Table CRT3.1 shows the Papua New Guinea distribution of grade three 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 grade three students is proficiency level four, see below. Pacific stakeholders expect these students to reach or exceed this proficiency level.

The average performance of grade three students in Papua New Guinea in reading was 455.47 (SD = 64.72). This corresponds to proficiency level three on the PILNA reading proficiency scale (level three is assigned to scores 437.5–462.5). On average, grade three students in Papua New Guinea are not meeting the minimum expected standard, level four, in reading.

The average reading score does not tell us the whole story. The proportion of students who are meeting the minimum expected standard is also important, as this statistic shows how many students are performing at or above the minimum expected level. This is shown in Table CRT3.1. Approximately 45% of grade three students in Papua New Guinea were performing at or above the minimum expected level in reading (levels 4–8). The majority of grade three students in Papua New Guinea, 55%, were not meeting the minimum expected level of performance in reading (levels 0–3). This includes a significant proportion (25%) of grade three students scoring at levels zero and one, the lowest levels on the reading scale.

Across the region, approximately 43% of grade three students performed at or above the expected proficiency level in reading, compared to approximately 45% in Papua New Guinea. This means that Papua New Guinea has a slightly higher proportion of grade three students performing at or above the expected level of reading compared to the region as a whole. Additionally, Papua New Guinea had only 7% of grade three students performing at the lowest level (level 0) compared to 17% regionally.