Striving for More Inclusiveness: Understanding and Addressing Student Exclusion in TIMSS

Le résumé fourni par la source

International large-scale assessments such as TIMSS depend on representative samples and inclusive coverage of the target population to generalize sample results to the underlying population and ensure cross-national comparability over time. In recent cycles, student exclusion rates have increased, raising concerns about representativeness and bias if lower-performing students are disproportionately excluded.Using TIMSS 2023 data, we examine the performance of students classified as “excluded” but who nonetheless participated in the assessment and generated achievement data. We investigate whether they demonstrated meaningful engagement with the assessment, their average performance, and whether their exclusion biased national achievement estimates across 17 education systems at grade four and eight at grade eight.Results show that excluded students generally achieve lower scores and are more likely to be flagged as too low for reliable estimation. However, such cases remain relatively rare, and most excluded students engage meaningfully with the assessment, with many reaching the Low International Benchmark. Because excluded students score systematically below included students, their exclusion introduces a modest upward bias in national achievement, particularly in systems with higher exclusion rates.Overall, this study provides evidence that many excluded students could have been included in achievement estimation without compromising psychometric integrity, highlighting the need to refine exclusion definitions, strengthen accommodation guidance, and enhance the validity and inclusiveness of international assessments.

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