Early learning assessments: A Retrospective 2015  

This assessment report reflects on the development and impact of EGRA and EGMA in the context of the run-up to the post-2015 goal-setting process. The assessment was conducted in 2015 by RTI International with the support of UNIESCO. In Jomtien in 1990 and again in Dakar in 2000, world leaders committed to the measurement and improvement of learning as part of Education for All. Yet clear, actionable metrics, particularly in the early grades and in the poorest countries, would continue to elude the sector. This paper reflects on the development and impact of the early grades reading and mathematics assessments, open-source tools applied in more than 60 countries and 100 languages. Case studies illustrate the promise and pitfalls of working at national scale, while summary results from 10 nationally representative studies document the scope of the crisis in early learning..