Progress in International Reading Literacy Study, 2006

The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study, 2006 (PIRLS 2006) is a study that is part of the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) program; program data are available since 2001 at https://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/getpubcats.asp?sid=099. PIRLS 2006 (https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pirls/) is a cross-sectional study that provides international comparative information of the reading literacy of fourth-grade students and examines factors that may be associated with the acquisition of reading literacy in young students. The study was conducted using questionnaires and direct assessments of fourth-grade students. In the United States a total of 183 schools were sampled and 5,190 fourth-grade students were tested. The final weighted student response rate was 95 percent and the final weighted school response rate was 99 percent. The overall weighted response rate was 82 percent. Key statistics produced from PIRLS 2006 are how well fourth-grade students read, how students in one country compare with students in another country, how much fourth-grade students value and enjoy reading, and internationally, how the reading habits and attitudes of students vary.