A/HRC/26/27 C. Repercussions of international assessment mechanisms in developing nations 39. In creating their national assessment mechanisms, many developing countries emulate the OECD approach, even though their development requirements vary from those of developed countries. Several countries have been developing national assessment systems following international and regional assessments, which focus primarily on assessing mathematical literacy and language skills, sometimes described as learning outcomes, and thereby exclude all else which is learned18. They are often based on a random survey methodology, with a ranking of countries, and do not adequately depict the education profile of a country in full measure. The privileging of learning outcomes in the discussion about education quality leads to a narrow conception of quality, neglecting the process of teaching and learning and the essential inputs for assuring quality and it separates quality from equity.19 40. Most international and regional assessments generally evaluate the basic knowledge and skill levels acquired by students in three curricular areas: language, mathematics and sciences. They are “summative assessments, mainly for stakeholders external to the school,”20 which are ill-equipped to support the developmental needs of students from diverse backgrounds effectively and may serve to undermine reforms meant to enhance the inclusive nature of basic education. Moreover, they have little direct impact on a child’s progress in the educational system or in life, as demonstrated by a UNESCO International Bureau of Education study: “By virtue of their particular accounts of learning, especially among younger students, standardized assessments may contribute to undermining the quality of teacher-student interactions and distorting curricular reforms. The IBE believes that the balance of assessments should emphasize to a greater extent teacher-designed, classroom-based formative assessments aimed at improving teaching and learning processes.” 21 41. International assessment mechanisms, with their lopsided focus on learning outcomes, neglect a human rights-based approach.22 Such a narrowly construed approach is being considered even in the context of discussions on education in the post-2015 development agenda. The Education for All global monitoring report for 2013–14 states that “it is vital for a global post-2015 goal to be set which will monitor whether, by 2030, all children and youth, regardless of their circumstances, acquire foundation skills in reading, writing and mathematics.”23 42. Another notable limitation of international assessment systems is the scant attention paid to the role of education in promoting sustainable development - even when this area is 18 19 20 21 22 23 10 For an analysis of national learning assessments as a common feature of national education systems around the world, see Aaron Benavot and Erin Tanner, background paper “The growth of national learning assessments in the world 1995-2006”, UNESCO (ED/EFA/MRT/PI/16). For a scholarly analysis of the issues involved, see the concept note for the technical meeting on advocacy strategy development of the Commonwealth Ministerial Working Group on the Post-2015 Development Framework for Education, September 2013, available from www.adeanet.org/portalv2/en/system/files/post-2015_working_group_technical_meeting_report.pdf. International Experts’ Meeting on key curricular and learning issues in the post-2015 education and development agenda, Geneva, September 2013, statement, available from http://www.ibe.unesco.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Publications/UNESCOIBE_Statement_on_Learning_Post-2015_eng.pdf. Ibid. See Right to Education Project, “Learning outcomes assessment: a human rights perspective”, February 2013. Education for All global monitoring report, “Teaching and learning: achieving quality for all” (UNESCO Publishing 2014), p.6.