TIMSS 2019 assessed three content areas in mathematics at the fourth grade: number, measurement and geometry, and data.

Fifty percent of the fourth grade assessment was devoted to the number content domain apportioned as follows: whole numbers (25%); expressions, simple equations, and relationships (15%); and fractions and decimals (10%). The predominant component of the number domain involved computation of whole numbers. The prealgebra concepts included the concept of variables (unknowns) in simple equations, and initial understandings of relationships between quantities. Students were asked to compare, add, and subtract familiar fractions and decimals to solve problems.

Thirty percent of the assessment was devoted to measurement and geometry (15% each). Measurement included using a ruler to measure length, calculating areas and perimeters of simple polygons, and using cubes to determine volumes as well as identifying the properties and characteristics of lines, angles, and a variety of two- and three-dimensional shapes. Geometry included describing and drawing a variety of geometric figures as well as using geometric relationships to solve problems.

The remaining 20 percent of the assessment was devoted to the data content domain, which consisted of two topic areas: reading, interpreting, and representing data (15%) and using data to solve problems (5%). Students were asked to read and recognize various forms of data displays; to collect, organize, and represent the data in graphs and charts to address a simple question; and to use data from one or more sources to solve problems.

Fourth grade students also needed to draw on a range of cognitive skills across the content domains described above. The cognitive skills were categorized into three broad domains—knowing, applying, and reasoning. Forty percent of the fourth grade assessment was devoted to the knowing cognitive domain, 40 percent to applying, and 20 percent to reasoning. The knowing domain covers the facts, concepts, and procedures students need to know, while the applying domain focuses on students’ ability to apply knowledge and conceptual understanding to solve problems or answer questions. The reasoning domain goes beyond the solution of familiar problems that may have been routinely practiced in mathematics lessons to encompass unfamiliar situations, complex contexts, and multistep problems.