Figure CL-1. Percentage of fourth-grade students reaching the PIRLS international benchmarks in reading, by jurisdiction: 2006
*p < .05. Percentage reaching advanced benchmark is measurably higher than U.S. percentage.
# Rounds to zero.
1 Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People's Republic of China.
2 Met guidelines for sample participation rates only after substitute schools were included.
3 Did not meet guidelines for sample participation rates after substitute schools were included.
NOTE: Jurisdictions are ordered by the percentage of students who reached the advanced international benchmark on a scale of 0 to 1,000.
The International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) set international benchmarks for the Progress in International
Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) based on an analysis of score points. Students who did not reach benchmarks are not shown nor are students
whose placement relative to the benchmarks was uncertain. Because IEA benchmarks are anchored by scores, it is possible to calculate
the percentage of students who reach each benchmark's score threshold with accuracy but not the percentage distribution of students by
benchmarks. Apparent differences may not be statistically significant.
SOURCE: International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), 2006.