An international comparative study of pupils' performance in mathematics and science that was published on Tuesday shows that Israeli eighth-graders' performance has dropped in both fields.
The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), which was established by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement, is carried out every four years. It found that Israel dropped from 7th place in mathematics in 2011 to 16th in 2015 and from 13th place in science to 19th.
The 2011 TIMSS, when Gideon Sa'ar was the minister of education, showed a rise in Israel's placement. The country's students had ranked 24th in mathematics four years before that.
The most recent TIMSS was carried out in Israel in March 2015. The current education minister, Naftali Bennett, took office two months later, taking over from Shai Piron, who held the position for a year and a half.
Piron repeatedly criticized what he called the "obsessive evaluation" of students' grades and sought to orient the educational system towards "values" rather than "grades."
The 2015 TIMSS compares eighth-graders from 42 countries, while the 2011 study had 42.
The Israeli Ministry of Education commented, "The 2015 TIMSS indicates that Israeli students maintained their achievements from 2011. Also, the data indicate that Israel is placed about the international average of participating countries. Over the years since 1999, the achievements of the educational system's students are on the rise."
Mathematics ranking of top 20 countries
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- Science ranking of top 20 countries
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Sweden
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Israel