At its 1998 meeting, the IEA General Assembly endorsed the idea of a study of the acquisition of reading literacy among students in primary schools. As many as 30 countries expressed keen interest. NFER is the test development agency for reading literacy within this group. Reading literacy is the ability to understand and use those written language forms required by society and valued by the individual.
Young readers can construct meaning from a variety of texts.
They read to learn, to participate in communities of readers, and for enjoyment. The target population will be the fourth grade in most countries. The IEA study will focus on the acquisition of reading among young children. In most countries, fourth-grade students have completed formal instruction in reading, making this a good time to study the relative efficacy of that process. Reading literacy will be measured through a comprehensive and challenging assessment that addresses students' abilities to construct, examine and extend meaning in texts.