Policy linking method: linking assessments to global standards

This paper follows the summary report from a three-day measurement workshop on policy linking in August 2018. The purpose of this paper is to provide technical support under the 2017 Reinforcing Education Accountability in Development (READ) Act. The act requires developing and using internationally comparable indicators, norms, and methodologies in reporting measurable improvements in literacy, numeracy, and basic skills to the extent practical and appropriate. Specifically, the aim is to explain and justify social moderation – also called policy linking – as a non-statistical method for linking different student assessments. Processes are described for linking assessments to global standards of minimum proficiency by grade level and subject area. Successful implementation of policy linking should allow the USG and other stakeholders to benefit from two kinds of analyses on a global basis: comparisons and aggregation of assessment results. Such analyses should be possible for assessments by grade and subject both within and across countries.