Use and Impact of PIRLS

This is the second time Finland has participated in PIRLS. Finland participates in several other student assessments. Several articles and reports have been published exploring the strengths and weaknesses of the Finnish education system in light of PIRLS and other reading literacy assessments. Different reading literacy assessments have had impact on textbooks of Mother Tongue and Literature and development of national curriculum in 2014 where, for example, the skills of assessing different kinds of texts have been elevated more clearly. Results of reading literacy assessments also have generated several initiatives and projects regarding reading skills and especially interest in reading (e.g., the Joy of Reading initiative and projects by the Finnish Reading Center).³³