What Do TIMSS and NAEP Tell Us About Gaps Between High- and Low-Performing 4th and 8th Graders?

On February 24, 2021, AIR hosted a presentation and discussion focusing on the differences in scores (or “score gaps”) between high-performing and low-performing students using Grade 4 and Grade 8 results from the 2019 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and recent data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). These data provide insights regarding equity within the U.S. and other education systems and can help inform important education policy discussions that aim to address performance gaps. (For the purposes of this webinar, high-performing students are those who scored in the 90th percentile, or top 10 percent, and low-performing students are those who scored in the 10th percentile, or bottom 10 percent.)

For additional information, check out this NCES TIMSS blog to learn more the score gaps between high- and low-performing 4th and 8th graders >>

This webinar highlighted findings from the following questions:

  • How large is the score gap between high- and low-performing students in mathematics and science in the United States compared to other education systems on TIMSS? And, how do these score gaps for U.S. states compare to each other on NAEP?
  • Are U.S. 4th and 8th-grade students making progress in mathematics and science at selected percentiles?
  • How have the score gaps between high- and low-performing students changed over time?


Panelists:

Presenter: Lydia Malley, TIMSS Project Officer, National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education

Presenter: Brian Cramer, Research Scientist, National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education

Discussant: George Bohrnstedt, Senior Vice President and Institute Fellow, AIR

Moderator: Ebru Erberber, Principal Researcher, AIR

 

About the RISE Webinar Series

RISE logoThe Research on International Studies in Education (RISE) Webinar Series showcases research using data from international studies and promotes sharing and discussion about how data-based evidence can be used for improving educational outcomes. The RISE Webinar Series is organized by AIR. To receive emails about RISE and invitations to upcoming webinars, please email RISE@air.org.