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In a comparison of students’ literacy in 40 countries, fourth-grade-age children in Russia, Hong Kong, and Singapore have the highest levels of literacy. Although the average score for students in the United States and England was above the scale average, those scores ranked 17th and 18th, respectively.

CHESTNUT HILL, MA (11-28-07) – The Russian Federation, Hong Kong SAR and Singapore were the three top-performing countries in reading literacy at the fourth grade level, according to a major report of the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), one of the most influential global assessments of reading literacy in the world. The report was released today by the study’s international directors at Boston College.

Luxembourg, Italy, Hungary, Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium (Flemish), Bulgaria and Denmark also had higher achievement than the majority of other participants. In addition, three Canadian provinces—Alberta, British Columbia, and Ontario—were among the highest achieving participants (see following Exhibits).

With approximately 215,000 students surveyed across 40 countries, — including 26 countries that also participated in PIRLS 2001 and have trend data in this report — PIRLS 2006 is one of the largest inter- national assessments of reading literacy. Directed by the TIMSS & PIRLS International Study Center at Boston College, which also conducts TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, the largest international study of student achievement ever undertaken), PIRLS assesses a range of reading comprehension strategies for two major reading purposes: literary and informational.

Here is a table showing the rankings and scores.

For more, see the PIRLS press release Web page.