Progress in Reading Assessment – New PiRA Primary

SubscalesⓘList of subscales (if applicable)

N/​a

Publisher

RS Assessment from Hodder Education

Test source

https://www.risingstars-uk.com/series/assessment/rising-stars-pira-tests

Guidelines available?ⓘAdministration guidelines available to the review team

Yes

Norm-referenced scores

Yes

Age rangeⓘSpecific population and age range that publisher states the test is intended/​suitable for. 

5 – 11 years

Key Stage

Key Stage 1, Key Stage 2

UK standardisation sample

Yes

Publication date

2020

Re-norming date

N/​a

Additional information about what the test measures

Reading attainment

Are additional versions available?

Termly tests (Reception spring & summer; Years 1 – 6 autumn, spring, summer). Note that standardisation of the summer tests has been postponed due to the pandemic and will be collected 2021. Paper and pencil format or online. New PiRA (3^rd Edition) has about 20% of questions updated/​replaced. Includes more open inferential questions, and extension questions. Superceeds 2^nd and 1^st Edition PiRA.

Can subtests be administered in isolation?

No

Administration Group Size

Small group, Whole class

Administration duration

30 – 55 minutes, depending on year. Tests for Reception and Year 1 can be administered in multiple sessions.

Description of materials needed to administer test

Manual. Paper version: each pupil will require a test booklet, pencil/​pen, eraser, ruler. Digital version: each pupil will require an interactive test credit and a computer/​tablet.

Any special testing conditions?

No

Is any prior knowledge/training/profession accreditation required for administration?

Not stated (no)

Is administration scripted?

N/​a

Rating Construct

Does it reflect the multidimensionality of the subject?

Generic literacy

Construct validity comments (and reference for source)

The Interim Test Guidance suggests that the measure has high face validity — it is aligned to 2014 national curriculum. Curriculum maps are provided. Systematically sampled Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 performance descriptors for English, using the 2016 Reading Test Framework and informed by the Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 national tests. Care has been taken to ensure that the overall balance of questions in New PiRA reflects the balance and style of questions now found in the Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 SATs, with the exception that we have ensured a more consistent and comprehensive curriculum coverage than is commonly seen in a SATs paper. Key Stage 1 focuses on measures of literal comprehension, while Key Stage 2 increasingly measures inferential comprehension. However, this is not tested statically (correlations with age are low but this is to be expected due to termly tests and standardisation).

Rating Reliability

Summarise available comparisons

Reliability varies across different versions of the test. Internal consistency for each test, adequate-excellent; Cronbach’s alpha .75 – .92; SEM 2.79 – 3.49; 90% confidence band 3.37 – 5.76; 95% confidence band 4.08 – 6.98. Temporal stability and equivalence reliability have not been assessed.

Sources

Ruttle, K., Lallaway, M., Bennett, M., Pepper, L., Kilburn, V., Swift, J., … McCarty, C. (2020). New PiRA primary: Progress in Reading Assessment. Key Stage One & Key Stage Two Interim Test Guidance. Abingdon, UK: RS Assessment from Hodder Education.