Use and Impact of PIRLS
Ontario and Quebec have participated in PIRLS since 2001. British Columbia, Alberta, and Nova Scotia began taking part in PIRLS in 2006, followed by Saskatchewan, Manitoba, New Brunswick‑French, and Newfoundland and Labrador during the last administration in 2011.40 Eight provinces participated in the 2016 cycle, with Ontario and Quebec serving as benchmarking participants.
PIRLS scores supplement national and jurisdictional assessments as an external measure of reading literacy and allow for cross-jurisdictional and international comparisons. Active involvement in PIRLS enables ministries and departments of education to identify and understand the strengths and weaknesses of Canadian students in the international context and to compare the standards of their own provincial/territorial assessments and curricula. For example, the province of British Columbia formally links results from PIRLS to its jurisdictional Grade 4 reading assessment.41 While the high achievement of Canadian students on PIRLS confirms the relevance of literacy policies and practices in Canada, further improvement is needed to support students with reading difficulties and to reduce the gender gap.