAC, released this month, is interesting because it looks at a range of adult skills and competencies, assessing literacy, numeracy and problem solving in technology-rich environments in 16- to 65-year-olds. The idea behind this is that it helps us understand how adults use their skills in various contexts, including work and daily life.
The latest results for England show a mixed picture of adult skills. While there have been improvements in numeracy, with the average score rising slightly, literacy levels have declined over the past decade.
There were marked differences in skills based on age, education and employment status, with younger adults and those with higher educational attainment generally doing better. As a country, it seems that we especially need to be mindful of targeted interventions to address the skills gaps, especially for older adults and those in lower-skilled occupations.
A common denominator in both studies is the challenge of educational inequalities. In many competent education systems, schooling often benefits the more well-off, both financially and cognitively. We need to be mindful of this and perhaps put more effort in making sure everyone in society can participate in society.
Assessments like Timss and PIAAC can only point us in a direction; in the end, teachers, students, schools, researchers, parents and everyone in education have to make that difference.
Christian Bokhove is professor of mathematics education at the University of Southampton and a specialist in research methodologies
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