The 6th PIRLS National Research Coordinators (NRC) meeting was a huge success as the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) TIMSS & PIRLS International Study Center, and participating countries and benchmarking participants gathered in Le Meridien Cyberport, Hong Kong, from 28/2/2016 to 4/3/2016.
More than 130 reading and assessment experts from 50 regions / countries around the world participated the event. It is a major meeting of IEA study which takes place once or twice each year for the duration of the project. At the study meeting, the NRCs discuss the assessment instruments and procedures, receive training, and participate in individual consultations on the specifics of study implementation in their countries. TIMSS & PIRLS International Study Center thanks our generous hosts from CACLER, Faculty of Education, HKU.
"Progress in International Reading Literary Study" (PIRLS) is a global five-year research on students’ reading literacy covering 50 countries and regions. CACLER has participated in PIRLS since its inception in 2001 (PIRLS 2001, 2006, 2011 & 2016). The CACLER has won the EDB tender with a grant of $9.9 million to conduct the fourth round of PIRLS which will provide internationally comparative data about how well children read after four years of primary schooling. It will also examine the national policies and practices relating to literacy and will investigate the experiences that young children have at home and school when learning to read.
The findings of the PIRLS studies provide important information for the Education Bureau, educators, school principals and teachers. In the past studies, the PIRLS findings were widely publicised in the local media and press. Reliable knowledge and information was relayed to the community and to international audiences through newspaper articles, media reports and interviews within and outside Hong Kong. In addition, the research findings were highly accepted as authoritative and gave food for thought locally and internationally.
For details of the PIRLS 2016, please visit:
http://www.cacler.hku.hk/hk/research/project/pirls_2016/
PIRLS is one of the large-scale comparative studies of educational achievement hosted by International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). IEA is an international cooperative of national research institutions, government research agencies, scholars, and analysts working to evaluate, understand, and improve education worldwide. It is a nonprofit and independent organization. More than 60 countries are actively involved in the IEA network, and over 100 education systems participate in their studies.
https://www.iea.nl/studies/iea/pirls/2016/results
(from right to left) Dr Paulína Koršňáková (the speaker), Director of the IEA Secretariat; Dr. Michael O. Martin and Dr. Ina V.S. Mullis, Executive Director of the IEA Secretariat; Prof. Frederick K.S. Leung, IEA General Assembly representative (Hong Kong); Prof. S.K. Tse, Principal Investigator of HK PIRLS 2016 & Director of CACLER; Ms. Elena Forzani, Assistant Research Director, PIRLS Coordinator, TIMSS & PIRLS International Study Center, Boston College