PIRLS 2021 International Results in Reading

School Composition, Resources, and Climate

School Emphasis on Academic Success

The School Emphasis on Academic Success scale was administered to school principals of fourth grade students to collect information about their schools’ expectations regarding academic achievement. Based on the IRT scaling, students were placed into three categories according to their principals’ responses regarding 12 aspects of the school climate oriented toward academics (see the description in “About the Scale”). Consistent with previous PIRLS results, principals in PIRLS 2021 reported a high degree of emphasis on academics in their schools, so the three categories are described as “very high,” “high,” and “medium” emphasis.

Exhibit 6.4 shows countries’ results, ordered according to the percentage of students attending schools in the “very high emphasis” category from highest to lowest. Across countries, on average, 10 percent of fourth grade students attended schools where the principal reported a “very high emphasis” on academic success, 58 percent attended schools with a “high emphasis,” and 32 percent attended schools with a “medium emphasis.” Students who attended schools with a higher emphasis on academic success had higher average reading achievement. Students in the “very high emphasis” category had the highest average achievement (525), followed by the “high emphasis” category (509). Students in the “medium emphasis” category had the lowest average reading achievement (486).