Describes the education quality control systems for mathematics used by the nine countries that performed best on the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) test. Findings suggest that the more enforced quality control measured used in an education system, the better the students' academic achievement. (Author/SLD)

Describes the tests used in the Final Year Study of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), noting a variety of problems that render any interpretation of the study problematic (e.g., misleading statements, age variation, the devastating character of the results, failure of quality controls, differences in populations…