strengthening early grade reading (egr) in mozambique
TRANSCRIPT
Programa ApaL
Mozambique
Residents: ~25 million
Official language: Portuguese
Local languages: 20 languages
HDI: 178 out of 187 in 2014
Independence: in 1975
Civil War: from 1977 to 1992
Education
Primary education is free and compulsory
Rapid expansion, 390% in a decade
Decentralization exists on paper
Teacher absenteeism: 30%
Students absenteeism: 50%
Reading in grade 1-3
• 2 hours Portuguese per day
• 2% of students in grades 2 and 3 has desired fluency level
• Ineffective pedagogy; choral repetition, talk and chalk
• 40% of students in grade 2 do not understand oral
Portuguese instructions
• No access to effective reading material
USAID Aprender a Ler
2014 2015
Provinces Nampula and Zambézia
Districts 6 districts
Schools 122 533
2nd, 3rd grade students 45.469 110.664
Teachers 849 1.980
School directors 61 533
Pedagogical directors 182 655
Involvement of local education institutes
Planning, implementation, monitoring, and coordination
of activities with DPEC, SDEJT, IFP, UP
Important for:
– Improving attitude and punctuality in schools.
– Implementation of new teaching and management strategies.
– Ensuring sustainability of program activities.
– Use of existing specialists.
Quality of teaching
Quantity of teaching
Better reading results for students
in 2nd and 3rd grade
Quality of Teaching
Reading Reinforcement Program • Reading coaches in schools
• Teacher training
• Teaching and learning materials
• Formative assessment structure
Effective literacy instruction
Phonics
Fluency
Vocabu-lary
Compre-hension
Phonemic awareness
Teaching and Learning materials
• Scripted lesson plans for whole year
• Decodable books for students
• Read alouds for teachers
• Alphabet banner and
vocabulary cards
• Letter pocket, letter
cards and word cards
Simple view of reading
Decoding Language
comprehension Reading
comprehension
Demo video of some materials used
Reading Coach and Lead Trainers
Pedagogical director or cycle coordinator
Classroom coaching INSET sessions
Tasks of Reading Coach
1. Clasroom observation
– Use observation tool linked to ApaL lessons
– Model activities ´in the moment´
– Coaching conversation afterwards
2. Assist with continuous assessment
3. Facilitate daily use of TLA´s by the teachers
1. Classroom Observation
Modeling
1. Reading coach observes a class from the back.
2. Raises hand when critical teaching strategy needs
improvement.
3. Teacher allows intervention.
4. Reading coach models the correct strategy
5. Teacher repeats correctly.
6. Reading coach returns to the back.
Other coaching tools
2. Assist with Continuous Assessment
Spelling test
Integrated in lesson plans
Classroom administered
Teacher and reading coach analyse and make
plan of action
Fluency assessment
Twice per year
Based on ASER model
Teacher and reading coach analyse and make
plan of action
Four levels of fluency
1. Letters
2. Words
3. Sentences
4. Stories
Goals
• 2nd grade – word level
• 3rd grade – sentence level
Fluency Assessment
Registro de Avaliação da Fluência
Training model
Training of
Trainers
Training of
Reading Coach
Teachers of 2nd
and 3rd grade
Training of
Lead Trainers
INSET sessions
Pedagogical support
Increase Quantity of Reading
Training and coaching of school directors
• Training for school directors in improved management techniques
• Training of ZIP coordinators in coaching techniques
• Distribution of management tools
Quantity of Teaching
1. Attendance and punctuality of teachers and students.
2. Effective learning
time.
School director is a model
Five routines of an effective school director
1. Daily assembly of students
2. School
bells mark
start of
lessons
3. Strategies for dealing with
absenteeism.
4. Use of
management tools 5. Register and
promote daily use of
TLA’s
Training Model
Training of
Trainers
Training of school
directors
Training of ZIP
coordinators
INSET sessions and school support visits.
Rapid assessment tool and school support visits
1: Supervision
based on evidence
2: Analysis and
presentation of data
3: Technical support
Indicators assessed
Reading
Coaching
Continuous Assessment
Use of TLA’s
Fluency test
• Connected text
Management
• Attitude and punctuality
of teachers, students and
school directors
• Use of management tools
• Management of TLA’s
Data collection with Magpi
• Use of smartphone to
collect data
• Data send to central server
• Rapid analysis facilitates
quick response with school
support visits
3
3.5
5
7
13
15
20
22
26
27
37
54
59
60
School support visits
School support based on data from RSA.
Detailed guide to orientate SDEJT about what support
is needed for the type of challenge that has been
observed.
School support happens in the month after the RSA.
Collection of data by smartphone
Monthly report sheet
Quarterly RSA
Web-based
data
Capacity building component
• In 2013 and 2014 ApaL has build capacity of MINED
and other counterparts.
• 2015 training and monitoring activities are being
transferred to government with support from ApaL
– Regular ToT to prepare for field activities
– Coaching from ApaL staff during implementation by MINED
and others
– Weekly and monthly review sessions with district and provincial
education offices
– Quarterly discussion with central government to discuss
improvements and seek advise in how to sustain activities
Transfering activities to local stakeholders
Training Institute Formação Professores
Pedagogical University
Expert Reading Coaches
ZIP (Regional) Coordinators
Regular coaching
and analysis
District Education Office (SDEJT)
Provincial Education Office (DPEC)
Ministry of Education (MINED)
Monitoring and
Evaluation
(RAT + EGRA)
SDEJT
DPEC
MINED
Material
Development
MINED
Local expers from University
Way forward in 2015
• Involvement from central MINED
• Finalizing material based on RSA results and
feedback MINED
• Increase involvement from other partners
– Pedagogical University
• IBTCI endline survey in September 2015
Video of a child reading 45 wpm
IMPACT
Results
Results over the past two years Baseline, Sept 2013 and Sept 2014 results in EGRA
Dosage/exposure
Challenges
Implementation approach Capitalize on and strengthen local capacity
Institutionalization (policies, accountability, classroom practices, and management tools)
ApaL’s uniqueness?
Conclusion?
Upcoming?
Reading fluency (120 word story, cwpm) in Mozambique
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
Baseline Midline 1 Midline 2
Control Medium Full
Control = 1.4 extra cwpm improvement
Medium = 4 extra cwpm improvement
Full = 4.75 extra cwpm improvement
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
Baseline Midline 1 Midline 2
Control Medium Full
Control = 2.4 extra cwpm improvement
Medium = 10.2 cwpm improvement
Full = 12.7 cwpm improvement
Grade 2 Grade 3
Students were given a 120-word story and asked to read aloud within one minute.
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
Baseline Midline 1 Midline 2
Control Medium Full
Control = 12 extra clpm improvement
Medium = 14.8 extra clpm improvement
Full = 17.9 extra clpm improvement
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
Baseline Midline 1 Midline 2
Control Medium Full
Control = 13.2 extra clpm improvement
Medium = 22.3 extra clpm improvement
Full = 23.4 extra clpm improvement
Letter recognition (10 rows of letters, clpm) in Mozambique
Grade 2 Grade 3
Students were asked to sound out as many letters (from a chart showing 10 rows of 10 random
letters) within one minute.
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Baseline Midline 1 Midline 2
Control Medium Full
Control = 0.37 extra cwpm improvement
Medium = 0.7 extra cwpm improvement
Full = 1.3 extra cwpm improvement
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Baseline Midline 1 Midline 2
Control Medium Full
Control = 1.5 extra cwpm improvement
Medium = 4.4 extra cwpm improvement
Full = 6.4 extra cwpm improvement
Familiar word reading (cwpm, 30 max) in Mozambique
Grade 2 Grade 3
Students were asked to sound out as many words as possible (list of 30) within one minute.
Estimate of instructional time during the school year
in Mozambique
National curriculum allocates 2 x 45 minutes daily on Portuguese
language learning for grades 2 and 3 students
ApaL intervention affects 1 x 45 minutes of the language
instruction in all ApaL schools
A school year in Mozambique has 180 days of schooling
Dosage/Exposure by Intervention (per year)
Students: 6 months x 4.5 weeks x 3.75 hours (45 minutes daily) = 101.25 hours
(one project year)
Teachers: 18 coach sessions + 34 training hours = 52 hours of intensive
interaction (one project year)
Biweekly class observation and feedback discussion
Training sessions only happens on weekends (Saturdays)
Materials used: 80% of students with ApaL have the reading materials with them while
only 10% of students from the “control” do (on a random school visit/check)
Students were encouraged to take home ApaL developed reading materials (no accurate usage/time data outside school)
Estimate of instructional time lost due to
absenteeism and late start
Time lost ApaL “Control”
% SD or PD are absent on a given day 21% 25%
% teachers are absent on a given day 31% 34%
Late start on a school day (on average in
minutes)
32 minutes 52 minutes
% of students are absent on a given day 55% 62%
For any given child in grade 2 or 3, we estimate that there could be 70% of
allocated language instructional time lost over a school year due to the child’s
absent days, his/her teacher’s absence, late classes, and/or SD absence.
3rd Grade EGRA Results by Sex Girl
Boy
Co
rrect
Lett
ers
or
Wo
rds
per
Min
ute
Letters/m
Treatment
Letters/m
“Control”
Text
Words/m
“Control”
Text
Words/m
Treatment
Familiar
Words/m
“Control”
Familiar
words/m
Treatment
15.5%
30.2%
21.9%
51.2%
20.1%
50.7%
ApaL program has closed more than half
of the gender gap in EGRA results (clpm
and cwpm). Girls are improving EGRA
results significantly more than boys are.
Summary
Teacher training happens on Saturdays
Coaches are local school supervisors and pedagogical
directors
Guide and tools are products of joint partnership with
MoES and local education teams
School management aims at monitoring and evaluating, and
school management practices that are already written in
MoES’ rule books or policies
School Rapid Assessment for formative purpose
Mobile technology for data collection
9.54 dollars and 11.2 dollars per child for medium and full
intervention respectively
Results sharing with school management, teachers, and local
communities
Significant improvement in full and medium treatment
after a full academic year of intervention
The improvement results are attributable to the school
management and teacher training and coaching with
preliminary data evidence
Summary continued…
Summary continued…
Working through existing structures and mechanism is a sustainable
approach and can produce significant results
Outstanding challenge:
closer tie and work with MINED at national, provincial, district
levels to increase accountability and address problem of
absenteeism and late start of school day
continued work to address gap between boys and girls. Calls for
a study to understand the source of the gap