Measuring global education goals: How TIMSS helps

This booklet has been prepared for the international release of TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) 2019 and in the context of the study’s efforts to advance the global Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4, monitoring progress and promoting appropriate national, regional and international tools for measuring learning outcomes.

TIMSS is a flagship study of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), and TIMSS 2019 marks the seventh cycle of the study, providing 24 years of trends. Conducted every four years since 1995, TIMSS has been a valuable tool for monitoring international trends in mathematics and science achievement at the fourth and eighth grades. From the 2019 cycle onwards, an innovative computerized version of TIMSS enables countries to investigate complex areas of the mathematics and science framework that are difficult to measure with traditional paper and pencil tests.