PIRLS 2021 OUTCOME MEASURES
- Reading literacy
SCALE CREATION
The PIRLS achievement scales were developed using a combination of item response theory and latent regression models and are reported using multiple imputations in the form of five plausible values. Each participating student receives five plausible values in the reported scales.
The PIRLS achievement scales range from 5 to 995, with a center point of 500 and a standard deviation of 100 based on the pooled sample of participating countries in 2001.
To measure trends over time, the results of all subsequent PIRLS assessments (2006, 2011, 2016, and 2021) are transformed to this metric.
To ensure comparability of the results over time, results for paperPIRLS and digitalPIRLS were jointly scaled in PIRLS 2021 as part of a bridge study. A linear transformation was used to put the PIRLS 2021 paperPIRLS and digitalPIRLS results on the 2016 PIRLS reported metric.
LIST OF ACHIEVEMENT SCALES
- Overall achievement (Reading)
- Purposes for Reading
- Literary Experience
- Acquire and Use Information
- Processes of Comprehension
- Retrieving and Straightforward Inferencing
- Interpreting, Integrating, and Evaluating
Overall achievement results were also reported in terms of the percentages of students reaching the following four international benchmarks:
- Advanced International Benchmark (625)
- High International Benchmark (550)
- Intermediate International Benchmark (475)
- Low International Benchmark (400)
A scale-anchoring process was used to describe the competencies of students who met each of these standards.
SCALE CREATION
To report the results of the context questionnaire, PIRLS 2021 developed a number of background questionnaire scales. All scales were constructed using item response theory (IRT), specifically the partial credit model.
For certain scales with common items across previous cycles of PIRLS, the scale scores were transformed to the existing reporting metric.
In addition, scale scores were categorized into categorical variables by classifying respondents into one of three groups for each scale: High, Middle, and Low. The cut-off points on the scale delimiting the regions were described in terms of combinations of response categories. These criteria are described in the Methods and Procedures: PIRLS 2021 Technical Report.
LIST OF BACKGROUND SCALES
- Home environment support
- Home Socioeconomic Status
- Home Resources for Learning
- Early Literacy Activities
- Early Literacy Tasks
- Early Literacy and Numeracy Activities
- Early Numeracy Activities
- Parents Like Reading
- School climate
- School Emphasis on Academic Success
- School Emphasis on Academic Success – Teachers’ Reports
- School Emphasis on Academic Success – Principals’ Reports
- Sense of School Belonging
- Teachers’ Job Satisfaction
- School discipline and safety
- School Discipline
- Safe and Orderly School
- Student Bullying
- Students’ reading attitudes and behaviors
- Students Like Reading
- Students Confident in Reading
- Students Engaged in Reading Lessons
- Students’ beliefs about their familiarity with digital devices
- Students’ Digital Self-Efficacy
- Classroom instruction
- Parents’ Perception of Their Child’ Classroom
- Disorderly Behavior During Reading Lessons
- Teaching Limited by Student Not Ready for Instruction
- Classroom Teaching Limited by Student Not Ready for Instruction
- Instruction Affected by Reading Resource Shortages