FIELD trials for the Pacific's largest regional education assessment, the Pacific Islands Literacy and Numeracy Assessment (PILNA), begins in Palau, RMI, Tuvalu and FSM this week. The two-day research trial is in preparation for the fourth cycle of PILNA.
Palau's field trials begin on September 22. The PILNA trials in Tuvalu and RMI begin on September 23, while FSM begins its trials the following day.
The trials are coordinated by PILNA's national coordinators with the assistance of the respective country's education officials. Often times these coordinators are serving education officials or teachers. PILNA national coordinators play a significant role in the success of the research. Their work includes the training of school coordinators and test supervisors. These three roles are critical to the effective administration of the PILNA assessments.
PILNA is administered at the Year 4 and Year 6 levels. The research allows for a snapshot of students' fundamental skills in literacy and numeracy after four and six years of formal education. This was the main purpose of PILNA when it was first conceived. However, by the third iteration in 2018, the assessment has expanded with the inclusion of contextual questionnaires for students, teachers and school leaders.
You may access more details on the PILNA 2018 report HERE.