Young Students Getting Better at Reading, Finds International Study
5 December 2017 – Reading literacy levels are on the rise across the globe, giving young students a set of strong skills
to serve them in their futures as well as contributing to the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs), in particular those related to inclusive and quality education.
According to the 2016 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PRILS), launchedTuesday by the International Association for Evaluation of Educational Achievement at the UN Education, Scientific and
Cultural Organization (UNESCO) headquarters, in Paris, 96 per cent of fourth graders from over 60 education systems achieved above the international
benchmark.
“An early start in reading literacy has lasting benefits, with students who had attended pre-primary school for three
years or more reporting higher average scores,” said UNESCO in a news release announcing the findings.
It also highlighted the impact of supportive home environments – with parents engaging their children in early literacy
activities – and safe and well-resources learning environments with qualified teachers associated with higher
achievement scores.
Furthermore, the report also showed that female students outperformed their male counterparts in 48 countries and
dependent territories by an average of 19 points.
This year's PIRLS was extended to include an assessment of online reading – called ePIRLS. The findings from this
section concluded that good readers also have an advantage in digital literacy skills, with half of students deemed good
to excellent readers reaching the PIRLS high international benchmark.
Also today, UNESCO and the International Association launched a guidance booklet on how large-scale assessments, such as PIRLS, can help in measuring progress towards the achievement of the
education-related SDG (Goal 4).
SDG 4 targets analysed in the booklet include target 4.1 on primary education, 4.2 on early childhood development, 4.4
on skills for work, 4.5 on gender equality and inclusion, 4.a on effective learning environments and 4.c on teachers.
News Tracker: past stories on this issue
ENDS