Figure CRF4.2 shows the average reading scores for this group and for year four students in Cook Islands in previous PILNA cycles. The scores for year four students in 2021 were lower than in 2018 and 2015. Overall, the average reading scores for year four students have decreased over time. The standard deviation for the average reading scores in 2021 was higher than in 2015 (SD = 42.82) and 2018 (SD = 95.33). This means that the spread of year four overall reading scores was wider in 2021 than in previous years.

Standard deviation shows how close data points are to the average. A lower standard deviation means that data points are, overall, closer to the average; a higher standard deviation means that data points are, overall, further away from the average.