Overview

The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) is an international comparative study of the reading literacy of young students. PIRLS studies the reading achievement and reading behaviors and attitudes of fourth-grade students in the United States and students in the equivalent of fourth grade in other participating countries.

PIRLS was first administered in 2001 and included 35 countries, and was administered again in 2006 to students in 45 education systems (including countries and subnational education systems, such as Canadian provinces and Hong Kong, a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China). The next PIRLS is scheduled for 2011. PIRLS is coordinated by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA).

You can explore the PIRLS data directly through NCES's online data tool — the International Data Explorer (IDE)