Pilot data collection begins in Colombia

This May, LEVANTE launched its inaugural data collection in Colombia with the first pilot site testing at schools in Bogotá. Under the direction of Julián Mariño at the Universidad de los Andes, school-aged children successfully began accessing the online assessment battery developed specifically for LEVANTE. This core set of evaluation tools examines academic skills including mathematics and reading as well as cognitive abilities critical to learning such as reasoning, spatial awareness, problem solving, and memory. Children further express their social understanding and report on their own thoughts and feelings about school, friendship, and what it means to have a growth mindset. Additionally, caregivers and teachers complete surveys adding invaluable insight into the contextual variability so critical to understanding children’s development. Prior to the launch, the Colombian team conducted focus groups and pre-pilot testing providing valuable feedback on the usability, instructions, translations, and overall accessibility of the tasks included in the battery. 

This initial pilot testing kicks off the first wave of LEVANTE data collection focusing on children ages 5 – 12 in the initial target languages (English, Spanish, and German), with data collection set to begin in Germany and Canada this summer under the direction of Manuel Bohn (Leuphana University, Germany), Daniel Haun (University of Leipzig, Germany) and Daniel Ansari (University of Western Ontario, Canada). The second research wave of LEVANTE will focus on extension of the framework to early childhood (2 – 5 years). Subsequent research waves will target application of the LEVANTE framework to broader geographic, cultural, and linguistic contexts, with a priority being given to internationalization of the core LEVANTE battery. The first call for proposals to receive funding for participation in LEVANTE will be released through the Jacobs Foundation in August 2024. We hope through this initiative to shed light on the nature of learning variability during a critical time in development, leading to both theoretical progress in our understanding of development and our ability to intervene to improve children’s lives.