PIRLS and ePIRLS 2016
Advancing Comprehensive
Reading Assessment
Chad Minnich
Assistant Director, Communications & Media Relations
TIMSS & PIRLS International Study Center, Boston College
2014 Black Sea Conference on
New Technologies in Educational Assessment and Classroom Assessment
12 September, 2014
PIRLS and ePIRLS 2016
• Description of the PIRLS Assessment
• PIRLS 2016 Participation Options
• PIRLS 2016 Framework
• Description of the ePIRLS 2016 Assessment
• ePIRLS Video
What is PIRLS?
PIRLS—Progress in International
Reading Literacy Study
• Assessing trends in reading
comprehension
• Fourth grade
• Every five years
• Four cycles: 2001, 2006, 2011,
2016
• Stories and articles of 800-1000
words
What is PIRLS?
PIRLS—Progress in International
Reading Literacy Study
• Rich array of contextual data on
literacy teaching and learning
• Sponsored by IEA
• Directed by the TIMSS & PIRLS
International Study Center at
Boston College
Growth of PIRLS
Improving Validity, Reliability, and Policy Relevance
• 2001—PIRLS inaugurated; reporting on purposes of
reading
• 2006—Passages increased; reporting on processes of
comprehension
• 2011—Extended with prePIRLS; data collection with
TIMSS
• 2016—Extended with PIRLS Literacy and ePIRLS
New for 2016—
PIRLS Literacy
• For countries where most children are
still developing fundamental reading
skills
• Based on same framework as PIRLS
• Less difficult than PIRLS
– Shorter passages
– Easier vocabulary
– Simpler grammar and syntax
– Interleaved text and
questions
New for 2016—
ePIRLS
• For countries interested in
measuring children’s online
informational reading skills
• Based on same framework as PIRLS
• Simulated Internet environment
• Multiple websites, with texts of
up to 1000 words
• For countries participating in
PIRLS 2016
Participating in PIRLS 2016—
Options
Participating in PIRLS 2016—
Countries
Australia
Austria*
Barbados
Bahrain*
Belgium (Fl)*
Belgium (Fr)*
Belize
Botswana
Bulgaria
Canada
Chile
Chinese Taipei*
Colombia
Czech Republic
Denmark*
England
Finland
France
Georgia
Germany*
Hong Kong SAR
Hungary*
Iran
Ireland*
Israel*
Italy*
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kuwait
Lithuania
Malta*
Netherlands*
New Zealand*
Norway*
Oman
Philippines
Poland
Portugal*
Qatar
Russian Federation
Saudi Arabia
Singapore*
Slovak Republic
Slovenia*
South Africa
Spain
Sweden*
Trinidad & Tobago
Turkey
United Arab Emirates*
United States*
Benchmarking
Participants
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Ontario, Canada
Quebec, Canada*
Caribbean CXC
Maltese – Malta
Eng/Afr – RSA (5th) *
Andalusia, Spain
Abu Dhabi, UAE*
Dubai, UAE*
* Countries
planning to
participate in
ePIRLS
PIRLS 2016 Reading Assessment
Frameworks
Purposes of Reading
• Literary Experience
• Acquire and Use
Information
PIRLS 2016 Reading Assessment
Frameworks
Processes of Comprehension
• Focus and Retrieve Explicitly
Stated Information
• Make Straightforward
Inferences
• Interpret and Integrate Ideas
and Information
• Evaluate and Critique Content
and Textual Elements
PIRLS 2016 Reading Assessment
Frameworks
Percentages of PIRLS, PIRLS Literacy, and ePIRLS
Devoted to Each Reading Purpose and
Comprehension Process
PIRLS Contexts for
Learning to Read
Providing important insights into how educational
systems can be improved to foster reading
achievement
• National and Community Contexts
• School Contexts
• Home Contexts
• Student Perceptions
• Encyclopedia
ePIRLS—Reading
Assessment for an
Online World
• Informational reading
• Simulated Internet environment
• Multiple websites, with texts of
up to 1000 words
ePIRLS—Simulated Internet
Environment
• Internet
Window
• Assessment
Window
ePIRLS 2016 Assessment
Frameworks
Processes of Comprehension
in the Context of Online
Informational Reading
• Focus and Retrieve Explicitly
Stated Information
• Make Straightforward
Inferences
• Interpret and Integrate Ideas
and Information
• Evaluate and Critique Content
and Textual Elements
Video—ePIRLS 2016
Reading Assessment for an
Online World
ePIRLS 2016—Participation
• It is not too late to join!
• To participate, contact:
– Paula Korsnakova
Senior Professional Researcher, IEA Secretariat
p.korsnakova@iea.nl
• For more information:
– Kathryn Sallis (PIRLS); Chad Minnich (ePIRLS)
TIMSS & PIRLS International Study Center
pirls@bc.edu
Thank You!
Chad Minnich
Assistant Director, Communications & Media Relations
TIMSS & PIRLS International Study Center, Boston College
2014 Black Sea Conference on
New Technologies in Educational Assessment and Classroom Assessment
12 September, 2014