USAID | Aprender a Ler (ApaL) Contract No. AID-656-C-12-00001
FY 2015
2nd Quarterly Progress Report: Jan-Mar 2015
Submitted by World Education, Inc.
April 30th, 2015 Contract No. AID-656-C-12-00001 FY 2015 Q2 Progress Report This publication was produced for review by the United States Agency for International DevelopmentPage | .1
Acronyms & Key Terms
ApaL USAID | Aprender a Ler (Learn to Read) APAL/IE USAID | Aprender a Ler Impact Evaluator AWP Annual Work Plan CLIN Contract Line Item Number CMFD Community Media for Development COP Chief of Party DIPLAC Direcção de Planificação e Cooperação (Directorate for Planning and Cooperation) DNEP Direcção Nacional de Enseno Primario (National Directorate of Primary Education) DNFP Direcção Nacional de Formação de Professores (National Directorate for Teacher Training) DNQ Direcção Nacional de Qualidade (National Directorate for Quality) DPEC Direcção Provincial de Educação e Cultura (Provincial Directorate of Education and Culture) FY Fiscal Year ICP Institutional Capacity Plan (also Plano de Capacitação Institutional or PCI) IEG Impact Evaluation Group IFP Instituto de Formação de Professores (Teacher Training Institute) IGA Institutional Gap Analysis INDE Instituto Nacional de Desenvolvimento de Educação (Curriculum Development Institute) IR Intermediate Result LEI Local education institution LT Lead Trainer (selected Master Teacher or Pedagogical Director) LOC Letter of Commitment (in lieu of MOU agreements at provincial level) MEP Monitoring and Evaluation Plan MINED Ministry of Education PCG Provincial Coordination Group PD Pedagogical Director QR Quarterly Report RPG Reading Planning Group (located at district level) RRP Reading Reinforcement Program SD School Director SDEJT Serviço Distrital de Educação, Juventude e Tecnologia (District Education, Youth and Technical Services) SLP Scripted Lesson Plan SMT School Management Tool SOW Scope of Work STTA Short-Term Technical Support TLA Teaching and Learning Aid (for reading instruction) TOR Terms of Reference UP Universidade Pedagógica de Moçambique (Pedagogical University of Mozambique) UTSA University of Texas - San Antonio USAID United States Agency for International Development WEI World Education Inc. ZIP Zonas de Influência Pedagógica (School Clusters)
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. General Project Information...... 5 1.1 Project Duration: 3 years with additional option year...... 5 1.2 Start Date: July 18, 2012 ...... 5 1.3 Life of project funding: $19,464,644.00 ...... 5 1.4 Geographic Focus: Nampula and Zambézia provinces ...... 5 2. Project Objectives ...... 5 Key Expected Results ...... 6 3. Summary of the Reporting Period ...... 6 3.1 Period Highlights: ...... 6 3.2 Key Challenges this Quarter: ...... 8 3.3 Summary of STTA during this Quarter: ...... 9 4. Project Performance Indicators ...... 9 5. Activities this Quarter ...... 28 Task A: OVERALL PROJECT MANAGEMENT ...... 28 A.1: Project Management ...... 28 A.2: USAID Reporting ...... 29 A.3: Short-Term Technical Assistance ...... 29 TASK B: INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY BUILDING ...... 29 B.1: Stakeholder Engagement ...... 30 B.2: Capacity Building Training ...... 34 B.3: Capacity Building Learning-by-doing ...... 37 B.4: Capacity Building Assessment ...... 39 TASK C: READING REINFORCEMENT PROGRAM (RRP) ...... 40 C.1: Develop and Implement Teacher Training and Coaching Model ...... 40 C.2: Increase Availability of Teaching and Learning Materials to Teachers and Students 45 C.3: Raise Awareness about the importance of Reading Instruction ...... 47 TASK D: SCHOOL DIRECTOR TRAINING & COACHING (SDTC) PROGRAM ...... 47 D.1: Develop and Implement School Director Training and Coaching Model ...... 48 TASK E: MONITORING & EVALUATION ...... 54 E.1: Impact & Evaluation ...... 54 6. Major Implementation Issue ...... 57 7. Key Activities Planned for Next Quarter ...... 57 8. Collaboration with Other Donor Projects ...... 61 9. Administrative Update ...... 61 10. Success Stories and Photos ...... 61 11. Financial Information ...... 61
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List of Annexes: Annex A: Rapid School Assessment Summary - Quelimane
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FY 2015 2nd Quarterly Progress Report: Jan-Mar 2015 1. General Project Information
1.1 Project Duration: 3 years with additional option year
1.2 Start Date: July 18, 2012
1.3 Life of project funding: $19,464,644.00
1.4 Geographic Focus: Nampula and Zambézia provinces
2. Project Objectives
The overall goal of the USAID | Aprender a Ler (ApaL) – Learn to Read – project is to improve reading outcomes of students in grades 2 and 3 in over 1,000 urban and rural target schools in the Zambézia and Nampula provinces. The ultimate measure of project success is “more children reading” in Zambézia and Nampula, in keeping with the overall goal of the project and USAID’s Education Strategy.
To achieve this goal, USAID|ApaL provides key training, coaching, and technical assistance to improve the quality of basic education services, with a specific emphasis on improving early grade reading outcomes. Training and technical assistance will be limited to the provinces of Zambézia and Nampula.
Project goals are closely aligned with the efforts of the Mozambican authorities to improve quality of education as stated in the Strategic Plan for Education 2012-2016. One of the key goals, as indicated in the contract and accompanying documents, is to build the capacity of Local Education Institutions (LEI) to implement and manage USAID|ApaL activities. A key indicator of project sustainability will be the ability of these local stakeholders to assume responsibility for activities. USAID|ApaL will work towards full handover of responsibility based on the demonstrated ability of LEIs to take this on. The project is, therefore, implemented using participatory and learning-by-doing approaches, based on WEI’s extensive experience, to strengthen the technical and organizational skills of LEIs in line with established structures and processes to ensure the sustainability. Handover will occur assuming capacity building, as planned, is successful and local education institutions demonstrate that they are able to deliver and manage the activities per USAID regulations.
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Key Expected Results Project activities will focus on two Intermediate Results (IRs):
IR1. Improved QUALITY of reading instruction in grades 2-3 in targeted schools Sub IR 1.1: Improved In-Service Teacher Training & Coaching Sub IR 1.2: Increased Availability of Learning Materials for Students & Teachers in Grades 2-3
IR2. Increased QUANTITY of reading instruction in grades 2-3 in targeted schools Sub IR 2.1: Strengthened School Management
To achieve these goals, USAID|ApaL will: Train over 2,700 teachers in early grade reading instruction and continuous learning assessment in reading and over 590 school directors in school management to increase classroom reading time; Develop high-quality reading and instructional materials for students and teachers; and Develop and adapt summative and formative assessment instruments to measure improvements in reading ability, instruction quality, and school management skills.
3. Summary of the Reporting Period 3.1 Period Highlights: The start of the 2015 school year and the scale-up of the USAID|ApaL program from 122 to 538 schools took place amidst severe flooding, a month-long power outage, and the collapse of several bridges including the main road link between Nampula and Zambézia provinces. Despite these challenges, and with significant involvement and support from local education institution partners SDEJT, DPEC, IFPs, UPs, ZIPs, and schools, the scale-up was highly successful.
The scale-up phase began with Training of Trainers (TOT) Workshops to prepare a cohort of 119 Early Grade Reading and School Management trainers. These trainers were selected from IFPs (Nampula, Marrere, Quelimane, and Nicoadala), Universidade Pedagógica (UP) of Nampula and Quelimane, and Reading Coaches and School Directors selected from FY14 schools who previous demonstrated skill and commitment during the last year of implementation. Figure 1 USAID|ApaL Senior Reading Expert during a session on the use of smartphone as a pedagogical resource.
Immediately following the TOT Workshops, these skilled trainers went on to conduct training workshops at the district level. As part of the scale-up strategy USAID|ApaL has decentralized the RRP Reading Coach and Lead Trainer (LT) trainings as well as the School Director and ZIP Coordinator Trainings. In total 557 Reading Coaches, 239 LTs, 528 School Directors, and 98 ZIP Coordinators were trained simultaneously in the six program districts by the LEI training cohort.
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During these workshops USAID|ApaL, SDEJT, and DPEC staff served as supervisors and contributed as needed. Supervisors agreed that the quality of the training was high throughout.
Figure 2 SD practices using school management tools for Figure 3 Reading Coach practicing a portion of a RRP lesson tracking teacher attendance and punctuality while observed by local trainers in Mocuba district
TLA distribution was planned to take place prior to the start of the school year but was delayed until mid-February due heavy rains, flooding, and the collapse of numerous bridges in the region as a result. Despite these delays, materials were in the schools in time for the first INSETs and the start of the implementation of RRP lessons in schools. In total, over 2 million decodable books, over 70,000 read- aloud books, and nearly 2,000 sets of alphabet charts with keyword cards for teachers and students and 538 sets of school management tools for school directors were distributed in the quarter.
Following the core RRP and SDTC workshops, the in-service teacher training and school director peer coaching activities began. In the quarter, a total of 5 reading and 2 school management INSET sessions were organized in 102 ZIPs. With the strong involvement of SDEJT and ZIP Coordinators, attendance was high throughout the quarter. A total of 1,854 teachers attended reading INSETs this quarter. This represents an 80% attendance rate which was a significant improvement over the same period last year (59%). School Directors attended the first reading INSETs prior to beginning the school management INSET sessions. A total of 480 SDs attended the two sessions for a participation rate of 89%.
The first round of Rapid School Assessment (RSA) was conducted in March of this quarter. This year, rapid assessments were carried out simultaneously in the six program districts. A total of 98 SDEJT, DPEC, and MINEDH staff were trained to conduct the RSA in early March. In collaboration with SDEJT technical officers, data collection plans were developed to cover all 538 schools in a span of five days. Efforts were made to visit all schools; however, road conditions that
resulted from the heavy rains and flooding made a Figure 4 SDEJT Quelimane technical officer walking number of schools inaccessible by car or through mud to get to school to conduct RSA
Contract No. AID-656-C-12-00001 FY 2015 Q2 Progress Report Page | 7 motorcycle. In total 387 of 538 schools were visited (72%). Of these, 21 were found to be non- functional on the day of visit. The remaining 28% of schools were inaccessible. Within one week of the end of data collection, results were being presented at the district, provincial, and national levels. This included a presentation to the Department for the Management and Guarantee of Quality Education within MINEDH. This department has expressed interest and conducted independent work to integrate the RSA into the national manual for pedagogical supervision.
3.2 Key Challenges this Quarter: The major challenge this quarter came from the heavy rain, flooding, power outages, and collapsed bridges. In four of the six program districts, there was no power throughout the period of the January training workshops. The only road route from Nampula to Zambézia was eliminated when the Licungo bridge collapsed following a period of heavy rain and rising water levels. Several smaller bridges washed out making many schools completely inaccessible at the start of the school year. This created several challenges for the implementation of workshops, delivery of materials, and conducting the RSA. Figure 5 Project car stuck in the mud during RSA due to poor These challenges included: road conditions
Delivering training without electricity required rental of generators in multiple sites to support multiple classrooms in a period when these were in high demand; Participant travel to training sites in Mocuba was made difficult by the collapse of the major bridge connecting the two halves of Mocuba district. Several participants had to travel by boat across the river. The district director of Mocuba played a key role in supporting this by ensuring that participants traveling to the training were given priority boarding on ferry boats making the crossing; Acquisition of basic supplies and materials became a challenge when these could no longer be imported overland from the south to Nampula; Import and clearing of materials arriving from China and South Africa were delayed due to power outages and delays at the port; Printing of training materials was a challenge due to the fact that all local printing companies in Nampula were without electricity and few had functional generators.
Despite these challenges, a huge effort by the Nampula and Zambézia USAID|ApaL teams with strong support from SDEJT, DPEC, IFP, UP and other local partners, the training workshops and materials distribution were fully implemented with high quality and a high level of participation. While the implementation of program activities was able to take place despite these challenges, the education system in the affected areas has been hit by a severe shock that will likely have a negative impact on learning outcomes this year. In program areas, hundreds of school structures were destroyed as a result
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of the harsh weather and many schools are effectively experiencing a delay to the start of the school year as a result of unpassable roads, flooded schools, and teachers and families dealing with consequences.
Beyond the challenges associated with weather, the other main challenge has been in the area of human resource management and planning on the part of districts. When USAID|ApaL was working in a small number of schools in each district, this was less noticeable, but with scale-up covering nearly all schools in a district, teacher and school director transfers have become a significant challenge. Already into the next quarter, USAID|ApaL is still getting somewhat regular reports of teacher, school director, and pedagogical transfer or replacement. This results in school staff members that were trained by the program being replaced by others who have yet to be trained. In a related challenge, districts also made several late changes in school personnel, definition of school clusters, and even establishment of new schools by dividing an existing program school with several annex classrooms into two independent schools. These challenges have occurred despite several rounds of advance planning and show a need for increased capacity building around this issue. In the next quarter, institutional capacity building teams will continue to work with SDEJT to address the issue and may integrate this topic into planned training activities.
3.3 Summary of STTA during this Quarter: Dates STTA
Adam Turney, WEI Program Officer, travelled to Nampula to provide extra 3/9 – 3/27 support for scale-up activities. Tasks included finalization of Operations and Personnel Manuals, documentation support for ApaL finance team, and organization of project data for working with communications.
4. Project Performance Indicators
Q3 Year To INDICATOR FY 3 Target Actual Date
Statistically significant annual (1) 2nd and 3rd Grade Reading Scores of the Early Grade Reading increase (at .05) in NA NA Assessment (EGRA) EGRA domain- based scores from baseline.
Data on reading scores will be measured with the EGRA instrument in September 2015. During March of this quarter, a Rapid School Assessment (RSA) was conducted and included a fluency assessment for 2nd and 3rd grade students. This is assessment conducted in the same way as the oral reading fluency sub-task on the EGRA but uses a different text. The result measured is oral reading fluency in correct words read per minute. These data were collected during March 9 – 13, with additional follow-up data collection during the last two weeks of the month. The results are presented below by district and disaggregated by grade and sex.
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Q3 Year To INDICATOR FY 3 Target Actual Date
Oral Reading Fluency (correct words read per minute) District 2nd Grade 3rd Grade Boys Girls Boys Girls Mocuba 2.1 1.4 4.9 2.8 Nicoadala 3.0 2.2 5.0 3.2 Quelimane 2.9 4.0 8.2 5.7 Average Zambézia 2.5 2.3 6.0 3.6 Province Nampula City 0.9 1.4 2.3 1.7 Monapo 2.1 1.5 6.4 2.4 Murrupula 4.4 2.9 5.2 5.1 Average Nampula 2.8 2.1 5.3 3.7 Province Overall Average 2.7 2.2 5.6 3.7
Given that the data were collected quite early in the school year and only two weeks prior to the first INSET sessions, these results effectively serve as a baseline in the current schools. These results are somewhat higher than what was seen in the Feb/March 2013 program baseline which found average fluency levels below 0.5 cwpm in the 2nd grade and approximately 2 cwpm in the 3rd grade. It should be noted that the text used in the RSA is considerably easier to read than that used for EGRA. Also to be noted is significantly stronger results in Quelimane where traditionally Portuguese is much more widely spoken. The general trend observed last year of boys outperforming girls in oral reading fluency is seen to continue in these data as well. This was also seen in the recent World Bank Service Delivery Indicators report.
(2) Composite indicator of quality instruction in classes *target set as proportion of teachers using 70% or more of quality 70% NA NA instructional practices identified in classroom observation tool
This will be reported in FY15, Q4 based on classroom observations conducted during the EGRA/SMA data collection. Data related to this indicator were collected as part of the RSA which includes a classroom observation of either 2nd or 3rd grade. This structured observation is based on the seven components of the scripted lesson plans. The instrument consists of a series of instructional practices which the SDEJT technical officers must observe during the 45-minute lesson. The score is computed based on the percentage of practices observed. A total of 28 practices were broken into 8 domains:
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Q3 Year To INDICATOR FY 3 Target Actual Date
Preparation: 4 items Revision: 3 items Phonemic awareness: 2 items Phonics: 4 items Fluency: 6 items Comprehension: 4 items Writing exercise: 3 items Homework: 2 items
The table below presents the average results by district and province for each domain on the rapid assessment classroom observation tool. Some observations can be made based on these data:
1. These observations were made after teachers had participated in only three INSET sessions and significant improvement is expected by the next round of observations.
2. There are no large, systematic differences between the districts and provinces, though Quelimane and Monapo seem strongest in their respective provinces.
3. Leaving aside the homework domain, the weakest domains were fluency, comprehension, revision, and phonics. As noticed last year, when teachers first begin to implement RRP lessons they often spend significantly more time than recommended on the phonemic awareness portion of the scripted lesson. This will be addressed in the May training as was done last year.
4. The domain on homework consisted of two items: 1) did the teacher assign homework; and 2) did the teacher distribute decodable books as homework. Since the scripted lesson plans do not always indicate that decodable books be distributed for this purpose, a score of 50% indicates that teachers assigned homework not in the form of a decodable book, but rather an alternative activity. In the May training, we will reinforce the message that books should be taken home to read even if not assigned as homework.
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Q3 Year To INDICATOR FY 3 Target Actual Date
Percentage of maximum score on classroom observation instrument
District
Phonics Fluency
Writing
Revision
Phonemic Phonemic
Awareness
Homework
Preparation Comprehension
Mocuba 71% 57% 79% 53% 48% 58% 61% 48% Nicoadala 77% 53% 68% 55% 47% 54% 63% 39% Quelimane 83% 69% 80% 60% 46% 54% 61% 53% Zambézia 77% 60% 76% 56% 47% 55% 62% 47% Province Nampula 67% 59% 70% 70% 43% 56% 64% 40% City Monapo 79% 64% 76% 74% 56% 70% 76% 54% Murrupula 77% 56% 64% 62% 49% 60% 69% 48% Nampula 74% 60% 70% 69% 49% 62% 70% 47% Province Overall 76% 60% 73% 62% 48% 59% 66% 47%
(3) # of in-service teachers trained in reading instruction 1,484 1,854 1,854
As part of the Reading Reinforcement Program, a total of 5 INSET sessions were planned for 2nd and 3rd grade teachers. These were held on February 21 & 28, March 7, 14, and 28. This year, additional sessions were held at the start of the school year to ensure that teachers get more training early on for a strong start. One major challenge faced in this approach is that even now, at the end of the quarter, SDEJT is still transferring teachers between schools. When this happens, teachers often end up teaching in a different grade. As a result, there are a number of teachers who participated in the first few INSETs but then were replaced by teachers who had yet to participate in an INSET. As a result, while the total number of participants was observed to be high in the sessions, the number of sessions any one individual attended was lower than expected. This results in a somewhat lower performance on this indicator than desired since in order to be counted under this indicator a teacher must have attended 75% of the sessions (4 of 5 sessions). As the final target is computed over all 17 INSETs planned this year, we expect the performance to improve over the course of the year. That said, the overall performance is much improved relative to that observed in the same period last year. Of the 2,317 2nd and 3rd grade teachers in the 538 program schools, a total of 1,854 attended at least 75% of the planned sessions. This gives a success rate of 80%. Last year, for the same reporting period, the success rate was 59%. The improvement is attributed to a number of factors including greater involvement and responsibility of ZIP Coordinators in the
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Q3 Year To INDICATOR FY 3 Target Actual Date management of INSET, improved involvement and supervision of SDEJT technical officers, and extensive communication and mobilization efforts by USAID|ApaL program staff.
The table below summarizes the results by district, grade, and sex.
Number of teachers with greater than 75% attendance rate at INSET Province District Possible Rate M F Total
Nampula 56 215 271 396 68% Monapo 134 36 170 239 71% Nampula Murrupula 141 52 193 243 79% Nampula 331 303 634 878 72% Province Quelimane 158 145 303 384 79% Nicoadala 162 58 220 278 79% Zambezia Mocuba 475 222 697 777 90% Zambézia 795 425 1220 1439 85% Province TOTAL 1126 728 1854 2317 80%
(4) # of in-service teachers coached in reading instruction 1,484 816 816
Reading coaches are trained to conduct monthly classroom observations of all 2nd and 3rd grade teachers as part of their role of providing in-school pedagogical support. Given that the first INSET sessions were held at the end of February, during the quarter these coaching sessions should have been held in March. Reading coaches are trained to use a classroom observation tool during the coaching sessions and then track data using the Reading Coach task register to record the date of the observations for each teacher throughout the year. USAID|ApaL verifies the level of coaching through two different mechanisms:
Verification during Rapid School Assessment Collection of coaching reports sent by schools to district officers by the end of each trimester
To count under this indicator, we use the coaching reports collected by the district officers as this provides information on each individual teacher, while the other two mechanisms provide only summary information (i.e. percentage of teachers receiving at least one coaching visit in the month). The table below gives a summary of the number of teachers receiving at least one coaching visit during the quarter by district, grade, and sex.
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Q3 Year To INDICATOR FY 3 Target Actual Date
Number of Teachers Coached District 2nd Grade 3rd Grade Possible Rate Total M F M F Nampula 29 130 19 146 324 396 82% Monapo 55 22 50 13 140 239 59% Murrupula 0 0 0 0 0 243 0% Nampula 84 152 69 159 464 878 53% Province Quelimane 23 74 25 69 191 384 50% Nicoadala 14 2 10 5 31 278 11% Mocuba 49 25 40 16 130 777 17% Zambézia 86 101 75 90 352 1439 24% Province Totals 170 253 144 249 816 2,317 35%
Given that Reading Coaches only had about one month to conduct observations, the overall rate (especially in Nampula, Monapo, and Quelimane), while low, is reasonable progress. Some of the low performance is due to the fact that by the writing of this report some schools (all from Murrupula) had not yet submitted coaching reports. These data will be updated once all reports are submitted.
The RSA conducted in the early part of March showed that few teachers had received coaching visits by the time of the data collection. In Nampula, an average of 14%, and in Zambézia an average of 17% of 2nd and 3rd grade teachers had received coaching visits. This shows the impact of the RSA visits and presentation of results. The low levels of coaching were a major point of discussion in the district-level presentations. The data indicate that in the two week period following the RSA many more coaching visits were conducted.
In the next quarter, M&E teams will conduct data quality assessment visits in schools to ensure that coaching data is accurately recorded, managed, and shared with program staff on a timelier basis.
(5) # of teacher training packages distributed 240 241 241
Teacher training packages were distributed during the Lead Trainer (LT) training conducted in February. These materials are specific to leading the INSET sessions and include: Teacher’s Manual for 2nd and 3rd grade for each LT LT INSET Manual with scripted plans for INSET sessions for each LT Training materials for each ZIP (notepads, markers, colored paper, flipchart paper, scissors, chalk, tape) One set of TLAs per ZIP
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Q3 Year To INDICATOR FY 3 Target Actual Date
All ZIPs and LTs received these materials. The table below provides the summary data by district and sex. Note that the possible number of LTs targeted was based on the calculation of two LTs per 25 teachers per ZIP. For example, a ZIP with 20 teachers would be assigned two LTs, while a ZIP with 35 teachers would be allocated four LTs, etc. For this reason, in Murrupula the actual number was higher than the “possible” as one additional LT was trained and received material.
Lead Trainers Receiving Province District Materials Possible Rate M F Total Nampula 18 11 29 29 100% Nampula Monapo 27 3 30 30 100% Murrupula 29 6 35 34 103% Nampula 74 20 94 93 101% Quelimane 19 13 32 32 100% Zambezia Nicoadala 32 6 38 32 119% Mocuba 59 18 77 83 93% Zambezia 110 37 147 147 100% Totals 184 57 241 240 100%
(6) # of coaching packages distributed 615 615 615
Coaching packages were distributed to Reading Coaches during the January training. These materials support coaches in providing in-school pedagogical support to teachers and include:
Teacher Manual for 2nd and 3rd grade Reading Coach Manual Classroom observation forms Fluency assessment forms Reading coach task list Smartphone with modelling videos, pronunciation application, and magpi data collection application (one phone per school).
All Reading Coaches received these materials. The table below summarizes the results.
Note that Reading Coaches who did not participate in the full training eventually received materials through follow-up distribution at the school or ZIP level. The possible number listed was based on the calculation of one Reading Coach per six 2nd/3rd grade teachers.
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Q3 Year To INDICATOR FY 3 Target Actual Date
Reading Coaches Receiving Province District Materials Possible Rate M F Total Nampula 24 28 52 52 100% Nampula Monapo 91 9 100 105 95% Murrupula 82 27 109 96 114% Nampula 197 64 261 253 103% Quelimane 51 37 88 89 99% Zambezia Nicoadala 65 16 81 85 95% Mocuba 155 30 185 188 98% Zambezia 271 83 354 362 98% Totals 468 147 615 615 100%
(7) # Selected PDs and/or Master Teachers trained as LTs 240 239 239
As described under IR1 below, LTs were selected from the group of Reading Coaches who demonstrated skill and commitment during the initial Reading Coach training. LTs were selected by SDEJT and program staff to attend an additional 2-day training to prepare them to lead INSET sessions at the ZIP level. To count under this indicator, LTs had to attend both days of training. The table below summarizes participation in the two-day district-level training.
Lead Trainers Participating in Province District 2-day Training Possible Rate M F Total Nampula 18 11 29 29 100% Nampula Monapo 27 3 30 30 100% Murrupula 29 4 33 34 97% Nampula 74 18 92 93 99% Quelimane 19 13 32 32 100% Zambezia Nicoadala 32 6 38 32 119% Mocuba 59 18 77 83 93% Zambezia 110 37 147 147 100% Totals 184 55 239 240 99.6%
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Q3 Year To INDICATOR FY 3 Target Actual Date
(8) # PDs trained in coaching techniques and Classroom 655 557 557 Observation
Reading Coaches (pedagogical directors, cycle leaders, and in some cases 2nd and 3rd grade teachers) participated in a 5-day training in January organized in each of the six program districts. Each of the 538 program schools has at least one Reading Coach. In cases where a school has more than six 2nd and 3rd grade teachers, cycle leaders from the school are also trained to ensure adequate support in each school. The table below summarizes participation in the training. In order to be counted under the indicator, participants had to attend at least four of the five sessions.
Reading Coaches Attending 5- Province District day Training Possible Rate M F Total Nampula 24 28 52 52 100% Nampula Monapo 64 6 70 105 67% Murrupula 69 17 86 96 90% Nampula 157 51 208 253 82% Quelimane 51 37 88 89 99% Zambezia Nicoadala 60 16 76 85 89% Mocuba 155 30 185 188 98% Zambezia 266 83 349 362 96% Totals 423 134 557 615 91%
In all districts, participation was high. In Monapo, there was a group of 22 reading coaches who did not attend the first two days of the training due to communications challenges, the fact that some coaches had to travel from afar to participate in the training, and other challenges related to weather and difficult travel conditions. Since this group only participated in 3 days of training, they do not reach the 75% threshold for this indicator. If they were counted, then participation for Monapo would be 88%, in line with the higher participation rates in the other districts.
(9) # of radio programs developed and used (note that the programs are developed in year one and then the same 15 3 3 programs are used in subsequent years)
A total of 15 radio programs were developed and broadcast last year. This year, the same programs are broadcast through agreements signed with 7 radios. In this quarter, a total of 3 programs were planned for broadcast according to the schedule outlined under IR1 below. All 3 programs were broadcast as confirmed through a broadcast tracking sheet maintained at the radio. USAID|ApaL staff made periodic spot checks by tuning in at the scheduled broadcast time.
(10) # of early grade reading instructional materials distributed 538 538 538 to schools (target is number of schools receiving materials)
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Q3 Year To INDICATOR FY 3 Target Actual Date
In February of this quarter TLAs were distributed to all program schools. Each school received the following: Teacher Manual for 2nd and 3rd grade teachers Set of 18 Read Aloud books (2 copies of each title per teacher) Set of 18 Decodable books (copies sufficient for each 2nd and 3rd grade student to have access) Alphabet banner with keyword cards (1 for each 2nd and 3rd grade teacher)
Materials delivery faced numerous challenges related to the flooding and the collapse of the only bridge linking Nampula and Zambézia by road. By the end of February all materials were delivered. In some cases of schools being inaccessible materials were delivered to the closest ZIP until road conditions allowed for later delivery. Verification of materials was done in coordination with SDEJT and during the RSA data collection. The data below summarize the TLA distribution by district by quantities of each type of material.
Alphabet Keyword Read Aloud Decodable District Charts Cards Books Books Mocuba 635 635 22,860 58,6458 Nicoadala 219 219 7,884 27,5940 Quelimane 295 295 10,620 371,700 Zambézia Province 1,149 1,149 41,364 1,234,098 Nampula City 331 331 12,057 360,058 Monapo 277 279 9,966 340,956 Murrupula 210 210 10,044 178,092 Nampula Province 818 820 32,067 879,106 Overall Total 1,967 1,969 73,431 2,113,204
(11) Teacher Absentee Rate *target is set as proportion of full treatment schools with a total absentee 60% 63% 63% rate below 15% in grades 2 and 3
Teacher absentee rates were determined during the March RSA data collection. Data collection teams made unannounced visits to program schools and observed how many 2nd and 3rd grade teachers were present in relation to the number expect at the time. The table below summarizes the observations by district and sex. Overall, the absentee rates are somewhat lower compared to the rates observed last year (e.g. 31% overall absentee rate in full treatment schools visited during the EGRA/SMA data collection). Nicoadala had the highest absentee rate at 37% overall. Quelimane had the lowest absentee rate and some of the strongest results with respect to oral reading fluency. There do appear to be some differences in absentee rates between male and female teachers, but the differences appear in opposite directions between the two provinces.
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Q3 Year To INDICATOR FY 3 Target Actual Date
District Male Teachers Female Teachers All Teachers Mocuba 25% 23% 24% Nicoadala 43% 31% 37% Quelimane 28% 15% 19% Average Zambézia 29% 21% 25% Province Nampula City 14% 24% 23% Monapo 23% 36% 26% Murrupula 23% 27% 25% Average Nampula 22% 26% 24% Province Overall Average 25% 24% 24%
To compute the performance for this indicator, we examine the proportion of schools having an overall absentee rate lower than 15% averaged over two RSA visits and the EGRA/SMA visit. As this is the first RSA, we use the value from these first visits. This translates effectively into requiring schools with fewer than six teachers total to have 100% attendance while schools larger than this could still count under this indicator with one teacher absent (e.g. 6 of 7 teachers present translates into a 14% absentee rate while 5 of 6 present translates into a 17% absentee rate). The results are summarized below.
% of schools with District absentee rate below 15% Mocuba 63% Nicoadala 54% Quelimane 67% Average Zambézia Province 62% Nampula City 60% Monapo 67% Murrupula 63% Average Nampula Province 64% Overall Average 63%
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Q3 Year To INDICATOR FY 3 Target Actual Date
With the exception of Nicoadala district, all districts had over 60% of schools with an absentee rate below 15%.
10% annual decrease with (12) Student Absentee Rate 32% 32% respect to baseline (56%)
Student absentee rates are observed during the RSA data collection. One 2nd grade and one 3rd grade classroom are randomly selected. In these classrooms, the number of students is compared to the number enrolled to determine the absentee rate. The data below show the overall student absentee rates by district, sex, and grade. The following observations can be made from these data: Overall absentee rates (32% for all grades/districts) are low compared to the same period last year and compared to the baseline value of 56%. There is no strong, systematic variation in absentee rates between boys and girl, nor between 2nd and 3rd grade. Absentee rates do appear slightly higher in Zambézia for boys and girls in both grades.
2nd Grade 3rd Grade District ALL Boys Girls All Boys Girls All
Mocuba 37% 34% 36% 40% 40% 40% 38%
Nicoadala 32% 35% 33% 42% 38% 40% 36%
Quelimane 28% 29% 29% 21% 27% 24% 26%
Average Zambézia 34% 33% 33% 35% 36% 35% 34% Province
Nampula City 27% 31% 29% 35% 36% 36% 32%
Monapo 32% 33% 32% 26% 28% 27% 30%
Murrupula 31% 26% 28% 30% 27% 29% 29%
Average Nampula 31% 30% 30% 29% 29% 29% 30% Province
Overall 32% 31% 32% 32% 33% 33% 32%
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Q3 Year To INDICATOR FY 3 Target Actual Date
(13) Duration of school shift *reporting on this indicator is given as the percentage of schools starting with 60% 41% 41% no more than a 15 minute delay.
During the RSA data collection, teams arrive in schools prior to the start of the school to observe whether classes started on time. The time at which teachers enter the classroom to begin instruction is compared to the official start time to determine the number of minutes of delay to the start of the school day. The observations are summarized below.
Percentage of Schools Average Minutes Late with less than 15 District Start to School Day Minutes Late Start to School Day Mocuba 28 35% Nicoadala 23 43% Quelimane 19 51% Average Zambézia Province 24 41% Nampula City 13 52% Monapo 15 35% Murrupula 20 46% Average Nampula Province 17 42% Overall Average 21 41%
The target for this indicator was 60%, but only 41% schools managed to have start delays less than 15 minutes. In the more urban areas of Quelimane and Nampula City, more schools reached this threshold (51% and 52% respectively). Given that with the expansion to cover nearly all schools in the target districts has included many more rural schools where start delays are more common, reaching this target will be a challenge this year. It is expected that repeated presentation of this data during the RSA district-level presentation and during the May trainings will help schools improve on this indicator by the next quarter.
(14) % of school directors monitoring teacher/student 47% 47% attendance and teacher punctuality 80%
During the RSA, data collection teams review the use of school management tools by school directors. Management tools include teacher attendance and punctuality register, student attendance register, teacher INSET attendance registers, TLA management tools, monthly school reports, etc. Data collection teams observe each instrument to verify if it has been updated and filled out accurately (e.g. daily or monthly). To be counted under this indicator, SDs must have correctly used the teacher attendance and punctuality register AND the student attendance register. These same shall have been updated up through the day of the RSA visit to be considered
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Q3 Year To INDICATOR FY 3 Target Actual Date here. The results are summarized by district in the table below. As seen from the data below, many SDs have not yet begun to use the school management tools for tracking attendance and punctuality. As this was very early in the school year, it is likely that SDs were still busy with management tasks associated with the start of the school year and had yet to begin using these tools. During the presentation of RSA results at the district level with SDEJT technical officers and ZIP Coordinators, this was a particular point of emphasis. During School Support Visits planned for April of the next quarter, SDEJT officers will join ZIP Coordinators on coaching visits to reinforce the use of these tools for better tracking of attendance and punctuality.
% of SDs monitoring District teacher/student attendance and teacher punctuality Mocuba 43% Nicoadala 35% Quelimane 47% Average Zambézia Province 43% Nampula City 48% Monapo 48% Murrupula 60% Average Nampula Province 53% Overall Average 47%
(15) # of in-service school directors trained in school 528 528 management to support the reading component 538
This quarter, School Directors attended a four-day workshop on improved school management. The training was held at the district level simultaneously in all six program districts. To count under this indicator, SDs had to attend at least three of the four days of training to make the 75% threshold. The participation is summarized in the table below.
As can be seen, participation was high across all districts, reaching above 90%.
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Q3 Year To INDICATOR FY 3 Target Actual Date
SDs Attending 4-day Workshop District M F Total Target Rate Nampula 19 5 24 25 96% Monapo 89 4 93 100 93% Murrupula 85 6 91 93 98% Nampula Province 193 15 208 218 95% Quelimane 47 13 60 60 100% Nicoadala 65 9 74 74 100% Mocuba 161 25 186 186 100% Zambézia Province 270 37 307 320 100% Overall 466 62 528 538 98%
(16) # of in-service school directors coached in school 123 123 management to support the reading component 436
Following the first school management INSET in March, ZIP Coordinators began to conduct monthly coaching visits in the schools in their ZIP. The target for this indicator (426) is set by the total number of schools (538) minus the number of ZIPs (102). Given that coaching visits began in the 2nd week of the last month of the quarter, many districts and ZIPs did not realize coaching visits this period. In these cases, the coaching visits will take place early in the next quarter. This was particularly the case for Murrupula, Nicoadala, and Mocuba districts. By next quarter, we expect coaching visits to be taking place more regularly. The data is summarized in the table below. SDs Receiving Coaching Visits by ZIP Coordinators District M F Total Target Rate Nampula 12 2 14 16 88% Monapo 60 0 60 85 71% Murrupula 16 2 18 76 24% Nampula Province 88 4 92 177 52% Quelimane 24 7 31 48 65% Nicoadala 0 0 0 59 0% Mocuba 0 0 0 152 0% Zambézia Province 24 7 31 259 12% Overall 112 11 123 436 28%
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Q3 Year To INDICATOR FY 3 Target Actual Date
(17) # of school directors attending improved school 480 480 management meetings at school cluster level 538
School directors attended the first two reading INSETs prior to the start of the school management INSET sessions in order to ensure that they had a more complete understanding of the RRP and what to expect from teachers and reading coaches implementing the program in their school. In the quarter, there were two improved school management meetings held on March 14 and March 28. The table summarizes indicator performance for the quarter. Note that to be counted under this indicator, SDs had to attend both INSET sessions to reach the 75% threshold. Overall attendance was high for the two sessions with nearly 90% of all directors attending both sessions.
SDs Attending School Management INSET District M F Total Possible Rate Nampula 14 4 18 25 72% Monapo 80 4 84 100 84% Murrupula 67 6 73 93 78% Nampula 161 14 175 218 80% Province Quelimane 43 17 60 60 100% Nicoadala 53 20 73 74 99% Mocuba 142 30 172 186 92% Zambézia 238 67 305 320 95% Province Overall 399 81 480 538 89%
(18) # of ZIP Coordinators trained in school management to support the reading component, coaching and meeting 102 98 98 facilitation
In January, following the 4-day INSET training, ZIP Coordinators participated in a two-day training in order to prepare them for their role as peer coach and school management INSET facilitator. To count under this indicator, ZIP Coordinators had to participate in both days of the training. All but four ZIP Coordinators participated in the training. In one case, the ZIP had yet to receive a ZIP Coordinator at the time of the training and the other cases were due to ZIPs being divided to create new ZIPs prior to the training. In these cases, follow-up visits were made by USAID|ApaL staff to ensure that all received some level of orientation. The table below summarizes participation in the training.
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Q3 Year To INDICATOR FY 3 Target Actual Date
ZIP Coordinators Trained District M F Total Possible Rate Nampula 5 3 8 9 89% Monapo 15 0 15 15 100% Murrupula 16 1 17 17 100% Nampula 37 4 41 41 98% Province Quelimane 11 1 12 12 100% Nicoadala 12 3 15 15 100% Mocuba 26 5 31 34 91% Zambézia 49 9 58 61 95% Province Overall 86 13 98 102 96%
(19) # of school management materials distributed 538 538 538
School management materials were distributed to all school directors during the January trainings and during follow up visits in schools and ZIPs. The following materials were distributed: School Management Tools and Guide Peer Coaching Framework and School Management INSET Guide School Director Training and Coaching Framework School Support Guide Set of 10 posters on Effective School Management
The table below provides a summary of directors receiving materials. SDs Receiving Materials District M F Total Possible Rate Nampula 20 5 25 25 100% Monapo 96 4 100 100 100% Murrupula 88 5 93 93 100% Nampula Province 204 14 218 218 100% Quelimane 48 12 60 60 100% Nicoadala 63 11 74 74 100% Mocuba 164 22 186 186 100% Zambézia Province 275 45 320 320 100% Overall 479 59 538 538 100%
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Q3 Year To INDICATOR FY 3 Target Actual Date
(20) Number of LEI staff qualified to lead technical delivery of program components as determined by technical capacity 78 119 119 assessments
Prior to the training of Reading Coaches, LTs, and SDs a training of trainers (TOT) workshop was held at the provincial level to prepare a group of Early Grade Reading and School Management Trainers. The objective of the workshop was to prepare these trainers to lead the district-level RRP and STDC workshops. In order to ensure quality of the cascade, more trainers participated in the TOT workshop than would eventually be needed. A technical capacity assessment in the form of a written test and observations by USAID|ApaL and SDEJT was used to select the best trainers from the larger group to go on to lead the district-level trainings. The table below summarizes information on number of trainees and number selected as qualified to lead technical delivery of RRP and SDTC program.
Reading
Institution Trained Selected
M F Total M F Total IFP 13 5 18 11 4 15 UP 18 9 27 13 6 19 Reading Coaches from 2014 Schools 31 11 42 30 11 41 Total 62 25 87 54 21 75
School Management
IFP 21 4 25 16 3 19 UP 15 5 20 10 4 14 School Directors from 2014 schools 11 2 13 9 2 11 Total 47 11 58 35 9 44 Total LEI trainers (Reading and 109 36 145 89 30 119 Management)
(21) ROA assessment scores obtained from SDEJT 5 5 *reported as number of districts reaching target ROA score of 0.6 (max 1.0) 6
Rapid Organization Assessment (ROA) is conducted with districts to reflect upon organizational and technical capacity to lead the implementation of core USAID|ApaL activities. As part of the Institutional Capacity Building strategy, SDEJT staff take a large role in the planning, implementation, and monitoring of USAID|ApaL activities as a way of preparing them to independently implement activities such as INSET or RSA in the future. The ROA is conducted as a meeting with SDEJT focal points from various departments within SDEJT including General Education, Planning, Administration, Finance, and Human Resources. During the meeting, an assessment is made in
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Q3 Year To INDICATOR FY 3 Target Actual Date two areas: 1) Existing Organizational Capacity; and 2) Implementation Practice. In the first part of this process a group analysis is carried out to examine strengths and weaknesses with respect to planning, financial management, technical reporting and data management, and institutional resources. In the second half of the meeting the group conducts an analysis to examine to what extent SDEJT is leading USAID|ApaL components of INSET and Rapid School Assessment. The group analysis is used to assign a numerical score to each of the areas noted above. The final score is compared to the maximum possible score to assign a percentage. The target for the indicator is given as the number of districts reaching at least 60% of the maximum score. During the quarter, the ROA was implemented in 5 of 6 districts and all 5 reached a score above 60%. In Mocuba district, the ROA was delayed until early next quarter (completed by the time of writing this report) due to the fact that the district director of Mocuba was replaced with a new director on the same day for which the ROA was originally scheduled. The table below gives a summary of the ROA score by district.
District ROA score Nampula 0.7 Monapo 0.8 Murrupula 0.8 Quelimane 0.8 Nicoadala 0.7 Mocuba (Q3) 0.8
(22) # of District Planning Groups (DPG) formed and 6 6 functioning 6
District planning groups are composed of the core group SDEJT technical officers involved in the implementation of USAID|ApaL activities. Each district has assigned technical officers to correspond to either reading or school management activities with both groups participating in trainings, INSET, and RSA. These groups meet on a regular basis with USAID|ApaL District Officers and participate in the quarterly meetings to review RSA results and create plans for School Support Visits. More details are given below on the number of members in each district group.
(23) # of Provincial Coordination Groups (PCG) formed and 2 2 functioning 2
In each province, focal points for reading and school management have been identified and participate in all program activities, as well as quarterly meetings at the district and provincial levels. See below for more details on groups members.
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5. Activities this Quarter
Task A: OVERALL PROJECT MANAGEMENT Key Successes: Arrival and integration into team of Chief of Operations and Finance (COF), Adem Abdella in January. New National M&E Coordinator Dan Lole was hired and trained in February to take over all M&E Coordination activities previously overseen by current COP David Noyes. Staff planning meeting held in January to ensure successful implementation of key training activities for the quarter. Three of four ex-patriot staff now have work authorization for Mozambique. The final work authorization is expected in the next quarter. Key Challenges: Logistical challenges were numerous and included month-long power outages in January, flooding, and the collapse of numerous bridges, including the only road link between Nampula and Zambézia. These events complicated procurement and distribution of materials and supplies for the trainings. Generators were required in four of six districts where trainings were held. The high rates of participation in the January trainings were due to huge efforts by USAID|ApaL staff with strong support from DPEC and SDEJT. A.1: Project Management A.1.2: Quarterly Planning Meetings Quarterly staff planning meeting
Technical staff from Zambézia traveled to Nampula to participate in a two-day quarterly planning meeting in January. The working meeting focused on technical and logistical plans for the quarter with a particular focus on plans for the January trainings. As this was the first time that USAID|ApaL was holding training at the district level (simultaneously in six districts), extensive planning and coordination among technical and logistical teams was required. By the end of the two days, all teams had prepared logistics plans, reviewed technical content of the trainings, and prepared M&E and financial tools for support of the trainings and other activities in the quarter. Figure 6 USAID|ApaL M&E team review data collection tools for January training and MEP indicators
A.1.3: Regular Staff Meetings Weekly and monthly staff meetings in each province ApaL has weekly all staff meetings, as well as meetings with only the technical team. The administration and logistics staff also meet separately as a team. This occurs in both provinces, and communication between Zambézia staff, the technical teams, and senior management occurs daily. The standing project meetings are as follows:
. Monday-9:00am, all staff meeting in both provinces . Monday-9:30am, senior technical team meetings . Monday-9:30am, COF and Admin/Finance meeting
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. Monday-11:30am, COP and Provincial Coordinator Zambézia weekly meeting via Skype . Tuesday-4:30pm, COP and WEI meeting via skype . USAID COR and COP have a weekly phone call every Tuesday at 1:00pm.
A.2: USAID Reporting A.2.2: Quarterly Progress Reports (QPRs) January 31: FY15Q1 QPR Submitted to USAID
A.2.3: Quarterly Financial Reports (SF 425) January 31: FY15Q1 QFR Submitted to USAID
A.2.6: Annual Project Review (APR) APR with USAID and MINED (Maputo)
March 16 – 18 a technical team from USAID|ApaL traveled for quarterly meetings in Maputo with USAID and MINEDH. During this meeting, the annual project review was held on March 17th with COR Jim Dobson, USAID contracts officer Joe Hamilton, USAID|ApaL COP David Noyes, and USAID|ApaL Senior School Management Expert Valentina Asquini. The meeting focused on a review of the FY14 Annual Work Plan, key successes, and key challenges. The overall conclusion was that FY14 was a successful year where many of the challenges faced in FY13 had been overcome, and which resulted in significant impact in full and medium treatment schools.
A.2.7: USAID Quarterly Review Meetings FY15Q1 review meetings (Maputo) During the quarterly meetings noted above, the USAID|ApaL technical team (David Noyes, Valentina Asquini, Dan Lole, and Allex Meque) met with USAID to review activities from the previous quarter. Specific attention was placed on the challenges of scale up and how they were overcome, particularly with the challenges created by the flooding and power outages that occurred during the peak of program activity. The fact that the program was able to successfully implement at a larger scale in the face of these logistical challenges gives confidence for the rest of the current program year and any future scale up.
On March 17th, the technical team also made a presentation at USAID to cooperating partners from Save the Children, UNICEF, World Bank, and others. Approximately 20 people attended and there was significant interest all around. Many stayed after the presentation to discuss further questions and ways to collaborate either through participation in the upcoming Dia de Leitura event, or by attending future USAID|ApaL trainings.
A.3: Short-Term Technical Assistance A.3.1: Anticipated International STTA Travel RRP STTA Travel M&E STTA Travel for qualitative data collection No STTA was required for the quarter. Next quarter, it is anticipated that Marcia Davidson will travel to support the development of leveled books. TASK B: INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY BUILDING Key Successes:
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USAID|ApaL successfully selected and trained a cohort of Early Grade Reading and School Management trainers from IFPs, UP, and schools from FY14 implementation to support the implementation of RRP and SDTC trainings at district level for SDs, PDs, and Cycle Leaders from 538 schools in six program districts.
As part of MINEDH National Task Force meetings, USAID|ApaL staff presented the Rapid School Assessment (RSA) strategy, tools, and results to technical officers from the Department for the Management and Gaurantee of Quality Education (DGGQ). This department also sent three technical officers to attend the January trainings and the Rapid School Assessment training and data collection. This high level of involvement from DGGQ stems from the fact that they intend to integrate the RSA strategy and tools into their manual for district supervision. If this does indeed move forward, it would be a great success for the program.
During the quarter, SDEJT leadership and technical staff demonstrated significant involvement in preparation and implementation of USAID|ApaL activities at the district level. The additional logistical and technical support was essential to the successful program scale-up.
Key Challenges: While SDEJT was significantly involved in the planning, implementation, and logistical support this quarter, SDEJT human resource and information management has been a significant challenge this year. This was particularly so in the Mocuba district, where in January and February the district was still creating new schools from existing target schools and their annex classes. The district was redistributing schools among ZIPs and creating new ZIPs. This resulted in an increase in the total number of schools from 522 to 538 and the total number of ZIPs from 96 to 106. This had an impact of training and distribution of materials that created an additional logistics burden on the program. In the Monapo and Murrupula districts, several school directors were fired and replaced by new directors in the days prior to the district-level SD training. These challenges were overcome by conducting following up training and by following up on the materials distribution repeatedly. Even still, there are on-going teacher transfers which negatively affect the INSET program. There are several cases of teachers attending the first two or three INSETs only to be replaced by a new teacher who has not yet been trained. Once this teacher is integrated into the INSET program, it takes some additional time for them to get up to speed on the methodology, use of TLAs, etc. USAID|ApaL communicated extensively with each district prior to the start to start of the school year about these issues and always involve staff from SDEJT human resources department in trainings, meetings, and rapid assessments. We will continue to do so in the next quarter and may address some of these issues in targeted institutional capacity building trainings. B.1: Stakeholder Engagement B.1.2: MINEDH National Task Force Meetings Q2 MINED National Task Force meetings (combined with APR) (Maputo)
Two separate meetings were held with MINEDH during the quarter. The first meeting was held in January as a follow-up meeting from the Q1 task force meeting. The purpose of the meeting was for USAID|ApaL COP and technical teams to present to the MINEDH working group for district supervision. In prior meetings with the National Director for Quality, Abel Assis, he expressed his department’s objective of institutionalizing district supervision as a method of improving education quality in Mozambique. Director Assis also expressed interest in USAID|ApaL Rapid School Assessment
Contract No. AID-656-C-12-00001 FY 2015 Q2 Progress Report Page | 30 tools and strategies to be integrated into the national manual for district supervision. To this end, a meeting was held in Maputo on January 16th to present the overall USAID|ApaL strategy with a specific focus on the RSA and the tools used. In the draft version of the manual for district supervision there are a number of indicators and tools for collecting data on these indicators. However, MINEDH had yet to develop tools or procedures for supervision related to teacher and student attendance, punctuality, and student learning outcomes. Rather than reinventing these tools, they asked to use the USAID|ApaL RSA instrument. The program has since provided all instruments and several PowerPoint presentations to MINEDH to support the integration into the district supervision manual.
The USAID|ApaL technical team traveled to Maputo on March 16 – 18 to hold the quarterly meeting with USAID and MINEDH. During this time, the following meetings were held: March 16: Meeting with Manuel Rego (National Director of Planning and Cooperation), Feliciano Mahalambe, (National Director for Teacher Training), Abel Assis (National Director for the Management and Guarantee of Quality), and Jim Dobson and Antonio Francisco from USAID. The meeting was used to review all activity from the previous quarter, including program scale-up strategies that allowed coverage of 538 in six districts, logistical challenges associated with flooding, power outages, and collapsed bridges, and the plans for the next quarter.
March 17: Meetings with USAID (annual review and donor presentation) as described above.
March 18: Presentation to approximately 20 technical officers from various departments within MINEDH who are all linked to the Department for Education Quality. The presentation covered an overview of USAID|ApaL strategies, teaching and learning materials, and assessment instruments. This presentation was further linked to the potential inclusion of the Rapid School Assessment into the district supervision manual. The presentation lasted for an hour and a half and was followed by an hour of questions from a group that was clearly very interested in understanding how RSA could be scaled up to more districts.
B.1.3: Participatory Annual Planning / Review Process Annual Provincial Stakeholder Meetings (NPL/ZBZ) On January 16th, in Zambézia, a meeting was held with DPEC, SDEJT, IFPs, UP, and local NGO partners to present EGRA/SMA results and review the USAID|ApaL 2015 implementation strategy. A total of 44 people attended this stakeholder meeting which was followed by a lively discussion on the challenges and opportunities ahead in 2015. This was a good opportunity prior to the main trainings in January to bring the partners on board. In Nampula, due to schedule conflicts between DPEC, SDEJT, IFP, and UP, it was not possible to bring all groups together. Instead, individual meetings were held with each group to cover the same topics and prepare for the January trainings.
B.1.4: District Program Management Group (PMG) Quarterly Meetings PMG Quarterly Meetings in each district (NPL/ZBZ) The program strategy of placing USAID|ApaL District Officers (DOs) in each district, based in the offices of SDEJT has helped to improving planning, institutional capacity building, monitoring of program activities. DOs in each district hold regular meetings with department heads of SDEJT, and at least once per month meet with the larger group of technical officers to discuss plans, review progress, and address challenges. This is especially important for regular INSET monitoring. Throughout the quarter, SDEJT officers have conducted INSET monitoring for all INSETs held this quarter. In the week after the INSET sessions, DOs meet with SDEJT staff members who conducted supervision to discuss any challenges observed and provide feedback to program staff. According to one technical officer in
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Murrupula, these regular meetings have also improved management and communication within the district as these types of interactions were not routine in the past. In addition to these regular meetings, each quarter a larger meeting of the PMG is held to review the results of the Rapid School Assessment. During this meeting, ZIP Coordinators also attend to review results and plan jointly with SDEJT technical officers on actions to improve performance. During this meeting, the School Support Guide was distributed to both SDEJT and ZIP Coordinators who then made plans for School Support Visits to take place in the following month. These meetings are an essential piece of the overall USAID|ApaL training, coaching, assessment, and support cycle. SDs, PDs, and teachers first receive training, then in-school or ZIP-level coaching, assessment via the RSA, and then use of the RSA results to provide additional support to schools. The table below summarizes participation at this meeting. Note that in Nampula, a separate meeting was held with DPEC which is why they do not appear in the table below.
Monapo Murrupula Nampula Mocuba Nicoadala Quelimane Institution March 30 March 27 March 26 March 23 March 20 March 24
SDEJT 15 12 7 4 8 9
ZIP Coordinator 15 16 7 32 15 12
DPEC 0 0 0 1 1 4
Total 30 28 14 37 24 25
B.1.5: Provincial Coordination Group Quarterly Meetings PCG Quarterly Meetings (NPL/ZBZ) In addition to regular meetings at the district level, USAID|ApaL staff is in regular contact with focal points at the provincial level. DPEC focal points participate in all RRP and SDTC trainings, INSET monitoring, RSA data collection, and district PMG meetings. In addition to these and other periodic meetings, a quarterly coordination meeting is held to present results of the Rapid Assessment at the provincial level. In Nampula, this meeting was held on March 31st with the participation of 20 technical officers from the Pedagogical Department of DPEC. In Zambézia, a team from DPEC (including the adjunct provincial director) attended the result presentation in Quelimane since a scheduling conflict within DPEC did not allow for a larger separate meeting during the quarter following the RSA data collection. A separate meeting for a larger group of DPEC techincal officers is planned for early in the next quarter. B.1.6: Follow-up Meetings with LEI Stakeholders LEI Stakeholder meetings as needed to follow up on implementation and ensure advance planning Throughout the quarter, several meetings were held with various LEI stakeholders to ensure sufficient planning, respond to various challenges, and to ensure successful implementation of RRP and SDTC program strategies. During the quarter, the following meetings were held: USAID|ApaL ICB staff met with representatives of the Municipality of Nampula to discuss the objectives and strategies of the program. The municipality was in the process of reviewing the
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possibility of transferring responsibility for management of school in Nampula City from the district government to the municipality.
USAID|ApaL ICB staff met with the director of UP, Nampula delegation to discuss the current collaboration and explore future possibilities (research programs, internships with the program, and the potential to include a course at UP on USAID|ApaL methodologies). The director was very flexible and open to future collaboration.
USAID|ApaL ICB staff met with chief provincial inspector from DPEC in Nampula and Zambézia. The objective of these meetings was to present the RSA strategy and tools in order share best practices. The inspectors were not able to participate in the March RSA, but there is possibility for the next round in June.
Several meetings were held with the head of administration and finance with DPEC in both provinces (Chefe de DAF) in order to discuss integration of a session into the SDTC January training agenda on the use of the “mapa de efectividade.” This is the instrument, and associated administrative measures, that all school directors are meant to use for reporting unexcused absences on the part of teachers.
USAID|ApaL Nampula District Officer participated in a meeting organized by DPEC of Nampula to discuss strategies to address the challenges created by the heavy rains and flooding that took place in the early part of this year.
Several meetings were held with IFPs of Nampula, Marerre, Quelimane, and Nicoadala to discuss training plans, logistics details, and other areas of support. This year, the IFPs of Quelimane, Nicoadala, and Nampula hosted several of the main training activities. The IFP of Marrere provided support by allocating storage space for TLAs while they were organized for distribution to schools.
USAID|ApaL participated in a coordination meeting with NGO members of the Education Forum of Nampula. The point of the meeting was to establish the operational framework of the forum and to develop strategies to improve coordination among the NGO partners.
A meeting was held between USAID|ApaL and a team from UCM (Catholic University of Mozambique). UCM expressed interest in partnering with USAID|ApaL to conduct small research projects. This will be further explored in the next quarter.
Following the January trainings in Monapo, USAID|ApaL staff, along with MINEDH representatives, and the district director of Monapo were invited to dinner with the administrator for Monapo district. During the dinner the various challenges to improving reading outcomes in the district were discussed along with some of the successes that had been seen to date. The administrator expressed his satisfaction with the progress that the program has contributed to in the district and the desire that the program include the first grade in the future.
On March 27 USAID|ApaL alongside the Quelimane delegation of UP made a joint presentation on efforts to improve reading outcomes for children in Mozambique. The event featured
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presentations by USAID|ApaL on the 2014 impact evalutation results and the 2015 implementation strategy, as well as contributions from DPEC, and UP.
USAID|ApaL Provincial Coordinator in Zambézia met with the technical group of Zambézia education forum (FEDUZA) to discuss participation in the global action week for education for all, preparation of annual education partners report for Zambézia, and discussion of the impact of the heavy rains and flooding in the region.
Throughout the quarter, USAID|ApaL staff held individual meetings with district directors to try to encourage greater participation in future training activities and RSA. This was particularly successful for Monapo and Murrupula districts where the district directors were actively involved in the January trainings and RSA training and data collection.
USAID|ApaL COP and Provincial Coordinator for Zambézia province met with the adjunct provincial director to present the results of the RSA and discuss plans for Dia de Leitura. B.2: Capacity Building Training B.2.1: RRP ToT RRP TOT (NPL/ZBZ) In Nampula and Zambézia province, a training of trainers (TOT) workshop was held to prepare a cohort of Early Grade Reading trainers to deliver the district-level Reading Coach and Lead Trainer workshops. This cohort included trainers from IFPs (Nampula, Nicoadala, and Quelimane), UPs (Nampula and Quelimane), and a group of Reading Coaches from schools targeted in FY14 who demonstrated outstanding performance and commitment throughout the last year. After extensive planning and Figure 7 Newly trained Early Grade Reading Trainer explains fluency assessment to a meetings in the previous group of new Reading Coaches in Monapo. quarter to ensure commitment, a total of 87 trainers (18 from IFPs, 27 from UP, and 42 from FY14 schools) were invited to attend the 5-day workshop from January 19 – 23. The TOT workshop provided an in-depth presentation of the RRP, along with extensive practice in facilitation of the Reading Coach and Lead Trainer training sessions. Reading focal points and USAID|ApaL technical staff served as supervisors during the process and made a final selection of 75 (15 from IFPs, 19 from UP, and 41 from FY14 schools) trainers deemed qualified to lead trainings at the district level. The group of Reading Coaches from FY14 schools proved exceptionally capable during the district-level trainings as they brought a wealth of experience gained through the project over the last year. Combining trainers from the three different categories also proved an effective strategy, as each group brings a different mix of strengths
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B.2.2: SDTC ToT SDTC TOT (NPL/ZBZ) A TOT workshop was also organized to prepare a cohort of School Management trainers to lead the district-level school director and ZIP Coordinator workshops. This cohort included trainers from IFPs (Marrere, Nicoadala, and Quelimane), UPs (Nampula and Quelimane), and a group of School Directors from schools targeted in FY14 who demonstrated outstanding performance and commitment throughout the last year. After extensive planning and meetings in the previous quarter to ensure commitment, a total of 58 trainers (25 from IFPs, 20 from UP, and 13 from FY14 schools) were invited to attend the 5-day workshop from January 19 – 23. The TOT workshop provided an in-depth presentation of the STDC program along with extensive practice in facilitation of the STDC training sessions. Reading focal points and USAID|ApaL technical staff served as supervisors during the process and made a final selection of 44 (19 from IFPs, 14 from UP, and 11 from FY14 schools) trainers deemed qualified to lead trainings at the district level. B.2.4: INSET Management and Monitoring Training In order to prepare SDEJT staff to conduct INSET monitoring, USAID|ApaL reading and school management technical team members conducted a half-day orientation in February on monitoring and coaching techniques for reading and school managment INSETs. These same SDEJT technical officers had already attended either the reading or school management trainings, and so the half-day training focused specifically on INSET. Detailed coaching guides for SDEJT supervisors have been developed for each reading and school mangement INSET session. These guides highlight key topics that SDEJT supervisors should ensure get covered during the INSET and give guidance on the types of interventions they should make in case one of these topics is skipped or not covered adequately. As part of organizational capacity building, SDEJT plays a financial oversight role in the management of INSET. While the districts do not actually manage any funds, they review all budget requests from schools and receive the reports from ZIP Coordinators following each session. Having the district involved in the process not only improves accountability and transparency, but also builds the district’s financial management and oversight capacity. During the five reading and two school management INSETs this quarter, SDEJT, in addition to IFP, UP, and SD and PD trainers, carried out INSET monitoring. The table below provides a summary of this monitoring support over the quarter. LEI Staff Involvement in INSET Monitoring Nampula Zambézia Institution Reading Nampula Monapo Murrupula Quelimane Nicoadala Mocuba SDEJT 3 10 9 4 4 4 IFP 3 0 0 6 4 0 UP 3 0 0 10 0 0 LTs 5 5 6 4 7 13 TOTAL 14 15 15 24 15 17 School Management SDEJT 4 10 10 4 6 5 IFP 6 0 1 6 6 0 UP 2 0 0 12 0 0
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SDs 3 3 2 0 1 5 TOTAL 15 13 13 22 13 10
B.2.5: School Support & Monitoring Training During the PMG meetings at the end of March noted above, SDEJT technical officers, as well as ZIP Coordinators, were trained to use the RSA data and the School Support Guide to plan and conduct School Support Visits. The training consisted primarily of small group work with SDEJT technical officers working with a group of ZIP Coordinators to review the RSA data for their ZIPs and discuss the challenges indicated by the data, as well as potential solutions. As an example, when a school or ZIP was observed to have low fluency levels according to the Rapid Assessment, the following line of analysis was encouraged and developed: Figure 8 SDEJT technical officers review data from RSA with In the classroom where the poor ZIP Coordinators in Nicoadala results were obtained: o Has the teacher been attending INSET regularly? o Has the teacher received coaching visits from the Reading Coach? o Has the teacher been frequently absent or late in the last month (refer to school management tools for the data)? o Is the teacher using the TLAs such as decodable books or read aloud books on a daily basis? o Are students from the class taking decodable books home to read with family members? This type of analysis allows the school director to take steps to improve performance (e.g. by planning coaching visits with the Reading Coach if they have yet to take place or making efforts to ensure teachers regularly attend INSET sessions). Once this analysis has been completed, ZIP Coordinators make a joint follow-up plan with SDEJT technical officers where they will visit schools most in need of support (as indicated by the data). By conducting the visits jointly with SDEJT, ZIP Coordinators are also playing an important role in increasing the accountability of schools on issues such as teacher attendance. B.2.6: Rapid School Assessment Training RSA I Training (NPL/ZBZ) Rapid School Assessment training was carried out in Nampula and Zambézia from March 4 – 6. In addition to technical officers from SDEJT, there was participation from MINEDH staff from the Department for Management and Guarantee of Education Quality, DPEC Nampula and Zambezia, and a visiting team from DPEC Sofala and the German Cooperation (GIZ). All SDEJT technical staff had already attended previous USAID|ApaL RRP and SDTC workshop. The RSA training therefore focused on what indicators should be observable in a school that is implementing the program, a presentation and deep study of the RSA instrument including modeling and simulation of various sub-components, use
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Institution Male Female Total SDEJT 67 23 90 DPEC 3 2 5 MINEDH 3 0 3 TOTAL 73 25 98
B.3: Capacity Building Learning-by-doing B.3.1: RRP Training Facilitation Co-facilitation of Reading Coach trainings (NPL/ZBZ) Co-facilitation of Lead Trainer training (NPL/ZBZ) B.3.2: SDTC Training Facilitation Co-facilitation of SD training (NPL/ZBZ) Learning-by doing is a core component of the overall Institutional Capacity Building strategy. Individuals from LEIs (DPEC, SDEJT, IFPs, UPs, ZIPs, and schools) are given training and coaching to equip them with the skills and confidence to lead delivery of program components. As mentioned elsewhere in the report, the cohort of Early Grade Reading and School Management led the training workshops at the district level for the RRP. These workshops were almost entirely led by LEI staff with support and supervision from USAID|ApaL, SDEJT, and DPEC staff. This was a key piece of the strategy to test as part of the overall program scale-up strategy. In order to ensure that the RRP and STDC program can be taken to scale in a cost effective manner, training facilitation, supervision, monitoring, and support must come from LEIs. In the January training workshops USAID|ApaL demonstrated that this is not only possible but very effective. Some observations made during the co-facilitation of the RRP and SDTC training workshops were that:
Combining experienced School Directors or Reading Coaches who had worked in schools where USAID|ApaL implemented last year with expert trainers from local training institutions was an effective strategy. This combined the practical experience of working within the USAID|ApaL program and the pedagogical experience of seasoned trainers;
In many cases the strongest trainers were those that participated in USAID|ApaL during FY14. During FY14 USAID|ApaL effectively established a valuable resource of skilled trainers in many schools. In total, 41 Reading Coaches were selected from 122 schools from FY14 and 11 School Directors were selected from the 61 full treatment schools of FY14 to lead trainings this year. As the program has scaled up to cover many more schools, this resource of potential trainers will likely grow even larger.
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The involvement of SDEJT and DPEC technical officers in a supervision role also proved effective, particularly when addressing issues such as teacher attendance and punctuality. When a department leader from DPEC discusses these issues using the same language as USAID|ApaL, the effect is much stronger than when it comes from the project.
B.3.3: INSET Management & Monitoring INSET monitoring/support facilitation (NPL/ZBZ) LEI staff conducts INSET Monitoring As noted above, SDEJT, DPEC, IFP, UP, and FY14 school staff conducted monitoring of reading and school management INSET throughout the quarter. As shown in the table in the previous section, each district was allocated a number of LEI supervisors to conduct the monitoring using a detailed INSET coaching guide tailored to each INSET session. The presence of these supervisors also likely helped to keep INSET attendance rates high.
Figure 9 Two supervisors from SDEJT of Monapo during INSET session giving feedback based on coaching form and consulting scripted lesson plan during simulation of a lesson. B.3.4: Quarterly RSA Implementation & Results Presentation As noted above and detailed below in the M&E section, the RSA was implemented immediately following the training, primarily from March 9 – 13, with additional follow-up during March 16 – 22. The results were presented during the PMG meetings held in the following two weeks in each district.
B.3.5: School-level Support & Monitoring As noted above On the same day as the district-level presentation of RSA data, School Support training for SDEJT and ZIP Coordinators was provided. During this training, SDEJT and ZIP Coordinators made plans for school support visits which will take place in April of the next quarter. In addition to these main school support visits, SDEJT technical staff participated in the TLA distribution to schools and follow-up visits to confirm that material arrived in all schools as planned.
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B.4: Capacity Building Assessment B.4.1: Rapid Organizational Assessment (ROA) Implementation ROA in all 6 districts (NPL/ZBZ) As noted above in the performance indicator section, the Rapid Organization Assessment (ROA) is conducted with districts to reflect upon organizational and technical capacity to lead the implementation of core USAID|ApaL activities. While the overall score on these assessments is of interest, the ROA is most valuable as an opportunity to reflect on how USAID|ApaL and the district are working together, what progress has been made in transferring additional responsibility for implementation to the district, and what additional measures can be taken to ensure that districts are able to continue to support schools in the districts in the future. Some general observations were made across all districts:
SDEJT have well defined planning cycles and procedures. The biggest challenge to planning often comes in the form of last minute requests coming from the provincial or governmental levels. DO officers are working closely with each SDEJT to ensure that quarterly, monthly, and weekly plans are regularly shared in order to improve coordination of activities.
SDEJT activities are linked to pre-defined budgets and requests for funds are usually made well within defined timelines, however there are often delays in the arrival of funds. This year there have been delays in budget approvals and many districts have had to operate on credit to make routine purchases.
Transportation resources at the district level are a major barrier to carrying out routine supervision. While districts have budget lines allocated to the purchase of motorcycles for technical officers to conduct supervision, these purchases mostly have not been made in the last years. Beyond this the districts have one or two vehicles that can be used but these are primarily used by the district director.
Data analysis capacity will need to be built at the district level to ensure that SDEJT technical officers are able to independently analyse data from Rapid School Assessments. This will be addressed in the next quarter.
Human resource management remains a challenge within the district as noted elsewhere. This will also be further discussed with districts in the next quarter.
B.4.3: Technical Capacity Assessments Technical capacity assessments with LEI staff As noted above, during the TOT workshops, USAID|ApaL and SDEJT technical staff conducted technical capacity assessments to determine which trainees had demonstrated sufficient skill to lead the district level trainings. A total of 145 LEI trainers were trained, and 119 were selected by USAID|ApaL and SDEJT staff members to lead the district-level trainings. During the district-level trainings USAID|ApaL and SDEJT also played a supervision role to ensure the quality of the cascade.
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TASK C: READING REINFORCEMENT PROGRAM (RRP) Key Successes: In Q2, USAID|ApaL rolled out a scaled-up model for RRP training by preparing a cohort of Early Grade Reading Trainers to facilitate trainings at the district level. USAID|ApaL and SDEJT staff were distributed across all six project districts to monitor and support these trainers as they delivered the Reading Coach and Lead Trainer trainings to PDs and Cycle Leaders from 538 schools. Overcoming challenges associated with simultaneous trainings in six districts, as well as a massive power outage across both provinces, USAID|ApaL noted excellent training results. Trainers who participated in the ToT delivered theoretically and methodologically challenging trainings with consistently high quality throughout all districts.
Overcoming additional challenges with seasonal flooding, which made several main roads impassable and isolated many project schools during January and early February, USAID|ApaL still distributed all training and school materials prior to the first teacher INSET session.
For FY15 implementation, USAID|ApaL created a guide with detailed session plans for each teacher INSET session and provided specific training to LTs to implement these plans, which results in improved training methodology. In addition, the incorporation of INSET monitoring by the Early Grade Reading trainers meant that, when necessary, session facilitators received additional support and ensured greater consistency of training quality.
Key Challenges: USAID|ApaL received data on teacher and student numbers in schools from SDEJT that were inaccurate for some schools. As a result, some schools did not receive material in sufficient quantities. This happened particularly in Mocuba with 18 schools affected. The project reacted by distributing 25 extra sets of all material to these schools to ensure that they could start teaching and learning. DO officers are also working closely with SDEJTs to ensure accurate school data is received on a timely basis.
Based on observations during the Rapid School Assessment, we find that the frequency and quality of classroom coaching can be improved. In light of this, the project has revised the classroom observation tool into a more practical tool that leads directly to modeling during the lesson instead of registration of observations only.
C.1: Develop and Implement Teacher Training and Coaching Model C.1.1: Develop, Print, & Distribute Reading Instruction Training & Coaching Materials Training packets distributed during Lead Trainer training (NPL/ZBZ) As part of the distribution plan, USAID|ApaL distributed sets of materials to be used during the INSET trainings from February to April. Two types of material were given:
1. Basic training material for the trainers to use for teaching and practice with the participants. This includes scissors, flipcharts, markers, chalk, tape, and other material.
2. Material for teachers to use during the INSET. This includes paper they use to create flashcards for fluency activities and letter cards for decoding activities on the letter board.
The quantity of material distributed depended on the number of participants per ZIP. Material distribution took place on February 14, the last day of the LT training. Each pair of LT trainers, 94 in Nampula and 126 in Zambézia, took a set of material to their own training location.
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Besides distribution and training on how to use the material, the project has also provided information on how to maximize their use by not using too much paper or markers in order to have enough material left for teachers to take to their school. Every session plan in the LT Manual outlines the type of material that is needed during that particular session. Since the INSET takes place on a ZIP level, trainers are communicating with the ZIP school to store the material between trainings.
Coaching packets distributed during Reading Coach training (NPL/ZBZ) Reading coaches were given a set of material to be used for in-school coaching of their teachers. The following is a summary of the materials distributed: 1. Smartphone with modeling videos, pronunciation application, and the Magpi application with a monthly register: These tools are to be used during classroom coaching to help the teachers with letter sounds or essential teaching routines. The monthly register should be completed together with the school director. 2. Task sheet for the reading coach: Reading Coaches are expected to record their activities. The coaching sessions are to be registered immediately after they take place. The coach also has to register the dates on which teachers have done the spelling test and fluency test. They register the results as well. This overview helps them to identify which classes have a generally lower level and need additional coaching. 3. Classroom observation forms: Each reading coach took 40 forms back to their school to use during the classroom coaching session. This number is based on a maximum of 6 teachers per coach who can be observed twice a month. 4. Reading coach manual: This manual outlines the responsibilities of the reading coach. It also summarizes the content of the first training for the coach to review when needed. This also includes a model of the coaching conversation that the coach organizes after the classroom observation. 5. Teacher manual: In order to prepare coaching sessions and to review assessment results the reading coach received the teacher manuals for grades 2 and 3.
C.1.2: Train Reading Coaches Jan 26-30: Reading Coach Training (NPL/ZBZ) Reading coach training took place on a district level by Early Grade Reading Trainers trained during the January ToT session. Training was given by a group of approximately 10 ToT facilitators per district. This group consisted of teachers from the IFP, UP and expert facilitators from the previous year. During their own ToT session, the trainers had already practiced with the manual and PowerPoint presentations and were fully familiar with both the session contents, and the training methods. While this cascade model is crucial to reaching large numbers of schools, it also builds local capacity by creating a cohort of experts in local education institutions. Figure 1 - A facilitator assists reading coaches in Mocuba SDEJT, DPEC and USAID|ApaL staff played a monitoring role during the district level trainings to support and oversee the newly
Contract No. AID-656-C-12-00001 FY 2015 Q2 Progress Report Page | 41 trained trainers. Evaluation sessions took place at the end of each day to provide feedback to the trainers. During the training, ApaL staff supported the facilitators by conducting modeling activities when necessary to ensure consistent quality and content of training across all districts.
Theoretical concepts were explained using PowerPoint presentations in plenary sessions which included both instruction and demonstration. Following this, the larger group was split into smaller groups of approximately 25 participants each, where participants were given opportunities to practice and react to the new concepts taught and methods demonstrated. Facilitators were distributed among these groups and acted as coaches—correcting practice, reviewing concepts, and providing feedback throughout. During the first day of training, participants were introduced to the ApaL program and were given an overview of both the reading and school management trainings and content.
DPEC and SDEJT staff opened the trainings and confirmed that USAID|ApaL interventions are intended to support MINEDH, thereby assuring participants that the activities can take place within their regular work. General pedagogical concepts, such as the simple view of reading, 5 components of effective literacy instruction were then explained. Demonstration of the objectives and use of the teaching and learning aids continued into day 2 and 3. In small groups, the facilitators demonstrated the use of the Figure 2 - Reading coach practices segmenting and blending. teacher manual, decodable books, read alouds, and other decoding and fluency activities. The end of day 3, and beginning of day 4, focused on the assessment structure. The use, registration, and analysis of the spelling tests and fluency assessments were practiced as well. These require a strong pedagogical approach and support from the reading coach. Throughout the trainings, reading coaches were practicing with classroom observation and modeling activities and working with the smartphone tools together with the School Directors.
C.1.3: Teacher Coaching in Schools Reading Coaches conduct teacher coaching monthly in schools Reading coaches are trained to conduct classroom coaching at least once per month with all 2nd and 3rd grade teachers in their schools. For this school year, reading coaches will not register the findings in the Magpi app, but rather collect the forms and report on them in the monthly report sheet. More focus has been given during the training on the fact that this classroom observation form is a tool for the reading coach to provide modeling activities. It is not a teacher evaluation and teachers should be receiving non- threatening coaching.
While coaching has been identified as the most effective way of training, it is at the same time difficult to organize at the school level. Factors such as absenteeism, pedagogical directors focused on management tasks, and coaches who are teaching full time themselves, all present challenges to the process of ensuring that consistent coaching activities take place. SMS messages are sent to reading coaches to remind them about coaching responsibilities and best practices are then demonstrated in the INSET trainings in an effort to encourage and consistent coaching activities. During Rapid School Assessment SDEJT technical teams review school documentation on coaching activity.
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Adding to the challenge is the fact that, ultimately, the schedules and routines at each school are different. USAID|ApaL trains Reading Coaches to work with DAP and Cycle Leaders to organize a schedule for classroom coaching with the School Director. Ultimately, SDs must bear the responsibility for ensuring that coaching activities take place. USAID|ApaL school management training addresses and provides tools to support this. USAID|ApaL is monitoring the frequency and quality of the classroom coaching during the Rapid School Assessment, and questions about coaching support also form part of regular teacher INSET monitoring protocols. When results showed that the level of coaching provided to date is below expected levels, feedback is given at the school to ZIP Coordinators during the district- level presentation of RSA results, during INSET, and during School Support Visits in the month following the RSA.
In addition to classroom coaching support, Reading Coaches also assist teachers in analyzing the spelling test results and conducting fluency assessment in weeks 9 and 20 with all 2nd and 3rd grade students in their school.
C.1.4: Train Lead Trainers Feb 4-5: Lead Trainer training (NPL/ZBZ) LT training was rescheduled to February 13-14 based on discussions with DPEC and SDEJT. During the Reading Coach training from January 26-30, SDEJT and Early Grade Reading trainers used a selection tool to identify the best performing Reading Coaches in each ZIP. On the last day of the training, two facilitators were selected per ZIP. Whenever there were more than 25 teachers in a ZIP, more facilitators were selected.
These selected Reading Coaches were then invited for the two-day training during which they received the INSET session manual. This manual outlines sessions for all 17 INSETs throughout the year. During the February training, LTs were trained on the INSETs from February to April and, as described in C1.1 above, they were given a set of material to use.
In addition to general INSET content, the training also covered pedagogy within the sessions. Topics focused on things such as active learning, involving all teachers in practice, and avoiding inclusion of only volunteers who sit in the front.
C.1.5: In-Service Teacher Training Intro 2-day RRP INSET (NPL/ZBZ) During Q2, ApaL supported a total of 5 teacher in-service training (INSET) sessions, held on February 21 and 28, and March 7, 14, and 28. This schedule is slightly revised from AWP dates, based on consultations with DPEC and SDEJT. INSET sessions are organized and facilitated by the Lead Trainers in each ZIP.
The first two INSET sessions were intended as an introduction to ApaL and the RRP methodology. They covered the following topics: ApaL overview. o Role of SD, PD, Cycle leader, teachers, SDEJT, DPEC o Simple view of reading Explanation of the teacher manual, daily lesson plans, and sequence of each lesson following the same 7 steps. Use and purpose of teaching and learning aids. Scope and sequence for upcoming weeks. Assessment overview; spelling test and fluency assessment.
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Decodable books; importance and use of time on task and management of the materials in schools
INSET 3 on March 7 covered the following topics: Scope and sequence of the upcoming week; practice the letter sounds and decoding activities with letters already taught. Spelling test practice and analysis; after the initial overview, teachers were practicing conducting the spelling test in 15 minutes and how to register and analyze the results using the spelling test registration sheet. Vocabulary and comprehension activities using the read-alouds that are distributed to all teachers.
INSET 4 on March 14 covered the following topics: Scope and sequence of the upcoming two upcoming weeks. Analysis of spelling test; after initial analysis of the form, these sessions focused on the follow up activities that a teacher can take based on the findings of the spelling test. This Figure 3 - Practicing the fluency assessment is a crucial element in which trainers need to demonstrate interventions, such as the use of the letter board to practice specific letter combinations that need remedial teaching. Other suggestions are more pedagogical, such as involving students with difficulties more in classroom practice, or linking them with a stronger reader in the decodable book activity. Observation and modeling by the reading coach; teachers were asked about whether classroom observation took place and what the specific role of the reading coach is in supporting the teachers. Use of flashcards and letter cards; a central routine used to practice decoding and fluency. In the INSET teachers were making material to use in their schools.
INSET 5 on March 28 covered the following topics: Scope and sequence of the upcoming weeks. Fluency and the fluency assessment in week 9: The fluency assessment is a new tool that needed to be practiced in pairs after which registration of the results took place using the sheet in the teacher manual. Dia de Leitura on April 18: This year, USAID|ApaL is organizing Dia de Leitura earlier in the year to create more impact in the community. Information about Dia de Leitura was included in this INSET so that members within the school community could begin planning for material, attendance, etc.
ApaL works closely with the cohort of Early Grade Reading Trainers and SDEJT and IFP staff to monitor teacher INSET sessions. Monitoring frequency was increased from FY2014 to ensure improved training quality and stimulate attendance. Monitoring staff serve as coaches to the facilitators to help model techniques and support their facilitation. After monitoring of each session, a meeting is held in each district with the USAID|ApaL District Officer. ZIPs needing additional support are identified and challenges are discussed. On a weekly basis, the USAID|ApaL M&E team develops a visit schedule based on which ZIPs are selected for support.
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C.1.6: Training Support with Mobile Tech Classroom observation data collected monthly by Reading Coaches The Reading Coaches complete the classroom observation form and both teacher and coach sign it afterwards. The Reading Coach registers the date on the task sheet and brings that information to the monthly meeting with the SD. The SD makes a note of these dates and which teachers have been observed on his/her management registration sheet. At the monthly meeting, SD and Reading coaches complete the monthly registration that is sent to SDEJT and ApaL via smartphone.
SMS reminders sent In order to encourage regular attendance at all project training events and to stimulate ongoing activities within the schools, ApaL sends regular SMS messages to project participants. Telephone numbers from reading coaches, school directors, trainers, INSET trainers, and even teachers were collected during the January and February training and have been inserted into the SMS platform. At the beginning of the quarter, both the reading and school management teams planned the series of messages for the quarter. Messages sent included messages related to training, reminders about teaching practice, coaching techniques, and even best practices from schools are shared to motivate others to follow good examples. A total of 14 messages were sent this quarter.
C.2: Increase Availability of Teaching and Learning Materials to Teachers and Students C.2.1: Develop, Print, & Distribute Scripted Lesson Plans Lesson plan packets distributed to districts
During Q2, ApaL completed distribution of materials to all 538 schools in both provinces, despite a month-long power outage and unusually heavy rains which affected both provinces. January rains this year resulted in widespread flooding in both provinces, which both destroyed multiple bridges on the main road making ground transport between the provinces impossible, and isolated many project schools -- making them only reachable by boat for periods of up to several weeks. While all material was in country on time as scheduled, the flooding in Zambézia and heavy rains in Nampula caused delays. Import agencies, authorities involved in importing, and vehicles Figure 4 - Staff in Nampula fly TLAs to Quelimane without gasoline were only a small problem compared to the central bridge in Mocuba, which effectively cut off the north of the country with no alternatives on road or by boat to bring materials to Mocuba, Nicoadala, and Quelimane. After exploring all options, the project chartered airplanes to bring materials to the districts in order to allow trainings at the start of the year to take place.
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ApaL materials arrived in country on schedule and cleared import authorities with only minor delays. Despite the challenges described above, ApaL completed delivery of materials on time to all training sites and schools. When the primary (only) transport route between Nampula and the southern provinces was cut off by the destruction of two bridges, ApaL reviewed air and sea freight options and elected to charter a series of flights to ensure timely delivery of all materials to Mocuba, Nicoadala, and Quelimane districts. From the district centers, material was brought to schools by boat, car, truck, bicycle, and motorbike with support from SDEJT. All materials arrived in project schools prior to the start of the teacher INSET sessions, thereby ensuring that teachers had access to the materials when they began their ApaL lessons.
All TLAs were also distributed to the districts for January 26- 30 and February 13-14 so that trainings could start on time. A special note should be mentioned in the case of Mocuba, Figure 5 - DO in Mocuba distributing materials where the flooding was most severe. Despite losses of land, by boat in flooded areas. infrastructure, and a large impact on overall livelihoods by the flooding of the Licungo river, DOs and SDEJT worked hard to facilitate participants’ presence in the trainings and ensure that all materials were successfully distributed.
Lesson plan packets distributed to 2nd and 3rd grade teachers at INSET Teacher manuals were distributed directly to 2nd and 3rd grade teachers during the February 21 INSET, while other materials were distributed directly to their schools.
Verification of distribution in all schools During distribution, SDEJT and ApaL used a verification tool that outlined what type and quantity of material was needed in each school. After receiving the material, the recipient signed the form and this was to be taken by SDEJT to monitor if all material was distributed correctly.
Due to changes from the school-level data supplied by DPEC prior to the start of the school year (changes in total numbers of teachers and in teacher allocations), insufficient quantities of material was distributed to several schools, primarily in Mocuba. USAID|ApaL followed up with increased material in time for the start of lessons immediately after the first INSET.
C.2.2: Develop, Print, & Distribute Teaching & Learning Aids (TLAs)
After distributing all materials, the project organized a Figura 6 - Preparation of material for distribution in stock of material to be used during future trainings and Nampula for a possible redistribution where needed. For this
Contract No. AID-656-C-12-00001 FY 2015 Q2 Progress Report Page | 46 purpose, a list of material needed has been made and is being ordered to be in country for the next training in May. It is likely that, due to reallocation of teachers, there will be teachers without material. Additional stock is being arranged in anticipation of these types of challenges.
C.3: Raise Awareness about the importance of Reading Instruction C.3.1: Radio Broadcasts Radio programs broadcasted Program Monday between First repetition 2nd repetition 3rd repetition 06.00 and 06.30h Wednesday 18.00 Thursday Saturday and 18.30h 14.00 and 14.30 10.00 and 10.30h 1 February 23 February 26 February 27 February 28 2 March 9 March 12 March 13 March 14 3 March 23 March 26 March 27 March 28
The 15 developed programs are being broadcasted in the districts using 7 radio stations. This year, ApaL has added one community radio in Mocuba to increase coverage. Radio Moçambique did not have enough coverage in this district, so Radio Communitário Mocuba was contracted as well.
The project has developed A3 sized colored posters to inform the community and schools about the broadcasting schedule and frequency. The radio broadcasts will also be an important element in Dia de Leitura activities. During the quarter a total of three programs were broadcast:
Introduction to ApaL Interest in Reading Importance of Reading Figure 10 Poster distributed to schools to promote radio programs
TASK D: SCHOOL DIRECTOR TRAINING & COACHING (SDTC) PROGRAM Key Successes: During this quarter, USAID|ApaL rolled out a scaled-up model for the SDTC by training a cohort of School Management Trainers to facilitate trainings at the district level. USAID|ApaL and SDEJT staff were distributed across all six project districts to monitor and support these trainers as they delivered the SD and ZIP coordinator trainings to participants from 538 project schools. Overcoming challenges associated with simultaneous trainings in six districts, as well as a massive power outage across both provinces, USAID|ApaL noted excellent training results. Trainers who participated in the ToT delivered theoretically and methodologically challenging trainings with consistently high quality throughout all districts. Overcoming additional challenges associated with seasonal flooding, which made several main roads impassable and isolated many project schools during January and early February, USAID|ApaL still distributed all training materials and SMTs prior to the first teacher INSET session.
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Establishment of chain of communication and submission of Mapa de Efectividade (School Personnel Staff Attendance Records) among schools, ZIPs, SDEJT, and DPEC.
Key Challenges: Some unreliable data on numbers of schools in Monapo, Murrupula (Nampula province), Mocuba and Quelimane (Zambezia provinces) resulted in some schools not receiving school management material before the start of the school year. This happened especially in Mocuba in 23 schools that were newly established in the second half of February and added to the group of intervention schools. The project has reacted by distributing needed extra sets of all school management material to these schools to ensure that SDs could start implementing routines and use school management tools, and in Mocuba by organizing an exceptional extra SDs training facilitated by USAID|ApaL. Flooding, especially in Zambezia province (Mocuba, Nicoadala districts and some of the schools in Quelimane city), delayed the start of school year in some project schools. Because of accessibility issues related to flooding and poor road conditions in Zambezia province, some ZIP Coordinators were delayed in starting their SD coaching visits.
D.1: Develop and Implement School Director Training and Coaching Model USAID|ApaL school management interventions engage SDs to serve as role models in their schools and inspire change at the school-level. The School Director Training and Coaching Program (SDTC) equips SDs with the skills they need to practice effective communication; apply management tools effectively; support improved reading instruction; and, engage communities to support schools. The program models the application of basic professional standards of accountability, leadership, and management to help improve individual SD performance at the school level, ultimately leading to improved student reading outcomes.
USAID|ApaL school management interventions focus on school-site-level training and management tools for SDs aimed at improving management practices, with the added support of Zona de Influência Pedagógica (ZIP)/school cluster-level coaching mechanisms to provide on-going support and training reinforcement for SDs. The SDTC Framework is designed to instill knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) that SDs need to be able to lead and manage improved school performance in the following key areas: 1) Quantity of reading instruction: improved attendance, punctuality, scheduling, and classroom time management, leading to increased instructional time; and, 2) Quality of reading instruction: management of resources and support to teacher professional development activities leading to improved reading instruction practices in the classroom. With training and coaching support from USAID|ApaL, SDs will work towards accomplishing these changes and ensuring that the school is a constructive, positive environment Figure 11 Example of one of 10 posters distributed to all SDs to place in their schools to reinforce key messages of the SDTC program. Contract No. AID-656-C-12-00001 FY 2015 Q2 Progress Report Page | 48 characterized by efficient use of time spent on task and guided by a clear mission of improving student learning outcomes.
The training strategy consists of three main trainings (January, May and August, 2015) with SD INSET trainings taking place between these trainings. The SD training plan builds knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) for SDs in school leadership, effective communication, giving and receiving constructive feedback, using school management tools for improved decision-making, and building community participation. The training sessions are oriented towards practical approaches that SDs can implement in their schools this year to improve the quality and increase the quantity of reading instruction with the ultimate goal of improved reading skills for children in their schools by the end of the current school year. To this end, USAID|ApaL employs a highly participatory training methodology where SDs are given ample opportunity to practice key skills such as giving and receiving constructive feedback and using SMTs in a practical setting.
After completing the SD training in 2015, SDs will have knowledge and skills in the following areas:
The theory and practice of effective literacy instruction and the simple view of reading. The early grade reading benchmarks, USAID|ApaL continuous assessment structure, and the roles of Reading Coaches. Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) needed for effective leadership and management in the following areas: o School Leadership o Effective Communication o Giving and Receiving Constructive Feedback o Using Data for Decision-Making o Building Community Participation for Improved School Performance
Upon completion of the 2015 school year, SDs fully participating in the program (including attending monthly INSET sessions) will receive a certificate to recognize their efforts to improve management of their schools and ultimately the reading abilities of their students. D.1.2: Train School Directors SD Training (NPL/ZBZ) School Director training in improved school management took place on a district level January 26 – 29. A total of 528 SDs were trained by 44 trained LEI facilitators. This cascade model is crucial in capacity building and expansion to more schools. Trainers were divided among project districts, according to the number of schools, to ensure manageable trainer-to-participant ratios and facilitate the small group work that is critical to effective skills transfer.
Training 1 provided “Concepts, tools, and practices for behavior change” with sessions focusing on each of the five components of USAID|ApaL’s school management approach. Training included sessions covering an introduction to ApaL and the overall SDTC component, the SD’s role as a leader and model, establishing routines and managing schools effectively, gender awareness in school management, communication skills and effective feedback, and community involvement. In addition, SDs received an orientation to the RRP, with specific emphasis on the important role the SD plays in ensuring RRP activities take place.
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As part of the USAID|ApaL Institutional Capacity Plan, staff from Local Education Institutions, specifically, staff from Institutos de Formação de Professores (IFPs), trainers from the Pedagogical University (UP) in Nampula and Quelimane, and selected outstanding School Directors from last year, were trained to provide the first training for School Directors at districts level and ZIP Coordinators at the provincial level, while SDEJT and DPEC technical staff were trained to monitor the skills and knowledge of the participants in the training.
At the end of each day the facilitators met with the training team to continually evaluate the sessions and reflect on what went well and areas that needed improvement. Evaluation at the end of each day of training is important to ensure that any challenges are quickly addressed in order to ensure a successful workshop. At the end of each day facilitators also asked SDs to provide feedback on the delivered session contents and on the training. In each classroom, one facilitator was placed in charge of reviewing the written feedback from SDs and identifying any common themes or issues that need to be addressed in the training. The facilitator shared this information with the rest of the team and together they made plans to address the feedback. At the start of the next day, any challenges or common themes were mentioned and facilitators indicated how the feedback has been incorporated into the plan for the day.
D.1.3: Train ZIP Coordinators ZIP Coordinator Training (NPL/ZBZ) To support SDs in their implementation of new leadership approaches and management routines, USAID|ApaL implements a ZIP-level coaching program to provide regular, practical support for SDs. ZIP Coordinators receive training throughout the year to facilitate the peer coaching program. The training strategy for ZIP Coordinators consists of three main trainings for a total of six days of training (January, May, and August) to become Peer Coaches under USAID|ApaL. ZIP Coordinators also participate in the SD training for a total of 10 days of training to become effective school managers and leaders. Finally, ZIP Coordinators will facilitate a total of nine SD INSET group coaching meetings.
The ZIP Coordinator training sessions are structured around three key areas 1) coaching skills such as giving constructive feedback and supporting SDs to solve challenges in their schools; 2) facilitation of Figure 12 ZIP Coordinators use this INSET sessions; and 3) reinforcement of the five practices of effective guide to lead the nine SDTC program INSET sessions and as a school directors (school leadership, communication skills, giving and reference during coaching visits receiving feedback using school management tools, and building community participation in education).
The first Training for ZIP Coordinators, which is based on delivering concepts, tools and practices to become Peer Coaches for School Directors, with sessions that strengthen skills covered in the SD training and build the coaching skills of ZIP Coordinators, took place on 4-6 February at provincial level and it was facilitated by the Expert Facilitators. In Nampula, 40 ZIP Coordinators were trained, while in Zambezia 58 ZIP Coordinators were trained.
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The 98 ZIP Coordinators trained also received tools to support their peer coaching activities, such as the ZIP Coordinator Coaching Register to guide one-on-one coaching sessions in schools. ZIP Coordinators will complete this each time they visit SDs in their schools and they will also deliver the completed register to USAID|ApaL staff as evidence of a completed coaching visit. In addition, ZIP Coordinators received scripted SD INSET plans that outline each session with clearly structured activities to facilitate the following INSET sessions planned for the quarter. They use these detailed plans once per month when facilitating the SD INSET or peer coaching sessions.
D.1.4: School Director Coaching Visits Between SD INSET sessions, ZIP Coordinators visit each school in the cluster once a month to support the SD through one-on-one peer coaching sessions. Therefore, during the first ZIP Coordinators Training, ZIP Coordinators were trained to give constructive feedback during one-on-one peer coaching sessions that support SDs to implement new management practices in their schools. During the one-on- one coaching sessions ZIP Coordinators should use a school visit checklist to review data collected by SDs to facilitate a discussion; review progress on monthly improved management action plans developed during the previous SD INSET session; discuss any challenges faced by SDs in their schools, discuss potential solutions, and when appropriate, conduct activities jointly with SD (e.g. joint meeting with professors).
ZIP Coordinators started monthly SD coaching visits in mid-March 2015 after the first school management INSET. Given the timing of the Figure 13 During coaching visits ZIP Coordinators observe and give feedback on: teacher start of the coaching and student attendance and punctuality; use of school management tools; management visits, some districts and of TLAs; effective communication. Pictured here clockwise from the left: 1) organization of ZIPs did not conduct TLA; 2) posting of school management tools to increase transparency regarding attendance and punctuality; 3) using USAID|ApaL SDTC program posters to communicate their initial visits prior to key messages. the end of the quarter. In total 123 school directors received coaching visits. Those not yet visited are expected to receive coaching visits in April.
D.1.5: School Director INSET Training alone is often insufficient to ensure that new skills are implemented; continuous support must also be provided following the training in a process of on-going professional development. Therefore, USAID|ApaL supplements SD training each quarter with an ongoing peer coaching and professional
Contract No. AID-656-C-12-00001 FY 2015 Q2 Progress Report Page | 51 development program for SDs, implemented at the ZIP-level. The SD INSET model ensures that new and more effective leadership and management approaches are implemented in treatment schools. SDs work together with the support and facilitation of trained ZIP Coordinators to effectively lead their schools towards improved student reading outcomes. Intended both to provide ongoing training on critical topics and to create a forum for ZIP-level learning exchanges and peer-to-peer interactions, the SD INSET sessions help SDs solve problems within their schools and facilitate communication with other SDs around similar challenges.
Each School Director (SD) INSET session covers a pre-set topic and will guide School Directors through a step-by-step process. The purpose is to facilitate shared reflections on challenges and solutions to the implementation of new school management practices that support increased quantity and improved quality of reading instruction. Each SD INSET meeting is structured around the following areas:
1. Review of agenda and objectives: Each SD INSET will have a clear agenda, prepared in advance by the ZIP Coordinator and shared with SDs.
2. Review of SD homework from previous period related to current INSET theme: SDs are given specific tasks to complete in their schools before each session. These homework assignments give SDs the opportunity to progressively introduce new management practices in their schools and to discuss the successes and challenges encountered with fellow SDs in the following INSET. When ZIP Coordinators conduct individual coaching visits they also have the opportunity to discuss progress on these assignments and give support to SDs in their schools.
3. Review of data collected by SDs using School Management Tools: SDs bring data collected using new SMTs to each INSET session. These data include monthly student and teacher attendance, teacher punctuality, teacher coaching, and start time of the school shift. SDs complete monthly summary forms and set monthly targets on these indicators. During INSET sessions they review progress on achieving targets and set new targets for the following month.
4. Reading and activity related to current INSET theme: For each INSET theme, ZIP Coordinators and SDs carry out a new activity with accompanying reading material that will reinforce knowledge, skills, gender concerns and practices previously introduced. These activities take the form of a reading and/or group discussion followed by a practical group exercise.
5. Reading and activity related to next week’s INSET theme and discuss homework: In order to prepare for SDs for the next homework assignment, ZIP Coordinators and SDs carry out a new activity with accompanying reading material that reinforces knowledge, skills, and practices previously introduced and that is related to the theme of the next INSET session. These activities take the form of a reading and/or group discussion followed by a practical group exercise.
6. Develop monthly improved school management action plan: The final activity for the INSET is to develop a monthly improved school management plan. During this session, ZIP Coordinators and SDs discuss challenges they are currently facing in their schools and work to develop solutions. ZIP Coordinators may choose to select a particular challenge noted during their
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individual coaching sessions or they may leave it to SDs to select a challenge for which the group can help propose solutions. The outcome of this discussion is an outline of specific steps that SDs can take in the following month to resolve the problem. This action plan includes the homework assignments, as well as specific actions relating to increasing the quantity and improving the quality of instruction in their schools.
Each INSET begins at 8.00 and ends at 13.00, with a 15 minute interval around 10.00. All sessions are 5 hours. All SDs attending INSET receives an allowance to support transportation costs and all SDs arriving on time receive a small allowance to purchase food during the interval. If an SD arrives more than one hour after INSET has started, they do not receive the snack allowance. The ZIP Coordinator is responsible for monitoring the attendance and punctuality of SDs during sessions.
SDEJT and ApaL staff make unannounced visits to confirm that the above practice is being respected. At the end, the ZIP Coordinator is responsible for submitting the final INSET report to SDEJT.
Under ApaL, the primary function of the school management component is to improve management practices within the school so that the overall quantity of instruction time for students is increased. However, the SD also plays a critical role in ensuring that school-level interventions aimed at improving the quality of reading instruction take place (including teacher coaching and classroom observations, availability and use of learning materials, and teacher attendance at regular training sessions). Therefore, in addition to the 9 scheduled SD INSETs throughout the year, School Directors also participate in the first two RRP INSETs along with the 2nd and 3rd grade teachers in the ZIP.
Subsequent INSET sessions were organized according to the SD INSET schedule, beginning on March 14. The topic for the first School Management INSET session was leadership and management. INSET 2 focused on how to ensure good teacher attendance in the reading INSET sessions. Overall participation was high 89% of directors attending both sessions.
D.2: Develop and Distribute School Management Aids D.2.1: Develop, Print, & Distribute School Management Tools (SMTs) SMTs distributed to SDs during SD training SMTs were distributed to training sites and schools along with the reading Teaching and Learning Materials as described above. Each school received the following materials:
School Management Tools and Guide complete with instruction for use of each tool and additional copies of each tool: o Teacher attendance and punctuality register o Student attendance register o Monthly register for reading and school management improvement o Monthly report for reading and school management improvement o TLA inventory and tracking tools o INSET attendance registers Peer Coaching Framework and School Management INSET Guide School Director Training and Coaching Framework School Support Guide Set of 10 posters on Effective School Management
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Figure 14 ZIP Coordinator verifies attendance during RRP INSET session. Active participation of ZIP Coordinators in support INSET has helped to increase participation. TASK E: MONITORING & EVALUATION Key Successes: Rapid School Assessment training, data collection, and results presentation in district was completed simultaneously in all six program districts. A total of 98 SDEJT and DPEC staff were trained to conduct the assessment along with three MINEDH staff from the Department for Quality and one technical officer from DPEC of Sofala who participated with a colleague from GIZ. Despite the poor road conditions, data were collected from 387 of 538. Schools that were not visited were not accessible by car or moto. During school support visits planned for the next quarter, these schools will be made a priority for follow-up visits. Key Challenges: Difficult road conditions and challenges associated with flooding and power outages (especially in Mocuba) resulted in many school being inaccessible. As a result, many schools also likely have delayed the start of the school year, or have started with significant absences and loss of instructional time. This is likely to have an adverse impact on student learning throughout the school year. Continued follow-up support is being especially targeted to Mocuba where the challenges were greatest in order to address this issue.
E.1: Impact & Evaluation N/A E.2: EGRA/SMA in Scale-up Schools N/A E.3: Rapid School Assessment (RSA) E.3.1: RAT Data Collection RSA 1 data collection and analysis (NPL/ZBZ) RSA data collection was conducted March 9 -13 with additional follow-up collection conducted March 16 – 22 in schools that were inaccessible during the first week of data collection. In total 98 SDEJT and DPEC technical officers participated in the training and collection as well as three from MINEDH. In
Contract No. AID-656-C-12-00001 FY 2015 Q2 Progress Report Page | 54 total all 538 were planned for data collection, however due to poor road conditions, a total of 387 were successfully visited.
Immediately following the data collection, USAID|ApaL COP and M&E team began to clean and analyze the data. Data was downloaded from the Magpi platform and reviewed for completeness and internal consistency. When errors were found discussions were held with SDEJT officers who visited the schools in order to make corrections. Within one week of the end of the main data collection, the analysis had been completed and presentations were ready to begin in the districts. RSA 1 results presentation (NPL/ZBZ) The RSA presentations were made in each district during the last two weeks in March as described above. During the presentation a review of the data collection methodology and field work is made for SDEJT, DPEC, and ZIP Coordinators in attendance. This is followed by distribution of results for the district organized in an easy to follow dashboard format. The results are organized by indicator for each school and ZIP. See the annex for an example from Quelimane district. A total of five indicators were used related to implementation of RRP: Oral Reading Fluency in correct words per minute (CWPM) based on timed reading of a simple text from a sample of five 2nd and five 3rd grade students in visited schools. Percentage of teachers coached as verified by documentation in the classroom observation visits Classroom observation score given as a percentage of classroom practices observed during a 45- minute RRP lesson. TLA usage score based on the total number of distinct TLAs observed in the classroom during the classroom observation (teacher manual, decodable books, read-aloud books, alphabet chart, key word cards, letter/word cards, letter/word chart (“quadro de pregas”). Since not all of these are used in every class, a score of 5 is considered acceptable.
The table below gives the summary by district for each indicator.
Reading Indicators
Oral Reading Oral Reading Classroom Use of TLAs % of teachers District Fluency 2nd Fluency 3rd observation (maximum coached grade (cwpm) grade (cwpm) score score 7)
Nampula 1.2 2.1 9% 67% 4
Monapo 1.8 5.0 14% 79% 5
Murrupula 3.6 5.0 15% 69% 4 Nampula 2.2 4.0 14% 61% 4 Province Mocuba 1.8 3.9 13% 70% 4
Nicoadala 2.6 4.3 14% 69% 5
Quelimane 3.0 7.0 20% 73% 5 Zambézia 2.5 5.0 17% 59% 5 Province
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A total of 10 indicators are used to assess implementation of the SDTC program in schools: SD or PD present – indicates if at any time the SD or PD were present in the school; SD or PD arrived prior shift – indicates if the SD or PD arrived prior to the start of the school shift; Use of school bell – indicates of the school effectively used the school bell to mark the start of the day and the intervals between class periods; School Assembly – indicates if the school began the day with morning assembly, one of the recommended daily routines; Average late start – the average minutes late by which the school began classes on day of visit; % teachers absent – percentage of 2nd and 3rd grade teachers not present on the day of visit; % teachers late – indicates the percentage of the teachers who arrived late with respect to the total number present; % students absent – percentage of students absent relative to the number enrolled and randomly selected 2nd and 3rd grade classes; SMT use score – percentage of school management tools observed in use (up-to-date) on day of visit; TLA management score – percentage of recommended practices with respect to TLA management observed on the day of visit.
The results for these indicators are summarized in the table below:
School Management Indicators
District
score
prior shift prior
students absent students
SMT use score use SMT
% teachers late teachers %
School School Assembly
SD or PD arrived PD arrived SD or
TLA management TLA management
Average late start Average
Use of school bell of Use school %
% teachers absent teachers % SD or PD present PD SD or
Nampula 76% 80% 76% 13 20% 13% 30% 38% 40% 76%
Monapo 32% 78% 81% 15 20% 19% 30% 52% 53% 32%
Murrupula 53% 62% 65% 20 27% 21% 30% 56% 60% 53% Nampula 53% 72% 74% 16 22% 17% 30% 48% 50% 53% Province
Mocuba 78% 54% 28 25% 19% 46% 40% 46% 78% 54%
Nicoadala 79% 34% 23 26% 31% 36% 31% 42% 79% 34%
Quelimane 72% 47% 19 20% 33% 33% 50% 60% 72% 47% Zambézia 76% 44% 23 24% 28% 39% 40% 50% 76% 44% Province
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E.4: Output & Outcome Monitoring E.4.1: M&E Plan N/A Submitted with the report is an update of the MEP to include updated targets. E.4.2: INSET Monitoring Quarterly to monthly INSET monitoring debriefs (NPL/ZBZ) LEI RRP INSET monitoring (NPL/ZBZ) LEI SD INSET monitoring (NPL/ZBZ) As noted above, LEI staff from SDEJT, DPEC, IFP, UP in addition to USAID|ApaL conduct regular INSET monitoring visits. In the week following these visits meetings are held to exchange feedback, good practices, and areas that require follow-up. The DOs are essential in this process.
E.4.3: Quarterly Indicator Reporting Indicator data analysis & reporting (NPL/ZBZ) In January of this quarter the M&E team met to review plans for data analysis throughout the quarter. It was agreed to bring the M&E team together for a few days each quarter to jointly conduct the analysis.
E.4.4: Quarterly Internal Data Quality Assessment (DQA) Quarterly Internal DQA (NPL/ZBZ) The quarterly internal DQA focused more on preparation of data collection tools, review of lessons learned from FY14, and discussion with RRP and SDTC technical teams on requirements for data collection to support indicator reporting. Early in the next quarter M&E teams will conduct DQA visits in schools to ensure that data on teacher training and coaching is proper recorded, maintained, and shared.
E.4.5: Intervention Effectiveness & Follow-up Studies Initial data collection for studies & EGRA/SMA follow up report Study data analysis completed and follow-up questions identified in initial report to USAID Draft EGRA/SMA follow up report submitted to USAID In this quarter the scope for EGRA/SMA follow-up studies was agreed upon with USAID|ApaL COR James Dobson. USAID|ApaL intends to work with local universities to conduct these small studies to better understand factors contributing to positive results in FY14. This same process will be used to conduct a follow-up study in communities on the use and impact of community radio programs developed by the program.
6. Major Implementation Issue
No major implementation issues were encountered this quarter.
7. Key Activities Planned for Next Quarter
TASK A: OVERALL PROJECT MANAGEMENT A.1: Project Management A.1.1: Annual Work Plan NA Review Meeting
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A.1.2: Quarterly Planning Quarterly staff planning meeting Meetings A.1.3: Regular Staff Meetings Weekly and monthly staff meetings in each province A.1.4: Equipment Disposition NA A.1.5: Local Hire Staff NA Severance A.1.6: Key Personnel NA Severance A.1.7 Closing Project Offices NA A.2: USAID Reporting A.2.1: Annual Work Plan NA A.2.2: Quarterly Progress April 30: FY15Q2 QPR Submitted to USAID Reports A.2.3: Quarterly Financial April 30: FY15Q2 QFR Submitted to USAID Reports (SF 425) A.2.4: Annual Summary NA Report (ASR) A.2.5: Project Final Report NA A.2.6: Annual Project Review N/A (APR) A.2.7: USAID Quarterly Apr 1-3: FY15Q2 review meetings (Maputo) Review Meetings A.3: Short-Term Technical Assistance A.3.1: Anticipated May TBD: RRP STTA Travel International STTA Travel Jun TBD: Finance oversight travel for internal audit Jun TBD: Program Officer travel for internal audit
TASK B: INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY BUILDING B.1: Stakeholder Engagement
B.1.1: Institutional Capacity NA Building Plan (ICP) & Roadmap for Transfer B.1.2: MINED National Task Apr 1-3: Q3 MINED National Task Force meetings (Maputo) Force Meetings B.1.3: Participatory Annual N/A Planning/ Review Process B.1.4: District Program Jun TBD: PMG quarterly meetings in each district (NPL/ZBZ) Management Group (PMG) Quarterly Meetings B.1.5: Provincial Coordination Jun TBD: PCG quarterly meetings (NPL/ZBZ) Group Quarterly Meetings B.1.6: Follow-up Meetings TBD: LEI Stakeholder meetings as needed to follow-up on with LEI Stakeholders implementation and ensure advance planning B.2: Capacity Building Training B.2.1: RRP TOT May 6-8: RRP TOT (NPL/ZBZ)
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B.2.2: SDTC TOT May 7-8: SDTC TOT(NPL/ZBZ) B.2.3: Management Capacity Apr TBD: SDEJT management training based on ROA (NPL/ZBZ) Building Training B.2.4: INSET Management May 16: INSET Management training (NPL/ZBZ) and Monitoring Training TBD: Quarterly to Monthly INSET monitoring debrief & refresher B.2.5: School Support & Jun 15-19: School Support Training (NPL/ZBZ) Monitoring Training B.2.6: Rapid School May 27-29: RAT 2 training (NPL/ZBZ) Assessment Training B.2.7: EGRA/SMA TOT NA B.3: Capacity Building Learning-by-doing B.3.1:RRP Training May 11-14: Co-facilitation of Reading Coach trainings (NPL/ZBZ) Facilitation May 15-16: Co-facilitation of Lead Trainer training (NPL/ZBZ) B.3.2: SDTC Training May 11-13: Co-facilitation of SD training (NPL/ZBZ) Facilitation B.3.3: INSET Management & INSET planning, financial oversight, and reporting gradually transferred Monitoring to SDEJT based on ROA LEI staff conducts INSET monitoring B.3.4:Quarterly RAT RAT planning, financial oversight, and reporting gradually transferred Implementation & Results to SDEJT based on ROA Presentation RAS results presented in each district B.3.5: School-level Support & School support planning, financial oversight, and reporting gradually Monitoring transferred to SDEJT based on ROA Apr TBD: SDEJT conduct school support visits B.4: Capacity Building Assessment
B.4.1: Rapid Organizational Jun 15-19: Full ROAs in all 6 districts (NPL/ZBZ) Assessment (ROA) B.4.2: Financial Capacity Apr TBD: Scope of financial capacity assessment agreed with USAID Assessment Jun TBD: SDEJT financial capacity assessment data collection B.4.3: Technical Capacity May 8: Technical capacity assessments with LEI staff Assessments
TASK C: READING REINFORCEMENT PROGRAM (RRP) C.1: Develop and Implement Teacher Training and Coaching Model C.1.1: Develop, Print, & N/A Distribute Reading Instruction Training & Coaching Materials C.1.2: Train Reading Coaches May 11-14: Reading Coach training(NPL/ZBZ) C.1.3: Teacher Coaching in Reading Coaches conduct teacher coaching monthly in schools Schools C.1.4: Train Lead Trainers May 15-16: Lead Trainer training (NPL/ZBZ) C.1.5: In-Service Teacher Apr 11: INSET 4 (NPL/ZBZ)
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Training (INSET) Apr 25: INSET 5(NPL/ZBZ) May 23: INSET 6 (NPL/ZBZ) Jun 6: INSET 7 (NPL/ZBZ) Jun 20: INSET 8 (NPL/ZBZ) C.1.6: Training Support with Classroom observation data collected monthly by Reading Coaches Mobile Tech SMS reminders sent C.2: Increase Availability of Teaching and Learning Materials to Teachers and Students
C.2.1: Develop, Print, & N/A Distribute Scripted Lesson Plans C.2.2: Develop, Print, & N/A Distribute Teaching & Learning Aids (TLAs) C.3: Raise Awareness about the importance of Reading Instruction C.3.1: Radio Broadcasts Radio programs broadcasted C.3.2: Dia de Leitura April 18: Dia de Leitura in all schools
TASK D: SCHOOL DIRECTOR TRAINING & COACHING (SCTC) PROGRAM D.1: Develop and Implement School Director Training and Coaching Model D.1.1: Develop & Print School NA Management Training Materials D.1.2: Train School Directors May 11-13: SD training (NPL/ZBZ)
D.1.3: Train ZIP Coordinators May 14-15: ZIP Coordinator training (NPL/ZBZ)
D.1.4: School Director ZIP Coordinators complete monthly SD coaching visits Coaching Visits ApaL staff review Coaching Records
D.1.5: School Director INSET Apr 25: SD INSET 3(NPL/ZBZ) May 23: SD INSET 4(NPL/ZBZ) Jun 20: SD INSET 5 D.2: Develop & Distribute School Management Aids D.2.1: Develop, Print, & N/A Distribute School Management Tools (SMTs)
TASK E: MONITORING & EVALUATION E.1: Impact & Evaluation E.1.1: EGRA/SMA Enumerator NA Training E.1.2: EGRA/SMA Data NA Collection E.1.3: EGRA/SMA Data NA analysis/results dissemination
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E.2: EGRA/SMA in Scale-up Schools E.2.1: EGRA/SMA Enumerator NA Training E.2.2: EGRA/SMA Data NA Collection E.3: Rapid School Assessment (RSA) E.3.1: RSA Data Collection Jun 1-11: RAT 2 data collection & analysis (NPL/ZBZ) E.3.2: RSA Data Analysis & Jun TBD: RAT 2 results presentation (NPL/ZBZ) Results Presentation E.4: Output & Outcome Monitoring E.4.1: M&E Plan N/A E.4.2: INSET Monitoring Quarterly to monthly INSET monitoring debriefs (NPL/ZBZ) Apr 11; Apr 25; May 23; Jun 6; Jun 20: LEI RRP INSET monitoring (NPL/ZBZ) Apr 25; May 23; Jun 20: LEI SD INSET monitoring (NPL/ZBZ) E.4.3: Quarterly Indicator Indicator data analysis & reporting (NPL/ZBZ) Reporting E.4.4: Quarterly Internal Data Quarterly Internal DQA (NPL/ZBZ) Quality Assessment (DQA) E.4.5: Intervention Jun 1: Final EGRA/SMA follow up report submitted. Dissemination Effectiveness & Follow-up events during following National Task Force meetings Jul1. Studies
8. Collaboration with Other Donor Projects See above in Institutional Capacity Building section. 9. Administrative Update All relative information was reported under Task A: Aprender a Ler Project Management.
10. Success Stories and Photos
11. Financial Information
Summary Financial Report: (for full details, please reference attached financial report)
Current Period Total Expenditure: $1,749,440.28
Following Period Expected Expenditure: $2,116,295.43
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