Content and Cognitive Domains (Grade 8)

The number content domain comprised 30 percent of the eighth-grade mathematics assessment. These topics are equally split into applying number properties to integers such as negative integers and square roots (10%); adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing by fractions and decimals (10%); and representing and relating ratio, proportion, and percent (10%).

Thirty percent of the assessment was devoted to algebra, including expressions, operations, equations (20%), relationships, and functions (10%). Students were asked to employ algebraic models and compare expressions using inequalities. Students were also presented with questions about solving linear equations and simplifying expressions. Students were asked to interpret and represent relationships graphically and to engage with properties of linear functions and algebraic expressions.

Twenty percent of the assessment was devoted to geometry and measurement. Eighth-grade students were asked to analyze the properties of a variety of two- and three-dimensional figures, relate these representations, and calculate perimeters, areas, and volumes. They were also asked to solve problems and provide explanations based on transformations on the Cartesian plane and use geometric properties such as congruence, similarity, and the Pythagorean theorem.

The remaining 20 percent of the assessment was devoted to the data and probability content domain, which consisted of two topic areas: data (15%) and probability (5%). Students were asked to interpret data across multiple sources, represent data in a variety of visual displays, and demonstrate familiarity with the mean and median of distributions. Students were also asked to find the probability based on given scenarios or complete a representation based on the probability of an occurrence.

The TIMSS 2023 Mathematics Framework also specified the cognitive skills eighth-grade students needed to draw on across the content domains described above. These skills were categorized into three broad cognitive domains—knowing, applying, and reasoning. Thirty-five percent of the eighth-grade assessment was devoted to the knowing cognitive domain, 40 percent to applying, and 25 percent to reasoning. The knowing domain included accessing straightforward facts, concepts, and procedures through recall, simple computation, or classification. The applying domain focused on students’ ability to act upon knowledge and conceptual understanding to devise strategies, implement them, and give results. The reasoning domain targeted skills beyond solving familiar problems that may have been routinely practiced in mathematics lessons to encompass generalizations to unfamiliar situations, justifying approaches used, and integration across multi-step problems.