Use and Impact of PIRLS

Following the results of PIRLS 2011, an information leaflet analyzing student answers was released, and two publications devoted to primary teachers were published on the official teaching website of the Wallonia‑Brussels Federation.12 Additionally, four video clips were launched to raise awareness about the PIRLS results and demonstrate the importance of using demanding texts in Grade 4 and providing tools to enable schools to assess reading comprehension skills. Produced by the research department of the University of Liège with the support of the Institute of Training and Research in Higher Education, the videos highlight the kinds of obstacles experienced by students. Two of these video clips were developed to examine students’ reading processes using a narrative text released from PIRLS 2011, Derek Munson’s “Enemy Pie,” and its related items. Two video clips are focused on informative texts and related items released in previous PIRLS cycles, “Searching for Food” and “Antarctica: Land of Ice.” An analysis of students’ errors in the open response questions linked to the less mastered reading processes (interpreting and evaluating) was provided. The videos aim to clarify for primary teachers the links between reading comprehension processes, the items’ questions, expected answers of students, and reading obstacles that students encounter.