The Progress in International Reading
Literacy Study (PIRLS) is an international assessment of
fourth-grade students’ achievement in reading. PIRLS reports on
four benchmarks in reading achievement at grade 4 and on a variety
of issues related to the education context for the students in the
sample, including instructional practices, school resources,
curriculum implementation, and learning supports outside of school.
Since its inception in 2001, PIRLS has continued to assess students
every 5 years (2001, 2006, 2011, and 2016), with the next PIRLS
assessment, PIRLS 2021, being the fifth iteration of the study.
Participation in this study by the United States at regular
intervals provides data on student achievement and on current and
past education policies and a comparison of U.S. education policies
and student performance with those of the U.S. international
counterparts. In PIRLS 2016, 58 education systems participated. The
United States will participate in PIRLS 2021 to continue to monitor
the progress of its students compared to that of other nations and
to provide data on factors that may influence student achievement.
PIRLS is coordinated by the International Association for the
Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), an international
collective of research organizations and government agencies that
create the assessment framework, the assessment instrument, and
background questionnaires. The IEA decides and agrees upon a common
set of standards and procedures for collecting and reporting PIRLS
data, and defines the studies’ timeline, all of which must be
followed by all participating countries. As a result, PIRLS is able
to provide a reliable and comparable measure of student skills in
participating countries. In the U.S., the National Center for
Education Statistics (NCES) conducts this study. In preparation for
the PIRLS 2021 main study, all countries are asked to implement a
field test in 2020. The purpose of the PIRLS field test is to
evaluate new assessment items and background questions, to ensure
practices that promote low exclusion rates, and to ensure that
classroom and student sampling procedures proposed for the main
study are successful. Data collection for the field test in the
U.S. will occur from March through April 2020 and for the main
study from March through June 2021. The submission describing the
overarching plan for all phases of the data collection, including
the 2021 main study, and requesting approval for all activities,
materials, and response burden related to the field test
recruitment was approved in April 2019 with a change request in
September 2019 (OMB# 1850-0645 v.11-12) , while the submission
describing all aspects of the field test and recruitment for the
main study was approved in October 2019 (OMB# 1850-0645 v.13). This
submission request is for all aspects of the PIRLS 2021 main study,
including data collection activities, with an accompanying 30-day
public comment period. The supporting statements Parts A and B
describe all aspects of the study; Appendices A1 and A2 provide the
main study communication materials and additional materials related
to the data collection activities, respectively; Appendix B
provides the non-response bias analysis plan; Appendices C1 and C2
(carried over from v.13) provide the questionnaires used for the
Field Test, which is still in progress at the time of submission.
After the international versions of the main study questionnaires
are released by IEA in September 2020, a submission for the main
study questionnaires with the proposed U.S. adaptations in
Appendices C1 and C2 will be submitted in October 2020. In the case
that the final approved U.S. adapted versions of the PIRLS 2021
main study questionnaires differ from those provided in that
October 2020 submission, the final versions will be submitted to
OMB for approval as a change request in December 2020.
US Code:
20
USC 9543 Name of Law: Educational Sciences Reform Act of 2002
(ESRA 2002)
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that
the collection of information encompassed by this request complies
with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR
1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding
the proposed collection of information, that the certification
covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a
benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control
number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of
these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked
and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.
Appendix B PIRLS 2021 NRBA Plan.docx
Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS 2021) Main Study Recruitment and Field Test