Students in the US continued to rank below the upper tier of countries in the latest TIMSS assessment. "Highlights" include:

• 4th Grade Math. US students ranked 15th with an average score of 535. The top three countries were Singapore (625), Hong Kong (602), and South Korea (600).



• 8th Grade Math. US students ranked 12th with an average score of 515. The top three countries were Singapore (616), Taiwan (612), and South Korea (607).



• 4th Grade Science. US Students ranked 9th with an average score of 539. The top three countries were Singapore (595), South Korea (588), and Russia (567).



• 8th Grade Science. US Students ranked 11th with an average score of 522. The top three countries were Singapore (608), Taiwan (574), and Japan (570).

The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) is a series of international assessments of the mathematics and science knowledge of students around the world. The assessment is conducted every 4 years, and in this latest iteration, covered more than 580,000 students in 64 countries.

Bottom-line: In a global economy where an educated work force is a competitive advantage, the US is lagging behind.