This paper explores some of the opportunities and challenges confronted by researchers and service agencies seeking to support the international community to monitor progress against the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The paper’s main focus is on measuring children’s progress in learning to read. The paper discusses some of the characteristics of an effective approach to measuring outcomes in a globally consistent way; describes progress in beginning to implement an approach to achieve this; and mentions some of the ways current assessment and measurement activities might relate to this approach.