Percentages of Students Reaching International Benchmarks of Mathematics Achievement
Exhibit 1.1.4 provides graphical and numerical representations of the percentages of fourth-grade students reaching each TIMSS 2023 International Benchmark in participating countries and benchmarking entities. The International Benchmarks function like steps on a ladder: If students reached a higher benchmark, they also reached each of the lower benchmarks. The percentages do not add up to 100%, but rather indicate cumulative proportions: The lower the benchmark, the higher the proportion of students reaching that benchmark. Conversely, the higher the benchmark, the lower the proportion of students reaching it. The exhibit also provides the standard error (in parentheses) associated with each of the estimated percentages.
As a point of reference, the exhibit reports the international median percentage of students reaching each International Benchmark across participating countries, instead of an average as is displayed in other report exhibits for average achievement. By definition, half of the countries will have a percentage in the column above the median and half will be below the median.
Across the 58 countries, the median percentages of fourth-grade students reaching each International Benchmark in TIMSS 2023 were 7 percent at Advanced, 35 percent at High, 70 percent at Intermediate, and 91 percent at Low. The percentage reaching the Advanced Benchmark ranged from 49 percent to 1 percent. The percentage of students reaching the Low Benchmark ranged from more than 99 percent to 35 percent. In many TIMSS 2023 countries (31), more than 90 percent of fourth-grade students reached the Low Benchmark, which can be considered a level of minimum proficiency internationally.
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Mathematics Grade 4
Country
Advanced International Benchmark (625)
High International Benchmark (550)
Intermediate International Benchmark (475)
Low International Benchmark (400)
