DISCUSSION ISSUES ON TIMSS AND PISA

Group Members:-

1) Paul Vosko Anak Ranged (D20121059016)2) Nor Azila Binti Razak (D20112052105)3) Dg Norhayati Binti Mahamad (D20112052103)

Lecturer : Dr.Faizal Nizam Lee Bin Abdullah

What is PISA

PISA stand for “Program for International Student Assessment”.

Started in 2000 by Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

Testing 15 years olds (3 years rotation)

Evaluate international educational systems

Reading, mathematics, and science

Provide useful background information

Contextual reports – equity, for example.

What is TIMSS

TIMSS stand for “Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study”.

In 1994, TIMSS began the first study in a regular cycle of studies at four-year intervals. Four – yearly assessment since 1994

Year 5 and 9 students

Mathematics and Science achievement

Conducted under the auspices of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA); managed internationally by Boston College; managed within New Zealand by the Ministry of Education.

From 41 countries in 1994/95 to more than 60 countries in 2014/15.

BENCHMARKING.

Both PISA and TIMSS have been used by many countries for benchmarking.

Roughly speaking, TIMSS is grade-based, that is, testing students of Grade 4 and Grade 8, whereas PISA is age-based, that is, testing the 15-years-old students.

Test items in TIMSS are more content or standards orientated, whereas those in PISA are more literacy orientated.

TIMSS assesses how much students have achieved in schools.

PISA assesses how well students are prepared for the outside world.

Difference between TIMSS and PISA Math Tests

TIMSS PISA

To measure more traditional classroom content such as an understanding of

fractions and decimals and the relationship between them.

Curricular emphasisGrade-specific structure

Asks students to apply their mathematical knowledge to solve problems set in various real-world contexts

Functional aspect (literacy)

Age-specific structure

CONCLUSION

It’s important that any assessment of mathematics should reflect the maths that it is most important for students to learn.

With TIMSS and PISA program the students we are educating today will compete in a global market, and we have to be sure that the education we are providing them with is one that will provide them with a strong base, both in knowledge and skills and in the ability to apply those skills to real-world problems.