One of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic was the rapid shift to replacing traditional, paper-based tests with their computer-based counterparts. In many cases, these new modes of delivering tests will remain in place for the foreseeable future. In South Africa, the National Benchmark Quantitative Literacy (QL) test was impelled to make this…

Mathematical reasoning, a fundamental aspect of human cognition, poses significant challenges for artificial intelligence (AI) systems. Despite recent advancements in natural language processing (NLP) and large language models (LLMs), AI's ability to replicate human-like reasoning, generalization, and efficiency remains an ongoing research…

This investigation delves into the numerical comprehension among elementary and middle school students within Israel's Arab sector, challenging the conventional metrics of mathematical ability. Despite the apparent adeptness in standard mathematical tests, a significant discrepancy exists between calculative prowess and genuine numerical…

This book delves into the role of higher education as a means of sustainable development in Sub-Saharan Africa. Contributions from across the region examine the strategies and technological advances available to enable students to deal with an uncertain future and are organised under two key themes: Curriculum and Teaching and Higher Education and…

Over the past three decades Australia has developed an increasingly advanced national system of student assessments, results from which have been used to identify areas of growth, stagnation or decline in student learning. For the most part, trends in different standardised assessments have been considered in isolation. By examining literacy and…

This study compares the literacy and numeracy proficiencies of higher education (HE) degree holders in 21 OECD countries based on primary analysis of the national data sets collected via the OECD's Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) 2012 study. The differences in the graduates' average literacy and numeracy…

The primary objective of this study was to describe cognitive and pre-academic skills of children born preterm (< 30 weeks gestational age) at preschool age. A secondary objective was to relate cognitive functioning at preschool age to developmental scores obtained using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development-Third Edition (Bayley…

In this case study, Angela Helsloot, Principal at Allambie Heights Public School, on the Northern Beaches of Sydney, uses data from standardised tests and benchmark reading assessments across the school to show the positive impact that Sounds-Write instruction has had in Kindergarten and Year 1. [For the complete volume, "Systematic Synthetic…

This report projects Northern Ireland's skills base through to 2030 and compares this to a number of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. The report shows that on current trends Northern Ireland will continue to lag many other countries on a number of measures of learning and skills in 2030. These shortfalls can…

The National Benchmark Test Project (NBTP) was commissioned by Higher Education South Africa in 2005 to assess the academic proficiency of prospective students. The competencies assessed include quantitative literacy using the NBTP QL test. This instrument is a criterion-referenced multiple-choice test developed collaboratively by South African…

The Education Council of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) commissioned a review of the current approach to the presentation of the National Assessment Program -- Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) data including information published on the "My School" website. The review was framed by four Terms of Reference, namely: (1)…

Young people have an array of skills, and the prospect of a 50 year career and a world filled with opportunity. However, inequalities before the current crisis meant that, while talent was equally distributed around the country, opportunity was not. The pandemic has now had a profound effect on education and employment, risking worsening…

This paper examines a procedure measuring student competencies in numeracy using school-based assessments, and demonstrates how the procedure informs the school system on quality improvement. The sample consisted of 7648 students, attending three different types of urban schools including government, formal private and low cost private in poor…

The ability to reason about numbers in relative terms is essential for quantitative literacy, which is necessary for studying academic disciplines and for critical citizenship. However, the ability to reason with proportions is known to be difficult to learn and to take a long time to develop. To determine how well higher education applicants can…

The National Senior Certificate (NSC) examination in South Africa is a standardised assessment whose main function is to determine whether Grade 12 learners have mastered subject knowledge at the culmination of their secondary education. Alongside this, the National Benchmark Test Project (NBTP) was introduced to develop the National Benchmark…