Study underlines need to stretch top students in maths and science

If an end-of-year report card was being issued to Ireland following the latest international survey of maths and science performance at school, it might read: "strong performer, but could do better."

On the whole there’s plenty to be positive about.

Students in the Republic are the best performers in maths across primary and second level in the EU.

The performance of students in Ireland at science is also significantly above the international average.

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No significant gender differences were found either, with boys and girls performing equally well in maths and science tests.

These findings are contained in Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (Timss), based on data gathered in 2019 across more than 600,000 students in 64 countries.

The study, carried out every four years, measures the performance of children at fourth class in primary and second year in secondary level.

But there are some worrying findings.

Wide gap

There is a wide gap between the highest performing students in Ireland and their peers in countries which have a similar overall performance.

This indicates that our top students aren’t being challenged or stretched enough to reach their full potential.

Despite curriculum changes such as Project Maths and the junior cycle, and a huge emphasis on Stem (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) and digital learning, the performance among Irish schoolchildren has not changed significantly over the last four years.

In fact, talk to many third-level academics and they will – more often than not – despair about maths standards nowadays among students.

Maths support centres are common in third-level institutions for struggling undergraduate students.

So, can the Timss figures be trusted?

Yes, say academics: the study measures the totality of student performance, from the weakest to the strongest.

A key factor in Ireland’s high standing is that we have a lower proportion of poorly-performing students than many of our competitors.

This is a good reflection of the equity of our school system – and it is likely that investment in Deis, or disadvantaged, schools is paying off.

These schools benefit from smaller teacher-pupil ratios and other supports aimed at narrowing the achievement gap with more affluent schools.

These findings are reflected in other international education surveys – such as Pisa and Pirls – which show Irish students are strong performers overall with fewer underachieving students.

East Asia

That said, this latest survey shows we lag well significantly behind east Asian powerhouses such as Singapore, Korea, parts of China and Japan.

Why are they streaking so far ahead?

Experts say there are likely to be a number of factors at play.

Firstly, the results can be distorted by the number of students that are excluded from the international test for various reasons.

Ireland excludes around 1 per cent of students, while some countries such as Singapore exclude between 10 and 12 per cent of pupils.

There may also be strong cultural factors.

Parents in many top countries place a very high value on their children performing well and school can be extremely competitive.

While it means top students do better, it can lead to negative consequences such as a very heavy reliance on private tuition or after-school academies, which all place extra pressure on students.

The Korean government, for example, introduced a law in recent years which forbids after-school grinds taking place after 10pm.

It may, then, be more useful to compare how we are doing with competitor countries which are closer to home, such as the UK and EU member states.

We are doing better in maths than the rest of the EU and performing strongly in science.

England is interesting. It fares better at primary level than Ireland.

In maths at fourth class, it ranks in eight place – one place ahead of the Republic.

In science at fourth class, it ranks in 12th place – six places ahead of the Republic in 18th place.

Is this due to an extra emphasis on maths and science at primary? A more demanding curriculum? Or could it be due the focus on maths due to the 11-plus exams?

Either way, Ireland overtakes England at second level.

In maths at second year, Ireland ranks in seventh position, six places ahead of England in 13th place.

In science, Ireland ranks in 10th place, four places ahead of England in 14th place.

Is this due the equity of our education system? Or is down to curricular issues? Or a decline in the UK?

We’ll get a better sense of this as researchers delve deeper into the findings over the coming months.

The big challenge for Ireland, most experts agree, is how to stretch our top students.

Recent curricular changes in maths and science, in theory, have allowed for this by focusing more on critical thinking and inquiry-based learning.

However, research indicates that teachers feel that they don’t have the time to focus on extending top students in the way that was planned.

This will need to be addressed through providing greater resources and training.

A promised strategy to support gifted and talented students will also be needed, as will high quality, continuous professional development.

As teachers so often remind pupils in their report cards, there’s no time to rest on your laurels.