Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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1012. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the results of recent assessments on literacy and numeracy among primary school students, including comparisons to previous years and targeted interventions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40953/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Assessment is used to gather evidence on how well students are learning. Using this information to improve teaching and learning is essential to support all students in developing strong literacy and numeracy skills. There are various forms of assessment, one of which is standardised testing. At primary level, standardised tests in reading and mathematics are administered to students in 2nd, 4th, and 6th class. Primary schools are required to report aggregate standardised test results to the Department of Education and Youth annually. The Department does not publish this data. It is used to feed into the Special Education Teacher Allocations for schools.

Ireland also participates in a number of international and national tests to assess literacy, numeracy and science attainment at both primary and post-primary level. At primary level, the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), National Assessments of Mathematics and English Reading (NAMER) and Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) are carried out by The Educational Research Centre (ERC) on behalf of the Department.

PIRLS is designed to assess the reading achievement of fourth class pupils (or the equivalent grade level internationally) and to support the measurement of trends in, enabling each country to track their own performance over time, as well as facilitating comparisons with 56 other countries. In Ireland, pupils from 148 schools took part in September 2021 and at the start of fifth class (Start G5). 4,663 pupils participated in the paper-based PIRLS written test. In addition, 4,322 parents, 4520 teachers, and 4610 school leaders responded to questionnaires. This represented a very high response rate.

The latest results for PIRLS (2021) found:

•Ireland retains its place among a subset of high-achieving countries in relation to primary school reading.

•No EU or OECD country achieved a score that was significantly higher than Ireland’s score in PIRLS 2021.

•The comparative national trend for Ireland is very positive, with Ireland’s mean score of 577 on PIRLS 2021, 11 points higher than the comparable national score in 2016 and 25 points higher than in 2011.

NAMER are national surveys of reading and mathematics at primary school level. They provide a snapshot of the mathematical and reading skills of second and sixth class pupils in Ireland, to identify areas of strength and weakness, and to inform educational policy and practice. These assessments also provide important information on a range of factors that may affect attainment. The 2020 NAMER were postponed until May 2021 given the Covid-19 context and the prolonged school closures from March-September 2020. In early May 2021 in 188 primary schools, 5,201 pupils in Second class undertook the English reading test only and 5,516 pupils in Sixth class undertook the mathematics test only.

The NAMER (2021) study found:

•Overall, performance on mean scores and proficiency levels in Reading at second class were broadly similar to 2014 findings.

•Overall performance on the Mathematics assessment at Sixth class in 2021 was broadly similar to performance in 2014.

•The performance of pupils in reading and mathematics remains higher than the initial targets set in the 2011 Literacy and Numeracy Strategy. However, revised targets arising from the interim review of the Literacy and Numeracy Strategy in 2017 were not met.

•The amount of pupils performing at the lower proficiency levels (0 and 1) was lower than 2009 but higher than 2014. This still exceeded targets set in 2011.

TIMSS is one of the world’s largest studies of educational achievement in Mathematics and Science. It assesses the Mathematics and Science skills of students in fourth grade and eighth grade (corresponding to fourth class and second year in Ireland. In 2023, TIMSS was administered to over 650,000 students in 65 countries. In Ireland, the assessments were administered to a random sample of approximately 6,365 fourth class pupils in primary schools and 6,321 second year students in post-primary schools.

The TIMSS study found:

•Ireland’s mean scores for both fourth class pupils and second year students were significantly above TIMSS international averages.

•Ireland is the top performing EU country in Mathematics and Science at second year.

•The mean achievement of Ireland’s fourth class pupils in Mathematics and Science was similar to the two previous cycles (2019 and 2015) and significantly higher than 2011.

•The mean achievement of Ireland’s second year students in Mathematics and Science remained relatively stable over the three most recent cycles in which Ireland participated at this grade (2015, 2019 and 2023).

Results from national and international testing is used to track the performance of students over time and feeds into strategies such as the Literacy, Numeracy and Digital Literacy Strategy 2024-2033 and the STEM Education Policy Statement 2017-2026.