Gazi Faculty of Education held the online "TIMSS 2019 Evaluation Panel" in the third of the Tuesday Conferences. The opening speeches were made by our Rector Prof. Dr. Musa Yıldız, Deputy Dean of Gazi Education Faculty Prof. Dr. Mahmut Selvi and General Director of Measurement, Evaluation and Examination Services of the Ministry of National Education Dr. Sadri Şensoy.

Our Rector Prof. Dr. Yıldız said that TIMSS (International Mathematics and Science Trends Research) conducted by the International Education Achievement Assessment Organization (IEA) is a screening study aimed at evaluating the knowledge and skills gained by students in the fields of mathematics and science. Stating that the performances of the fourth and eighth grade students in the fields of mathematics and science are measured in the TIMSS application that is carried out every four years, our Rector said, “With school, student and teacher surveys, the factors that affect student performance are determined and a profile is created. Conducting the research in four-year cycles allows studies between fourth and eighth grade findings and also the monitoring of student development."

Referring to the positive results of TIMSS 2019 applications, Prof. Dr. Yıldız, expressed the following; "For example, Turkey; for the first time, it has exceeded the midpoint of the scale, i.e. 500, which is accepted as a constant measure of success for the countries participating in the TIMSS application. In 2019, scores of both fourth and eighth graders were seen to rise significantly. As educators, we wanted to evaluate how we should interpret these positive results from different angles. We have all experienced the important place computers and technology have in education as we carry out education and training online these days. I think that the innovative and computer-based measurements in the TIMSS 2019 application will also be evaluated in this sense today."

Deputy Dean Prof. Dr. Selvi said as Gazi Faculty of Education they will handle the TIMSS 2019 evaluation from different angles in the third of the Tuesday Conferences. Prof. Dr. Mahmut Selvi thanked the panellists who participated in the panel for their participation.

Dr. Sadri Şensoy thanked Gazi University and Gazi Education Faculty on behalf of the Ministry of National Education for holding such an important panel. Şensoy said that, in the panel, experts in their field will share their views and that they, as the Ministry, care about and consider these evaluations. Referring to the remarkable success achieved in TIMSS 2019 compared to 2015, Şensoy stated that students exceeded 500 points in three of four branches and reached 496 points in one. Şensoy pointed out that although the number of participants is higher than in 2015, our country is in the top ranks and that the Ministry of National Education has a great share in this.

The panel started after the opening speeches. In the panel moderated by Gazi Education Faculty Academic Member Assoc. Dr. Ayfer Sayın, Hacettepe University Faculty Member Prof. Dr. Selahattin Gelbal gave a speech on "Reflections of TIMSS 2019 Results to Education". University of Canada Alberta Faculty Member Assoc. Dr. Okan Bulut made a presentation on "Echoes of TIMSS 2019 Abroad"; Boğaziçi University Faculty Member Assoc. Dr. Serkan Arıkan made a presentation on “Use of TIMSS Data”; and Ministry of National Education Consultant Dr. Hayri Eren Suna made a presentation on "TIMSS 2019 Preparation, Implementation and Reporting Process". After the panellists’ presentations, the event was completed with a question and answer session.