PIRLS 2026

Assessment Frameworks

The PIRLS 2026 Assessment Frameworks provides the design and content specifications for assessing students’ reading achievement and collecting information about the contexts of their reading development.

Chapter 1 presents the Reading Assessment Framework, which is the foundation for the achievement portion of PIRLS 2026. It describes how PIRLS defines reading literacy and assesses reading achievement, based on two main purposes for reading (for literary experience and to acquire and use information) and four reading comprehension processes that serve those purposes.

Chapter 2 presents the Contextual Framework, which describes the information PIRLS 2026 collects about the contexts of students’ reading development, both in school and at home. It explains the rationale behind the factors investigated in the contextual questionnaires, which are administered to students, their parents, and education professionals.

Chapter 3 presents the Assessment Design, which describes the organization of the PIRLS 2026 reading assessment, including details about implementation of the group-adaptive design.

Chapters

Download PIRLS 2026 Assessment Frameworks