Asians Best U.S. Students in Math and Science

American 4th and 8th graders continue to exceed the international average on math and science tests, but are still well behind their counterparts in several Asian nations and trail a few European countries, results released today show.

Students in Massachusetts and Minnesota who took part in the testing program, however, excelled ahead of their peers across the United States. Massachusetts in particular did as well as some of the leading Asian nations in some areas.

The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, or TIMSS , an ongoing assessment program sponsored by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement, is sure to fuel the discussion about the adequacy of the effort in U.S. schools to improve instruction and...