An international report detailing student performance in maths and science has found South Australian year 4 students continue to improve – despite concerns about disrupted learning due to COVID.

The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) has released a report on behalf of the Commonwealth, state and territory governments, analysing the performance of Australia’s years 4 and 8 students in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS).

The TIMSS takes place every four years, evaluating the mathematical and scientific knowledge and understanding of year 4 and year 8 students, enabling countries to assess progress over time.

ACER noted that year 4 students whose first years of schooling occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic have defied concerns about disrupted learning to achieve Australia’s best-ever result in the maths and science assessment.

TIMSS describes achievement of the students on a scale with four international benchmarks related to their skills and knowledge and then groups the students in terms of attaining the National Proficient Standard (NPS) – ‘very low performers’ and ‘very high performers’.

Testing is done in all states and territories and, in South Australia, not only did the proportion of year 4 students at or above the National Proficient Standard for both mathematics and science improve, the number in the bottom category (very low performers) fell.

Since 1995, maths achievement of year 4 students has improved across all jurisdictions, and from 1995 to 2023 the numbers of ‘very low performers’ decreased by 7 percentage points in South Australia.

South Australia also improved significantly in year 4 science between 1995 and 2023, with an 11-point increase in the proportion of students who attained the NPS.

Results for year 8 students in South Australia were more mixed, with a decline in maths from 2019 to the tests in 2023, but an improvement in science between 2011 and 2023.

TIMSS is directed by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). ACER manages the implementation and reporting of TIMSS in Australia.