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7/21/2006 12:00 AM Norman Draper, Star Tribune The contributions will allow Minnesota students to be compared with international counterparts in the two subjects. Next year, it's Minnesota kids against the world. Students' math and science skills will be pitted against those from dozens of countries as Minnesota participates for the first time in 12 years in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). The state's participation was cinched last month when business leaders were able to raise $150,000 to go along with the $500,000 that the Legislature allocated to pay for the tests. Area TIMMS proponents say that although the United States as a nation will be included in the test results, Minnesota is the only state that will be separately compared against such countries as Austria, England, Germany, Honduras, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Singapore. In Canada, two individual provinces -- Quebec and British Columbia -- will be represented in the results. Minnesota last participated in the tests in 1995, and the results were good, with state students scoring well above the international average. The tests are given every four years. "It'll be great to compare 1995 to this time around and see whether or not we are making progress," said Kate Rubin, president of the Minnesota High Tech Association. There has been a steady drumbeat of news about math and science education during the past week, including the release of a survey showing that Minnesota kids aren't all that interested in those fields of study and an announcement that a Massachusetts software company will donate engineering software potentially worth hundreds of millions of dollars to Minnesota schools. And Minnesota business and political leaders have been worrying aloud that the state has to ramp up its teaching of math, science and technology-related subjects to avoid falling behind other countries in the expanding global marketplace. Many figure that participation in the TIMSS tests is a step in the right direction. "In a fast-paced global economy, this is exactly the kind of measurement we need to be competitive." said Charlie Weaver, executive director of the Minnesota Business partnership. Among those making big contributions to the fund were General Mills, 3M and Target. Tests will be given next spring to a sample of fourth- and eighth-graders. Past TIMSS results have added fuel to arguments that the United States is falling behind in training its students in math and science. Scores of U.S. students have lagged behind those of students in such countries as Singapore, Japan, the Netherlands and many others. Norman Draper • 612-673-4547 | ||||||||||||||||||||
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