In 2010, Young Lives introduced a series of school surveys in all four countries, which included a sub-sample of children in the Younger Cohort. Between 2010 and 2013 the school surveys examined issues of school quality and effectiveness in primary schools in Young Lives sites in Ethiopia, India (Andhra Pradesh and Telangana), Peru and Vietnam.

Building upon the design of the primary school surveys, the 2016-17 Young Lives school surveys examine school effectiveness at upper primary level in Ethiopia, and at secondary level in India and Vietnam. The surveys examine school effectiveness through multiple outcome measures, including students’ learning progress in Maths and functional English. This involved the administration of Maths and functional English tests at the beginning and end of the school year (Wave 1 and Wave 2 of data collection respectively) in order to assess students’ learning progress in these domains.

This technical note focuses on the design and development of Maths and functional English cognitive tests for the 2016-17 school surveys.The note includes a discussion of the assessment frameworks used to design the tests, and the process of developing, piloting and selecting items for tests that were contextually relevant while also allowing for cross-country comparability across Ethiopia, India and Vietnam.