PIRLS 2020/21 Data Services
- A new digital form, which integrates all aspects of the standard PIRLS assessment as well as an ePIRLS assessment
- A paper version of the standard assessment.
Description
The digitalPIRLS option included a variety of stories and articles that children read and answered questions about, using computers or tablets. It also included an assessment of online reading designed to see how well students read, interpret and critique information in an online environment that looks and feels like the internet.
The paper option (stories and informational articles) is available to countries or jurisdictions that wish to continue with this delivery mode.
For countries that have taken part in previous cycles, participation will allow them to determine whether there has been any change in their students' reading literacy achievement over time, regardless of the delivery mode.
Underpinning this fifth cycle of PIRLS is an updated, revised assessment framework. The first edition of the PIRLS Assessment Framework for this cycle was released in early 2019. The framework describes the processes of reading comprehension, purposes for reading, and reading behaviours and attitudes that will be assessed by the study. The document also sets out the contextual framework for the study and has been revised to reflect the change to assessing web-based reading.
PIRLS 2020/21 Key Facts
Read about PIRLS 2020/21.
Key Facts: PIRLS 2020/21
When:
During 2020–2022; because of the COVID-19 pandemic some countries deferred until early 2022.
Who:
Year 5 students and their parents/caregivers, along with their (reading) teachers, and principals.
What:
Assessment of reading literacy, with background information also collected.
How:
Conducted under the auspices of the IEA; managed internationally by the International Study Centre at Boston College; and nationally by the Ministry of Education.
Where:
In 58 countries and 8 benchmarking entities (regional jurisdictions of countries such as states or provinces).
Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic made the PIRLS data collection challenging for many countries because of school closures and uncertainties around school schedules. New Zealand and Singapore were fortunate to complete their collections on schedule in late 2020.
Many Northern Hemisphere countries were also able to successfully complete their data collections in the first half of 2021, either on their original schedule or by extending the testing window to accommodate changing school schedules and instructional arrangements. A smaller group of countries moved their collections into either the last quarter of 2021 or the first quarter of 2022.
Due to ongoing disruptions and complexities with this cycle, the release of the international results scheduled for 13 December 2022 was postponed to 16 May 2023.