Indicator 4.1.1 refers to the “proportion of children and young people (a) in Grade 2 or 3; (b) at the end of primary education; and (c) at the end of lower secondary education achieving at least a minimum proficiency level in (i) reading and (ii) mathematics, by sex”
There are a variety of options for countries to use to report on SDG indicator 4.1.1. The options make use of countries’ existing or planned assessments and include:
- Cross-national assessments: these are international and regional assessments, that streamline reporting for participating countries, organized by the level of indicator that the data reports to (a: Grade 2/3, b: end of primary, c: end of lower secondary).
- National assessments: the data of such assessments should be aligned with the global MPL in order to produce data comparable at the global level. A number of methodologies may be used to map data when a national assessment is used.
Each assessment option and mapping methodology comes with costs and benefits. Education officials are encouraged to explore and choose the path forward that works best for their unique circumstances and objectives.
Note: Though reporting on all three levels of 4.1.1 is ideal, there are options for reporting on one or two levels, if necessary. The partial data is still a valuable addition to a country’s understanding of student achievement in the global context.