Test to Teach: the 2026 Foundational Learning Action Tracker is out

UNICEF and the Hempel Foundation have today published Test to Teach, the 2026 edition of the Foundational Learning Action Tracker (FLAT). The report tracks government action on foundational learning in 123 low- and middle-income countries, including survey data from 86 countries.

FLAT was launched for the first time in 2023 and is published every year. It is built on the RAPID Framework, which sets out five areas of action: reach every child and keep them in school, assess learning levels, prioritise teaching the basics, increase the efficiency of instruction, and develop education systems that support learning.

Assessment data is not reaching classrooms

This year’s report focuses on assessment. The main findings:

• About 7 in 10 countries use assessment data nationwide for policy and planning.
• Only about 4 in 10 use it to inform classroom practice across all schools. This has not changed since last year.
• About half of countries provide nationwide support to teachers on assessing foundational skills.
• Among 39 countries tracked since 2023, the share running an annual national assessment of reading or maths in the early grades fell from 41% to 33%.

Strong policy progress, limited implementation

Nearly 8 in 10 countries have now established policies for foundational learning. Yet fewer than 1 in 10 have achieved substantial progress in implementation over the past year.

Among the 39 countries tracked since 2023, the share providing every child in the early grades with their own reading textbook rose from 46% in 2024 to 72% in 2026.

The report highlights the Gambia, which improved across all five RAPID areas, and Malawi, which has expanded Common Zonal Testing nationwide to identify learning gaps and target support. The Philippines has maintained high ratings, and an evaluation of its ARAL programme showed fewer struggling readers.

Recommendations

The report calls on countries to:

• protect regular, good-quality learning assessments
• strengthen the capacity of education officials to use assessment data
• give teachers the skills, tools and guidance to use assessment data in the classroom
• scale evidence-based approaches such as structured pedagogy and Teaching at the Right Level

Why it matters

Around 70% of children in low- and middle-income countries cannot read and understand a simple text by the age of 10. FLAT gives governments and partners the data to see where progress is being made and where action is needed.

Read the report: Global report