Progress in International Reading Literacy Student (PIRLS)
The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) is an international assessment and research project designed to measure reading achievement at the fourth-grade level, as well as school and teacher practices related to instruction. Since 2001, PIRLS has been administered every 5 years, with the United States participating in all past assessments. In PIRLS, fourth-grade students complete a reading assessment and a questionnaire that addresses their attitudes toward reading and their reading habits. In addition, questionnaires are given to students’ teachers and school principals to gather information about students’ school experiences in developing reading literacy.
PIRLS complements what we learn from national assessments by providing valuable benchmark information on how U.S. students compare to students around the world. PIRLS allows educators, researchers, and policymakers to examine other education systems for practices that could have applications to the United States, and it contributes to ongoing discussions of ways to improve the quality of education of all students. PIRLS is sponsored by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) and conducted in the United States by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).
The most recent PIRLS data collection was in 2021. U.S. results for the 2021 administration are available on the NCES PIRLS 2021 results web page. The results from previous administrations can be obtained by clicking on the instructions on the banner on the same page. The sixth assessment cycle of PIRLS is scheduled to be conducted in 2026. For more information on PIRLS 2026, refer to the PIRLS 2026 brochure.
For more information, visit https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pirls/
Program for International Student Assessment (PISA)
The Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) is an international comparative study of 15-year-old students’ performance in reading, mathematics, and science literacy. The PISA 2022 results represent outcomes from the 8th cycle of PISA since its inception in 2000. PISA has been conducted every 3 years except for a 1-year delay in the current cycle (from 2021 to 2022) due to the pandemic. After the 2025 data collection, PISA will change to a 4-year data collection cycle. The major domain of study rotates between mathematics, science, and reading in each cycle. PISA also offers optional domains such as financial literacy and includes measures of general or cross-curricular competencies, such as collaborative problem solving. By design, PISA emphasizes functional skills that students have acquired as they near the end of compulsory schooling. PISA is coordinated by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), an intergovernmental organization of industrialized countries, and is conducted in the United States by NCES. Data collection for the most recent assessment was completed in fall 2022.
PISA 2022 assessed students' science, reading, and mathematics literacy in about 80 countries and education systems. Mathematics was the focal subject of the 2022 data collection, as it was in 2012. The United States took part in the optional Financial Literacy domain along with 19 other education systems in 2022.
The most recent PISA results are from 2022 and are available here. For more information, visit https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pisa/
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Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS)
The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) provides reliable and timely data on the mathematics and science achievement of U.S. students compared to that of students in other countries. TIMSS data have been collected from students at grades 4 and 8 since 1995, generally every 4 years; the United States has participated in every administration of TIMSS. In addition to the mathematics and science assessments, questionnaires are given to students, their teachers, and school principals to gather information about the background contexts for learning. TIMSS is sponsored by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) and conducted in the United States by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).
In 1995, 2008, and 2015, TIMSS Advanced, an extension of TIMSS, was conducted to measure advanced mathematics and physics achievement in the final year of secondary school across countries. The United States participated in TIMSS Advanced in 1995 and 2015.
The most recent TIMSS data collection was in 2019 and included students in grades 4 and 8; the U.S. highlights web report for this administration of TIMSS is available on the NCES TIMSS 2019 results web page. The previous results, including results for TIMSS Advanced, are also available on the results page by clicking on the banner that indicates how to access the previous TIMSS results.
Explore more about TIMSS and U.S. participation in TIMSS by viewing the resources provided on the NCES TIMSS website. Related international resources, including the TIMSS International reports, TIMSS assessment frameworks, TIMSS Methods & Procedures, and international data files, are available at the TIMSS International site.
For more information, visit https://nces.ed.gov/timss/
International Computer and Information Literacy Study (ICILS)
The International Computer and Informational Literacy Student (ICILS) is a computer-based international assessment of 8th-grade students' capacities to use information communications technologies (ICT) productively for a range of different purposes, in ways that go beyond a basic use of ICT. ICILS assesses students in two domains: computer and information literacy (CIL) and computer thinking (CT). CIL focuses on understanding computer use, gathering information, producing information, and communicating digitally, while CT focuses on conceptualizing problems and operationalizing solutions.
ICILS is sponsored by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) and is conducted in the United States by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). The study allows the United States to monitor U.S. students’ skills and experience using technology, compare U.S. students’ skills internationally, and provide data on factors that may influence students’ CIL and CT skills. The data collected through ICILS provide valuable information with which to understand the nature and extent of the “digital divide” and inform our understanding of the relationship between technology skills/experience and student performance in other core subject areas.
U.S. results for the 2023 test administration are available on the NCES ICILS 2023 results web page. The findings from this study provide relevant information from the U.S. Department of Education's 2024 National Education Technology Plan.