Prime Minister Julia Gillard in September set an ambitious goal for Australian education: to be ranked as a top-five country in reading, mathematics and science by 2025. Clearly she is hoping to lift Australia in the international rankings in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), which tests samples of 15-year-old students on their knowledge, applied in real-life situations. However, results released by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) from the more curriculum-based assessments, the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), highlight the magnitude of the challenge Australia faces if we are to achieve the PM’s goal. To see the reports referred to in this article go to http://research.acer.edu.au/timss_pirls_2011/