TRENDS IN INTERNATIONAL MATHEMATICS AND 

SCIENCE STUDY (TIMSS 2015) FIELD TEST AND

RECRUITMENT FOR FIELD TEST AND MAIN STUDY

REQUEST FOR OMB CLEARANCE

OMB# 1850-0695 v.3

SUPPORTING STATEMENT PART A

Submitted by:

National Center for Education Statistics

U.S. Department of Education

Institute of Education Sciences

Washington, DC

June 2013

Revised September 2013
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

PREFACE ...................................................................................................................................................... 2

A. JUSTIFICATION................................................................................................................................... 4

A.1 Importance of Information............................................................................................................................4

A.2 Purposes and Uses of Data............................................................................................................................5

A.3 Improved Information Technology (Reduction of Burden)..........................................................................7

A.4 Efforts to Identify Duplication......................................................................................................................7

A.5 Minimizing Burden for Small Entities..........................................................................................................8

A.6 Frequency of Data Collection .......................................................................................................................8

A.7 Special Circumstances..................................................................................................................................8

A.8 Consultations outside NCES.........................................................................................................................8

A.9 Payments or Gifts to Respondents................................................................................................................8

A.10 Assurance of Confidentiality ........................................................................................................................9

A.11 Sensitive Questions.....................................................................................................................................10

A.12 Estimates of Burden....................................................................................................................................10

A.13 Total Annual Cost Burden ..........................................................................................................................13

A.14 Annualized Cost to Federal Government....................................................................................................14

A.15 Program Changes or Adjustments ..............................................................................................................14

A.16 Plans for Tabulation and Publication..........................................................................................................14

A.17 Display OMB Expiration Date ...................................................................................................................15

A.18 Exceptions to Certification Statement ........................................................................................................15

B. COLLECTION OF INFORMATION EMPLOYING STATISTICAL INFORMATION 21

B.1 Respondent Universe..................................................................................................... 21

B.2 Statistical Methodology................................................................................................. 22

B.3 Maximizing Response Rates......................................................................................... 27

B.4 Purpose of Field Test and Data Uses ............................................................................ 28

B.5 Individuals Consulted on Statistical Design ................................................................. 28

APPENDICES

A: Recruitment Materials

B: Parental Consent Materials

C: Instruments

D: Non-response Bias Analysis Plan
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PREFACE

The Trends in Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) is an international assessment of fourth and eighth grade 

students’ achievement in mathematics and science. Since its inception in 1995, TIMSS has continued to assess 

students every 4 years (1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011), with the next TIMSS assessment, TIMSS 2015, being the 

sixth iteration of the study. Participation in this study by the United States at regular intervals provides data on

current and past education policies and a comparison of U.S. education policies with its international counterparts.

In TIMSS 2011, 50 countries and 7 other education systems participated at grade 4, and 42 countries and 14 other 

education systems participated at grade 8. The United States will participate in TIMSS 2015 to continue to monitor 

the progress of its students compared to that of other nations and to provide data on factors that may influence 

student achievement.

Periodically, TIMSS has also conducted an assessment of advanced mathematics and physics of students at the end 

of secondary school (1995 and 2008). The United States participated in TIMSS Advanced in 1995, but not in 2008.

Because of the current strong policy interest in preparedness for college and for careers in science, technology, 

engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, the U.S. plans to participate in TIMSS Advanced in 2015.

TIMSS is conducted by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), an 

international collective of research organizations and government agencies that create the frameworks used to 

develop the assessment, the background questionnaires, and the studies’ timeline. IEA decides and agrees upon a

common set of standards and procedures for collecting and reporting data, and defines the studies’ timeline, all of 

which must be followed by all participating countries. As a result, TIMSS is able to provide a reliable and 

comparable measure of student skills in participating countries. In the U.S., the National Center for Education 

Statistics (NCES) sponsors this study in collaboration with the IEA and other contractors (Westat, Avar Consulting 

(Avar), AIR, and Hager Sharp) to ensure proper implementation of the study and adoption of practices in adherence 

to the IEA’s standards. Participation in TIMSS also allows NCES to meet its mandate of acquiring and 

disseminating data on educational activities and student achievement in the United States compared with foreign 

nations [The Educational Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (ESRA 2002) 20 U.S.C., Section 9543].

In reporting achievement in mathematics and science at grades 4 and 8, TIMSS results provide four benchmarks 

(Advanced, High, Medium, and Low) for each content domain depending on the grade and subject assessed (fourth

and eighth grades in mathematics and science). Although the fourth and eighth grade content domains differ, the 

cognitive domains (knowing, applying, and reasoning) remain the same for both grades and subjects to understand 

the problem-solving skills learned and applied throughout primary and middle school years. TIMSS also reports on 

a variety of issues related to the education context for the students in the sample, including instructional practices, 

school resources, and curriculum implementation.

TIMSS Advanced will report the numbers and proportions of the overall population who are participating in 

physics and advanced mathematics at the end of secondary school. In advanced mathematics, the assessment 

framework covers algebra, calculus, and geometry. In physics, the framework covers mechanics, 

electricity/magnetism, heat/temperature, and atomic/nuclear physics. Student achievement will be reported based 

on international benchmarks (Advanced, High, Medium, and Low), and will include contextual data about education 

practices, resources, and student preparation and attitudes, that can be used to inform education policy discussions 

about STEM fields.

Compared to previous assessment cycles, TIMSS 2015 differs in several ways:

 Unlike TIMSS 2011, TIMSS 2015 will not involve the IEA’s bilateral coordination of TIMSS with the 

International Study Center’s Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) assessment.
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 Unlike the 2011 assessment, there will be no federally funded state benchmarking.

 Participation in TIMSS Advanced, which will measure achievement in advanced mathematics and physics for 

students in their last year of secondary school, represents the first U.S. participation since 1995.

 For TIMSS 2015, class and student lists from participating schools will be gathered electronically using an 

adaptation of a secure E-filing process. E-filing provides advantageous features such as efficiency and data 

quality checks. Schools will access the E-filing system through the new MyTIMSS web site.

 TIMSS 2015 may involve a computer-based assessment pilot during the main study period.

 TIMSS 2015 may include a parent questionnaire at grade 4.

In preparation for the TIMSS 2015 main study, all countries are asked to implement a 2014 field test. The purpose 

of the TIMSS field test is to evaluate new assessment items and background questions (including the new parent 

questionnaire), to ensure practices that promote low exclusion rates, and to ensure that classroom and student 

sampling procedures proposed for the main study are successful. In selecting a school sample for this purpose, it is 

important to minimize the burden on schools, districts, and states, to minimize impact on these entities while also 

ensuring that the field test data are collected effectively. TIMSS staff will also work to help respondents understand 

the study’s value relative to burden imposed, and to ensure a high level of school participation in the main study.

Data collection for the field test will occur from March through April 2014. The United States plans to recruit 40 

public schools at each of the grade levels: 4, 8, and 12, and assess 700 students per subject (1,400 total) for each of 

these grades. The grades 4 and 8 student samples will be obtained by selecting two classes from each school (e.g. 

two mathematics classes for grade 8). For TIMSS Advanced at grade 12, only students who are or have taken 

courses identified as eligible according to the TIMSS Advanced frameworks will be sampled.

In addition to the field test, NCES plans to conduct cognitive labs at grades 4 and 8, and for TIMSS Advanced at 

grade 12. Focus groups of school principals and/or high school students may be conducted to examine ways to 

increase participation. A separate OMB request will be submitted for these activities.

The U.S. TIMSS main study will be conducted from April through May, 2015. The main study will involve a 

nationally-representative sample of students in the target population for each subject from 300 schools at each 

grade (4 and 8), and 250 schools for TIMSS Advanced in grade 12.

This submission describes the overarching plan for all phases of the data collection, including the 2015 main study.

In addition to the supporting statements Parts A and B, Appendix A provides Field test recruitment materials, 

consisting of letters to state and district officials and school principals, and text for a TIMSS field test brochure, 

“Frequently Asked Questions,” and a “Summary of Activities”. Parental consent materials for the field test are 

provided in Appendix B, and the TIMSS 2011 and TIMSS Advanced 2008 questionnaire items are provided in 

Appendix C. These versions of the questionnaires from their last administration are currently being adapted by the 

IEA for the TIMSS 2015 field test. The TIMSS 2011 and TIMSS Advanced 2008 questionnaire versions included 

in this package will be replaced with preliminary international versions of the TIMSS 2015 field test questionnaires

as soon as they are released by the IEA, by early September 2013. The final versions of the TIMSS 2015 field test 

questionnaires, including U.S. adaptations, will be available in early January 2014, at which point NCES will 

submit them to OMB for approval as a change request.

Because TIMSS is a collaborative effort among many parties, the United States must adhere to the international 

schedule set forth by the IEA, including the availability of draft and final questionnaires. In order to meet the 

international data collection schedule for the spring 2014 field test, recruitment activities must begin in November 

2013. Recruitment for the main study will begin in May of 2014 to align with recruitment for other NCES studies 
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(e.g. the National Assessment of Education Progress, NAEP), and for schools to put the assessment on their 

calendars. We expect the main study materials and procedures to be closely based on those used in the field test. 

Therefore, this submission requests approval for:

1. recruiting for the 2014 field test and 2015 main study;

2. conducting the 2014 field test data collection for TIMSS at grades 4 and 8 and TIMSS 

Advanced in grade 12; and

3. a description of the overarching plan for all of the phases of the data collection, including the 2015 

main study.1

Two change requests are expected to follow this submission. In early January 2014, we expect to submit a changerequest memo with the final versions of the TIMSS 2015 field test questionnaires. In March 2014, we expect to 

submit a change-request memo with the final main study recruitment materials and parental consent letters, along 

with a description of changes to the design, procedures, and respondent burden for the main study, should any 

changes be made. In late 2014, we will submit a clearance package, with a 30-day notice published in the federal 

register, which will include the final main study instruments for data collection in April-May, 2015. The main study 

questionnaires will be a subset of the field test instruments.

A. Justification

A.1 Importance of Information

Benchmarking of U.S. student achievement against other countries continues to be of high interest to education 

policymakers, and informs policy discussions of economic competitiveness and workforce and post-secondary 

preparedness. TIMSS provides a unique opportunity to compare U.S. students‘ mathematics and science knowledge 

and skills at fourth and eighth grade with that of their peers in countries around the world. Science, technology, 

engineering, and mathematics (STEM) preparedness is key to economic improvement. The TIMSS Advanced 

component is the only international assessment that provides information about the achievementm and educational 

context of students who take advanced mathematics and physics courses in high school, preparing them for further 

education and careers in science, engineering, and technology fields.

The continuation of U.S. participation allows for the study of past and current education policies that have shaped 

science and mathematics achievement over the past 20 years. Furthermore, participating countries are not only able 

to obtain information about students' knowledge and abilities in the specified subjects, but also about the cultural 

environments, teaching practices, curriculum goals, and institutional arrangements that are associated with student 

achievement in the respective subject areas.

TIMSS complements what we learn from national assessments such as the National Assessment of Educational 

Progress (NAEP) by identifying the strengths and weaknesses of student science and mathematics achievement 

relative to participating countries around the world. It provides valuable benchmarking information about 

educational polices enacted in other countries and policies that could be applied to U.S. educational practices.

Based on earlier TIMSS data releases, it is likely that the results of these studies will draw great attention in the 

United States and elsewhere. It is therefore expected that TIMSS will contribute to ongoing national and 

international debates and efforts to improve mathematics and science learning and achievement.

 

1 The materials that will be used in the 2015 main study will be based upon the field test materials included in this submission. Additionally, this submission is 

designed to adequately justify the need for and overall practical utility of the full study and to present the overarching plan for all of the phases of the data 

collection, providing as much detail about the measures to be used as is available at the time of this submission. As part of this submission, NCES is publishing a 

notice in the Federal Register allowing first a 60- and then a 30-day public comment period. For the final proposal for the full study, after the field test, NCES will 

publish a notice in the Federal Register allowing an additional 30-day public comment period on the final details of 2015 main study.
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A.2 Purposes and Uses of Data

TIMSS assesses mathematics and science knowledge and skills at grades 4 and 8, and advanced mathematics and 

science knowledge and skills of select students at grade 12. TIMSS is designed to align broadly with curricula in 

the participating countries. The results, therefore, suggest the degree to which students have learned concepts and 

skills likely to have been taught in school. TIMSS also collects background information on students, teachers, 

schools, curricula, and official education policies in order to allow cross-national comparison of educational 

contexts that may be related to student achievement.

Data compiled and collected from TIMSS 2015 allows for evidence-based decisions to be made for the purposes of 

educational improvement. Each successive participation in TIMSS provides trend information about student 

achievement in mathematics and science relative to other countries, as well as indicators that show how this 

achievement relates to demographic and curricular, school, teacher, and student factors that provide the educational 

context for achievement. This high quality, internationally comparative trend data provides key information to 

inform education policy discussions.

Through the participation in TIMSS and other international assessment programs, NCES is able to provide 

comparative indicators on student performance and school practices across countries in order to benchmark U.S. 

student performance, and to suggest hypotheses about the relationship between student performance and factors that 

may influence performance as well as areas in which students have strengths or weaknesses. The international 

studies identify differences among countries over time in instructional practices, school policies, and opportunityto-learn that can lead to discussions about how to organize instruction.

This collection of data is consistent with the NCES mandate. The enabling legislation of the National Center for 

Education Statistics [Section 406 of the General Education Provisions Act, as amended (20 U.S.C. 1221e-1)] 

specifies that "The purpose of the Center [NCES] shall be to collect and analyze and disseminate statistics and other 

information related to education in the United States and in other nations." The Educational Sciences Reform Act of 

2002 (ESRA 2002: 20 U.S.C., Section 9543) also specifies that NCES shall collect, report, analyze, and 

disseminate statistical data related to education in the United States and in other nations, including acquiring and 

disseminating data on educational activities and student achievement in the United States compared with foreign 

nations. In addition to being essential for any international perspective on mathematics and science knowledge and 

skills, U.S. participation fulfills both the national and international aspects of NCES' mission.

TIMSS 2015 Components

The mathematics and science assessments at grades 4 and 8 are organized around a content dimension that specifies 

the subject matter to be assessed and a cognitive dimension that specifies the thinking processes to be assessed. The 

cognitive domains are the same in mathematics and science: knowing, applying, and reasoning. The TIMSS 2015 

frameworks are similar to 2011, but have been slightly revised or updated to provide more specificity for item 

writers, and to better reflect current curricula in participating countries. There were no revisions to the content 

domains or cognitive domains, nor were there changes to the target percentages for the content domains or 

cognitive domains at either subject at either grade.

In fourth grade mathematics the cognitive content domains include: number, geometric shapes and measures, and 

data display. More advanced content in these three domains are assessed in eighth grade, supplemented by a data 

and chance domain. TIMSS assesses a range of problem-solving situations within mathematics, with about twothirds of the questions requiring students to use applying and reasoning skills.
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In science at fourth grade, the content domains include: life science, physical science, and earth science. At eighth 

grade the content domains transition to a more discipline-based approach, reflecting the differences in instruction 

from elementary school. The content domains at eighth grade are: biology, chemistry, physics, and earth science.

TIMSS 2015 will also measure science practices and science inquiry, reflecting recent emphasis on these skills in 

many countries’ curricula and content standards.

TIMSS Advanced assesses students in the twelfth grade who have taken advanced mathematics and physics 

coursework. The cognitive domains are the same as fourth and eighth grade (knowing, applying, and reasoning), 

and emphasize the thinking processes students are expected to use when answering the advanced mathematics and 

physics questions.

The advanced mathematics framework has three content domains: algebra, calculus, and geometry. In physics, the 

content domains are: mechanics and thermodynamics, electricity and magnetism, wave phenomena, and 

atomic/nuclear physics.

Assessment Instruments

TIMSS. In order to minimize burden and to ensure broad subject-matter coverage, TIMSS will use a matrix 

sampling approach where the mathematics and science items at each grade level are organized into a set of test 

booklets, with each student taking only one booklet.

TIMSS Advanced. Matrix sampling will also be used in TIMSS Advanced so that students will take only a subset 

of the items in one subject: advanced mathematics or physics.

Questionnaires

The background questionnaires for TIMSS 2015 are being developed to address a background questions framework 

developed internationally. The United States will adapt the questions to fit the U.S. education context, including 

adding a few questions, such as about the race/ethnicity of students. All but the student questionnaire will be 

offered online, with a paper and pencil backup. Students will only receive a paper and pencil questionnaire.

School Questionnaire. A representative from each participating school will be asked to provide information on 

mathematics and science resources, teacher availability and retention, principal leadership, school emphasis on 

academic success, school climate, and parental involvement in school activities.

Teacher Questionnaire. At grades 4 and 8, mathematics and science teachers of students in selected classes will be 

asked to complete a teacher questionnaire. For the Advanced study, all teachers of the eligible courses in selected 

schools will be asked to complete the relevant teacher questionnaire (for either advanced mathematics or physics).

Teacher questionnaires will include questions about teacher preparation and experience, mathematics and science 

topics taught, instructional resources and technology, instructional time, instructional engagement, and classroom 

assessment.

Parent Questionnaire. Parents/guardians of the grade 4 students will be asked to complete a questionnaire about 

home resources for learning, home use of language of instruction, parental educational expectations and academic 

socialization, and early literacy, numeracy, and science activities.

Student Questionnaire. Student information will be collected about home resources, motivation, self-concept,

self-efficacy, and student characteristics such as gender and race/ethnicity.
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A.3 Improved Information Technology (Reduction of Burden)

The TIMSS 2015 design and procedures are prescribed internationally and data collection involves paper and pencil 

student assessments and questionnaires, as well as optional online or paper and pencil school, teacher, and parent

questionnaires. Each participating nation is expected to adhere to the internationally prescribed design. In the 

United States, the school and teacher questionnaires will be made available to school administrators and teachers 

online as the main mode of administration, with a paper and pencil backup to facilitate user preference for 

participation. The online questionnaires will be provided on the secure NCES server, so that NCES will be able to 

control access to the data to ensure confidentiality and minimize disclosure risk.

A communication website, MyTIMSS USA, will be used for TIMSS 2015 during the field test and main study in 

order to provide a simple, single source of information to engage and maintain high levels of school involvement. 

This portal will be used throughout the assessment cycle to inform schools of their tasks and to provide them with 

easy access to information tailored for their anticipated needs. We plan to gather class and student lists from 

participating schools electronically using an adaptation of Westat’s secure E-filing process. E-filing is an electronic 

system for submitting lists of student information, including student background information in school records. It

has been used successfully in NAEP for about 10 years, and was used in the PISA 2012 assessment. The E-filing 

system provides advantageous features such as efficiency and data quality checks. Schools will access the E-filing 

system through the MyTIMSS web site.

Currently, the IEA plans for a TIMSS pilot of a computer-based TIMSS assessment following (but as part of) the 

main study to prepare for transition to computer-based TIMSS assessments in 2019 and beyond.

A.4 Efforts to Identify Duplication

In the United States, mathematics and science achievement is systematically assessed at (1) the Federal level, where 

trend data have been collected on a fairly regular basis since 1971, through the National Assessment of Educational 

Progress (NAEP); (2) the state level, where data are routinely collected as part of state testing programs, though 

they vary across the states in terms of the frequency of testing, age/grades tested, and types of cognitive items 

administered; and (3) the district level, where data are collected through the use of commercially or locally 

developed standardized tests as well as tests developed in conjunction with the instructional programs used in 

schools. TIMSS 2015 does not duplicate these assessments.

TIMSS 2015 is part of a program of international cooperative studies of educational achievement supported and 

funded, in part, by the U.S. Department of Education. These studies represent the U.S. participation in international 

studies involving approximately 60-65 countries. As part of international cooperative studies, the United States 

must collect the same information at the same time as the other nations for purposes of making both valid 

international comparisons with other countries and with the previous TIMSS data. While some studies in the United 

States collect similar, though not identical, kinds of information (e.g., NAEP), the data from those studies cannot be 

substituted for the information collected in TIMSS in that they do not allow for comparisons outside the United 

States. Furthermore, the data collected through TIMSS is based on unique frameworks that are not shared by any 

other state, national, or international data collection effort. In order to participate in these international studies, the 

United States must agree to administer the same core instruments that are administered in the other countries.

Because the items measuring mathematics and science achievement have been developed with intensive 

international coordination, any changes to the instruments require international coordination and approval.

The TIMSS Advanced study will provide the only international measure of the achievement of students who have 

opportunity to learn advanced mathematics and physics. No other study provides information about how many 

students are participating in highly specialized STEM course materials in a global context, along with their 

achievement and educational context supporting that achievement.
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A.5 Minimizing Burden for Small Entities

No small entities are part of this sample. The school samples for TIMSS contain small-, medium- and large-size 

schools, including private schools, selected based on probability proportionate to their size. All school sizes are 

needed to ensure an appropriate representation of each type of school in the selected sample of schools. Burden will 

be minimized wherever possible. For example, schools will be selected so as to avoid overlap with other NCES 

assessments such as NAEP and PISA. In addition, contractor staff will conduct all test administration, and will 

assist with parental notification, sampling, and other tasks as much as possible within each school. In grades 4 and 

8 the assessment will be administered to intact classes to minimize disruption to school schedules.

A.6 Frequency of Data Collection

The field Test data collection is scheduled for March 1 through April 15, 2014. The full-scale data collection is 

scheduled for April through May, 2015. This schedule is prescribed by the international collective for TIMSS, and 

adherence to this schedule is necessary to establish consistency in survey operations among participating countries 

as well as to maintain trend lines.

A.7 Special Circumstances

None of the special circumstances identified in the Instructions for Supporting Statement apply to the TIMSS study.

A.8 Consultations outside NCES

Consultations outside NCES have been extensive and will continue throughout the life of the project. The IEA 

studies are developed as a cooperative enterprise involving all participating countries. An International Steering 

Committee has general oversight of the study and each National Research Coordinator participates in extensive 

discussions concerning the projects, usually with advice from national subject matter and testing experts. In 

addition, the IEA convened separate panels of mathematics and science experts from around the world to develop 

cognitive items.

The majority of the consultations (outside NCES) have involved the TIMSS International Study Center at Boston 

College in the United States. Key to these ongoing consultations are: Hans Wagemaker (executive director of the 

IEA); Michael Martin, Ina V.S. Mullis, Victoria Centurino, and Alka Arora, all of whom have extensive experience 

in developing and operating international education surveys (especially related to TIMSS).

A.9 Payments or Gifts to Respondents

In order to achieve acceptable school response rates, schools have historically been offered compensation for the 

time they invest in and the space they make available for the international assessments. High response rates are 

required by both IEA and NCES, and are difficult to achieve in school-based studies. The U.S. has historically had 

difficulties in achieving sufficient participation levels. Based on incentives provided in past administrations of 

TIMSS and currently offered in international assessments, schools will be offered $200 for their time.

The school staff serving as School Coordinators will receive $100 for their time and effort. The School Coordinator 

serves a critical role in data collection, functioning as the central school contact and facilitating arrangements for 

the assessments. They are asked to file class and student listing forms; arrange the date, time and space for the 

assessment; and disseminate information to parents and students.

Consistent with prior administrations of TIMSS, as a token of appreciation for their participation, students will 

receive a small gift valued at approximately $2. In TIMSS 2011, each participating student received a small 

watch/stop watch that could be clipped securely (with an attached karabiner) to a backpack or belt loop. The same 

product will be distributed to participating students for the TIMSS 2015 data collection. Students will also receive a 

certificate with their name thanking them for participating in and representing the United States in TIMSS 2015.
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Some schools also offer recognition parties with pizza or other treats for students who participate; however these 

are not reimbursed by NCES or the contractor.

High school students participating in the TIMSS Advanced study will receive a certificate from the U.S. 

Department of Education for four hours of volunteer service.

For the first time, TIMSS will attempt to also administer a parent questionnaire. Parents/guardians of the grade 4 

students will be asked to complete a questionnaire about home resources for learning, home use of language of 

instruction, parental educational expectations and academic socialization, and early literacy, numeracy, and science 

activities. Surveys often encounter difficulties obtaining responses from parents. We propose to additionally 

incentivize schools and school coordinators to help TIMSS achieve a viable parent response rate using a conditional 

incentive where schools can earn another $200 and school coordinators another $100 if the response rate for the 

parent questionnaires in their school is 85 percent or better. In total, thus, schools will be able to earn up to $400 

($200 for participating in TIMSS and $200 for obtaining 85% parent participation) and school coordinators up to 

$200 ($100 for participating in TIMSS and $100 for obtaining 85% parent participation).

The school coordinators will need to put in substantially more work to communicate with 50 parents each, and to 

encourage those parents to participate in the TIMSS 2015 survey. We do not know whether the conditional extra 

$100 for school coordinators (and $200 for school) will be sufficient to obtain 85% response rate from parents, as 

we have not asked school coordinators before to increase parent participation, especially in a cross-sectional study, 

where we do not have an ongoing relationship with school staff and where we ask each coordinator to help increase 

participation of parents of 50 students. The proposed conditional extra $200 to schools is to be used by the school 

coordinators in their communications with parents as an added motivation for parents to participate, by stating that 

if the school obtains 85% parent participation, the school will receive a $200 bonus. Applying this conditional 

incentive in TIMSS 2015 field test, will allow us to evaluate the feasibility of including the parent questionnaire in 

the TIMSS 2015 main study.

A.10 Assurance of Confidentiality

The laws pertaining to the collection and use of personally identifiable information are clearly communicated in 

correspondence with states, districts, schools, teachers, and students. Letters and information materials will be sent 

to parents and school administrators describing the study, its voluntary nature, and the extent to which respondents 

and their responses will be kept confidential (see copies in appendix B):

NCES is authorized to conduct this study under the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (ESRA 2002), 20 U.S. Code, § 

9543. By law, the data provided [by your schools, staff, and students] may only be used for statistical purposes and may not 

be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose except as required by law (20 U.S. Code, § 9573).

The following statement will appear on the front cover of the questionnaires (the phrase “search existing data 

resources, gather the data needed” will not be included on the student questionnaire):

U.S. participation in this study is sponsored by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), U.S. Department of 

Education. Your responses are protected by federal statute (20 U.S.C., § 9573). Your answers may be used only for 

statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose except as required by law.

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless 

such collection displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this voluntary information 

collection is 1850-0695. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average XX minutes per 

response, including the time to review instructions, search existing data resources, gather the data needed, and complete and 

review the information collection. If you have any comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimate(s) or suggestions 

for improving the form, please write to: U.S. Department of Education, Washington, D.C. 20202-4537. If you have 

comments or concerns regarding the status of your individual submission of this form, write directly to: Trends in 
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International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of 

Education, 1990 K Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20006.

OMB No. 1850-0695, Approval Expires xx/xx/2016.

The TIMSS 2015 confidentiality plan includes signing confidentiality agreements and notarized nondisclosure 

affidavits by all contractor and subcontractor personnel and field workers who will have access to individual 

identifiers. Also included in the plan is personnel training regarding the meaning of confidentiality, particularly as it 

relates to handling requests for information and providing assurance to respondents about the protection of their 

responses; controlled and protected access to computer files under the control of a single data base manager; builtin safeguards concerning status monitoring and receipt control systems; and a secured and operator-manned inhouse computing facility. Data files, accompanying software, and documentation will be delivered to NCES at the 

end of the project. Neither names nor addresses will be included on any data file.

NCES understands the legal and ethical need to protect the privacy of the TIMSS respondents and has extensive 

experience in developing data files for release that meet the government’s requirements to protect individually 

identifiable data from disclosure. The contractor will conduct a thorough disclosure analysis of the TIMSS 2015 

data when preparing the data files for use by researchers, in compliance with 20 U.S.C., § 9573. Schools with high 

disclosure risk will be identified and, to ensure that individuals may not be identified from the data files, a variety 

of masking strategies will be used, including swapping data and omitting key identification variables (i.e., school 

name and address) from both the public- and restricted-use files (though the restricted-use file will include an 

NCES school ID that can be linked to other NCES databases to identify a school); omitting key identification 

variables such as state or ZIP Code from the public-use file; and collapsing or developing categories for continuous 

variables to retain information for analytic purposes while preserving confidentiality in public-use files.

A.11 Sensitive Questions

With the anticipated implementation of the parent questionnaire, there are several items that may be considered 

sensitive by some of the respondents, even though they do not fall into any of the PPRA Protection of Pupil Rights 

Act (PPRA) domains. These items relate to the socioeconomic context of the school, parents’ education and 

occupation, family possessions, and students’ belongings. Research indicates that the constructs these items 

represent are strongly correlated to academic achievement. Therefore, the items are essential for the anticipated 

analyses and to retain consistency in planned comparisons with the international data. Other questionnaires, such as 

the school and teacher questionnaire do not have items considered to be of sensitive nature.

A.12 Estimates of Burden

This package shows estimated burden to respondents for all TIMSS 2015 activities, and requests approval for 

burden to respondents for the field test and main study recruitment and field test data collection portions of the total 

study burden. Burden estimates are shown in Table A.1. The time required for students to respond to the assessment 

(cognitive items) portion of the study, and associated directions, are shown in gray font and are not included in the 

totals because they are not subject to the PRA. Student, administrator, parent, and teacher questionnaires are 

included in the requested burden totals. Recruitment and pre-assessment activities include the time to review study 

requirements in the districts that require approval before contacting the school, and the time involved in a school 

deciding to participate, completing teacher and student listing forms, distributing parent consent materials,

managing completion of grade 4 parent questionnaires, and arranging assessment space.

Burden estimates for the main study are also provided for information purposes in table A.1. They are calculated 

based on the U.S. participating in the parent questionnaire at grade 4 and TIMSS Advanced at grade 12. A 

computer-based pilot may also be implemented, but the scale is currently unknown. Preliminary burden estimates 

for the pilot are included based on an assumption of 25% of the main study schools participating in the pilot, at 

grades 4 and 8.
11

In 2011, two states provided their own funding to participate in TIMSS. There is growing interest in TIMSS at the 

state level and more states may choose to participate in 2015. The main study burden estimates reflect burden for 

the inclusion of up to 10 states and Puerto Rico The main study burden estimates will be updated following the 

field test as final design decisions are made.

For the field test, the total student response burden of 3,488 hours from 4,185 students is based on a 50-minute 

background questionnaire. At $7.25 per hour (the 2009 Federal minimum wage) cost to students, the burden cost of 

the field test study for students is estimated at $25,284. The total parent response burden of 675 hours is based on 

1,350 parents/guardians of fourth-graders completing a 30-minute questionnaire. At $35.00 per hour cost to parents, 

the burden cost of the field test for parents is estimated at $23,625.

For the field test school administrator 30-minute questionnaire and all of the field test and main study recruitment 

and pre-assessment activities for the national, state, and Puerto Rico samples (as detailed below), burden cost is 

calculated at an estimated $50.00 per hour cost to school and district administrators (for 6,354 hours), and an 

estimated $35.00 per hour cost for school staff, coordinators, and teachers (for 23,505 hours), and the burden cost 

of the field test and main study recruitment and pre-assessment activities for 8,897 district and school staff is 

estimated at $1,140,356.
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Table A.1. Burden estimates for TIMSS 2015 Field Test and Main Study (continued on the next page).

Data collection instrument Sample 

size

Expected 

response 

rate

Number of 

respondents

Number of 

responses

Minutes Per 

respondent

Total 

burden 

Hours

Field Test: Based on Core + Advanced Option

Student Directions Grades 4 & 8 (sample of 1,500 

each) 3,000 0.93 2,790 2,790 10 465

Student Assessment Grade 4 1,500 0.93 1,395 1,395 72 1,674

Student Assessment Grade 8 1,500 0.93 1,395 1,395 90 2,093

Student Questionnaire Grades 4 & 8 (sample of

1,500 each) 3,000 0.93 2,790 2,790 50 2,325

Student Directions Advanced Math. & Physics 1,500 0.93 1,395 1,395 10 233

Student Assessment Advanced Math. & Physics 1,500 0.93 1,395 1,395 90 2,093

Student Questionnaire Advanced Mathematics & 

Physics (sample size 750 each) 1,500 0.93 1,395 1,395 50 1,163

Parents of 4th Grade Students Questionnaire 1,500 0.90 1,350 1,350 30 675

School Administrators Questionnaire Grade 4, 8, 

& Advanced 105 0.99 104 104 30 52

Teachers Questionnaire Grade 4, 8, & Advanced 420 0.97 407 407 30 204

School Administrator Recruitment 120 0.88 105 105 90 158

School Staff Course Catalogue 61 1.00 61 61 30 31

School Coordinator Grade 4 40 0.88 35 35 1,140 665

School Coordinator Grade 8 & 12 80 0.88 70 70 240 280

Total Burden Field Test 6,212 6,317 5,551

Main Study-- Based on core + Advanced

National sample

Student Grades 4 & 8 Directions (sample size 

5,650 each) 11,300 0.93 10,509 10,509 10 1,752

Student Assessment Grade 4 5,650 0.93 5,255 5,255 72 6,305

Student Assessment Grade 8 5,650 0.93 5,255 5,255 90 7,882

Student Grades 4 & 8 Questionnaire (sample size 

5,650 each) 11,300 0.93 10,509 10,509 50 8,758

Student Computer-based Pilot Directions 2,825 0.93 2,627 2,627 10 438

Student Computer-based Assessment 2,825 0.93 2,627 2,627 90 3,941

Student Computer-based Pilot Questionnaire 

Grades 4 & 8 2,825 0.93 2,627 2,627 20 876

Student Directions Advanced Math. & Physics 8,550 0.93 7,952 7,952 10 1,325

Student Assessment Advanced Math. & Physics 8,550 0.93 7,952 7,952 90 11,927

Student Questionnaire Advanced Mathematics & 

Physics (sample size 8,550 each) 8,550 0.93 7,952 7,952 50 6,626

Parents of 4th Grade Students Questionnaire 5,650 0.90 5,085 5,085 30 2,543

School Administrators Questionnaire Grade 4, 8, 

& Advanced 744 0.99 736 736 30 368

Teachers Questionnaire Grade 4, 8, & Advanced 2,975 0.97 2,886 2,886 30 1,443

School Administrator Recruitment 850 0.88 744 744 90 1,116

School Staff Course Catalogue 375 1.00 375 375 30 188

School Coordinator Grade 4 300 0.88 263 263 1,140 4,988

School Coordinator Grade 8 & 12 550 0.88 481 481 240 1,925

District IRB Staff Study Approval 100 1.00 100 100 120 200

District IRB Panel Study Approval 600 1.00 600 600 60 600
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Table A.1. (continued). Burden estimates for TIMSS 2015 Field Test and Main Study.

Data collection instrument Sample 

size

Expected 

response 

rate

Number of 

respondents

Number of 

responses

Minutes Per 

respondent

Total 

burden 

Hours

State benchmarking (up to 10 states & Puerto Rico)

Student Grades 4 & 8 Directions (sample size 

22,000 each) 44,000 0.93 40,920 40,920 10 6,820

Student Assessment Grade 4 22,000 0.93 20,460 20,460 72 24,552

Student Assessment Grade 8 22,000 0.93 20,460 20,460 90 30,690

Student Grades 4 & 8 Questionnaire (sample size 

22,000 each) 44,000 0.93 40,920 40,920 50 34,100

Student Directions Advanced Math. & Physics 22,000 0.93 20,460 20,460 10 3,410

Student Assessment Advanced Math. & Physics 22,000 0.93 20,460 20,460 90 30,690

Student Questionnaire Advanced Mathematics & 

Physics (sample size 11,000 each) 22,000 0.93 20,460 20,460 50 17,050

Parents of 4th Grade Students Questionnaire 22,000 0.90 19,800 19,800 30 9,900

School Administrators Questionnaire Grade 4, 8, 

& Advanced 1,650 0.99 1,634 1,634 30 817

Teachers Questionnaire Grade 4, 8, & Advanced 6,600 0.97 6,402 6,402 30 3,201

School Administrator Recruitment 1,881 0.88 1,646 1,646 90 2,469

School Staff Course Catalogue 825 1.00 825 825 30 413

School Coordinator Grade 4 627 0.88 549 549 1,140 10,424

School Coordinator Grade 8 & 12 1,254 0.88 1,097 1,097 240 4,389

District IRB Staff Study Approval 220 1.00 220 220 120 440

District IRB Panel Study Approval 1,320 1.00 1,320 1320 60 1,320

Total Buden District/School Recruitment and PreAssessment Activities Main Study 8,219 8,219 28,470

Total Burden Requested in this Submission 14,432 14,537 34,021

Note: OMB Clearance Requested: Total Burden includes burden associated with conducting the TIMSS 2015 Field Test and 

the recruitment and preassessment activities for the TIMSS 2015 Main Study (items in bold). The TIMSS 2015 Main Study 

burden is conservatively high because the TIMSS 2015 Main Study may include up to 10 benchmarking states and Puerto 

Rico; however the burden is held consistent with national sample schools because of potential variability between states. 

Total student burden does not include the time for the cognitive assessment and its associated instructions (in gray font).

The total response burden for schools in the field test and main study is based on the following:

 A 30-minute school questionnaire for school administrators in 104 field test (FT) schools;

 A 30-minute teacher questionnaire for 420 teachers in the field test;

 90 minutes for school administrators during the recruitment process in 105 FT schools, 744 main study 

(MS) schools, and 1,646 state sample and Puerto Rico (SSPR) schools;

 An average of 30 minutes for school staff to provide high school course catalogues in 61 FT, 375 MS, and 

825 SSPR schools;

 An average of 15 minutes per parent of a 4th grade student for school coordinators in 35 FT, 263 MS, and 

549 SSPR schools to manage the parent questionnaire process; and

 An average of 4 hours for school coordinators to coordinate logistics with the data collection contractor; 

supply a list of eligible students and teachers for sampling; communicate with teachers, students, and 

parents about the study to encourage participation; assist the test administrator in ensuring the sampled 
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students attend the testing sessions; and assist the test administrator in arranging make-up sessions as 

needed in 105 FT, 744 MS, and 1,646 SSPR schools (1/3 at each grade level).

 An average of 2 hours for 100 MS and 220 SSPR district IRB staff and 1 hour for 600 MS and 1,320 SSPR

district IRB review panelists to review study materials, where required.

A.13 Total Annual Cost Burden

Other than the burden associated with completing these pre-assessment activities and questionnaires (estimated 

above in Section A.12), the study imposes no additional cost to respondents nor the imposition of any recordkeeping requirement.

A.14 Annualized Cost to Federal Government

The total cost to the federal government for conducting TIMSS 2015 full scale study (grades 4 and 8 and TIMSS 

Advanced) is estimated to be $10,658,124 over a 5-year period. The cost for the grades 4 and 8 field test are 

estimated to be $1,673,731, and TIMSS Advanced field test has an additional estimated cost of $904,839. These 

figures include all direct and indirect costs, and are based on the national data collection contract, valued at 

$6,887,960 over five years, from February 2013 to January 2018, for the core activities at grades 4 and 8, and 

$3,770,164 for the TIMSS Advanced option.

A.15 Program Changes or Adjustments

This submission is a reinstatement of respondent burden hours (the last TIMSS was cleared with PIRLS 2011 under 

OMB# 1850-0645 v.7). With regards to content, there are several changes to TIMSS 2015 from the previous round 

of data collection:

 No federally funded state benchmarking

 Possible addition of TIMSS Advanced to assess advanced mathematics and physics achievement

 Possible addition of parent questionnaire at grade 4

 Possible administration of a computer-based pilot in the main study time period

This request is for field test data collection and recruitment for field test and main study.

A.16 Plans for Tabulation and Publication

The TIMSS field test is designed to provide a statistical review of the performance of items on the cognitive 

assessment and questionnaires in preparation for the main study data collection. It also will provide valuable 

experience in administering the parent questionnaire, as well as recruiting, identifying eligible schools and students, 

and administering TIMSS Advanced to a high achieving sample of twelfth graders.

Based on the data collected in the main study, the TIMSS International Study Center will prepare separate reports 

for mathematics and science at grades 4 and 8, for advanced mathematics at grade 12, and for physics at grade 12.

These reports will be released in December 2016. As has been customary, NCES will also release a report for each 

study at the same time as the international reports are released, interpreting the results for the U.S. audience. NCES 

reports on initial data releases are generally limited to simple bivariate statistics. There are currently no plans to 

conduct complex statistical analyses of either dataset. Examples of past reports on TIMSS can be found at 

http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2013009. In the spring of 2017, the International Study Center 

will also prepare technical reports for both TIMSS 2015 and TIMSS Advanced, describing the design and 

development of the assessments as well as the scaling procedures, weighting procedures, missing value imputation, 

and analyses. After the release of the international data, NCES plans to release the national data and an 

accompanying User’s Guide for each study.

Electronic versions of each publication are made available on the NCES website. Schedules for tabulation and 

publication of TIMSS 2015 and TIMSS Advanced results in the United States are dependent upon receiving data 
15

files from the international sponsoring organization. With this in mind, the expected data collection dates and a 

tentative reporting schedule are as follows:

Dates Activity

April—December 2013 Prepare data collection manuals, forms, assessment materials, questionnaires 

for field test

November 2013—February 2014 Contact and gain cooperation of states, districts, and schools for field test

February 2014—March 2014 Select student samples

March 2014—April 2014 Collect field test data

May 15, 2014 Deliver raw data to international sponsoring organization

July 2014—August 2014 Review field test results

May 2014—December 2014 Prepare for the main study/recruit schools

March 2015—May 2015 Collect main study data

June 2016 Receive final data files from international sponsors

June 2016—December 2016 Produce reports

A.17 Display OMB Expiration Date

The OMB expiration date will be displayed on all data collection materials.

A.18 Exceptions to Certification Statement

No exceptions to the certifications are requested.