Their average scores in all three key subject areas in the 2006 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) fare relatively well compared with other OECD countries (Figure 1). The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) and the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS)2 confirm that Slovenian pupils compare favourably against their peers in the participating countries, with slightly higher achievement in science than in reading and mathematics. Trends in average science, mathematics and literacy scores of fourth and eighth-grade students have been rather favourable as well, with scores on TIMSS and PIRLS assessments, particularly in science and mathematics, improving substantially.