PIRLS 2026 Framework

Assessment or survey framework

Definition

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 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
    • Often achieved by reading narrative fiction.
    • Readers engage with the text to become involved in events, settings, actions, consequences, characters, atmosphere, feelings, and ideas, and to enjoy language itself.
    • The reader needs to 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, animations, hyperlinks, and pop-up windows.
  • PIRLS devotes half of the assessment blocks to each of the purposes for reading.

 

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 or on a web page (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 web page 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 contribution of the graphic elements to understanding 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
Contextual or background framework

Home contexts

  • Early learning experiences 
    • Early literacy activities and tasks
  • Home environment for learning
    • Home socioeconomic status
    • Parents’ reading
    • Information and communication technology (ICT) in the Home
    • Language spoken in the home

       

School contexts

  • School characteristics and composition of student body
    • School size and geographic Location
    • Socioeconomic background of student body
    • Language spoken by student body
    • Literacy skills of entering student body
  • School resources
    • Resources and supports for reading instruction
    • School library and technology resources
    • Resources for student support
  • School climate
    • School Safety
    • School emphasis on academic success
    • Teacher job satisfaction and challenges
    • Parents’ school involvement
    • Principals’ preparation and experience

       

Classroom contexts

  • Teacher qualifications
    • Teachers’ preparation
    • Teachers’ years of experience
    • Teachers’ professional development
  • Classroom reading instruction
    • Teachers develop students’ reading comprehension skills and strategies
    • Teachers cultivate motivation, engagement, and self-efficacy in reading
    • Organizing students for reading instruction
    • Classroom libraries
  • Information technology in the classroom
    • Classroom access to digital devices for reading instruction
    • Instruction in online reading
  • Classroom climate
    • Classroom disruptions
    • Factors limiting instruction

       

Student characteristics, attitudes, and behaviors

  • Student demographics
    • Gender
    • Age
    • Language spoken at home
    • Citizenship
  • Student experiences at school
    • School belonging
    • Bullying
    • Feelings at school
    • Engagement in reading lessons
  • Student reading attitudes and behaviors
    • Students like reading
    • Students‘ confidence in reading
    • Time spent reading
    • Reading purposes and types of texts read outside of school
    • Reading formats and mediums
  • Student use of information technology 
    • Use of digital devices and the internet

       

National contexts

  • Organization of education system
    • Number of years in school
    • Age of school entry and grade retention
    • Preprimary education
    • Language(s) of instruction
    • Teacher and principal preparation
  • Reading curriculum
    • Curriculum specifications
    • Instructional materials and use of digital devices
    • Areas of emphasis in the language/reading curriculum