Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)

There has been extensive analysis of the PISA 2009 results. This includes a recent Educational Research Centre, Drumcondra, report that summarises all of the research the Educational Research Centre, ERC, and experts from Statistics Canada have completed on the achievement of Irish students.

The report confirms the possible reasons that were given by the ERC to explain a portion of the decline in achievement recorded in 2009, particularly those related to changes in the student population. The additional data in this report, which suggest that student engagement with the test, as distinct from student ability, may have been an important factor in the decline, is a further piece of valuable information that helps one to understand the PISA 2009 outcomes. Nevertheless, a real decline appears to have occurred in reading standards among 15 year-olds in Ireland between 2000 and 2009. I also am glad to note the ERC report endorses many of the actions I included in the literacy and numeracy strategy I launched in July 2011. The strategy sets clear targets for improvement in literacy and numeracy and a range of actions to be undertaken.

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