Reading performance of children in group 6 drops further
The reading skills of primary school pupils in group 6 in the Netherlands have fallen below the average of 21 other Western countries for the first time. This is the conclusion of the five-yearly international comparative reading survey PIRLS, the results of which were published today.
The results of PIRLS (Progress in International Reading Literacy Study) were delayed by corona. The epidemic has had a negative impact on the reading scores of Dutch students, but because the Netherlands has lagged further behind compared to other countries, it is not obvious to attribute the decline entirely to this. “Whether the Netherlands was disproportionately affected cannot be determined, because other countries had other measures that could have been less strict or stricter,” explains Nicole Swart of the Dutch Expertise Center when asked. “It is clear that there seems to be more at play than just the consequences of the corona measures.”
It is clear that there seems to be more at play than just the consequences of the corona measures
In previous editions of the PIRLS survey, the results of these ten-year-old Dutch students were always above the Western average. In the previous survey of 2016, the average reading skills score in the Netherlands was still 545, compared to an average of 537 in 21 Western countries. In PIRLS-2021, the latest study, the average score of the 4.313 Dutch children who took the PIRLS test has fallen to 527, below the Western average of 531. The Netherlands has been overtaken by Finland, Poland, Norway since the previous report , England and Sweden.
The decrease in the Dutch averages can mainly be explained by a decreasing number of children achieving the intermediate and higher skill levels. In 2016, 88 percent of children still achieved the intermediate level. In 2021, this percentage was 79. In 2021, the high proficiency level turned out to be achievable for 37 percent of Dutch students in group 6, a very significant decrease compared to the percentage of 48 who still achieved that score in 2016.
Education needs structural opportunities for improvement
According to Swart, it is a good development that under the new cabinet in the Netherlands more attention is being paid to basic skills in both primary and secondary education. “However, it must be carefully checked whether the available budget is being used efficiently and in the right way,” says Swart. “Education needs structural opportunities for improvement. Improving basic skills is not something that can be done in a few years; it requires patience and long-term plans."
