Figure CRF5.2 shows the average reading scores for this group and for grade five students in Marshall Islands in previous PILNA cycles. The scores in 2021 were lower than in 2018 (466) and slightly lower than in 2015 (444). Overall, the average reading scores for grade five students in 2015 and 2021 were similar. The standard deviation for the average reading scores in 2021 was higher than in 2018 (SD = 72.57), and nearly double that in 2015 (SD = 47.12). This means that the spread of grade five overall reading scores was wider in 2021 than in 2015 and 2018.

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.