Patrinos, Harry AnthonyJakubowski, MaciejGajderowicz, Tomasz2024-07-192024-07-192024-07-19https://hdl.handle.net/10986/41918Amidst global COVID-19 school closures, student outcomes varied worldwide, but usually declined. Egypt notably defied this trend, showing significant improvement in reading scores. Utilizing data from the progress in international reading literacy study (PIRLS), one observes a remarkable 48-point increase from 2016 to 2021, akin to two years' academic growth. Gender disparities narrowed, with boys enhancing scores notably. The increase is confirmed using a model that analyzes the change in student achievement in 2021 by predicting the deviation of the most recent 2021 results from an estimated linear trend in reading achievement using data from all PIRLS rounds. Employing the Oaxaca-Blinder technique, reading gaps are decomposed. Notably, one-third of the progress stemmed from unexplained variables, hinting at possible policy reforms. Since most of the difference is unobservable, then it is probably due to policy or system changes.en-USCC BY-NC 3.0 IGOEDUCATIONTEST SCORESEGYPTPIRLSEDUCATION QUALITYSDG 4Working Paper (Numbered Series)World Bank10.1596/41918