Male pupils below minimum reading proficiency at end of primary (%). Low GAML threshold

The share of male pupils at the end of primary schooling who are below the minimum proficiency level (MPL) for reading or learning deprived. The MPL in reading at the end of primary is defined by the Global Alliance to Monitor Learning (GAML), measured in standard learning assessments, and reported in the context of the SDG 4.1.1b monitoring. It is “Students independently and fluently read simple, short narrative and expository texts. They locate explicitly-stated information. They interpret and give some explanations about the key ideas in these texts. They provide simple, personal opinions or judgements about the information, events and characters in a text.” (UIS and GAML 2019). In other words, a child “attaining” minimum proficiency has the ability to read and understand a short passage of age-appropriate material, whether a simple story or non-fiction narrative of a few paragraphs. In addition to this nutshell statement, the GAML has also proposed a common terminology to describe classifications in the context of the MPL. This is a critical first step toward linking cross-national and national learning assessments with a common benchmark.