PIRLS and PISA

The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) is an international comparative study of the reading achievement, behaviors and attitudes of fourth-grade students in the United States and in other participating countries. The study includes a written test of reading comprehension and a series of questionnaires focusing on the factors associated with the development of reading literacy.
A summary of findings from PIRLS 2006:

In 2006, 45 education systems participated in the Progress in Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), including 38 countries, 5 Canadian provinces, and the separate English- and French-speaking education systems in Belgium. PIRLS was first done in 2001 and included 35 countries.

The average score for U.S. students was:

~ 540, higher than the average score (500) in 22 education systems
~ a greater % reaching achievement benchmarks compared to International %
~ lower than 10 education systems and
~ not significantly different from 12 education systems.

Fourth-grade-age children in Russia, Hong Kong, and Singapore have the highest levels of literacy. Although the average score for students in the United States and England was above the scale average, those scores ranked 17th and 18th, respectively.

Compared to 2001, the average score for U.S. students in 2006 was not significantly different overall. On the 2006 assessment, the average score for U.S. students in reading for literary experience was 4 points higher than their average score in reading to acquire and use information. In 2001, the difference was 17 points.

565 Russian Federation
564 Hong Kong SAR
560 Canada, Alberta
558 Singapore
558 Canada, British Columbia
557 Luxembourg
555 Canada, Ontario
551 Italy
551 Hungary
549 Sweden
548 Germany
547 Netherlands
547 Belgium (Flemish)
547 Bulgaria
546 Denmark
542 Canada, Nova Scotia
541 Latvia
540 United States
539 England

The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is an internationally standardised assessment that was jointly developed by participating countries and administered to 15-year-olds in schools.

The survey was implemented in 43 countries in the 1st assessment in 2000, in 41 countries in the 2nd assessment in 2003, in 57 countries in the 3rd assessment in 2006 and 62 countries have signed up to participate in the 4th assessment in 2009.

Tests are typically administered to between 4,500 and 10,000 students in each country. PISA focuses on reading, mathematics and science literacy; it also includes measures of general or cross-curricular competencies such as learning strategies. PISA 2000 focused on reading literacy, PISA 2003 focused on mathematics literacy, and in 2006: science literacy.

Reading & Math rankings for 15 year old students; US ranks below average in Math. (PISA also has a Science ranking)

Rankings @ BBC

Printing Errors Invalidate U.S. Reading Scores on PISAEducation Week: Nov 27, 07 by Sean Cavanagh
Reading scores for the United States on an international assessment of student skills have been invalidated because of major errors in the printing of the test, in what a top federal education official called an “embarrassment” for government officials and the private contractor responsible for administering the exam.

The results of the reading section of the Program for International Student Assessment, or PISA, were ruined when printing errors in the test booklets directed students to the wrong pages for information related to specific questions. READ ON