Teaching Quality and Assessment Practice: Trends Over Time and Correlation with Achievement

Teaching quality and assessment practices have emerged as crucial factors that influence students’ outcomes, generating a growing interest in research. This chapter contributes to this expanding field by investigating trends in teaching quality and assessment practice over time, and the relations between these aspects of teacher practice with student achievement in mathematics and science across Nordic countries. Analyses of IEA’s Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2011 to 2019 grade four data reveal an overall decline in some aspects of teaching quality and assessment practice, especially in instructional clarity and homework assignments. By analyzing TIMSS 2019 data, this study also uncovers similar patterns of teaching quality, while the patterns of assessment practice vary among countries. Homework assignments were more common in mathematics than science, with the highest frequency in Finland, but often requiring only 15 min or less to complete. Furthermore, multilevel structural equation modeling analyses showed positive relations between student achievement and aspects of teaching quality, including classroom management, teacher support, and instructional clarity. Nonetheless, only a few aspects of teacher assessment practice were related to student achievement. Findings are discussed within the context of existing research on teacher practice, providing implications for educators, policymakers, and stakeholders seeking to improve teaching and learning experiences in mathematics and science.