Use and Impact of PIRLS
National assessment frameworks in Italy have been inspired by TIMSS, PIRLS, and the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) frameworks and are updated continually according to these frameworks. In particular, the TIMSS and PIRLS frameworks have provided a crucial reference point because they are strongly curriculum-based, as national assessments should be.
To improve Italian student performance on international assessments, information and training sessions on international and national assessment (i.e., TIMSS, PIRLS, and PISA) and their results were offered from 2010 to 2012 to teachers of Italian, mathematics, and science at all school types and levels, including teachers of adult education. This training initiative had two strategic objectives: to increase students’ reading comprehension and mathematical skills, and to reduce the student dropout rate by increasing the familiarity of teachers with the evaluation methodology applied in these assessments. Another aim of the initiative was to spread a culture of evaluation in primary and secondary schools by providing teachers with diversified tools and materials (e.g., tests and scoring guidelines).27