The Literacy and Numeracy Assessment (LaNA) 2023 Linking Study
The LaNA 2023 Linking Study
The LaNA 2023 Linking Study links student achievement on IEA’s Literacy and Numeracy Assessment (LaNA) to the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS). Both TIMSS and PIRLS serve as well-established essential measures toward the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4.1.1b. LaNA extends these measures with the additional LaNA Basic International Benchmarks for Mathematics and Readings.
The LaNA 2023 Linking Study Report describes the successful linking to TIMSS and PIRLS and the new Basic International Benchmarks. Moreover, it illustrates the average achievement across countries, the percentages of students reaching the international benchmarks, and the relationship between student achievement and contextual factors for the participating countries Burkina Faso, Egypt, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestinian National Authority, and Senegal. These insights enable policymakers and researchers to examine the learning environments further and make informed decisions about strategies that strengthen the educational systems of the participating countries.
In addition, the report provides detailed information about the instrument development and design of the linking study, sample implementation, operational procedures and data processing, psychometric analysis, and the international database in technical appendices.
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the LaNA 2023
Linking Study Results
Questions about enrollment should be addressed to Andrea Netten, IEA Amsterdam Director, at a.netten@iea.nl
Purpose and Objectives of LaNA
LaNA is an international assessment that measures foundational early reading and mathematics skills at the end of primary school. It is based on the mathematics and reading frameworks of IEA’s international large-scale educational assessments, TIMSS and PIRLS, both of which assess participants from over 70 countries globally. LaNA is designed as a short, easier assessment intended for countries where IEA’s TIMSS and PIRLS may be too difficult or unfeasible to implement.
By participating in LaNA, countries will obtain reliable and internationally comparable measures of reading and mathematics achievement for their student populations. Further, connecting student performance in their countries to TIMSS and PIRLS achievement scales provides a reference that is recognized by UNESCO as contributing to an ecosystem for monitoring progress toward SDG 4.1.1b. Furthermore, LaNA serves as a capacity-building opportunity for national teams, equipping them with skills in sampling, test adaptation, standardized administration, and data analysis. For more information about LaNA participation, please visit the IEA’s LaNA webpage: https://www.iea.nl/studies/iea/LaNA.
What is Measured
LaNA assesses both mathematics and reading skills. What sets LaNA apart from other assessments is its ability to bridge the gap for countries where TIMSS and PIRLS may be too difficult or unfeasible to implement by providing an internationally comparable assessment tailored to their unique educational contexts. LaNA builds upon the established frameworks of TIMSS and PIRLS but is offering easier tasks. The reading assessment in LaNA comprises a reading comprehension test where students read simple passages and answer questions about what they have read. These passages encompass the dual purposes of reading as described in the PIRLS 2016 Reading Assessment Framework: reading for literary experience (stories) and reading to acquire and use information. The numeracy assessment in LaNA covers mathematics topics described in the TIMSS 2019 Mathematics Framework, such as recognizing and comparing simple fractions, whole number computation, relating simple geometric shapes, and interpreting graphs.
Additionally, LaNA includes two contextual questionnaires: one for schools and one for students. These questionnaires gather information about the learning environment, focusing on aspects like available resources, students’ learning experiences, and the classroom and school environments themselves. This contextual data can be used further to examine the characteristics of successful students and schools, and can reveal important policy-relevant variables.