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PIRLS 2006 results are provided in the U.S. national report:
The Reading Literacy of U.S. Fourth-Grade Students in an International Context: Results from the 2001 and 2006 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) (U.S. Department of Education, 2007)
In addition, supplemental data tables for the U.S. PIRLS 2006 Report are available: Supplemental Tables for the U.S. PIRLS 2006 Report.
Summary of Findings from PIRLS 2006
In 2006, 45 jurisdictions participated in the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), including 38 countries, 5 Canadian provinces, and the separate Flemish- and French-speaking education systems in Belgium.
On average, U.S. fourth-graders scored higher than their peers worldwide, with average scores higher than the PIRLS scale average (540 vs. 500), and a greater percentage of U.S. students reaching each achievement benchmark compared to the international median percentage.
The average score for U.S. students was
Compared to 2001, the average score for U.S. students in 2006 was not significantly different overall. On the 2006 assessment, the average score for U.S. students in reading for literary experience was 4 points higher than their average score in reading to acquire and use information. In 2001, the difference was 17 points.
Other findings from 2006 include the following: