Potential Purpose(s)How is the system doing? Raise government/public awareness of a national or regional problem How is the project doing? Evaluate discrete interventions How are students doing? Help teachers track student progress in the lowest primary levels, before students have problems and drop outIn all cases, the end goal is to provide resources for interventions that clearly address the problem.

Lessons from Pilots: Phases of EGRAPlanning and DevelopmentAdaptation and TrainingField WorkData Entry and AnalysisDissemination and Reporting

Planning and DevelopmentReview purpose with funder and MinistryInvolve/consult with teachers, ministry staff, parents, survey team, curriculum expertsDevelop a detailed workplan, clarify roles and responsibilitiesDetermine use of results and dissemination planCarefully develop sample to fit purpose, budget

Adaptation and TrainingStart with complete, but draft versionAdapt with teachers, survey specialists, curriculum experts (bring textbooks, word lists, sample stories)Balance economy and desire to include everythingPre-test and Pilots serve both training and instrument improvement opportunities (stopwatch practice; 0 vs. missing)Changes must be evidence-basedAssess Inter-Rater Reliability using audio recordings

MondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFridayIntroductionsLogisticsReview EGRA development processReview Research underlying EGRA Review draft instrument and student questionnaireRevise draft instrumentApplication training and practicePre-test in 2-6 schoolsEnter data as a practice exerciseConduct simple analyses using excelDiscuss resultsDiscuss instructional implicationsRevise draft instrument based on results

MondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFridayReview of underlying principlesReview draft instrumentReview draft teacher questionnaireApplication training and practiceApplication training and practiceReview roles and responsibilities of supervisors and enumeratorsPilot in 3 to 6 schools (determined by the number of teams being trained) Enter dataAnalyze results and modify instrumentPrint final version of the instrumentApplication training and practicePrepare and pack materialsFinalize and review logistics

Field Work1 Supervisor plus 3 to 4 EnumeratorsTimely transport is critical: arrive before school starts and meet, greet, thank director and teachersAvoid false negatives: be nice to the children Sample across all classrooms using teacher lists; start with youngest (1st grade) studentsPrior to leaving the school: verify completeness and avoid missing data (waste of everyones time)

Data Entry and AnalysisInvolve supervisors in data entry if possibleDevelop and test data entry program in advanceClarify difference between 0 and missingIf using excel, ensure consistency of entryUse analysis as opportunity to work with ministry staffDevelop strategies for analysis in excel

Grade

1

2

3

Count

419

389

392

Average correct letters per minute

12.8

25.4

36.1

Standard deviation

18.2

21.9

23.2

Standard error

0.89

1.11

1.17

Dissemination and ReportingDevelop different reports for different audiences (parents, teachers, ministry staff, testing specialists)Recall purpose is to improve, not blame; use results accordinglyDiscuss next steps, teacher trainingProvide solutions to the challenges identifiedUse results to mobilize for improvement

Presentation Abstract: With support from USAID and the World Bank, RTI International has developed and piloted a diagnostic tool for assessing the foundation skills of reading acquisition among children in the early grades of primary school (typically grades 1 to 3). The resulting Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA), grounded in reading research and the consensus of an international expert panel of reading instruction and assessment specialists, has since been piloted in a dozen countries and languages (and counting). This presentation will share results from the pilot application of the EGRA in three languages: English, Spanish and French. Each of the assessment components is closely linked to research on the development of foundation skills in early literacy acquisition. As the assessment is competency- rather than curriculum-based there is great potential for use across a number of countries as a diagnostic tool for identifying areas that need improvement. Most countries where we work do not have the tools they need to help teachers, most teachers are not explicitly teaching reading skills, and most students do not have reading materials.