Countries

• The top-performing countries in PIRLS 2011 were Hong Kong SAR, the Russian Federation, Finland, and Singapore.
• Of the 45 countries participating at the fourth grade, only 12 countries had average achievement below the PIRLS scale center point of 500.
• The majority of the PIRLS 2011 countries were able to educate 95 percent of their fourth-grade students to a basic level (Low Benchmark).

Trend (2001–2011)

• Compared to 2001, 10 countries raised their levels of reading achievement in 2011, and 13 countries have improved since 2006.
• There has been little reduction in the reading achievement gender gap over the decade: Across the 45 countries participating, girls had a 16-point advantage, on average, compared to boys.

Home

• A supportive home environment and an early start are important influences in shaping a child’s reading literacy.

Schools

• Higher average performance was associated with schools where a greater percentage of students:
  • Were from relatively affluent socioeconomic backgrounds
  • Spoke the language of the PIRLS assessment as their first language
  • Entered school with early literacy skills
• Successful schools:
  • Tend to be well-resourced
  • Emphasize academic success
  • Have safe and orderly environments

Teachers and teaching

• Higher average reading achievement was associated with teachers having specialized education in language, reading, or reading pedagogy.
• Teacher career satisfaction is positively related to average reading achievement.

Students’ attitude

• A strong positive relationship within countries between student attitudes toward reading and their reading achievement was seen.
• Children with greater self-efficacy or high self-esteem with respect to themselves as readers typically were better readers.

Student engagement

• Engaged students had higher achievement than somewhat engaged and not engaged students.
• Students often had slightly higher average reading achievement if their teachers used engaging instruction.