Don’t panic about tests

Our school kids’ performance in science and maths is declining. In the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study released last week, our 9- to 13-year-olds turned in their worst test results since the study began in 1995.

The survey, involving 580,000 students worldwide, benchmarked the ability of school children to master ‘‘factual and procedural’’ knowledge in science and maths classes. The top performing nations were Singapore, South Korea, Russia, Japan and Taiwan. We are well down the pack, trailing countries such as Australia and England. Our year 9 students did particularly poorly – falling 14 points to 499 in science and 11 points to 482 in maths. The midpoint mark in the index is 500. Singapore scored 608 in science. The decline is also reflected in other major benchmarks such as PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment).

It would appear thatwe are failing to set our young people upwell to pursue high-paying jobs in science, technology and engineering, and to arm them with critical thinking skills.

But are we really? The study’s focus is on measuring the ability of kids all over the world to retain science and mathematical knowledge. While it is useful to know what happens when light passes through a prism or how to equate three-quarters to a decimal, are Kiwi kids less likely to succeed if they don’t retain that knowledge?

After all, we live in aworld where that knowledge is at our fingertips. Sure, if your dream job is working at Rocket Lab, poor results in physics and maths will hold you back. But understanding how scientific knowledge is constructed and applied to the world around us is equally important – and more useful.

The TIMSS study can help identify areas where school curricula may not be hitting the mark. But more useful are the sections of the survey that analyse students’ attitudes towards science, their home environment or teachers’ access to professional development.

It’s clear we have some systemic and cultural problems in our schools which, if addressed, could translate into better science and maths test results.

Everyone seems to have an opinion on what’s wrong with education – it’s the curriculum, or a lack of resources or the lingering impact of the National Government’s rigid focus on reading, writing and mathematics.

We need to figure out how we best nurture inquisitive young minds. That’s less about the accumulation of scientific knowledge and more about ensuring kids are set up to engage with science in a meaningful way throughout their lives.

We need to figure out how we best nurture inquisitive young minds.