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chapter 2: performance at international benchmarks
Achievement at the PIRLS 2006 High International Benchmark
Exhibit 2.14 describes performance at the High International Benchmark.
Students reaching this level were competent readers. For example, based on
the literary texts included in PIRLS 2006, they could retrieve significant details
embedded across the text and provide text-based support for inferences. They
could use organizational features to navigate through the informational texts,
and make inferences and connections. At this level, students recognized main
ideas, some textual features and elements, and were beginning to integrate
ideas and information across texts.
Exhibit 2.15 contains Item 9, a literary example from the “Little Lump
of Clay” story. This item demonstrates that students at this level were able to
recognize the idea of personification. Internationally on average, 55 percent of
the students answered correctly. The fourth-grade students in the Netherlands
performed the best, with 84 percent answering correctly. Exhibit 2.16, Item 10,
is from the “Unbelievable Night” story. This question about two ways the
magazine helped Anina illustrates students’ achievement at the high level, in
providing two pieces of text-based support (of two required). This question
was difficult for students in general, with only 41 percent giving two ways,
on average internationally.
Exhibit 2.17 contains Example Item 11, which is based on the “Antarctica”
article. The results indicate that students at the high level were able to use
organizational features such as section headings. On average, 57 percent
of the students internationally were able to locate the section with the
information about how thick the ice is. The high achievers on this question
were the Russian Federation, Sweden, and Luxembourg with 83 to 84 percent
of the students answering correctly. Example Item 12 in Exhibit 2.18 is from
the “Searching for Food” science projects. It required students to integrate
information within the section about the pill bugs project, make an inference
about the point of the experiment, and write their answer. Similar to the
results for other items exemplifying this level, 55 percent of the students,
on average internationally, provided answers receiving full credit. The
Singaporean fourth-grade students were by far the highest achievers on this
question with 83 percent receiving full credit.
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