[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":3,"doc-seo-504822-105":59,"doc-detail-504822-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,13,18,23,28,33,38,43,48,51,55],{"id":8,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":10,"show_sort_weight":11,"slug":12},1,"Document","Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":14,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":15,"show_sort_weight":16,"slug":17},2,"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":19,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":20,"show_sort_weight":21,"slug":22},4,"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":24,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":25,"show_sort_weight":26,"slug":27},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":29,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":30,"show_sort_weight":31,"slug":32},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":34,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":35,"show_sort_weight":36,"slug":37},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":39,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":40,"show_sort_weight":41,"slug":42},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":44,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":45,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":47},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":46,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":49,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":50},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":52,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":53,"show_sort_weight":52,"slug":54},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":56,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":57,"show_sort_weight":24,"slug":58},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":60,"data":61},"ok",{"site_id":62,"language":63,"slug":64,"title":65,"keywords":66,"description":67,"schema_data":68,"social_meta":123,"head_meta":125,"extra_data":127,"updated_unix":129},105,"en","new-evidence-on-learning-trajectories-in-a-low-income-setting","New Evidence on Learning Trajectories in a Low-Income Setting","","Using a unique longitudinal dataset from primary school students in Pakistan, this policy research paper documents four new findings on learning in low-income countries. Test scores rise by 1.19 standard deviations from Grades 3 to 6, school attendance is linked to greater learning, and variation across students gradually converges across primary years. Initially low scorers gain more, while household characteristics explain little variation once prior scores are considered. The results are framed with “fragile learning,” where progress can stagnate or reverse.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":40,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/new-evidence-on-learning-trajectories-in-a-low-income-setting/504822/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/new-evidence-on-learning-trajectories-in-a-low-income-setting/504822.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"asda1da","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-16","2026-10-04",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":8},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"What does the paper find about learning gains from Grades 3 to 6?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"Mean test-score learning increases by 1.19 standard deviations between Grades 3 and 6.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"How does dropping out relate to learning trajectories in the paper?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"Children who drop out show similar test-score gains before dropping out, but no improvements after dropping out.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"What is “fragile learning” as used in the paper?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"“Fragile learning” describes cases where learning progression can be followed by stagnation or reversals, helping reconcile the findings with prior literature.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},504822,1792162567,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":39,"category_name":40,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":8,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":139,"language":140,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":144,"read_time":145},3985747861852,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_155a257f0dc6eb9ab79c44ca47cae57d","Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized  \nPolicy Research Working Paper 9597  \nNew Evidence on Learning Trajectories in a Low-Income Setting  \nNatalie Bau  \nJishnu Das  \nAndres Yi Chang  \nHuman Development Global Practice Office of the Chief Economist March 2021  \nPolicy Research Working Paper 9597  \nAbstract  \nUsing a unique longitudinal data set collected from primary school students in Pakistan, this paper documents four new facts about learning in low-income countries. First, children’s test scores increase by 1.19 standard deviation between Grades 3 and 6. Second, going to school is associated with greater learning. Children who drop out have the same test score gains prior to dropping out as those who do not but experience no improvements after dropping out. Third, there is significant variation in test score gains across students, but test scores converge over  \nthe primary schooling years. Students with initially low test scores gain more than those with initially high scores, even after accounting for mean reversion. Fourth, conditional on past test scores, household characteristics explain little of the variation in learning. To reconcile the findings with the literature, the paper introduces the concept of “fragile learning,” where progression may be followed by stagnation or reversals. The implications of these results are discussed in the context of several ongoing debates in the literature on education in low-and middle-income countries.  \nThis paper is a product of the Office of the Chief Economist, Human Development Global Practice. It is part ofa larger effort by the World Bank to provide open access to its research and make a contribution to development policy discussions around the world. Policy Research Working Papers are also posted on the Web at [http://www.worldbank.org/prwp. The](http://www.worldbank.org/prwp. The)[ ](http://www.worldbank.org/prwp. The)authors may be contacted at [ayichang@worldbank.org](ayichang@worldbank.org).  \nThe Policy Research Working Paper Series disseminates the findings of work in progress to encourage the exchange of ideas about development issues. An objective of the series is to get the findings out quickly, even if the presentations are less than fully polished. The papers carry the names of the authors and should be cited accordingly. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper are entirely those of the authors. They do not necessarily represent the views of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/World Bank and its affiliated organizations, or those of the Executive Directors of the World Bank or the governments they represent.  \nProduced by the Research Support Team  \nNew Evidence on Learning Trajectories in a Low-Income Setting  \nNatalie Bau (UCLA), Jishnu Das (Georgetown University), and Andres Yi Chang (World Bank)1  \nJEL (I24,I25)  \nKeywords: learning, primary school, learning trajectories  \n1 We thank the RISE network for support and valuable comments on an earlier draft of this paper. We especially thank Michelle Kaffenberger, Karthik Muralidharan, Lant Pritchett, Zainab Qureshi, and Abhijeet Singh for their generous comments. Financial support for this research was made available through RISE grant PO13412 . The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the World Bank, its Executive Directors, or the governments they represent.  \n1. Introduction  \nWhat children learn during primary school and how learning varies by sex, parental background, and initial test scores is of critical importance for education policy. Moreover, the process of learning and the variation across subgroups may be very different in low-income countries (LICs) from high-income countries. For instance, there is suggestive evidence that children with initially lower test scores learn less in LICs due to “curricular mismatch” because curri","cbCaibsighQZAj4V","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaibsighQZAj4V","pdf",3103965,65,"English","# Abstract\n# Keywords\n# 1. Introduction","[{\"question\":\"What does the paper find about learning gains from Grades 3 to 6?\",\"answer\":\"Mean test-score learning increases by 1.19 standard deviations between Grades 3 and 6.\"},{\"question\":\"How does dropping out relate to learning trajectories in the paper?\",\"answer\":\"Children who drop out show similar test-score gains before dropping out, but no improvements after dropping out.\"},{\"question\":\"What is “fragile learning” as used in the paper?\",\"answer\":\"“Fragile learning” describes cases where learning progression can be followed by stagnation or reversals, helping reconcile the findings with prior literature.\"}]","New Evidence on Learning Trajectories in a Low-Income Setting | PDF",1791076317,164]