Dutch pupils perform well in reading, arithmetic and science but scarcely excel

Dutch primary school pupils aged 9 to 10 have once again performed well in international reading, arithmetic and science tests. This is apparent from Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS-2011) and Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS-2011), the results of which were announced today. The slight decrease observed in previous measurements of PIRLS and TIMSS appears to have come to a halt. Nearly all Dutch pupils, including the weaker ones, obtain the minimum basic level but compared to other countries the Netherlands has few excellent pupils.

International ranking

In 2011 the Netherlands was one of the better performing countries for reading, arithmetic and science. Dutch test scores for PIRLS and TIMSS revealed a light decrease until 2006/2007. In 2011, the scores remained stable (reading and arithmetic) or increased (science).

The difference with the participating Asian countries is large. For example, pupils from Singapore performed superbly and scored top for arithmetic, second for science and fourth for reading. The differences in scores between the Netherlands and neighbouring countries are mostly small. If significant differences in performance between participating countries are examined then on the international ranking the Netherlands comes tenth for reading (together with ten other countries), eighth for arithmetic (together with five other countries) and also eighth for science (together with nine other countries). These positions are lower than in the first PIRLS measurement of 2001 and the first TIMSS measurement of 1995 (second, fourth and third place respectively).

The drop on the rankings is partly attributable to various high-performing countries such as Finland starting to participate in PIRLS and TIMSS. Yet it is also because the level of education in the Netherlands dropped until 2006/2007, whereas it increased in many other countries. For example, in recent years both England and the US have the same arithmetic level as the Netherlands. And in reading, for example, several countries now perform better than the Netherlands.

Little excellence

An important characteristic of Dutch education is the relatively small difference in performance between the weakest and strongest pupils. For arithmetic and science, 99% of pupils achieve at least the lowest knowledge and skill levels distinguished by TIMSS. The lowest reading skill level was achieved by all 9 to 10-year-old pupils tested. The Netherlands is unique in this respect.

However, there is a downside to this unique position of the Netherlands, namely the low number of excellent pupils. Between 3% and 7% of the pupils tested achieved the highest level for the different areas. Furthermore, compared to other countries these percentages have become smaller. In this respect the Netherlands trails behind other countries that perform well. For example, in England 18% of the pupils achieved the highest level in both the reading and arithmetic tests. This indicates that Dutch education is good at ensuring weak pupils achieve the basic level but appears to have difficulty in letting talented pupils excel.

Girls versus boys

Girls aged 9 to 10 read better than boys of the same age and boys are better in science than girls. For arithmetic the difference between the sexes is smaller than in 2007 because girls have made more progress than boys. For reading the differences have also become smaller but in this case because girls perform slightly less well and the performance of boys has remained stable.

Satisfied

Pupils, parents, teachers and school directors are positive about the learning climate and safety at their school. Teachers in the Netherlands are generally satisfied about the practice of their profession and experience teaching as important work.

PIRLS and TIMSS are both initiated by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) and are realised in the Netherlands on behalf of the Dutch Programme Council for Educational Research (PROO), part of the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO). The studies are carried out in more than 45 different countries among pupils aged 9 to 10 years. In the spring of 2011 more than 7000 Dutch pupils in this age group participated in PIRLS or TIMSS.

More information:
timssandpirls.bc.edu/

Provided by Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO)