Out of sight out of mind: inclusion in learning assessments and measurement challenges

A basic assumption of any effort to compare learning outcomes, is that if they are to be meaningful - under an inclusive SDG agenda - they should represent the learning outcomes and educational experience of all children and not only ‘mainstream school-going’ children. If assessments are not inclusive children are being missed, and their lived experiences will not contribute to the global discourses on optimal pathways to social development. The aim of the paper is to provide some indication of the inclusivity of national learning assessments, and international comparisons of learning outcomes, by exploring how children are excluded from the assessment studies at distinct stages of their roll-out. The paper seeks to provide some guidance on how to interpret and adjust estimates to better represent all children (as the SDGs intend) and provide some guidance on how various stakeholders might respond to exclusionary practices in assessment when using them to inform policy or research, or when planning the next waves of collection.