2 What’s in the data?
The AMPL-ab project seeks to measure the attainment of SDG 4.1.1 (a) and SDG 4.1.1 (b) Minimum Proficiency Levels (MPL) in reading and mathematics in students at the end of lower and upper primary education. The public release dataset contain both the AMPL-ab student assessment data and contextual questionnaire data. Participating countries have the choice of administering one or more of three test designs, i.e., AMPL-a only, AMPL-b only, or AMPL-ab.
| Sections of the datasets |
| Student assessment |
| Student proficiency scores |
| Student questionnaire |
| School questionnaire |
Each of these sections is described in more detail below.
2.1 AMPL-a student assessment
The AMPL-a assesses students at the end of lower primary stage of the Minimum Proficiency Level corresponding to SDG 4.1.1 (a). The cluster of items in the assessment include one cluster of 10 listening comprehension and 5 decoding items delivered via audio with students answering in their booklets; one cluster of 25 reading items and 5 decoding items, paper-based; and one cluster of 30 mathematics items, also paper-based.
There are two AMPL-a booklets to be rotated across students. The listening comprehension/decoding cluster appears at the beginning of both booklets. Each booklet contains both the reading/ decoding and mathematics clusters, but the ordering of the clusters is reversed across two booklets.
2.1.1 Areas assessed by AMPL-a in reading
| Areas assessed | Exercises and skills assessed |
| Listening comprehension: This was assessed with both a narrative text and information text of approximately 80 words each. The MCQ items had 3 options that were read aloud. Developing skills in this area enables students to expand their ability to identify key events, ideas, major characters, and to make simple inferences and identify the meaning of key words | Retrieve information at the word level. Retrieve information at the sentence or text level. Interpret information at sentence or text level |
| Decoding: This was assessed through tasks requiring student to identify a spoken word in a written sentence (tick a box), and fill the gap in a word with correct letter (MCQ). It included 5 aural delivered items and 5 pen and paper items. All these items are administered to the whole class at once. It is not possible to include decoding items requiring students to individually read text aloud or say the sound of letters. | Precision and Fluency |
| Reading comprehension: This was assessed through exercises requiring students to match a word or sentence to an image (mcq), retrieve information from 1-2 senctences, and retrieve and interpret information in 2 short descriptive texts and 1 information text | : Identify the meaning of familiar words in a sentence. Locate most pieces of explicit information in a sentence when the information is prominent and there is limited competing information. Identify the meaning of familiar words in a sentence. Locate most pieces of explicit information in a sentence when the information is prominent and there is limited competing information |
Source: ACER 2023. Reading and Mathematics Assessment Blueprint
2.1.2 Areas assessed AMPL-a in mathematics
| Areas assessed | Exercises and skills assessed |
| Number and Operations: This was assessed through exercises requiring students to identify and count in whole numbers, and identify their relative magnitude. Represent whole numbers in equivalent ways. Solve operations using whole numbers. Solve real-world problems involving whole numbers | Count, read, write, compare, and order whole numbers up to 100. Represent quantities up to 100 concretely, pictorially, and symbolically. Solve addition and subtraction problems within 20 that are presented concretely, pictorially, and symbolically. Divide a group of up to 20 objects into 2 equal sets. Solve simple real-world problems using addition and subtraction facts within 20 |
| Measurement: This was assessed through the use of non-standard and standard units to measure, compare, and order. Tell time and solve problems involving time. | Use non-standard units to measure and compare length and weight. Tell time using a digital clock. Solve problems using a calendar. |
| Geometry: This was assessed through exercises requiring students to recognize and describe shapes and figures; compose and decompose shapes and figures; describe the position and direction of objects in space | Recognize and name shapes that are regular and irregular (for example, if shown an irregular triangle, recognize that it is a triangle; name a hexagon). Recognise and name basic attributes of shapes (for example, straight lines, curves). Recognise when a two-dimensional shape has been translated (for example, it is the same shape when it has been translated. Compose a larger two-dimensional shape from a small number of given shapes. Decompose a larger two-dimensional shape into a small number of given shapes. Accurately use the terms left and right (for example, answer, ‘Where is the teacher's desk?’ ‘To the [left] of the chalkboard.’). Interpret and use positional terms (for example, in front of, behind, opposite, between) |
| Data and management: This was assessed by requiring students retrieve and data presented in displays. | Compare between categories of simple data displays (for example, tally charts, pictographs) with up to four categories and a single unit scale. |
| Algebra: This was assessed by requiring students to recognize, describe, extend, and generate patterns | Extend non-numerical repeating patterns, recognise repeating units, and identify a missing element |
Source: ACER 2023. Reading and Mathematics Assessment Blueprint
2.2 AMPL-b student assessment
AMPL-b assesses students at the end of upper primary stage on the Minimum Proficiency Levels corresponding to 4.1.1(b) The cluster of items in the assessment include one cluster of 32 reading items and one cluster of 30 mathematics items. Both are paper-based. There are two AMPL-B booklets, to be rotated across learners. Each booklet contains both the reading and mathematics clusters, but the ordering of the clusters is reversed across the two booklets.
2.2.1 Areas assessed by AMPL-b in reading
| Reading comprehension | Recognize the meaning of common grade-level words. Retrieve explicit information in a grade-level continuous text by direct- or close-word matching. Retrieve explicit information in a grade-level continuous text by synonymous matching. Identify the meaning of unknown words and expressions in a grade-level continuous text. Make simple inferences in a grade-level continuous text. Identify the main and secondary ideas in a grade-level continuous text.Identify the purpose and audience of a text. Give an overall evaluation of a text, and justify that evaluation. Evaluate the status of claims made in a text. Evaluate the effectiveness of a text. |
Source: ACER 2023. Reading and Mathematics Assessment Blueprint
2.2.2 Areas assessed AMPL-b in mathematics
| Areas assessed | Exercises and skills assessed |
| Whole numbers | Identify, count in and identify the relative magnitude of whole numbers. Represent whole numbers in equivalent ways. Solve operations using whole numbers.Solve real-world problems involving whole numbers. |
| Fractions | Identify and represent fractions using objects, pictures and symbols and identify relative magnitude |
| Decimals | Represent decimals in equivalent ways (including fractions and percentages) |
| Data and management | Retrieve and interpret data presented in displays |
| Relations and functions | Demonstrate an understanding of equivalency |
| Patterns | Recognize, describe, extend and generate patterns |
| Chance and probability | Describe the likelihood of events in different ways |
| Position and direction | Describe the position and direction of objects in space |
| Properties of shapes and figures | Recognize and describe shapes and figures |
| Time | Tell time. Solve problems involving time |
| Length, weight, capacity, volume, area and perimeter | Use non-standard and standard units to measure, compare, and order |
Source: ACER 2023. Reading and Mathematics Assessment Blueprint
2.3 Proficiency Scores
AMPL uses Item Response Theory (IRT) to estimate proficiency in reading and mathematics from responses to the assessment item together with background information. These estimates are provided as \(5\) plausible values for reading (pv1_read- pv5_read) and mathematics (pv1_math - pv5_math).
Those continuous scores are also used to report whether students have reached the global Minimum Proficiency Levels (MPLs) that underpin SDG indicator 4.1.1. MPLa is the benchmark for the end of lower primary (grade 2/3; SDG 4.1.1a), and MPLb is the benchmark for the end of primary (SDG 4.1.1b). In reading, students at MPLa can read and understand many familiar written words, extract explicit information from sentences, and make simple inferences when longer texts are read aloud; at MPLb they can independently and fluently read short narrative and expository texts, locate explicit information, interpret key ideas, and offer simple judgements about the text. In mathematics, students at MPLa show basic number sense and computation, read simple data displays, and recognise shapes and spatial orientation; at MPLb they work with number and computation in simple real-world problems, use basic measurement, recognize 2D shapes, and read and interpret simple data displays. AMPL-a targets MPLa; AMPL-b targets MPLb.
A cut score is the point on the AMPL proficiency scale that separates students who meet a given MPL from those who do not. Students at or above the cut score are classified as having reached that level; students below it have not yet met the standard. The MPLa and MPLb cut scores for reading and mathematics were first located on the Learning Progressions Scale (LPS) through an international standard-setting exercise in 2022, and MPLb was also established on the AMPL scale in 2021 using MILO data. For AMPL-ab, the MPLa and MPLb locations on the AMPL scale were initially obtained by combining the MILO MPLb cut score with the LPS logit gap between MPLb and MPLa, and were then checked with a pairwise comparison method (PCM) in which experts judged which of paired items was more difficult. The PCM and MILO/standard-setting routes agreed to within about \(0.1\), supporting the cut-scores as valid markers of the MPL benchmarks on the AMPL scale.
| Domain | MPL | LPS cut score | AMPL cut score (AMPL–MILO equating) | AMPL cut score (PCM equating) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | MPLa | \(-3.3\) | \(-1.76\) | \(-1.74\) |
| Mathematics | MPLb | \(-1.6\) | \(-0.06\) | \(-0.04\) |
| Reading | MPLa | \(-4.7\) | \(-0.78\) | \(-0.89\) |
| Reading | MPLb | \(-3.0\) | \(0.92\) | \(0.81\) |
Source: ACER (2023), Validating the Minimum Proficiency Levels.
2.4 Contextual Factors
Contextual information was collected via paper-based questionnaires for students and school leaders. The purpose of the questionnaires is to gather important information for the interpretation and reporting of the relationships between contextual factors and student proficiency.
2.4.1 Student contextual questionnaire
The student questionnaire was completed by the students undertaking the assessments. The student questionnaire collects data on 3 main themes: student characteristics, economic, cultural and social background and health. The variables in the data for these themes are presented in the table below.
| Questionnaire | Theme | Variables |
| Student questionnaire | Student characteristics | Gender (s_gender) |
Age (s_age) |
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Main language spoken at home (st03; related: lang) |
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Kindergarten or preschool attendance (st04) |
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Household composition / living arrangements (st05a–st05e) |
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| Economic, cultural, and social background | Parents’ highest formal education (st06, st08; derived: hisced) |
|
Parents’ reading and writing skills (st07a, st07b, st09a, st09b; derived: parlit) |
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Number of books in the home (st11) |
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Household possessions (st10a–st10l; derived: wealth) |
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Help with schoolwork (st12a–st12f; derived: homesupp) |
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| Health | Nutrition (st13a–st13c, st14a–st14f; derived: nutrition) |
|
Sanitation (st15a–st15d) |
Source: UIS. 2024. AMPL-ab International Report.
2.4.2 School contextual questionnaire
The school questionnaire was completed by school principals (or equivalent school leaders). It covers five themes: characteristics of the school principal; school characteristics; school facilities and resources; teachers and students; and health. The variables in ampl-school-v1.dta for these themes are summarised below.
| Questionnaire | Theme | Variables | Variable codes |
| School questionnaire | Characteristics of the school principal | Gender | sc01; derived: c_gender |
| Age | sc02; derived: c_age |
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| Years of service | sc03a, sc03b |
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| Qualifications of principal | sc04; derived: c_qual |
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| Job satisfaction | sc05a–sc05g; derived: c_jobsat |
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| School characteristics | School management (private/public) | sc06; derived: c_schtype |
|
| School location (urban/rural) | sc07 |
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| School size (total enrolment of boys and girls and at target grade) | sc18a, sc18b, sc19a–sc19d |
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| Language of instruction | sc08; derived: c_lang |
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| School facilities and resources | School facilities | sc10a–sc10k |
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| Availability of textbooks | sc12a–sc12d |
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| Provision of additional support in reading | sc13a, sc13b |
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| Teachers and students | Number of teachers | sc14a, sc14b |
|
| Teacher qualifications | sc15a, sc15b |
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| Professional development for teachers | sc16a–sc16e, sc17a–sc17e |
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| Student absence and truancy | sc20a–sc20d |
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| Health | Nutrition | sc09a–sc09m |
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| Sanitation | sc11a–sc11g |
Source: UIS. 2024. AMPL-ab International Report.