International Large-Scale Assessments of Mathematics Achievement in Ireland

During the last few decades, international large-scale assessments of student achievement have attracted a lot of attention from educational stakeholders worldwide due to the quantity and quality of the information they provide, and Ireland is no exception. Results of both PISA and TIMSS across years have shown that Irish students perform consistently well on average in mathematics, however, some elements of their achievement have been a matter of concern. In this paper, areas of mathematics assessed by international assessments, strengths and weaknesses of Irish students' mathematics achievement, and potential policy directions to address some identified issues are discussed.