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Use and Impact of TIMSS

TIMSS 2015 marked the third time the State of Qatar has participated in TIMSS at the fourth and eighth grades. It was clear from the beginning the Ministry of Education and Higher Education believes the development of plans, goals, mechanisms, and advanced programs depends on participation in international studies — TIMSS , PIRLS, and PISA. It is recognized that the benefits of participating in these tests is expected to improve the achievement of students.

After implementing TIMSS 2007, the Department of International Studies in the Ministry of Education and Higher Education developed a five year plan to meet international standards in all schools in Qatar. The Department of International Studies has benefited from the recommendations that were presented after analyzing the results of TIMSS 2007.

The aim of this plan is to improve the achievement of students in international study via the curriculum and standards. The plan contained three key aspects:

  • Academic aspect
    • Define, classify, and compare international standards with national standards or educational reality, student performance levels, and the efficiency of the educational reforms used in the field
    • Develop a timeline to cover all of these standards
    • Conduct training workshops for tests’ subject coordinators (including science and mathematics), and provide teaching staff with the following:
      • Subject standards and a timeline for covering these standards in schools
      • Enrichment items
      • Released items from the official website of the organization administrating the tests
      • The framework of TIMSS in both languages (Arabic and English)
      • Apply the diagnostic test and analyze the results to identify students’ weaknesses and strengths, and then develop a remedy plan to be applied in schools
      • Follow up with the remedy plan to make sure that students understand the standards through developing and designing a follow-up model
  • Awareness aspect
    • A comprehensive media plan was developed to activate the remedy plan, raise the awareness of students, parents, and teachers of the importance of participation in international assessments, and enhance competition between students
  • Motivation aspect
    • Conduct scientific competitions between schools participating in TIMSS, in order to:
      • Familiarize students with assessment
      • Raise awareness of the importance of effective participation
      • Encourage competitiveness among schools
      • Exchange scientific expertise between participating students