The 2003 TIMSS results show that nearly, half of participating 8th graders scored
advanced levels in mathematics in Taiwan, Korea and Singapore, compared with only 6
percent of American students (Dillon, 2008). Although, the 2007 American mathematics
results are slightly higher than the initial year of 1995, the results still show that
American 4th and 8th grade students are making gains but still lag behind significantly in
science and in both areas upon the completion of high school (Paulson, 2008). In the
TIMMS report from 2007, Peterson and Hanuschek (2011) state that only 32% of U.S.
public and private students were proficient in mathematics. In 2011, the U.S. scored 32nd
of 65 nations in mathematics which ranks the U.S. between Portugal and Italy. In the
latest TIMSS results of 2011, overall American fourth graders fare the best against the
Asian countries in science.