IEA’s LaNA is a new international assessment of emerging mathematics and reading comprehension skills at the end of primary school. LaNA, which is grounded in and linked to the globally recognized TIMSS and PIRLS assessments, is designed for countries that need timely, reliable, nationally representative, and internationally comparable education data.
In addition to the mathematics and reading assessments, LaNA gathers information about contextual factors associated with learning, such as available resources, students’ learning experiences, and the learning environment.
In 2023, a special administration of LaNA was conducted to establish a psychometrically sound linkage of LaNA to IEA’s TIMSS and PIRLS assessments. The linkage allows LaNA countries’ achievement to be reported on the TIMSS mathematics and PIRLS reading scales. Read more about the LaNA 2023 Linking Study here.
LaNA offers policymakers actionable data that supports evidence-informed decision-making, including:
- National indicators of achievement and equity gaps
- Comparisons with TIMSS, PIRLS, and LaNA countries
- Contextual insights into school and home learning conditions
- Comparable data for SDG Indicator 4.1.1b
LaNA is operationally feasible and customizable to a country’s needs and contexts:
- Countries decide when to administer LaNA
- LaNA is a paper-based assessment with a streamlined design and the entire implementation timeline is 15–18 months from project inception to reporting
- Countries can address national policy questions by extending the context questionnaire instruments.
LaNA provides countries with valuable experience implementing a large-scale, international assessment, expanding national expertise and capacity.
The following countries have administered LaNA:
Burkina Faso; Egypt; Nigeria; Pakistan; Palestinian National Authority; Senegal.
In addition, the LaNA design and instruments are based on foundational data gathered as part of three pilot rounds in the following countries: Haiti (2016 and 2020); Nigeria (2019); North Macedonia (2019) Punjab, Pakistan (2017); Serbia (2019).
Students at the end of primary school: depending on the educational context, LaNA can be administered at fourth, fifth, or sixth grade.
LaNA provides estimates of the percentages of students reaching the TIMSS and PIRLS International Benchmarks (Low, Intermediate, High, and Advanced) and the new LaNA Basic Benchmarks. With multiple internationally comparable benchmarks, LaNA provides valuable diagnostic information about student proficiency and data for SDG indicator 4.1.1b.
In addition, data from LaNA context questionnaires can be used to further investigate the characteristics of successful students and schools and help in reporting on several SDG targets.
The LaNA information package contains a fact sheet and documents that provide a timeline for conducting LaNA, roles and responsibilities, and fees. Please contact Dr. Andrea Netten, Director of IEA Amsterdam, to discuss country enrollment in LaNA.
LaNA was developed by the TIMSS & PIRLS International Study Center at Boston College's Lynch School of Education and Human Development and is implemented in partnership with IEA.