Special Analysis 2009
Reading results for 4th-graders
Table 2. Average PIRLS scores of fourth-grade students on reading literacy scale and cutpoint scores for bottom and top 10 percent of students in each jurisdiction, by jurisdiction: 2006
| Jurisdiction |
PIRLS |
|
Cutpoint score |
| Average score |
|
Bottom 10 percent |
|
Top 10 percent |
|
| All jurisdictions |
500 |
▼ |
398 |
▼ |
597 |
▼ |
| |
| Russian Federation |
565 |
∆ |
474 |
∆ |
649 |
∆ |
| Hong Kong, SAR1 |
564 |
∆ |
486 |
∆ |
637 |
|
| Canada, Alberta |
560 |
∆ |
472 |
∆ |
645 |
∆ |
| Canada, British Columbia |
558 |
∆ |
467 |
∆ |
645 |
∆ |
| Singapore |
558 |
∆ |
456 |
|
652 |
∆ |
| Luxembourg |
557 |
∆ |
470 |
∆ |
641 |
∆ |
| Canada, Ontario |
555 |
∆ |
463 |
∆ |
644 |
∆ |
| Hungary |
551 |
∆ |
459 |
|
637 |
|
| Italy |
551 |
∆ |
462 |
∆ |
637 |
|
| Sweden |
549 |
∆ |
465 |
∆ |
627 |
|
| Germany |
548 |
|
463 |
∆ |
627 |
|
| Belgium (Flemish)2 |
547 |
|
474 |
∆ |
616 |
▼ |
| Bulgaria |
547 |
|
437 |
|
647 |
∆ |
| Netherlands2 |
547 |
|
478 |
∆ |
613 |
▼ |
| Denmark |
546 |
|
454 |
|
629 |
|
| Canada, Nova Scotia |
542 |
|
442 |
|
634 |
|
| Latvia |
541 |
|
460 |
∆ |
619 |
▼ |
| United States2 |
540 |
|
441 |
|
631 |
|
| England |
539 |
|
423 |
▼ |
645 |
∆ |
| Austria |
538 |
|
454 |
|
617 |
▼ |
| Lithuania |
537 |
|
461 |
∆ |
608 |
▼ |
| Chinese Taipei |
535 |
|
451 |
|
613 |
▼ |
| Canada, Quebec |
533 |
|
450 |
|
611 |
▼ |
| New Zealand |
532 |
▼ |
415 |
▼ |
637 |
|
| Slovak Republic |
531 |
▼ |
433 |
|
617 |
▼ |
| Scotland2 |
527 |
▼ |
420 |
▼ |
624 |
|
| France |
522 |
▼ |
433 |
|
605 |
▼ |
| Slovenia |
522 |
▼ |
427 |
▼ |
608 |
▼ |
| Poland |
519 |
▼ |
417 |
▼ |
612 |
▼ |
| Spain |
513 |
▼ |
420 |
▼ |
599 |
▼ |
| Israel |
512 |
▼ |
369 |
▼ |
626 |
|
| Iceland |
511 |
▼ |
417 |
▼ |
594 |
▼ |
| Belgium (French) |
500 |
▼ |
409 |
▼ |
585 |
▼ |
| Moldova, Republic of |
500 |
▼ |
406 |
▼ |
584 |
▼ |
| Norway3 |
498 |
▼ |
409 |
▼ |
579 |
▼ |
| Romania |
489 |
▼ |
362 |
▼ |
597 |
▼ |
| Georgia |
471 |
▼ |
369 |
▼ |
565 |
▼ |
| Macedonia, Republic of |
442 |
▼ |
305 |
▼ |
571 |
▼ |
| Trinidad and Tobago |
436 |
▼ |
295 |
▼ |
563 |
▼ |
| Iran, Islamic Republic of |
421 |
▼ |
295 |
▼ |
539 |
▼ |
| Indonesia |
405 |
▼ |
301 |
▼ |
504 |
▼ |
| Qatar |
353 |
▼ |
228 |
▼ |
479 |
▼ |
| Kuwait |
330 |
▼ |
186 |
▼ |
476 |
▼ |
| Morocco |
323 |
▼ |
181 |
▼ |
468 |
▼ |
| South Africa |
302 |
▼ |
141 |
▼ |
500 |
▼ |
| ∆ Score is higher than U.S. score. |
| ▼Score is lower than U.S. score. |
| 1Hong Kong, SAR, is a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People’s Republic of China. |
| 2Met Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) guidelines for sample participation rates only after replacement schools were included. |
| 3Did not meet guidelines for sample participation rates after replacement schools were included. |
| NOTE: Jurisdictions are ordered on the basis of average scores, from highest to lowest. Reading literacy scores are reported on a scale from 0 to 1,000. A cutpoint score is the threshold score for an established level of performance. The cutpoint scores for students in the top 10 percent is the 90th percentile score within the jurisdiction. The cutpoint score for students in the bottom 10 percent is the 10th percentile score within the jurisdiction. The tests for significance take into account the standard error for the reported difference. Thus, a small difference between the United States and one country may be significant while a large difference between the United States and another country may not be significant. |
| SOURCE: Mullis, I.V.S., Martin, M.O., Kennedy, A.M., and Foy, P. (2007). PIRLS 2006 International Report: IEA’s Progress in International Reading Literacy Study in Primary Schools in 40 Countries, exhibit 1.1. Chestnut Hill, MA: TIMSS & PIRLS International Study Center, Boston College; and International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), 2006, unpublished tabulations (November 2008). |
