Educational Results Plummeting

The time period under nreview is 2011-2016

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Australia crashing down international leaderboard for education, falling behind Kazakhstan

By political reporter Dan Conifer
Updated 31 minutes ago
RELATED STORY: Aussie schools flatline in global education tests
RELATED STORY: Are you smarter than a fourth grader — from Kazakhstan?
MAP: Australia
Australia is losing to Kazakhstan in the latest global education report card.
Key points:

• Australia plunging down the international leaderboard for Year 4 and Year 8 results
• Simon Birmingham says pumping more money into schools is not the answer
• Labor's education spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek agrees results are troubling

The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) is conducted every four years and shows local students crashing further down the international leaderboard.
Since 2011, it shows Australia plunging from:

• 18th to 28th on Year 4 mathematics
• 12th to 17th for Year 8 maths
• 12th to 17th for Year 8 science

Australia is still in 25th place for Year 4 science results.
What's happening to our schools?


The highly charged school funding debate is back on the national agenda. Brush up on the key issues.
Kazakhstan — a Central Asian country satirised in the Sacha Baron Cohen film Borat and with a population smaller than ours — soared past Australia in all four categories.
TIMSS looks at the Year 4 results of 49 countries and Year 8 outcomes of 39 nations.
Federal Education Minister Simon Birmingham said being beaten by nations like Kazakhstan is a wake-up call.
"I don't want to denigrate Kazakhstan, or indeed their artistic skills with movies like Borat," Senator Birmingham said.
"I think though Australia should be seeking to be amongst the best in the world and declines like this are unacceptable and that we need to be working hard to turn it around."
Follow the day's political developments in our live blog.
Pumping more money into schools 'not the answer'

Other nations outperforming Australia across the board include England, the United States, Singapore, Chinese Taipei and Japan.
More to Kazakhstan than Borat


Here's what you need to know about the country that beat Australia in the latest global education report.
The Federal Government said TIMSS results have fallen since 2003 despite federal education funding climbing by almost 50 per cent.
Senator Birmingham said pumping more money into schools was not the answer and the lacklustre results would be raised in talks with states and territories about school funding beyond 2017.
"Some of the things we're doing in our classrooms clearly aren't up to scratch," he said.
"What I am urging the Opposition — the Labor Party — and the states and territories to focus on is how we can best use what is a record and growing investment in Australian schools to get the best possible outcomes for the future rather than continuing a debate that pretends that money itself is the solution."
INFOGRAPHIC: TIMSS mathematics and science results 1995-2015. (Supplied: The Conversation)
Results a 'wake-up call to Australia'

TIMSS: Australian schools continue to fall behind


The latest TIMSS report shows that students in Australia make very little — if any — progress in maths from Year 4 to Year 8.
Labor's education spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek agreed the results were troubling but said they proved why the Gonski education funding model was vital.
"The results are very concerning and they show exactly why we need to invest extra in our schools," Ms Plibersek said.
"They show that kids from poorer families in poorer schools in remote and regional areas are doing worst of all.
"It is a wake-up call to Australia because we think of ourselves as a wealthy nation, a nation with a highly developed education system.
"As poorer countries not only catch up to us but overtake us, we need to be asking ourselves about our own commitment to investing in our children's education."