TIMSS & PIRLS International Study Center Executive Directors Michael O. Martin and Ina V.S. Mullis, Lynch School Dean Stanton Wortham, and Boston College Provost and Dean of Faculties David Quigley
The year 2016 marked the twentieth anniversary of TIMSS (Trends in International Math and Science Study), the longest-running international assessment of student achievement in math and science. Housed at the Lynch School’s TIMSS & PIRLS International Study Center, TIMSS has assessed math and science performance at the fourth- and eighth-grade levels every four years since 1995, monitoring results and providing data that help participating countries make informed decisions about educational policy and practice. The center released TIMSS 2015, its sixth global assessment, in late November. Administered to more than 600,000 students in 57 countries, the test results show that Singapore, Hong Kong SAR, Korea, Chinese Taipei, and Japan continue to lead the world in math education. Science scores were more varied, with Russia and Slovenia joining the top-ranked East Asian countries.
—John Shakespear