TIMSS & PIRLS, International Study Center, Boston College
Summary
TIMSS and PIRLS are international assessments that monitor trends in student achievement in mathematics, science, and reading. Currently more than 70 countries participate in the assessments, which have been conducted at regular intervals since 1995.
TIMSS has monitored trends in mathematics and science achievement every four years, at the fourth and eighth grades. The TIMSS 2023 is coming out December 9th 2025 and the TIMSS 2027 is the next edition.
PIRLS has monitored trends in reading achievement at the fourth grade every five years since 2001. PIRLS 2026, the sixth assessment cycle of PIRLS, will provide policymakers and researchers with data on 25 years of trends in student achievement in reading literacy. PIRLS 2025 Field Test was in March/April 2025.
17 tables currently exist in IFs.
Tables In IFs
| Variables | Definition | LastIFsUpdate | UsedInPreprocessor |
|---|---|---|---|
| EdQualPIRLSReadingBot25% | Educational scores, PIRLS, 4th-grade reading, bottom 25 percent | 2/1/2008 | 0 |
| EdQualPIRLSReadingTop10% | Educational scores, PIRLS, 4th-grade reading, top 10 percent | 2/1/2008 | 0 |
| EdQualPIRLSReadingTop25% | Educational scores, PIRLS, 4th-grade reading, top 25 percent | 2/1/2008 | 0 |
| EdQualPIRLSReadingTop50% | Educational scores, PIRLS, 4th-grade reading, top 50 percent | 2/1/2008 | 0 |
| EdQualPIRLSReadingTotal | Educational scores, PIRLS, 4th-grade reading, total students | 2/1/2008 | 0 |
| EdQualTIMSSMath4thTop10% | Educational scores, TIMSS, math, 4th grade, percent in top 10% | 2/1/2008 | 0 |
| EdQualTIMSSMath4thTop25% | Educational scores, TIMSS, math, 4th grade, percent in top 25% | 2/1/2008 | 0 |
| EdQualTIMSSMath4thTop50% | Educational scores, TIMSS, math, 4th grade, percent in top 50% | 2/1/2008 | 0 |
| EdQualTIMSSMath8thTop10% | Educational scores, TIMSS, math, 8th grade, percent in top 10% | 2/1/2008 | 0 |
| EdQualTIMSSMath8thTop25% | Educational scores, TIMSS, math, 8th grade, percent in top 25% | 2/1/2008 | 0 |
| EdQualTIMSSMath8thTop50% | Educational scores, TIMSS, math, 8th grade, percent in top 50% | 2/1/2008 | 0 |
| EdQualTIMSSScience4thTop10% | Educational scores, TIMSS, science, 4th grade, percent in top 10% | 2/1/2008 | 0 |
| EdQualTIMSSScience4thTop25% | Educational scores, TIMSS, science, 4th grade, percent in top 25% | 2/1/2008 | 0 |
| EdQualTIMSSScience4thTop50% | Educational scores, TIMSS, science, 4th grade, percent in top 50% | 2/1/2008 | 0 |
| EdQualTIMSSScience8thTop10% | Educational scores, TIMSS, science, 8th grade, percent in top 10% | 2/1/2008 | 0 |
| EdQualTIMSSScience8thTop25% | Educational scores, TIMSS, science, 8th grade, percent in top 25% | 2/1/2008 | 0 |
| EdQualTIMSSScience8thTop50% | Educational scores, TIMSS, science, 8th grade, percent in top 50% | 2/1/2008 | 0 |
Data Pulling Instructions
- Navigate to https://timssandpirls.bc.edu/databases-landing.html
- Select the most recent database [right now it is TIMSS 2023 and PIRLS 2021]
- G to "Data Files" and download the file best for you.