Performance » Reading » Year 6 Reading:
Benchmarking Year 6 reading performance: Are standards being met?
Table CRT6.1 shows the Fiji distribution of year six reading scores against the PILNA reading proficiency scale. This scale converts a student’s reading performance into a level ranking from zero to eight. The expected minimum reading performance for year six students is proficiency level five. Pacific stakeholders expect these students to reach or exceed this proficiency level.
The average performance of year six students in Fiji in reading was 522.26 (SD = 72.27). This corresponds to proficiency level six on the PILNA reading proficiency scale (level six is assigned to scores 512.5–537.5), Figure CRF6.7. On average, year six students in Fiji are scoring above the minimum expected standard in reading.
Figure CRF6.7: PILNA
Overall reading score
- 0
- 363
- 413
- 438
- 463
- 488
- 513
- 538
- 588
- 625+
- 588
Proficiency Scale Levels
Expected minimum performance
- 0
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4 Year 4
- 5 Year 6
- 6
- 7
- 8
Year 4
Mean score: 453.52 (3.57)
Year 6
Mean score: 522.26 (2.93)
The average reading score does not tell us the whole story. The proportion of students meeting the minimum expected standard is also important. This is shown in Table CRT6.2 Approximately 71% of year six students in Fiji were performing at or above the minimum expected level in reading (levels 5–8) but about 29% did not meet this level (levels 0–4). In other words, nearly three out of four year six students assessed in 2021 are meeting the minimum expected standard and more than one out of four are not. Also shown in Table CRT6.2, is the significant proportion of year six students who scored at level seven (26%), the second highest level on the reading scale.
On average, year six students in Fiji (522) are scoring higher in reading than year six students in the region (492). Also, about 71% of year six students met or exceeded the expected minimum reading proficiency levels in Fiji compared to 53% across the region.
When looking at the Fiji distribution of year six reading proficiency scores in 2021 by gender (Figure CRT6.3), we can see differences in the scores for girls and boys. Approximately 76% of year six girls performed at or above the expected minimum proficiency level, but only about 65% of year six boys did so.
