Use and Impact of TIMSS

The Slovak Republic has taken part in TIMSS since its first cycle in 1995. After the TIMSS 2003, 2007, and 2011 assessments, a national report was released describing student achievement in the Slovak Republic compared to its international peers, as well as important findings concerning the effects of home and school environments on students’ mathematics and science literacy. These results and findings can serve as inspiration and motivation for parents, teachers, and higher authorities. The National Institute for Certified Educational Measurements, which served as the TIMSS national center, published an electronic version of TIMSS 2007 and a paper version of TIMSS 2011 released items. The texts were made available publicly for use by teachers and parents to enhance students’ mathematics and science literacy.

The Slovak Republic also takes part in other international assessments, such as PIRLS and PISA. Because student results have been consistently low, educational training centers in the Slovak Republic have organized workshops to support teachers’ long term professional development in mathematical, scientific, and reading literacy. The workshops aim to deepen and expand teacher subject knowledge by selecting and creating appropriate tasks and methods for teacher use.

For the first time in the 2015 cycle, all students participating in TIMSS were educated in line with the new education reform and under the new curricular program (the State Education Program). While the previous curriculum was unified, detailed, and had to be strictly implemented, the new curricula give teachers and subject committees the flexibility to adapt the educational programs to the conditions of individual schools and teachers. The main program objectives of the State Education Program for primary education are to develop students’ key competencies, including mathematical and scientific literacy.