Media reports in recent days have highlighted the international comparison in Year 4 and Year 8 maths and science (TIMSS 2015). Australian students are being left behind.
A summary of the results (https://rd.acer.edu.au/article/what-can-timss-tell-us-about-the-average-australian-classroom) states that, in an average Australian Year 8 maths class, only about 8% of 'students have a deep understanding of mathematics and are probably those students who will go into STEM careers' while 'one-third of Year 8 students fail to achieve the nationally agreed proficient standard'.
For comparison, in Singapore, only 4% of students 'would not have achieved the Australian proficient standard. However, more than half of the class would have achieved the highest level - showing deep understanding of the material they were presented'.
Professor Geoff Masters, Chief Executive of the Australian Council for Educational Research, commented on the results (https://www.teachermagazine.com.au/geoff-masters/article/20-year-slide-in-maths-and-science-learning) and stated that '38 per cent of teachers teaching mathematics in Years 7 to 10 have never studied how to teach mathematics and have not taken mathematics beyond first-year tertiary level'
