Crafting an education measurement agenda that supports the ambition of a sustainable future

Measuring to improve learning in developing countries Learning for all is imperative for sustainable development to succeed, although it remains far from achieved, especially in less developed countries. A quarter of all... [ view full abstract ]

Measuring to improve learning in developing countries

Learning for all is imperative for sustainable development to succeed, although it remains far from achieved, especially in less developed countries. A quarter of all children reaching grade 4 worldwide will not attain a minimum level of learning, a number that rises above 50% in many of the poorest countries and regions.

Thus 5 of the 7 SDG education targets focus on learning outcomes at every stage (e.g. school readiness, academic competencies, literacy skills, skills for work, global citizenship and sustainable development). Global monitoring must respond to this renewed focus on outcomes, however the lack of data and weak use of evidence is an impediment towards improving learning.

Quality assessment systems are critical to improving learning, but are often out of the reach of low-income countries, and so must be supported by the international community as a public good. Efforts are needed to strengthen and coordinate action to build national capacity to develop, implement, analyze and use assessments to improve the quality of learning for all students

This paper sets out a framework which aims to make a substantive contribution to the use of learning assessment to improve learning. It describes how such an approach can be country driven; transparent; allow access to assessment tools; prioritise the poorest countries in the context of regional and international cooperation. It looks at good practices for using assessments to improve learning and the types of capacity needs which need to be addressed in less developed countries.

The equity imperative in measuring education progress Despite notable progress in some areas of education, persistent inequalities remain. Excluded groups are often not captured in the statistics and thus are invisible to... [ view full abstract ]

The equity imperative in measuring education progress

Despite notable progress in some areas of education, persistent inequalities remain. Excluded groups are often not captured in the statistics and thus are invisible to government officials and development partners. Scarce economic resources and power imbalances broadly represent important social cleavages.

The SDG targets call for an explicit focus on equity in the post-2015 global education agenda, including equity-specific goals (Goal 5 on gender equity and Goal 10 on reductions in inequalities). In response, monitoring indicators should aim to capture not just national averages but also the variation across different population groups defined by group and individual characteristics, such as sex, wealth, location, ethnicity, language or disability (and combinations of these characteristics). Global monitoring of inequalities has so far mainly captured differences by sex.

This paper proposes indicators that enable the tracking of progress in reducing inequalities in all focus areas of the education targets. The need for new approaches to monitoring inequalities are needed.

This paper looks at some of the key advances in measuring and monitoring education inequalities in participation and learning opportunities as reflected by good practices at the national and regional levels.

Based on this experience the paper considers new monitoring strategies and new forms of collaboration that result in recommendations for the measurement of inequalities in post-2015 education targets. It stresses the importance of being able to easily communicate equity-based indicators to non-technical audiences while at the same time maintaining high standards of scientific rigor.

Costing the sustainable development measurement agenda for education The resource needs for improving data on education need to take into account improving existing mechanisms for collecting, processing and disseminating... [ view full abstract ]

Costing the sustainable development measurement agenda for education

The resource needs for improving data on education need to take into account improving existing mechanisms for collecting, processing and disseminating basic data which can be used to manage systems, the SDGs introduce a broad range of relatively new ambitions for education.

Reflecting on each of the SDG education targets, this paper examines the resources needed to improve education management information systems, student assessment systems, national education accounts and links to other administrative and survey based data.

It presents data for several developing country case studies and presents estimates at the global level. The paper also looks at the potential opportunities and cost efficiencies are possible through the use of new technologies.

This symposia would contribute to the sub-theme of evidence of sustainable futures. The abstracts here are based on both completed and on-going research. The post-2015 global education agenda requires the international... [ view full abstract ]

This symposia would contribute to the sub-theme of evidence of sustainable futures. The abstracts here are based on both completed and on-going research.

The post-2015 global education agenda requires the international community to address new issues and measurement challenges in two critical ways: 1) measurement of learning outcomes; and 2) improved measurement of equity in education. In both cases the challenges are to be addressed through a universal agenda with indicators that are relevant to all countries.

To track learning and equity using methods that are relevant to all countries, it will be necessary to build measures of learning that encompass the various skills and competencies across a wider range of contexts and to measure equity in ways that can facilitate global tracking, while accurately capturing the unique characteristics of equity in different contexts. To achieve this measurement agenda, it will be essential to strengthen data and evidence from a number of different perspectives - both in terms of supply and demand/use.

This symposia would aim to set out several "big" ideas at national, regional and global, levels for new ways to collect, analyse and use data that could make a difference. It also provides a sense of the resources needed to make these new approaches a reality.