Performance » Reading » Year 4 Reading :
Benchmarking Year 4 Reading performance: Are standards being met?
Table CRT4.1 shows the Small Island States distribution of year four 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 four students is proficiency level four. Pacific stakeholders expect these students to reach or exceed this proficiency level.
The average performance of year four students in Small Island States in reading was 454.23 (SD = 113.75). This corresponds to proficiency level three on the PILNA reading proficiency scale (level three is assigned to scores 437.5–462.5). On average, year four students in Small Island States are not meeting the minimum expected standard in reading.
Figure CRF4.5: 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: 454.23 (13.18)
Year 6
Mean score: 540.28 (9.08)
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 Figure CNF4.1. Approximately 49% of year four students in Small Island States were performing at or above the minimum expected level in reading (levels 4–8). About half, 51%, were not meeting the minimum expected level (levels 0–3). This includes a significant proportion of year four students scoring at level one (13%) and level zero (25%), the lowest level on the reading scale.
Year four students in Small Island States are performing slightly higher in reading than those across the region. The average reading score in Small Island States was 454 while the regional average was 444. Also, a slightly higher proportion of students in Small Island States are meeting the expected proficiency level in reading (49%) compared with the region (43%).
When looking at the distribution of year four reading proficiency scores in 2021 by gender (Table CRT4.3), we can see differences in the scores. Approximately 58% of year four girls performed at or above the expected minimum proficiency level, but only about 44% of year four boys did so.
