The Article
In this report from the Education Policy Center at MSU, University Distinguished Professor William Schmidt highlights some of the findings from the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) that illustrate several fundamental obstacles to student success in middle school mathematics. Schmidt also makes clear that the TIMSS findings also suggest action that educators and policymakers can take to improve learning opportunities for U.S. students.

Discussion
TIMSS tested large and representative samples of students from around the world to measure their math and science knowledge and skills. The results placed 8th grade students in the U.S. below the international average in mathematics, with 20 countries scoring significantly higher than the U.S. and only seven countries scoring significantly lower. TIMSS data also show that by the final year of high school, only two countries perform worse than the U.S. in general math knowledge. When it comes to the performance of advanced math students, the U.S. ranks at the bottom. But Schmidt points out that TIMSS has more to tell educators and policymakers than how U.S. students rank. A closer look at the data reveal that there is no single math course that all 8th grade students take. Indeed, most students in the U.S. are already “tracked” into courses with different content and difficulty levels by the 8th grade. In addition, schools vary in the number and types of math courses they offer students. TIMSS researchers have identified six basic course offerings. “With six types of courses, and schools that offer one, two, three or more options, calculating the number of possible variations is itself an intermediate math problem.” Researchers also found that courses with the same course title – such as algebra – differ widely in content emphasis and rigor. Finally, TIMSS researchers found that the rigor of the courses, as measured by their course titles, textbooks used and topics covered, accounted for nearly 40 percent of the variance in U.S. student scores across classrooms. “In other words, students in classes exposed to more challenging topics and using more challenging texts scored significantly higher on the TIMSS then their peers in less challenging classes.” Schmidt concludes by noting that fixing 8th grade math won’t be easy because there is no 8th grade math in the sense of a unified, cohesive course of study offered across the nation and other reasons. But he points out that the “primary concern of policymakers should be to decrease the disparity of learning opportunities offered to students. Some of this disparity is obvious, such as when opportunities vary by school location, size and percent of minority enrollment.” He also notes that math education could benefit from the trend of establishing educational standards, but those standards should first address course, textbook and topic rigor. “Expecting all students to pass algebra before graduation … will mean nothing if algebra means one thing in Maine and something else in Arizona.”

What It Means to You
Do students in your district have the opportunity to take pre-algebra or algebra at the 8th grade? What role does tracking play in the opportunities your students have in learning mathematics? Do you expect your students to take rigorous and demanding math courses?

For More Information
Schmidt, W. (2002). Missed opportunities: How mathematics education in the U.S. puts our students at a disadvantage and what can be done about it. Policy Report Number 7. The full report can be downloaded from the EPC Web site at www.epc.msu.edu.

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