NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
2007EDU0169-001536
Nov. 28, 2007
Ministry of Education
B.C. STUDENTS AMONG TOP IN THE WORLD FOR LITERACY
VICTORIA – British Columbia students have one of the highest literacy levels in the world according to the latest international student assessment, Education Minister Shirley Bond announced today.
“B.C. is a world leader in literacy and this international assessment proves that,” said Bond. “This is the first year B.C. students have participated in this assessment and the results are outstanding. I’d like to thank our students, parents, educators, trustees and support staff for their efforts and commitment to improving literacy for all students in our province.”
The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) was released today by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement, a global co-operative of national research institutes and governments. More than 215,000 Grade 4 students in 40 countries and five Canadian provinces participated, including over 4,100 students from British Columbia.
British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario were recognized by PIRLS as three of the highest achieving participants. B.C. was recognized as having one of the smallest differences between male and female student achievement of any jurisdiction in the world. Girls generally score higher on these tests than boys, and in many countries by a wide margin. The PIRLS survey questions also identified B.C. students as having a high level of reading for pleasure, a key indicator of success.
“Literacy is a top priority for this government and clearly for British Columbians,” said Bond. “The results we see here show that our ReadNow BC literacy strategy is working to make our province the most literate jurisdiction, not only in North America, but in the world.”
PIRLS measures overall reading achievement and looks at success factors both at home and at school. The study notes that major contributors to reading success in Grade 4 include:
- High levels of reading in the home and reading for pleasure,
- Early (pre-kindergarten) literacy, and
- Strong school safety and high school satisfaction levels for both teachers and parents.
PIRLS is conducted by the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study & PIRLS International Study Center at Boston College. The study assesses a range of reading comprehension strategies for two major reading purposes – literary and informational.
1 backgrounder(s) attached.
Media contact:
Lara Perzoff
Ministry of Education
250 356-5963
250 920-9040 (cell)
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