183 REPORTING PROFICIENCY IN READING Reporting scales 120. PISA reports students’ results in terms of proficiency scales that are interpretable in
educational policy terms. In PISA 2000, when reading was the major domain, the results of the
reading literacy assessment were first summarised on a single composite reading literacy scale
having a mean of 500 and a standard deviation of 100. In addition to the composite scale, student
performance was also represented on five subscales: three process (aspect) subscales (retrieving
information, interpreting texts, and reflection and evaluation) and two text format subscales
(continuous and non-continuous) (OECD, 2002). These five subscales made it possible to
compare mean scores and distributions among subgroups and countries by various components of
the reading literacy construct. Although there is a high correlation between these subscales,
reporting results on each subscale revealed interesting deviations among the participating
countries. Where such deviations occur, they can be examined and linked to the curriculum and
teaching methodology used. In some countries, the important question may be how to teach the
current curriculum better. In others, the question may be not only how to teach but also what to
teach. In PISA 2009, reading was again the major domain. A reporting scheme including subscales
as well as a composite scale was used.
121. In both PISA 2003 and 2006, and 2012 when reading was a minor domain, and fewer reading
items were administered to participating students, a single reading literacy trend scale was
reported based upon the overall composite scale (OECD, 2004, 2007, 2014). In 2018 reading is
the major domain, and reporting on subscales is again possible.
122. For PISA 2018, the reporting subscales will be (see also Table 1):
a) Locate information, which is composed of tasks that require students to search and select
relevant texts, and access relevant information within texts.
b) Understand, which is composed of tasks that require students to represent the explicit
meaning of texts as well as integrate information and generate inferences.
c) Evaluate and reflect, which is composed of tasks that require the student to assess the
quality and credibility of information, reflect on the content and form of a text and detect and
handle conflict within and across texts.
123. As described above, a separate subscore for reading fluency can also be provided as a
measure of students’ ease and efficiency of reading. This subscore will not be reported on the
PISA scale, but can be used to help interpreting student’s performance.