45052-001: Technical Assistance Consultant's Report
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Technical Assistance Consultant’s Report Project Number: 45052 Regional–Capacity Development Technical Assistance (R–CDTA) August 2015 Quality Primary Education in the North Pacific (Financed by the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction) Prepared by: Development Strategists International Consulting Incorporated This consultant’s report does not necessarily reflect the views of ADB or the Government concerned, and ADB and the Government cannot be held liable for its contents. (For project preparatory technical assistance: All the views expressed herein may not be incorporated into the proposed project’s design. FINAL REPORT TA 8066 REG: QUALITY PRIMARY EDUCATION IN THE NORTH PACIFIC Submitted by DEVELOPMENT STRATEGISTS INTERNATIONAL CONSULTING, INC. (PHILIPPINES) 15 August 2015 ABBREVIATIONS ADB Asian Development Bank CDTA Capacity Development Technical Assistance COFA Compact of Free Association DMC Developing Member Countries DMF Design and Monitoring Framework DOE Department of Education DRE Division of Research and Evaluation DSIC Development Strategists International Consulting, Inc. EGLA Early Grade Learning Assessment EGLA-L Early Grade Learning Assessment – Literacy EGLA-N Early Grade Learning Assessment – Numeracy EGRA Early Grade Reading Assessment EMIS Education Management Information System FGD Focus Group Discussion FSM Federated States of Micronesia JFPR Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction JICA Japan International Cooperation Agency MOE Ministry of Education MOU Memorandum of Understanding NDOE National Department of Education PAT Palau Achievement Test PERA Palau English Reading Assessment PLAN-A Primary Literacy and Numeracy Assessment PLD Professional Learning Development PREL Pacific Resources for Education and Learning QAT Quarterly Assessment Test QPENP Quality Primary Education in the North Pacific (“the Project”) PAL Palau (Republic of) RETA Regional Technical Assistance RMI Republic of the Marshall Islands SABER System Assessment and Benchmarking for Education Results SDOE State Department of Education SAL Short Assessment for Language SAM Short Assessment for Mathematics TA Technical Assistance TAR Technical Assistance Report TEGRA Tonga Early Grade Reading Assessment TOR Terms of Reference US United States (of America) WB World Bank TA 8066: REG - Quality Primary Education in the North Pacific 3 Funded by Asian Development Bank EXECUTIVE SUMMARY TThe Quality Primary Education in the North Pacific (QPENP), a regional Capacity Development Technical Assistance (CDTA) was the first initiative by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), particularly in the Pacific Region to support the development of a new learning assessment tool for use in primary education grades. The three North Pacific countries included in the regional CDTA – Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) and Republic of Palau (PAL) – requested the Asian Development Bank to support implementation of Early Grade Learning Assessment (EGLA) in their respective countries1. This regional CDTA is financed by the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction (JFPR) administered by ADB. The CDTA also intended to address relevant issues currently faced by the education sector in the Pacific countries particularly in improving educational achievements and measuring learning outcomes that will inform better approaches to learning basic skills in literacy and numeracy and eventually impact on improved access to quality education for primary students in FSM, RMI, and Palau. To carry out this CDTA, the ADB has engaged the services of Development Strategists International Consulting, Inc. (DSIC), Philippines, hereafter referred to as the Managing Consultant or “Consultant”. The project was implemented from September 2013 to July 2015. Summary of Major Achievements The major achievements of the CDTA include the following: i. Development and piloting of the EGLA Literacy and Numeracy to 8 pilot and 2 non-pilot schools in FSM and 5 pilot and 2 non-pilot schools in RMI. Two baseline surveys were conducted, one in February 2014 and another in February 2015. ii. All the 13 pilot schools in both RMI and FSM included in the project were provided comprehensive professional development programs for teachers to implement individualized and group learning approaches to improve literacy and numeracy learning. A total of 823 students were assessed in February 2015 as part of the baseline pilot surveys of EGLA. iii. Three major PD programs were implemented in November 2013, June 2014 and October 2014. A total of 521 teachers were trained – 164 in November 2013, 114 in June 2014 and 243 in October-November 2014. 1 Asian Development Bank, March 2012, Technical Assistance Report: Primary Quality Education in the North Pacific. (para. 1). TA 8066: REG - Quality Primary Education in the North Pacific 4 Funded by Asian Development Bank iv. Reprinted over a hundred of literacy materials in the first languages (Marshallese, Kosraean, and Pohnpeian) and in English. These learning materials are now set up in reading corners of the pilot schools. Additionally, math kits and manipulatives were also distributed to all pilot schools in the three project sites. These materials were distributed in June 2014 and November 2014 during the PD for teachers. With these materials, the pilot schools were able to set up reading and numeracy corners in their schools. v. The EMIS system of RMI was reviewed and an EMIS proposal was submitted to RMI MOE that eventually sought support for US funding. A Workshop on EMIS was conducted to FSM EMIS Staff in Ponhpei in July 2014. The EMIS Staff of the four states of FSM attended the workshop. vi. The EGLA Results were shared and presented in workshops and conference in: ° Pacific Early Age Readiness and Learning (PEARL) in Nadi, Fiji on May 4-6, 2015 ° PACIFIC ISLANDS BILINGUAL BICULTURAL ASSOCIATION (PIBBA) in Kosrae, FSM on June 23-25, 2015 ° Micronesia Teacher Education Conference (MTEC) in Ponhpei, FSM on July 21-24, 2015 ° Pacific Educational Conference in Majuro, RMI on July 28-31, 2015. vii. A review of the assessment system of Palau was completed and the Final Report was submitted in January 2015. A workshop to present the results of the review was held in October 2014, and a follow-up capacity building program for MOE to draft the Palau National Student Assessment Policy Framework was conducted on July 14-16, 2015. viii. The TA also supported RMI in drafting their Bilingual Education Policy. The policy was enacted by the Government of the Republic of the Marshall Islands. ix. Prepared two knowledge products – a 12-page Informational Booklet on the QPENP and a three-minute video of the EGLA. The 12-page booklet was distributed during the conference and workshops held in PIBBA, MTEC and PEC. Conclusions The pilot project has shown very promising results in a very short timeframe. The motivation to continue this effort is evident from the feedback received from the participants. It has also become clear that, with specific and focused efforts that TA 8066: REG - Quality Primary Education in the North Pacific 5 Funded by Asian Development Bank increase understanding of actual student learning while improving teaching practice, it is possible to effect significant positive impacts in learning outcomes. The challenge is to systematize and institutionalize such efforts more broadly. It must be acknowledged that other contextual factors may have influenced the positive gains experienced within such a short period of time. Nevertheless, the momentum and commitment generated warrants the project’s further support, as it has shown new ways of approaching assessment and providing support to teachers and student learning. Future efforts would ideally focus on more institutionalization of teacher professional development, including its linkages to pre-service education, while ensuring more bilingual and other targeted learning resources in this effort. Sustainable change in teacher practice through deeper conceptual and pedagogical understanding takes time. Community and parent support will also be key to promoting more comprehensive, accountable, and transparent ways to improve the quality of education for the future young people in the North Pacific. By maintaining a strong focus on providing critical foundations in literacy and numeracy, it is hoped that many more young people will succeed throughout their education and in life. Issues and Recommendations As with any project, there were a number of issues that arose over the life of QPENP which required attention from all major stakeholders. These included scheduling issues; local capacity; and communication. None of these issues, however, have had major negative impacts on the final outputs of the project and have been able to be resolved through dialogue between ADB, MOE/DOE and the consulting team. At all times, the focus has been on achieving project outcomes and solutions were found to ensure that these were met efficiently. Issue: The implicit intention of the project is to provide capacity building to the MOE/DOE staff, particularly in developing the EGLA and designing and implementing professional development of teachers. The implementation of the EGLA, that is, conducting the assessment tool, called for a large number of MOE/DOE staff and the skills and experience required were not always readily available. The Consultants organized series of formal and informal learning sessions with the staff to ensure the development of knowledge and skills to properly implement EGLA when the project