The 2007 results of the Trends in Mathematics and Science Study are to be released officially this morning (and I haven't managed to get my hands on a copy, darn it!), but some of the news is already starting to leak out:
- ??? According to this Michigan State press release, the United States "saw a small increase in fourth-grade math scores from 1995 to 2007 - remaining in the middle of the pack among the 16 countries that participated both years." (This article from Australia pegs that increase at "11 points over the past four years," compared to a 17 point gain for Australia. The land down under is already in a tizzy about falling in rankings compared to other countries (not including the U.S., apparently!).)
- ??? The Michigan state release also boasts about big improvements for the state of Minnesota, which participated as its own "country" and which had help from math expert Bill Schmidt in updating its math standards in recent years. Minnesota now scores 25 points above the national average, earning it fifth place in world rankings, behind Hong Kong, Singapore, Chinese Tapai, and Japan. Minnesota also had "three times the gains" of the United States as a whole.
- ??? It looks like reforms in England are paying off; according to the Australian paper, grade 4 math scores are up 57 points over the past decade.
There's much more to come. But for now, thank goodness for Google News!
