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       Acknowledgements 
       This guidance note was prepared by Diego Luna Bazaldua, Victoria Levin and Julia 
       Liberman of the Learning Assessment Platform (LeAP) in the Global Engagement and 
       Knowledge  Unit,  Education  Global  Practice.  The  guidance  note  was  produced  in 
       November 2020 and may be updated in the future. 
       The  team  worked  under  the  overall  guidance  of  Omar  Arias  (Practice  Manager). 
       Valuable inputs were received from peer reviewers: Marguerite Clarke, Alison Marie 
       Grimsland,  Sachiko  Kataoka,  Alonso  Sanchez,  and  Tigran  Shmis  as  well  as  Toby 
       Linden, Laura Gregory, Anna Boni, Diego Angel-Urdinola, Ciro Avitabile, Catalina Castillo 
       Castro, Ruth Karimi Charo, Ning Fu, Ildo Lautharte, An Thi My Tran, and other members 
       of the Education Global Practice who participated in discussions on the paper. This 
       work is sponsored by the Russia Education Aid for Development (READ) Trust Fund. 
        
                              
                                                        
          
         Guidance note on using  
         learning assessment in the  
         process of school reopening 
          
         NOVEMBER 21, 2020 
         ______________________ 
         Diego Luna Bazaldua 
         Victoria Levin 
         Julia Liberman 
          
          
          
          
          
         Abstract 
         As countries consider how to reopen schools safely in the context of COVID-19, one key question 
         is  how to assess students' learning to support learning recovery. The expected magnitude of 
         learning losses, particularly among students with the highest needs, makes it essential for key 
         stakeholders in the education process — policymakers, teachers, school principals, students, and 
         their parents — to determine where students are in their learning trajectory relative to what had 
         been  expected  prior  to  the  pandemic,  so  they  can  adjust  instruction  and  allocate  resources 
         accordingly. To collect this information, stakeholders can rely on student learning assessment, 
         which is an essential feedback mechanism in the education system. This note provides key steps 
         that countries with different availability of resources should consider in developing their plans for 
         learning assessment activities to support learning recovery in the context of school reopening. 
         Throughout this note, assessment of student learning is  defined  as  gathering  and  evaluating 
         information on what students know, understand, and can do to make informed decisions about the 
         next steps in the educational process. In addition, some considerations and country examples for 
         the implementation of high-stakes examinations are discussed. This note concludes with examples 
         of learning assessment activities that countries around the world are planning or implementing 
         during the COVID-19 pandemic. Likewise, this note highlights important lessons that can support 
         resilience to future emergencies and crises. 
                           
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       Table of Contents 
         Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 1 
         I. Key questions and learning assessments to address them ................................................................. 3 
         II. Key considerations for learning assessment activities ..................................................................... 4 
         III. Diagnosing returning students' learning levels to guide instruction ............................................... 7 
         IV. Continuously assessing students to measure and improve learning ............................................. 15 
         V. Monitoring system-wide learning to inform decision making, including resource allocation ....... 17 
         VI. Adjusting high-stakes examinations in the context of school reopening ...................................... 22 
         VII. Alternatives for countries with no reopening plans and for those that have already reopened ... 22 
         References ........................................................................................................................................... 24 
         Annex A: Purposes and uses of learning assessment activities .......................................................... 27 
         Annex B: An in-depth look at diagnostic assessment and its uses...................................................... 30 
         Annex C: Country examples of learning assessment activities during COVID-19 ............................ 33 
         Annex D. Timeline of learning assessment activities for countries with moderate or sufficient 
         resources ............................................................................................................................................. 44 
         
        
        
        
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