Steep decline in Israeli students’ international math and science test scores
Education Ministry blames COVID lockdowns for disastrous TIMSS 2023 results, which see country plummet 14 places in math and nine in science
Gavriel Fiske is a reporter at The Times of Israel
Israeli students in 2023 showed a dramatic decline in mathematics and science test scores, according to the TIMSS 2023 international report released on Wednesday.
According to the data, Israeli eighth-grade students dropped 14 places internationally in math scores in 2023, to 23rd overall, and nine places in science results, to 25th place, as compared to the previous testing period in 2019.
A summary released by the Education Ministry showed that between 2019 and 2023, Israeli eighth graders showed “a sharp decrease” of 32 points on average in test results in both mathematics and science. The TIMSS study uses a point system with ranges of 400 points (low), 475 (intermediate), 550 (high) and 615 (advanced).
Israel’s numerical scores in 2023 — 487 in mathematics and 481 in science — are still slightly above the average of 478 in both categories. In 2019, Israel scored 519 in mathematics and 513 in science, as compared to world averages of 489 and 490, respectively.
In 2023, one out of every five students was classified as “below the threshold” or having difficulty with math and science, as compared to one out of eight in 2019. In 2023, only one out of 13 were classified as excelling in those fields, while in 2019, one out of seven excelled.
There was a disparity in results between students in state-secular schools and in national-religious schools, with the secular students scoring 516 in math and 503 in science, and the religious students 490 and 474, respectively.
On average, male students scored 15 points higher than female students.
The study results also showed a significant disparity between Hebrew-speaking and Arabic-speaking students in the Israeli school system. Hebrew speakers showed a drop of 26 points in math and 29 in science, while Arabic speakers showed a drop of 56 and 49 points, respectively.
The 2023 testing took place before the October 7 outbreak of the war in Gaza and the north.
The results, which cover the post-COVID period, showed a general worldwide decline in math and science test scores, according to the TIMSS report, although the drop for Israeli students was more acute than most.
The Education Ministry, in a statement, attempted to downplay the severity of the results, saying that they “seem to reflect a global trend of declining achievements following the COVID crisis” and noting “an average decrease of 11-12 points in mathematics and science” among participating countries.
The ministry attributed Israel’s drop to the extended series of COVID lockdowns, which disrupted education and caused schools to move to distance learning. Israel had a total of 130 days of school lockdowns during COVID, as compared to countries like Sweden (49 days) or the UK (64 days), both of which showed a slight improvement in math scores, the ministry said.
The ministry said it would initiate “a comprehensive, systematic program” to address the issue, including “adapting mathematic curriculum to international standards” and an increase in classroom hours for math and science in middle schools.
The results “did not surprise,” said Manhigim, an umbrella organization for school principals, in a statement that noted the lack of qualified teachers in these areas.
In a recent survey, 55 percent of school principals said they had “failed to recruit a full teaching staff, especially in English, science and mathematics,” Manhigim said, urging a “national goal” to make “a profound change in the structure of teacher employment and salaries” in order to alleviate what it said was a shortage of thousands of teachers.
These kinds of international tests require high levels of English reading and writing proficiency and the Israeli curriculum isn’t always aligned with international standards, said Prof. Michal Zion of the Faculty of Education at Bar-Ilan University, speaking to the Israel Hayom daily on Wednesday.
Although English studies “are in serious trouble” in Israel, tests like TIMSS aren’t the last word and Israeli students excel in international studies on creative thinking and open inquiry, Zion said. “Israel is a high-tech powerhouse… we need to continue along this path and ensure that teachers excel by dramatically raising their salaries,” she said.
The TIMSS study – the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study – has been conducted every four years since 1995 and is a project of the IEA (International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement) coordinated at Boston College. Israel has participated in the study since 1999.
The study tested about 300,000 students from 9,000 schools in 43 countries. Some 5,200 Israeli students participated, but the survey did not include students in the ultra-Orthodox school track and students from East Jerusalem.
When asked about the lack of participation from these sectors, an Education Ministry official told The Times of Israel that the ultra-Orthodox schools and schools in East Jerusalem did not participate in previous years either, but declined to comment further.
