Introducing LaNA—IEA’s Literacy and Numeracy Assessment for Developing Countries
Considering increased efforts to raise literacy and numeracy levels in many countries around the world, IEA has developed an assessment specifically for countries where many studentsʼ reading and numeracy skills are emerging but not fully developed. LaNAʼs literacy and numeracy assessments reflect the same concept of reading and mathematics as PIRLS and TIMSS, respectively, except they are less difficult and designed to assess basic skills that are prerequisites for PIRLS and TIMSS. LaNA is a stepping stone to participating in PIRLS and TIMSS, intended to be responsive to the needs of the global education community and to support efforts that work toward universal learning for all. As debates shift from access to learning for all toward measuring progress toward learning goals for all, LaNA can be an effective avenue to help countries and international organizations assess studentsʼ educational achievement and thereby improve reading and mathematics learning outcomes for young students worldwide.