Quality Education
  • 4.1.1 Proportion of children and young people (a) in grades 2/3; (b) at the end of primary; and (c) at the end of lower secondary achieving at least a minimum proficiency level in (i) reading and (ii) mathematics, by sex
  • 4.1.2 Completion rate (primary education, lower secondary education, upper secondary education)
  • 4.2.1 Proportion of children aged 24-59 months who are developmentally on track in health, learning and psychosocial well-being, by sex
  • 4.2.2 Participation rate in organized learning (one year before the official primary entry age), by sex
  • 4.3.1 Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal education and training in the previous 12 months, by sex
  • 4.4.1 Proportion of youth and adults with information and communications technology (ICT) skills, by type of skill
  • 4.5.1 Parity indices (female/male, rural/urban, bottom/top wealth quintile and others such as disability status, indigenous peoples and conflict-affected, as data become available) for all education indicators on this list that can be disaggregated
  • 4.6.1 Proportion of population in a given age group achieving at least a fixed level of proficiency in functional (a) literacy and (b) numeracy skills, by sex
  • 4.7.1 Extent to which (i) global citizenship education and (ii) education for sustainable development are mainstreamed in (a) national education policies; (b) curricula; (c) teacher education; and (d) student assessment
  • 4.a.1 Proportion of schools offering basic services, by type of service
  • 4.b.1 Volume of official development assistance flows for scholarships by sector and type of study
  • 4.c.1 Proportion of teachers with the minimum required qualifications, by education level

    • 4.1.1 Proportion of children and young people (a) in grades 2/3; (b) at the end of primary; and (c) at the end of lower secondary achieving at least a minimum proficiency level in (i) reading and (ii) mathematics, by sex

    Minimum proficiency level (MPL) is conceptually defined by the UN as a “benchmark of basic knowledge in a domain (mathematics, reading, etc.) measured through learning assessments.” The UNESCO Institute for Statistics led the development of defining MPLs through performance level descriptors by education level and subject area. Minimum proficiency is evaluated as the percentage of people at the relevant education level in a year achieving or exceeding the pre-defined proficiency level in a subject.

    While states across the US have their own assessments, student achievement is nationally measured by the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) which assesses students in grades 4, 8, and 12 in disciplines such as math, science, reading, and more as performing at or above the three achievement levels of NAEP Basic, NAEP Proficient, and NAEP Advanced. NAEP Proficient indicates “solid academic performance and competency over challenging subject matter.” This common national metric provides parents, policymakers, and educators a way to gauge achievement across states and the US government also uses the NAEP Basic achievement level to report on SDG 4.1.1.

    In comparison of national and state performance on NAEP’s 2019 assessment, Virginia and Maryland consistently rankedas either not statistically different from the national average or significantly higher in the at or above Proficientachievement level in math and reading for both grades 4 and 8. The District of Columbia, however, had at or above Proficient achievement levels significantly lower than the national average in math and reading for both grades 4 and 8. Despite comparatively low performance, DC has worked to increase math and reading scores over the past decade with some of the largest score gains over time credited to the expansion of early childhood education, adoption of high quality curriculum and standards, and controversial changes to teacher evaluation and compensation.

    The National Assessment Governing Board creates achievement levels based on what they determine students should know and should be capable of doing, setting the aspirational goal that all students should be proficient. However, the 2019 national public average at or above proficient in grade 4 reading was only 34%, and 32% percent for grade 8.  In grade 4 math, the national public average at or above proficient was 40%, and 33% for grade 8. NAEP’s achievement levels remain in trial status as they have been criticized by the U.S. Government Accountability Office, the National Academy of Sciences, and the National Academy of Education for not being representative of grade level performance.