Use and Impact of TIMSS
TIMSS 2015 is the fifth TIMSS cycle in which Cyprus has participated, following the 1995, 1999, 2003, and 2007 cycles. In previous cycles of TIMSS, the release of the results was followed by local media coverage that stimulated extensive public discussion on the performance of Cypriot students, especially in comparison with students from other countries. Academics also published technical reports with a synopsis and discussion of TIMSS results. These reports aimed to provide useful information to teachers, policy makers, and researchers on Cypriot student performance on specific released test items.40 The results of Cyprus in previous TIMSS cycles led the MoEC to form committees for developing recommendations for improvement,41 and proceed with changes in the content and instruction of mathematics, for example.42
For the first time in the 2015 cycle, Cyprus is participating in TIMSS through the MoEC Centre of Educational Research and Evaluation (CERE), which was established in 2008. The CERE is planning to prepare a national TIMSS 2015 report and disseminate the results to stakeholders and the public through the presentation and publication of relevant documents.