Information for schools and teachers

Are you a principal whose school has been selected to participate in TIMSS? Or a teacher whose class is taking part in the TIMSS test? We’d welcome your input.

Your cooperation helps us to use the data collected as effectively as possible. The information provided about the general situation at your school, and on the challenges and opportunities in mathematics and science teaching, plays a huge part in the subsequent evaluation and interpretation of the data.

We see schools and teachers as key partners in the research process and are keen to increase their involvement in TIMSS.

What’s in it for us? Added value for teachers and education systems

Photo: Adobe Stock/UHH

The time required to complete the questionnaires is time well spent: we use the findings to identify patterns and trends, for instance in teachers’ workloads or in the need for further training.

Materials for teachers

Photo: IEA

In the near future, we will gradually be adding practical materials for educators developed on the basis of data collected via TIMSS. The first of these is the German version of the IEA’s Teacher Snippet on fourth-grade students’ attitudes to learning mathematics.

You can download the PDF free of charge via the link below. We’ve love to hear your thoughts and suggestions.

Hier Teacher Snippet (PDF) downloaden

FAQs

How is respondents’ personal data protected?

All data is processed in accordance with the statutory regulations governing data protection. Unauthorized persons not connected with the study cannot at any point identify the specific data you or your child have provided. No names or addresses are collected as part of the study. Instead, the data is tagged with an ID number that allows all the data relating to the same individual to be collated. The data collected via TIMSS is used solely for research purposes.

For students with special learning needs, taking the test can lead to them feeling frustrating. Are there specific tasks for such students?

No, the test questions are very broad-ranging, i.e. there are very easy, easy, medium-difficulty and higher-difficulty tasks. This standard test design is important to ensure results can be compared across countries. However, plans are currently being developed to allow for adaptive testing in future test cycles. In TIMSS 2027, there is already the option for special schools to spread the testing across two days in order to reduce time pressures on students.

Do the students in a class all get the same questions or do they vary?

The tasks vary and are selected randomly. The questions asked in the questionnaire are the same for all students however.

Is it possible for a school to be selected for TIMSS multiple times?

Yes, schools are randomly selected every four years. That means it’s possible for a school to be selected at random even if it has previously participated in TIMSS.

Are teachers allowed to walk around during testing and look at the tasks?

No, that’s not permitted. Students shouldn’t get the impression they are being observed and shouldn’t be made to feel nervous.