Administering TIMSS in your school

A brochure and a sample parent/guardian letter are available to be shared with parents/guardians before the assessment.
Click here to find the TIMSS brochure and parent/guardian letter.

Parental permission is not necessary for students to write TIMSS. However, if a parent/guardian requests that their child not write TIMSS, record the appropriate code for parental refusal on the Student Tracking Form on assessment day.
CMEC does not need to be informed if a parent refuses to allow their child to write the assessment.

To change your assessment date, please contact the TIMSS administrative team, advising them of your new date.

Your TIMSS School ID is a 4-digit number that will be shared with you by your provincial ministry/department. You can also find your TIMSS School ID in the subject line of any communication sent to the school contact from CMEC.

Your TIMSS Class ID is a 6-digit number that will be shared with you by your provincial contact; it is composed of the school’s TIMSS School ID followed by two digits.

CMEC does not cover any additional expenses the school may incur as a result of administering TIMSS (e.g., hiring supplementary staff or purchasing extra supplies).

Yes – if a new student is enrolled in a class selected for TIMSS, please provide them with one of the three extra Student Login Forms and add their name to the Student Tracking Form on the line with the same Student ID. The student’s parents/guardians should also receive a Home Questionnaire Login Form with the same Student ID.

Students who cannot participate in the assessment due to special education needs will still be listed on the Student Tracking Form. They should be marked as absent on the Student Tracking Form on assessment day.

All assessment forms will be sent to the school contact by email a minimum of five days before the selected assessment date. The school contact will receive all forms for each selected class in one email. If you do not receive your materials by Thursday of the week before your assessment day, please check your spam folder, and contact the TIMSS administrative team if required. The Assessment Script will be sent out to schools by Purolator.

If a student needs to leave at any time during the test, please ensure that their data are uploaded, by having the student move to the end of the test and click the arrow button on the Student Questionnaire transition screen. If the student has started the Student Questionnaire, submit their responses by moving to the end of the questionnaire and clicking the “Yes” button on the “Thank you!” screen.
Document the student’s participation by recording the appropriate code for each section of the assessment on the Student Tracking Form.

Restart the student’s device and log them in again to the assessment using their credentials. If the player freezes or crashes again, you may have to use another device. If no other device is available and another session administration is planned in the school, the student may participate on another day/with another group.

Please run the regular session and hold one makeup session if the student participation rate for the class is under 90%. Do not administer more than one makeup session, even if the minimum rate is still not satisfied. Student data will be analyzed in spite of lower student participation.
Only students of the selected class(es) are eligible to participate — student substitution is not permitted.

If you are having any trouble with accessing the Student Questionnaire, access the page manually by opening the following link in the browser: www.cmec.ca/timss-qu