TIMSS
I am writing to bring your attention to fallacious content in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study statistics appearing in two charts accompanying your In Perspective articles "Slovenia Sharpens Academic Prowess" and "Out-of-School Classes Provide Edge" (April 22, 2009). The International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement, which conducts the TIMSS exam, refers to my country, the Republic of China (Taiwan), as “Chinese Taipei.” This usage is a misnomer and offensive to the people of Taiwan.
You don't have to be an apologist for public schools in this country to realize that the distinctions Mark Schneider makes in his recent online Commentary between the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study and the Program for International Student Assessment, while technically accurate, have little practical significance ("Reading the TIMSS Results," edweek.org, Dec. 9, 2008). Test scores on both instruments easily allow countries around the globe to be ranked, but these results can hardly be construed as convincing evidence of America's inability to compete in the new global economy.