Exhibit 3.8 presents the percentage of students reaching each TIMSS 2019 International Benchmark. The results are presented in descending order according to the percentage of students reaching the Advanced International Benchmark, which is indicated in the bar graph with black dots. Because students who reached the Advanced Benchmark also reached the other benchmarks, the percentages illustrated in the exhibit and shown in the columns to the right are cumulative.

The five high-performing East Asian countries had the highest percentages of students reaching the Advanced International Benchmark. Half the eighth grade students reached the Advanced International Benchmark in Singapore (51%) and Chinese Taipei (49%), as well as 45 percent in Korea, 37 percent in Japan, and 32 percent in Hong Kong SAR. Eight countries had 10 to 16 percent, but most countries had fewer than 10 percent of their eighth grade students reaching the Advanced International Benchmark.

As a point of reference, Exhibit 3.8 provides the international median percentage of students reaching each benchmark at the bottom of the four right-hand columns. By definition, half the countries have a percentage in that column above the median and half below the median. The median percentages of students reaching the International Benchmarks were as follows: Advanced—5 percent, High—25 percent, Intermediate—56 percent, and Low—87 percent. Japan had 99 percent of its students reach the Low Benchmark, Singapore and Chinese Taipei had 98 percent, and Korea had 97 percent.

Not only are Singapore, Chinese Taipei, Korea, and Japan educating high percentages of their students to an advanced level, they are educating almost all of their students to a level of minimal proficiency.