The Learning Variability Network Exchange (LEVANTE) brings together researchers from around the world aiming to capture the richness and diversity of child development and learning.
Only by conducting open-access, cutting-edge research can we enhance our knowledge on learning and developmental variability.
Delve into the science of learning variability, explore cutting-edge research, and discover practical insights to enhance learning for all.
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Check our Frequently Asked Questions below. If you do not find your question below, send us an email we will get back to you.
LEVANTE Researcher Site
Applications are open to research labs (structured entities within universities or institutes) and NGOs with demonstrated research capacity.
Collaborative proposals and consortiums involving multiple research groups or countries (e.g., Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda) are strongly encouraged.
Partnerships with Ministries of Education or assessment units are positively received as they facilitate participant access and increase research impact.
Only the PI must meet specific eligibility criteria: they need to have a PhD for longer than 5 years. Early-career researchers and postdocs are eligible to participate as part of a team, if the PI meets the criteria.
Teams can include graduate students, postdocs, non-academic collaborators, practitioners, and policy partners. One person can be a PI on one proposal and a Co-PI on another proposal but ultimately, it is unlikely that someone who is a PI/co-PI in several proposals can receive the award for all of them.
Yes, collaborative proposals are strongly encouraged including proposals involving different research groups from either the same or different countries.
Candidates must have obtained a PhD at least 5 years prior to application, and their position must be confirmed for the duration of the proposed project.
Yes.
Peer-reviewed papers, pre-prints, and policy reports/briefs all count toward publication requirements.
Funds are granted to one lead university, which then establishes sub-agreements with partners.
In the initial application phase you are only required to indicate of the two grants, which one you are applying for. In the extended proposal phase, a template is provided for you to complete.
Funded projects must administer the full set of LEVANTE core assessment measures. Exceptions are only for specific cultural/linguistic non-applicability. While all data must be collected, the primary research questions can focus on 2–3 specific constructs of interest.
Unless measures are already validated in the specific context, projects must include an adaptation phase, a baseline collection, and two follow-up waves, at least one year apart.
Researchers can add new measures (e.g., biological samples, school grades, or neuroimaging) alongside the core battery. These are supported but not added to the core LEVANTE set. Any additional measures can be included in a proposed LEVANTE study, as long as they do not interfere with the administration of the LEVANTE measures. Following an open science approach, we strongly encourage projects with additional data collection to share these data with the broader scientific community in a format similar to the LEVANTE measures. Further details on this approach can be found at LEVANTE Open Science.
LEVANTE measures can be added to existing longitudinal cohorts or ongoing studies.
Eligible if aligned with scientific goals and within budget limits.
Yes, however the measures are not normed in this population but in typically developing children.
The proposed studies must follow children for four years, including an initial test (year 0), year 1, year 2, year 3. As we are interested in identifying developmental trajectories in learning variability, it is anticipated that at least 3 waves of data collection would need to be conducted. If you have specific suggestions for denser data collection plans or time points, please elaborate on the proposal and provide a rationale.
The released measures include age adaptations and parallel versions so that they can be administered on a yearly basis to capture children’s developmental trajectories.
Further details on the core assessment measures are expected to be shared in Autumn 2025, pending results of the pilot data collection and psychometric analyses. The different areas and specific measures collected through the LEVANTE platform can be found here.
The caregiver report survey is also administered through the LEVANTE dashboard. In contexts where caregivers are unable to access a device for completing the survey or where an interview format is preferred, accommodations can be made for alternative administration procedures. In these cases, you will need to explain how you plan to share the data. Please find more information here.
No, it is not necessary. The assumption is that the data aggregation works as an accelerated longitudinal design. The only requirement is to have at least three waves of data collection over four years.
Yes, the measures have been designed specifically for the target age range and have been piloted extensively across the full range. Further, age-dependent starting items and adaptive testing are being implemented.
All LEVANTE measures are administered via laptop or tablet computers. The number of children who could access the measures simultaneously is contingent on the availability of these devices and the logistics of the research team and schools. Supervisory effort is currently being pilot tested and is dependent on the ages of the children being tested. Younger children will require more assistance/supervision than older children (for recommendations see Sampling, recruitment, and administration guidelines). Further details will be shared with investigators as the results of pilot testing become available.
All cultural, linguistic, or dialect adaptations (including specific dialects like Peruvian Spanish) MUST be coordinated with the Data Coordinating Center (DCC) at Stanford. Centralized support ensures adaptations can be shared broadly with the research community and maintains standardization.
Currently available in English, Spanish, and German. French and Dutch are in development. Future expansion into more languages is planned.
Large projects should aim for a minimum of 3 groups of 150 children across 3 waves, or smaller samples with higher-density sampling.
Representative samples are preferred and must be clearly described.
Children can be recruited from schools, homes, or alternative settings like madrasas. Both in-school and out-of-school children are eligible.
LEVANTE assessments are adaptive (e.g., math measures for both symbolic and non-symbolic knowledge): age range adjustments can be discussed with the DCC, but as of 2026 the measures are only available for children ages 5-12.
LEVANTE uses a web-based platform. For low-connectivity areas, strategies like Starlink or offline local storage with periodic syncing are required.
All data collected through LEVANTE is completely de-identified and the LEVANTE Core Assessment Measures and LEVANTE Data Repository will never contain any personally identifying information. Individual sites must obtain their own ethical approvals for data collection but no personally identifying information of any type will be shared between individual sites and the LEVANTE Data Repository.
Data can be used for doctoral/master’s theses and peer-reviewed publications. All measures are open-access.
No data cleaning or preparations are required for data collected using the LEVANTE Core Measures. Data collection happens through the LEVANTE dashboard. Data then flow through a set of validations to the LEVANTE data repository (LDR). Researchers access data in a standardized format through the LDR. These data become part of the larger public dataset on a regular data release schedule.
Collected data will flow from the dashboard to the LEVANTE Data Repository (LDR). Standardized scores and validated data are provided to researchers.
Pilot data is expected to be public in 2026; subsequent data will follow a regular release schedule.
As with any research study, it is important to highlight that these measures are not intended for individual feedback to an individual child. The sensitivity of the information and the potential consequences of misreporting need to be considered. Therefore, we suggest that you exercise caution and discuss this with the Data Coordinating Center at the time of project approval.
No. LEVANTE measures are completely open access. There are several ways to join the LEVANTE network – you also can become a partner to use the LEVANTE measures for your project. Proposals are only necessary when submitting a request for funding.
Only proposals submitted via the SurveyMonkey platform are considered.
Grants will be awarded in the start of 2027.