Addressing learning needs in the Asia-Pacific region: teachers’ guide on diagnostic assessment

A ‘one size fits all’ approach will not help solve the learning crisis in the Asia-Pacific region. In half of Asia-Pacific countries, less than fifty per cent of student populations in primary and lower secondary achieve minimum learning competencies in reading and mathematics. It is only by a each and every student’s learning needs that educators and education systems will be able to improve the quality of learning. UNESCO  has  developed  this  practical  guide  to  help  teachers,  school  principals  and  policymakers understand how to identify the learning needs and learning gaps of each and every student in order to take appropriate action in the classroom. To do so, this guide aims to equip teachers and educators in formal education in the Asia-Pacific region with the tools and know-how to design and implement a diagnostic assessment as part of their teaching practices. This  means  that  teachers  should  be  able  to  PLAN  a  diagnostic  assessment  when  needed  to  understand  whether  their  students  have  the  necessary  foundations  to  embark on new learning; to COLLECT relevant learning information through a variety of  learning  techniques;  to  INTERPRET  the  learning  information  and  make  sense  of  students’ needs; to COMMUNICATE the findings to students to help them improve; and to MAKE DECISIONS on how to adapt teaching and learning accordingly. Teachers, school principals and education policymakers are invited to use this guide to develop national capacity for identifying learning needs and give every student the opportunity to learn and succeed.