PIRLS 2021 Framework

Assessment or survey framework

PIRLS definition of reading literacy

Reading literacy is the ability to understand and use those written language forms required by society and/or valued by the individual. Readers can construct meaning from texts in a variety of forms. They read to learn, to participate in communities of readers in school and everyday life, and for enjoyment.

The basis for assessing reading in PIRLS and online reading in ePIRLS is formed by two reading purposes and four comprehension processes:

 

Purposes for reading

  • The two overarching purposes for reading that account for most of the reading done by young students both in and out of school:
    • Literary experience
      • Achieved by reading fiction
      • Readers engage with the text to become involved in events, settings, actions, consequences, characters, atmosphere, feelings, and ideas, and to enjoy language itself by engaging with text
      • The reader must bring to the text his or her own experiences, feelings, appreciation of language, and knowledge of literary forms to understand and appreciate literature.
    • Acquire and use information
      • The foremost function of the text is to provide information.
      • Information covers a range of content (e.g., scientific, historical, geographical, social).
      • Content is presented in a variety of formats and may include tables, graphs, pictures, or animations.
  • Both paperPIRLS and digitalPIRLS devote half of the assessment passages to each of the purposes for reading, while ePIRLS focuses solely on reading to acquire and use information.

 

Processes of comprehension 

The following four processes of comprehension are assessed for each reading purpose:

  • Focus on and retrieve explicitly stated information – Reading tasks may include the following:
    • Identifying and retrieving information that is relevant to the specific goal of reading
    • Looking for specific ideas
    • Searching for definitions of words or phrases
    • Identifying the setting of a story (e.g., time and place)
    • Finding the topic sentence or main idea (when explicitly stated)
    • Identifying specific information in a graphic (e.g., graph, table, or map)
  • Make straightforward inferences - Reading tasks may include the following:
    • Inferring that one event caused another event
    • Giving the reason for a character’s action
    • Describing the relationship between two characters
    • Identifying which section of the text or website would help for a particular purpose
  • Interpret and integrate ideas and information - Reading tasks may exemplify include the following:
    • Discerning the overall message or theme of a text
    • Considering an alternative to actions of characters
    • Comparing and contrasting text information
    • Inferring a story’s mood or tone
    • Interpreting a real-world application of text information
    • Comparing and contrasting information presented within and across texts or websites.
  • Evaluate and critique content and textual elements 
    • Reading tasks may include the following:
      • Judging the completeness or clarity of information in the text
      • Evaluating the likelihood that the events described could really happen
      • Evaluating how likely an author’s argument would be to change what people think and do
      • Judging how well the title of the text reflects the main theme
      • Describing the effect of language features, such as metaphors or tone
      • Describing the effect of the graphic elements in the text or website
      • Determining the point of view or bias of the text or website
      • Determining an author’s perspective on the central topic
    • In addition, online reading tasks may include the following:
      • Critiquing the ease of finding information on a website
      • Judging the credibility of the information on the website
Contextual or background framework
  • Home contexts
    • Environment for learning
      • Home resources for learning
      • Parents like reading
      • Language spoken in the home
    • Emphasis on literacy
      • Early literacy activities
      • Preprimary education
      • Early literacy tasks when beginning primary school
      • Parental expectations for their children’s education

 

  • School contexts
    • School resources
      • School composition of student body
      • Resources for reading instruction
      • School library or media center
      • Principals’ formal education
      • Principals’ years of experience
      • Size and urbanicity of schools
    • School climate
      • Parents’ perceptions of child’s school
      • School emphasis on academic success
      • Teacher job satisfaction
      • Students’ sense of school belonging
    • School discipline and safety
      • School discipline
      • Safe and orderly school
      • Bullying
    • School emphasis on reading instruction
      • Emphasis in early grades on reading skills and strategies
      • Time spent on language and reading instruction

 

  • Classroom contexts
    • Classroom reading instruction
      • Students engaged in reading instruction
      • Teachers develop students’ reading comprehension skills and strategies
      • Teachers encourage and motivate students to read
      • Types of texts assigned
      • Organizing students for reading instruction
      • Classroom libraries
      • Homework
      • Classroom assessment
    • Information technology in the classroom
      • Classroom access to computers for reading instruction
      • Use of technology
      • Instruction in online reading
    • Classroom climate
      • Classroom management
      • Classroom instruction limited by student attributes
    • Teachers’ preparation
      • Teachers’ formal education
      • Teachers’ years of experience
      • Teachers’ professional development

 

  • Student attributes
    • Student reading attitudes
      • Students like reading
      • Students confident in reading
      • Familiarity in using digital devices
      • Students liking of assessment passages
    • Student demographics
      • Gender
      • Age

 

  • National contexts
    • Organization of education system
      • Country language(s) of instruction
      • System for preprimary education
      • Age of entry and retention
      • Number of years of school
    • Reading curriculum
      • Reading curriculum in the primary grades
      • Students with reading difficulties