A new report from the American Institutes of Research standardizes and compares the NAEP scores of 8th grade students in U.S. states with TIMSS scores of 8th grade students in 45 countries.
Five nations had higher math scores than North Carolina. Four nations (including Estonia, Hungary, and the Netherlands) had math performance similar to North Carolina and 36 nations had lower math scores.
In science, North Carolina does not fare as well. North Carolina had scores similar to 14 other nations. Students in nine nations (including Estonia, Hungary, and the Netherlands) perform better than North Carolina’s 8th graders, while students in 22 nations perform worse.
Researchers concluded:
Good News ? Most states are performing as well or better than most foreign countries.
Bad News ? The highest achieving states within the United States are still significantly below the highest achieving countries, namely Singapore, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, and Japan.
