Analysis

The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is a collaborative effort among member countries of the OECD, designed to assess, on a regular basis, the achievement of 15-year-olds in reading, mathematical and scientific literacy through a common international test. This report provides results from the PISA 2006 assessment of student performance in science, reading and mathematics at the provincial level, and compares the achievement of Canadian students to that of students internationally. PISA 2006 has a special focus on science. Over fifty countries participated in PISA 2006, including all 30 OECD countries. About 22,000 15-year-olds from more than 1,000 schools took part in Canada.

This paper examines educational outcome at age 19 associated with reading ability at age 15. Does ability in reading at age 15 have an impact on subsequent high school completion and postsecondary participation? Are different postsecondary opportunities realized by those with varying reading ability levels?

This paper investigates these questions using Canadian data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and the Youth in Transition Survey (YITS). It is not the intent of this paper to explore the complex pathways and processes associated with dropping out of high school or pursuing postsecondary participation. Rather, by examining only the direct pathways between reading literacy at age 15 and education outcomes at 19, this paper provides a general overview and first glance at the nature of this relationship.

The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is a collaborative effort among member countries of the OECD, designed to assess, on a regular basis, the achievement of 15-year-olds in reading, mathematical and scientific literacy through a common international test. This report provides results from the PISA 2006 assessment of student performance in science, reading and mathematics at the provincial level, and compares the achievement of Canadian students to that of students internationally. PISA 2006 has a special focus on science. Over fifty countries participated in PISA 2006, including all 30 OECD countries. About 22,000 15-year-olds from more than 1,000 schools took part in Canada.

This paper examines educational outcome at age 19 associated with reading ability at age 15. Does ability in reading at age 15 have an impact on subsequent high school completion and postsecondary participation? Are different postsecondary opportunities realized by those with varying reading ability levels?

This paper investigates these questions using Canadian data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and the Youth in Transition Survey (YITS). It is not the intent of this paper to explore the complex pathways and processes associated with dropping out of high school or pursuing postsecondary participation. Rather, by examining only the direct pathways between reading literacy at age 15 and education outcomes at 19, this paper provides a general overview and first glance at the nature of this relationship.