PIRLS 2021: Innovative International Reading Assessments, 20 Years of Trends

• In Event: TIMSS and PIRLS: The International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement's Global Benchmarks of Achievement

Abstract

"PIRLS provides trends in reading achievement at the fourth grade for more than 60 countries around the world. PIRLS 2021 is the fifth in this series of international reading assessments, providing 20 years of trends in comparative reading achievement across countries. PIRLS 2021 transitioned to digital assessment in almost half the participating countries. These countries participated in a digital assessment that integrates a digital version of the PIRLS 2021 assessment presented through an innovative user interface, and the ePIRLS assessment of online informational reading first administered in 14 countries on a voluntary basis in 2016.

This presentation will describe the innovations in digitalPIRLS and ePIRLS. In addition to modernizing paper-and-pencil PIRLS, digitalPIRLS employs a new user interface developed by the TIMSS & PIRLS International Study Center to assess reading comprehension across a wide variety of literary and informational materials that students are likely to encounter in and out of school. To ensure a range of difficulty, the reading passages span approximately 500-800 words, with the stories supported by colorful illustrations and the informational articles by visuals such as photos, diagrams, charts, and graphs. Presenting reading passages with pictures and graphics together with the assessment questions on a small screen posed quite a challenge. The new digitalPIRLS user interface (UI) exemplifies the clarity and simplicity principle so important in enabling students to demonstrate their achievement on PIRLS, not hampering them. Most of the screen is devoted to presenting the passage text together with its supporting images, and the questions are accessed through a pop-up tab from the bottom of the screen.

At an ever-increasing pace, the internet is changing what it means to be a good reader. In addition to being able to read traditional texts, students need the skills, strategies, and practices to learn from reading information on the internet. ePIRLS focuses on maintaining the authenticity of the internet reading experience as much as possible. A simulated Google search window (used with permission) lists simulated websites for students to consider to obtain information for a particular social studies or science project. To read about a topic, students navigate through websites and webpages, each with a variety of features such as photo, graphics, pop-ups, videos, multiple tabs, and hyperlinks as well as advertisements. To ensure that students have the opportunity to answer all the questions, a teacher avatar guides the students through the school project, prompting them to advance through the webpages. A new assessment design will enable research comparing achievement in paperPIRLS, digitalPIRLS, and ePIRLS."

Author

• Erin Elizabeth Wry, Boston College