The U.S. science education community has been alternately encouraged and disheartened by the results of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). While our fourth graders outperformed students from most countries, our eighth graders lost ground, and our twelfth graders lagged seriously behind their international counterparts (U. S. Department of Education, 1997, 1998). NSTA’s response to the TIMSS is provided in this article. It was first published in January, 1999.