Learning outcomes in multitopic child-centric surveys: Zimbabwe’s roll out of UNICEF’s FLM2.0

• In Event: Data for foundational learning: What do recent data efforts tell us? Results from AMPL, ICAN-ICAR, PASEC and UNICEF’s FLM2.0

Proposal

Reliable measurement of foundational learning outcomes is essential for tracking progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 4 and informing evidence-based education policy. Traditionally, assessments of reading and numeracy have been implemented through school-based surveys, often limiting comparability and inclusivity. UNICEF’s Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) address this gap by integrating learning assessments within multitopic household surveys. The newly developed Foundational Learning Module 2.0 (FLM 2.0) represents a signifICANt advance, expanding coverage of literacy and numeracy domains, strengthening psychometric properties, and aligning with SDG 4.1.1 minimum proficiency standards.
This paper presents Zimbabwe’s pioneering rollout of FLM 2.0 in 2025, following extensive field testing in Kenya and adaptation processes across diverse linguistic and cultural contexts. Drawing on household survey data, the paper examines both methodological innovations and empirical findings from Zimbabwe’s implementation. Key issues discussed include the challenges and opportunities of embedding robust learning assessments in a multitopic survey platform, strategies for ensuring validity across languages, and the policy relevance of producing nationally representative, equity-sensitive measures of foundational skills.
By situating Zimbabwe’s experience within the broader global effort to strengthen learning assessments in household surveys, this presentation offers insights into how FLM 2.0 can contribute to filling critical data gaps on children’s learning outcomes, particularly for populations often excluded from school-based testing.

Authors

• Sakshi Mishra, UNICEF

• Joao Pedro Azevedo, UNICEF