NATIONAL READING PROGRAM YESA

NATIONAL READING PROGRAM

– YESA

ANNUAL WORK PLAN (OCTOBER 1, 2019 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 30, 2020)

October 1, 2019

This publication is made possible by the support of the American People through the United States Agency for

International Development (USAID) and was prepared by Abt Associates for the Assess the Learners (YESA)

Activity, a component of the Government of Malawi’s National Reading Program.

National Reading Program – YESA FY20 Annual Work Plan October 1, 2019 – September 30, 2020 2

Contract No.: 72061218C00001

Prepared for:

Odala Banda

Contracting Officer’s Representative

USAID Malawi

Education Office

NICO House, Ground Floor, P.O. Box 30455

Lilongwe 3, Malawi

Telephone: +265 1772455 Ex 5033

Email: [email protected]

Prepared by:

Jeremy Koch

Abt Associates Inc.

National Reading Program – YESA

Kang’ombe House, Eighth Floor

City Centre, Lilongwe, Malawi

Email: [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


NATIONAL READING

PROGRAM – YESA

WORK PLAN

ANNUAL WORK PLAN (OCTOBER 1, 2019

THROUGH SEPTEMBER 30, 2020)

Contract No.: 72061218C00001

USAID Malawi,

NICO House, Fourth Floor, P.O. Box 30455,

Lilongwe 3, Malawi

Prepared by:

Jeremy Koch, Abt Associates

October 1, 2019

DISCLAIMER

This report is made possible by the support of the American People through the United States Agency for

International Development (USAID). The authors’ views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the

views of USAID or the United States Government.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

Activity and Work Plan Summary 7

Goal and Objectives 7

YESA Management Deliverables 8

Integration 8

Organization of this Document 8

Program Tasks 8

Task 1: National Reading Assessment 10

Introduction 10

Activity Management and Administration 10

Monitoring and Evaluation 11

Task 1.1 Develop the National Reading Assessments and Materials 11

Task 1.3 Build Capacity 12

Task 1.4 Create Demand for NRA Results 12

Task 2: School-Level Utilization of Assessment Strategies and Techniques for Reading and

Remediation 16

Introduction 16


Task 2.1 Supporting Development and Implementation of CA and Remediation 17

Remediation Approach 17

Outcomes and Measures for Data Collection 17

Timeline 18

Tasks 2.2 Supporting Development and Implementation of EOY Assessments 21

Task 3: Community-Level Assessments and Reading Activities 23

Task 4: Integration of Reading Assessments into National Reading Program and MOEST Policies and

Practices Instituted 23

Introduction 23

Activity Management and Administration 23


Task 4.1 a comprehensive M&E system of reading assessments that inform instruction and

broader education policy and that promote sustained gains in reading achievement. 24

Task 4.3 Studies to Improve the Implementation of NRP Completed – ON HOLD 26

Task 4.4 Establish reading benchmarks in Chichewa and English – ON HOLD 26

Task 4.5 Develop three forms of lower primary English assessments– ON HOLD 26

Cross-Cutting Themes 27


USAID Global Education Strategy 27

Windows of Opportunity 27

Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning 27

Coordination and Collaboration 28

Using Local Systems 28

Incorporating Gender and Learners with Special Needs/Learning Disabilities 28

Environmental Compliance 28

General Management Approach 29

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Schedule of Deliverables 8

Table 2: Program Management and Reporting 9

Table 3: Schedule for Developing and Administration of National Reading Assessments 14

Table 4: Schedule for Supporting Development & Implementation of CA&R 20

Table 5: Schedule for Supporting Development & Implementation of EOY Assessment 22

Table 6: Integration of the comprehensive assessments and reading activities 25


ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS Abt Abt Associates Inc.

AMELP Activity Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Plan

CA Continuous Assessment

CA&R Continuous Assessment and Remediation

CEED Central East Education Division

COP Chief of Party

CRECCOM Creative Centre for Community Mobilization

CWED Central West Education Division

DBE Directorate of Basic Education

DCOP Deputy Chief of Party

DCC Division Community Coordinator

DEC Division Education Coordinator

DEO Division Education Officer

DEMIS District Education Management Information System

DEMISO District Education Management Information System Officer

DEP Directorate of Education Planning

DIAS Directorate of Inspectorate and Advisory Services

DTED Department for Teacher Education and Development

EGRA Early Grade Reading Assessment

EMIS Education Management Information Systems

EOY End-of-Year

FY Fiscal Year

FOCOLD Foundation for Community Livelihood and Development

GoM Government of Malawi

ID Identification

IKI Invest in Knowledge Initiative

MANEB Malawi National Examinations Board

MERIT Malawi Early Grade Reading Improvement Activity

MIE Malawi Institute of Education

MLA Monitoring Learning Achievement

MoEST Ministry of Education, Science and Technology

NED Northern Education Division

NRA National Reading Assessment

NRP National Reading Program

PEA Primary Education Advisor

PTA Parent-Teacher Association

REFAM Reading for all Malawi

SACMEQ Southern and Eastern Africa Consortium for Monitoring Educational Quality

SEED South East Education Division

SHED Shire Highlands Education Division

SMC School Management Committee

Std Standard (1, 2, 3, 4)

TTC Teacher Training College

USAID United States Agency for International Development

YESA Yesani Ophunzira (YESA) Activity

ZEMIS Zonal Education Management Information System


ACTIVITY AND WORK PLAN SUMMARY

GOAL AND OBJECTIVES

The Malawi Yesani Ophunzira (YESA) Activity is a four-year activity supporting the Ministry of

Education, Science and Technology (MoEST) in its implementation of the National Reading Program

(NRP). Specifically, YESA will build the capacity of key stakeholders, including MoEST staff at the

national, district, and school levels, and communities to gauge and improve children’s performance in the

essential reading components within Malawi’s NRP. The period of performance for this contract is

February 22, 2018 through February 21, 2022. YESA aims at contributing to the development objective

of improving social development by instituting and sustaining comprehensive assessment and capacity

building systems for early grade reading in support of Malawi’s NRP.

The main four objectives of YESA are to:

1. Administer National Reading Assessments (NRAs) while building the capacity of MoEST to

conduct NRAs in the future;

2. Institute universal school-level utilization of assessment strategies and techniques for reading and

school management;

3. Build community-level capacity for the performance and informed use of reading assessments and

reading activities; and

4. Integrate reading assessments into NRP and MoEST policies and practices.

The main Activity achievements at the end of this fiscal year (FY) include:

● Continuous assessment (CA) tools and training materials in English finalized for Standards 3-4

● Remediation materials developed on foundational reading skills in English for Standards 3-4

● Technical support provided to DIAS and MESSIP in the development, administration and

analysis of learning assessments

● Conduct cascade trainings, in partnership with MERIT and REFAM projects, where appropriate,

for head teachers (HTs), section heads (SHs), and teachers nationwide

● Mobile application and processes developed to connect performance data collected to the

education management information system (EMIS)

● Strengthened capacity of MoEST officials to use the EMIS mobile application to collect, clean,

consolidate, and report on zonal and district level data

● Strengthened capacity of the MoEST to administer NRA, and a NRA administered in over 300

sample schools nationwide

● Strengthened capacity of the MoEST to monitor, support, and provide coaching on continuous

assessment and remediation (CA&R) at the school level


YESA MANAGEMENT DELIVERABLES

Per the contractual requirements and agreement with the United States Agency for International

Development (USAID), Table 1 describes the dates that have been agreed to for the schedule of

deliverables.

Table 1: Schedule of Deliverables

Deliverables Due Date

Annual Work Plan Submitted annually to the Country Officer Representative for

approval 30 days prior to start of the period covered by the plan.

Activity Monitoring, Evaluation and

Learning Plan (AMELP)

The YESA AMELP was submitted and approved in FY2019.

Quarterly Progress Report 30 days after the end of each quarter based on USG FY. The last

quarter progress report may be incorporated into the annual report.

Annual Report The annual report shall cover each reporting year and will be due 30

days after the end of the reporting period. Submitted to the COR.

Consultant and STTA Reports 15 days after the end of the assignment. Submitted to the COR.

INTEGRATION

YESA will help the Malawian education system build its capacity to measure students’ reading

acquisition and to create demand for improved reading instruction. YESA will work with the MoEST,

divisions, districts, schools, and communities nationwide to improve early grade reading and learner

outcomes. Since YESA is national in scope, activities will be implemented in all 34 education districts.

YESA will also work in full partnership with MERIT and REFAM as they are key inputs to the NRP.

ORGANIZATION OF THIS DOCUMENT

The remainder of this document is organized as follows: the following section describes the activities that

take place this FY within each of the four major program components and the timeline for the work

(activities that will take place in future years will be described in future work plans); this is followed by

presenting the cross-cutting themes and general management approach. Appendices A-D include the draft

AMELP table; brief descriptions of subcontractors; planned upcoming international travel; and the annual

project budget.

PROGRAM TASKS

During the 2020 FY, YESA will focus on building the capacity of the MoEST to develop, plan, and

implement the NRA; finalizing CA&R materials in English for Standards 1– 4; scaling up assessment and

remediation strategies in Standards 1-4 in Chichewa and English nationwide; and supporting zonal,

district, and national MoEST officials with monitoring, consolidating, and connecting performance data

to the EMIS system.


Table 2: Program Management and Reporting

Activity Lead Staff Partners Key Outputs 2019 2020

Cost Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep

Program Management

Program Planning

Labor, Travel, ODCs, OH, Fee

$1,817,392

Quarterly DEC & DCC planning meetings

Deputy Chief of Party (DCOP)

CRE/FOC Quarterly Division Plans

Quarterly DEC, DCC & MERIT DC review and planning meetings

DCOP MERIT Quarterly Division Plans

Program Reporting

Consultant and STTA reports Chief of Party (COP)

STTA reports

Quarterly performance reports DCOP CRE/FOC Quarterly reports ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲

Quarterly financial reports Abt Head Quarters (Abt HQ)

Quarterly reports ▲ ▲

▲

▲

Quarterly accruals reports Abt HQ Accrual reports ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲

FY 2021 Annual Work Plan COP Work plan ▲

Program Meetings

Regular planning meetings with USAID

COP planning and coordination

Joint quarterly USAID partners meetings


Coordinating committee meetings with key stakeholders



TASK 1: NATIONAL READING ASSESSMENT

INTRODUCTION

MoEST has conducted NRAs in Malawi since 2000. It has done so most consistently using the Early

Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) instruments in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2017, and together

with YESA in 2018. MoEST, USAID/Malawi, and their partners have created multiple versions of the

EGRA instrument in both Chichewa and English.

The results from the 2018 NRA suggest that in Chichewa, low comprehension scores are most likely

caused by a lack of decoding skills. The performance of the Standard 2 and 4 learners on the oral

language assessments in Chichewa shows substantial understanding of the meaning of basic words. Yet,

these same learners scored relatively poorly on the EGRA tasks that required language decoding.

With regards to English, in Standard 2 and 4, the overall low scores across the different underlying skills

contributing to reading performance make it difficult to understand the relative contribution of oral

language and decoding skills to overall reading performance.

In 2018, YESA trained 92 MoEST staff, including inspectors from the Department of Inspectorate and

Advisory Services (DIAS), Primary Education Advisors (PEAs), and teachers, on how to collect data

using tablets with the EGRA instruments. MoEST staff collected data in 316 randomly sampled schools

across the country. While MoEST oversees other national and large scale assessments, including the

Monitoring Learning Achievement (MLA)1 and the Southern and Eastern Africa Consortium for

Monitoring Educational Quality (SACMEQ), it has limited experience leading NRA adaptation

workshops or assessments on its own and has been less involved in designing the studies, sampling,

conducting analysis, and writing NRA reports. USAID designed YESA to address these gaps in capacity

and to create or adapt an NRA instrument that gives MoEST the information it needs to grow readers.

The focus of this component is to build the capacity of MoEST in conducting periodic NRAs to inform

key stakeholders about learners’ performance and to inform policy. USAID supported the MoEST in

conducting the 2017 NRA, which is considered a baseline of the NRP. Under YESA, a midline NRA was

conducted in 2018 and an endline will be conducted in 2020. YESA led the implementation of the 2018

NRA in collaboration with the MoEST; however, in 2020, the MoEST will be an equal partner in every

aspect of development, planning, implementation, analysis, and reporting to support institutionalization of

this activity. To ensure comparability over time, the NRAs in 2018 and 2020 will be aligned with the

2017 baseline. While elements were added in 2018 and slight modifications were made to items, the core

instrument and methodology remain substantially the same.

ACTIVITY MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION

The YESA COP and Reading Assessment Specialist (RAS) will work closely with Directorate of

Inspectorate and Advisory Services (DIAS), Directorate of Basic Education (DBE), and the Directorate of

Education Planning (DEP) to establish the core MoEST team that will lead the 2020 NRA with technical

support and guidance from YESA. Abt home office staff will play a much more limited role, but will

remain available to support as needed and to ensure high quality data analysis. Local partner, Invest in

Knowledge Initiative (IKI), will continue to provide technical support on the data collection, cleaning and

consolidation, but will be working closely with MoEST officials to ensure learning takes place at every

step.

1 The MLA is administered every three years in English, Chichewa and mathematics, and life skills in Standards 4 and 7.


Monitoring and Evaluation

For this component, the project will track a combination of output and outcome indicators and monitor

three principle results: IR1.1 NRA tools identified, standardized and utilized to inform targeted planning

and new education policies; IR1.2 Capacity for performing NRAs created or augmented within the

Government of Malawi (GoM) institutions; and IR1.3 Sufficient demand and political will to support

regular NRAs identified, developed and institutionalized. Each of these results will be finalized in the FY.

TASK 1.1 DEVELOP THE NATIONAL READING ASSESSMENTS AND MATERIALS

YESA will work hand-in-hand with the MoEST at all levels on the development and planning for the

2020 NRA. YESA will host a 2020 NRA tools review workshop with key MoEST officials from DIAS,

DBE, the Department for Teacher Education (DTED), and DEP as well as other stakeholders from the

Malawi National Examinations Board (MANEB), the Malawi Institute of Education (MIE), and primary

school teachers. It is anticipated that there will be about 15 stakeholder participants. This workshop will

guide the participants through the NRA tools, explain the purpose of each tool and their components, the

process for administration of each tool, and provide opportunities for feedback and input on how they can

be refined and improved.

The instruments used for the 2020 NRA will be the same as those used for the 2018 and 2017 NRAs.

There may be some minor adjustments to the tools based on MoEST feedback and input. One important

change anticipated in regard to finalizing the NRA tools is that we expect to develop the English NRA

tools with English instructions and emphasize to all assessment administrators that they should use the

child’s local language to explain the assessment instructions. Our priority is to collect accurate data on

student literacy skills. We do not want the students’ ability to understand the instructions to interfere with

their ability to demonstrate their literacy skills.

Immediately following this workshop, YESA will work with DIAS and other NRA team officials to

review and incorporate recommendations into the final 2020 NRA tools.

2020 NRA Tools:

Chichewa EGRA Protocol Head Teacher Questionnaire

English EGRA Protocol Teacher Questionnaire

Classroom Observation Protocol Learner Questionnaire

School Climate Protocol Learner Tables

TASK 1.2 ADMINISTER NRA

The administration of the 2020 NRA is expected to take place in June 2020. YESA and its local partner,

IKI, will work with the MoEST NRA core team to plan for the administration of the NRA. This planning

process will include determining the criteria for national and district level school sample, identifying data

collectors, identifying the routes for each team of data collectors, and preparing for training of the NRA

administrators.

It is expected that the sample of schools will be the same size as the 2018 NRA, approximately 320

schools. All 34 education districts will be included in the sample. The number of schools selected per

district will be proportional to the number of schools in each district, with the provision that the sample

within each district include a minimum of five schools. Standards 2 and 4 learners will be assessed. A

sample of 20 learners (10 boys/10 girls) from each standard will be randomly selected.

We anticipate needing about 25 data collection teams of five people per team. Team members will be


identified in partnership with the MoEST and will include Standard 1-4 teachers, head teachers, PEAs,

Senior Education Method Advisors (SEMAs), inspectors, and teacher training college (TTC) lecturers.

The NRA Core Team will establish the criteria used for selection. The criteria may include language

ability, prior NRA experience, and variety of positions within the MoEST. All NRA administrators will

be trained in May 2020. YESA and the MoEST NRA Core Team will co-facilitate the training.

Administrators training will include: review of all NRA tools and the process for administration, best

practices for setting up NRA administration environment, clear step-by-step instructions on how to select

students to participate in the data collection, roles and responsibilities of each member of the data

collection team, and extensive practice for each step of data collection.

By the end of training, NRA administration teams will be established with routes determined and clear

plans and timelines for data administration. We anticipate that data collection will take place over a

period of three weeks.

TASK 1.3 BUILD CAPACITY

In the beginning of the FY20, YESA will work with the Director of DIAS and other MoEST directors to

identify and establish a MoEST NRA Core Team. This NRA Core Team will be made up of central

MoEST officials from DIAS, Planning, DTED, and DBE. This team will be responsible for the overall

implementation of the 2020 NRA and will receive regular guidance, support, and training from the YESA

RAS and COP. The MoEST NRA Core Team will be trained on all technical aspects of the NRA,

including the development of the NRA tools, the process used to develop the NRA sampling plan, the

logistics and planning around NRA administration, data consolidation, data cleaning, and the analysis of

results. This approach will ensure that the NRA Core Team is gaining the technical knowledge and the

hands-on experience necessary to build their capacity and deepen their ownership of the NRA.

TASK 1.4 CREATE DEMAND FOR NRA RESULTS

In FY 2020, YESA will work closely with the MoEST NRA Core Team to consolidate, clean, and

analyze the data from the NRA administration. An Abt Associates data analyst will travel to Malawi to

provide training to the NRA Core Team and will provide coaching of MoEST Core Team analysts as

needed over email and virtual meetings. The Abt data analyst will also conduct parallel analysis to ensure

data quality and accuracy of the MoEST analysis. YESA will work closely with the MoEST and USAID

to discuss how best to present results and disseminate the analysis.

YESA will also roll out the MoEST EMIS android application in FY20. Our partner, SoukTel, will travel

to Malawi to participate in the training the NRA Core Team and other relevant MoEST officials on how

to use this application to digitize data from the zonal level so that it feeds into the district, division, and

central EMIS system. This training will focus on how to use the application to input the 2020 NRA data

into the online EMIS system. Participants will be trained on how to create visualizations and reports of

the data. Specific reports will be identified to be shared with all levels of the MoEST, schools, and

communities that can be accessed via a URL. The ability to digitize data and have it sync automatically

when connected to Wi-Fi will streamline data consolidation and increase access to reports that show

results by zone, district, division, and at national level.

YESA will work with the MoEST, UNICEF, MERIT, and REFAM throughout FY20 to review, revise,

and digitize MoEST data collection forms so that all data forms can be accessed and used through the

EMIS application. This will expand the capacity of the application to be used for all data collection and

not only the NRA.

This activity will work in full partnership with DIAS and the Directorate of Education Planning.

Meetings will be held with the relevant directors to determine YESA focal persons within each


directorate. YESA will work with these focal persons (anticipated to be one to four officials from each

directorate) to discuss the design of this dashboard, data collection forms, and to ensure the reports

developed at a glance are relevant, easy to interpret, and demand-driven. The incorporation of the NRA

into EMIS as well as the initial NRP/EMIS dashboard will be developed and shared with USAID and the

MoEST in February 2020.


Table 3: Schedule for Developing and Administration of National Reading Assessments



Objective 1: National Reading Assessments (NRAs) Instituted

Labor, Travel, ODCs, OH, Fee $186,013

Activity 1.1: Develop Assessment

Lead MoEST through a NRA EGRA instrument review and adaptation workshop

RAS Final NRA Instruments

$8,078

Activity 1.2: Administer National Reading Assessment

Lead MoEST through the process for developing a nationally representative sample of schools

RAS IKI NRA Sample $ -

Lead MoEST through planning NRA administration

RAS IKI NRA Administration plan

$ -

Training of supervisors and enumerator

RAS IKI Trained administrators

$87,888

NRA Administration RAS IKI NRA Data $147,147

Activity 1.3: Build Capacity

Identify MoEST personnel to co-lead 2020 NRA activities

RAS MoEST NRA Core Team

$ -

Work with MoEST to transfer knowledge in all NRA activities

RAS IKI Trained MoEST officials

$ -


Activity 1.4: Create Demand for NRA Results

Work with MoEST to consolidate and clean NRA data

RAS IKI Clean NRA Data Set

$ -

Work with MoEST to analyze NRA data

RAS Draft NRA Analysis

$ -

Work with MoEST to begin drafting NRA report

RAS Draft NRA report

$ -

Design mobile tool for easy/fast access to national reading data

ICT Dir SoukTel EMIS application

▲ $75,745

MoEST NRA Monitoring and Data consolidation training

RAS SoukTel EMIS data $ -

Link assessment data to EMIS system

ICT Dir SoukTel EMIS application

$ -


TASK 2: SCHOOL-LEVEL UTILIZATION OF ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES

AND TECHNIQUES FOR READING AND REMEDIATION

INTRODUCTION

The GoM and USAID have invested significantly in implementing the NRP to improve early grade

reading. The results of the 2018 NRA provided strong evidence that the NRP is having a positive impact

on learner reading outcomes. The impact of these investments can be further catalyzed and sustained by

engaging teachers in measuring their learners’ progress throughout the school year with curriculum-

aligned CAs and using the results of the CAs to provide targeted, student-led remediation that ensures all

students improve their foundational literacy skills.

CA is recognized in the field of reading instruction as critical for effective teaching. Studies from around

the world show strong evidence of learner gains from teachers using data to inform instruction, and gains

reported in these studies are among the largest for any educational intervention. The evidence

demonstrates that conditions for improved instruction include the use of continuous and summative

assessments to make instructional decisions. However, research suggests that while informal assessment

methods are frequently used in classrooms in Africa, especially oral questioning, and that formal CA is

both expected and widely used in Malawi, teachers still have challenges in adapting instruction

effectively based on the results. Further, while the new NRP curriculum has been rolled out for Standard

1-4, fully-aligned, standardized formative assessment tools have not yet been developed.

This component is about reinforcing a culture of assessments in the classroom and schools and using the

information from those assessments in a systematic way to inform and guide teaching methods and

remediation activities. YESA has already worked with the MoEST on the development and roll-out of

CAs and remediation for Chichewa for Standards 1 – 4. In FY20, YESA will continue to support schools

and teachers to implement CA&R in Chichewa and will work with the MoEST to finalize CA&R

materials for English for Standards 3 – 4 and roll them out nationwide. As with the Chichewa materials,

the reading skills assessed will be aligned to the NRP curriculum, and the suite of tools will assess student

skills in the foundational components of reading, corresponding to the Malawi NRP early grade reading

curriculum as well as the NRA.

The results of these assessments will be used to inform the structure and approach of remediation

activities. YESA will work through the MoEST to train teachers on how to implement English

remediation activities and will regularly monitor school level implementation to provide coaching and

document best practices and learning.

The development and implementation of English CAs and remediation activities will be led by the YESA

technical team and supported by our partner, ELF Learning Solutions.


During FY20, YESA will focus on the following output indicators under Task 2: the number of tools

finalized that are used for school-level CAs and the number of school administrators trained. The

following outcome indicators will also be examined: the percentage of classes using CAs to assess

learners, the percentage of schools providing remediation based on the CA results, and the fidelity of

implementation of CA&R. Monitoring tools will be developed to fully document and report on these

indicators. These tools will also be adapted for use by MoEST at zonal, district, and division level (See

Task 4 for more information).

To help extend the reach of YESA, our local subcontract partners, CRECCOM and FOCOLD, will also

conduct school visits to collect monitoring data and provide coaching.


TASK 2.1 SUPPORTING DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF CA AND REMEDIATION

In the FY20, YESA will continue to support schools and teachers with the implementation of CA&R in

Chichewa through monitoring and coaching visits as well as by working with MERIT to include CA&R

refresher content into their planned Standard 1-2 head teacher and teacher training.

Given the low scores nationwide in Standard 2 Chichewa reading and in light of extensive evidence that

student reading skills and abilities benefit from a focus on learning to read in their native language before

adding a second language, such as English, this fiscal year, YESA will develop and roll out CA&R for

English in standards 3 and 4 only. Standards 1 and 2 remediation efforts maintain their focus on building

literacy skills in Chichewa.

In FY20, YESA will develop CAs and remediation activities for Standard 3-4 in English and provide

training materials for training teachers, SHs, and HTs on the assessments. For Standards 3-4, CAs will test

and remediation activities support the following literacy skills: letter names, letter sounds, decodable words,

sight words, sentences, story reading, and reading comprehension.

Remediation Approach

YESA will also work with USAID and MoEST to develop curriculum and training materials for a

remediation strategy that will be implemented in schools. The remediation will supplement the NRP

curriculum with a remediation approach that not only increases the amount of the school day learners

spend engaging with print materials in developing reading skills, but also uses a pedagogical approach

that helps teachers target specific skills based on the needs of the learners.

The key features of the approach are:

● CA: Instruction is targeted to each learner’s areas of need based on information from regularly-

administered brief assessments of learner reading skills.

● Remediation: Learners are taught in small groups (5-8 learners) that are homogenous in terms of

learners’ skill level. Learners in the same classroom work on different tasks and learning goals in

skill-based small groups as opposed to all following the same lesson at the same time.

● Iterative instruction: Learners are re-assessed and re-grouped as they master skills and/or are

shown to be struggling with skills.

● Curriculum: Instruction uses materials that are level-appropriate.

Outcomes and Measures for Data Collection

YESA will regularly monitor the CA&R implementation in 300 schools nationwide throughout each

school term. To achieve this end, when not participating in nationwide training activities, YESA DECs

and CRECCOM/FOCOLD Division Education Officers will establish a weekly monitoring schedule in

collaboration with PEAs in their division. This approach will allow YESA to establish consistent

communication with the schools and teachers during implementation and will provide more in-depth

learning about effectiveness of the approach, challenges to implementation, and the opportunity to

document and share solutions. The monitoring of these schools will focus on implementation fidelity and

problem solving.

YESA proposes to conduct direct observations of CA&R in schools in collaboration with PEAs and other

government officials (see Objective 4 for more information). Monitoring of CA&R will prioritize


documenting CA&R implementation fidelity and will provide coaching to improve their execution.

Illustrative data the M&E tools will document:

If CA&R is on the school timetable and the number of remediation period in a week

If learners being assessed during review weeks

If teachers are documenting CA results in a skills chart

If learners are being grouped based on the skill chart

If learners are being re-grouped as they master specific skills

If teachers are using appropriate remediation activities

If teachers have sufficient remediation activity materials

If learners are participating in the remediation activities

If teachers are working with groups during the remediation period

To increase MoEST ownership and institutionalization of monitoring CA&R, YESA will add CA&R

monitoring and coaching content to the NRP PEA coaching tool developed by MERIT. Monitoring tools

and implementation guidelines, including best practices, will also be developed and provided to DEMs

and PEAs. Trainings on these tools will take place as part of regular quarterly district and division

meetings and through one-on-one interactions with YESA division staff.

Timeline

The overall timeline for the full set of activities under Task 2.1 is presented in Table 5.

NRP Standard 1 – 2 Head Teacher and Teacher Training – CA&R Chichewa refresher:

In December 2019, MERIT will conduct nationwide Standard 1-2 teachers and head teachers’ training.

Though YESA will not be directly training these teachers, we will work with MERIT and participate in

their materials development workshop to develop sessions that will address CA&R issues. These sessions

will provide refresher training on the methodology and processes, best practices, common challenges, and

creative solutions to implementing CA&R in a variety of contexts. YESA’s technical team will be present

at all levels of the training cascade to provide monitoring support, respond to questions about the CA&R

content, and ensure quality training.

CA&R Standards 3 – 4 English materials development and training:

In November 2019, YESA will conduct CA&R English materials development and validation workshops.

Key technical material developers from the MoEST, NRP partners, and teachers will be invited to

participate. The agenda for this workshop will be to review and develop the CA tools, remediation

activities, the facilitator’s guide and the teacher resource books for Standards 3 – 4 CA&R English. As

the CA&R English materials will be rolled out by HTs and JSHs, they will also receive facilitator guides

that lead them through the teacher training process for CA&R English materials.

CA&R Standards 3 – 4 English nationwide roll out:

In collaboration with MERIT and REFAM, YESA will participate in the NRP training of HTs and JSHs

to be conducted in January 2020. During this two-day training, YESA will roll out the CA&R English

materials. CA&R materials for English will be printed for all Standard 3 – 4 teachers nationwide. Instead

of training teachers directly, we will give the materials and facilitator guides to JSHs and HTs who will


then train the teachers at their school. We are confident that this approach will be effective as all HTs,

JSHs, and teachers have already been trained in CA&R for Chichewa and the CA&R English materials

will follow the same framework, approach, and methodology. Immediately following the training, YESA

staff will work with Division and District officials to follow up with schools and confirm training takes

place.

CA&R Standards 1 – 4 monitoring:

YESA’s Division Education Coordinators (DECs) and CRECCOM/FOCOLD Division Education

Officers (DEOs) will regularly conduct monitoring visits to primary schools to provide coaching to

schools to ensure fidelity to the CA&R approach for Chichewa and English. YESA’s DEC’s will also

work closely with the MoEST structure and will engage PEAs and inspectors to participate in monitoring

trips to begin institutionalization of CA&R at every level of the MoEST. See Objective 4 for additional

information on MoEST system strengthening.


Table 4: Schedule for Supporting Development & Implementation of CA&R



Objective 2: Universal School-Level Utilization of Assessment Strategies and Techniques for Reading and School Management Instituted


Activity 2.1. Supporting Development & Implementation of Continuous Assessment (CA) and remediation

Finalize draft materials to support Std 3-4 ENGLISH continuous assessments and remediation

CMS ELF Training materials

$ -

Participate in NRP Std 1-2 materials development workshop to input CA&R

DCOP MERIT/ REFAM

Training materials

$ -

Convene workshop to review Std 3-4 ENGLISH assessments and training materials

DCOP ELF Training materials

$17,159

Support monitoring of NRP Std 1-2 Teacher Training

CMS MERIT/ REFAM

Monitoring reports

$ -

Finalize Std 3-4 ENGLISH CA&R materials and associated training materials for SH/HT Training

CMS ELF CA&R Materials

▲ $31,650

Develop M&E indicators, data collection form, and process for collecting data

M&E Dir Data coll forms

$ -

Print Std 3-4 ENGLISH CA&R materials and associated training materials for SH/HT Training

Procurement Printed materials

$360,000

In partnership with MERIT/REFAM, implement cascade trainings for SH/HT to roll out Std 3-4 ENGLISH

DCOP MERIT/ REFAM

Teachers Trained

$1,031,733

Monitoring of CA&R implementation at school level

DECs/DEOs Monitoring reports

$ -


TASKS 2.2 SUPPORTING DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF EOY ASSESSMENTS

DIAS has recently been mandated to develop and implement national assessments. Through the MESSIP

program, the MoEST has funding to develop and implement end-of-year assessments. Rather than

duplicate efforts, YESA will work with DIAS and the MESSIP program to support their assessment

efforts. YESA will engage DIAS and MESSIP early in the fiscal year to build relationships and establish

a supporting role in their efforts. In this role, YESA will provide technical and operational guidance to

MESSIP and DIAS, supporting efforts to build their capacity to develop and implement assessments.

YESA will specifically support their work in developing English and Chichewa subject assessments.

Much of YESA’s technical support may also be done in parallel with NRA capacity building activities.

Illustrative examples of how YESA can support DIAS and MESSIP assessments:

Provide technical assistance on the types of education assessments and their purpose

Provide technical assistance in the development of their assessment methodology

Provide technical assistance in the development of curriculum-aligned assessment items

Ensure literacy assessments are aligned with CAs and the NRA

Provide operational guidance on proper procedures for administering assessments

Provide training on the MoEST mobile data collection application and ensure they use this

application to administer assessments

Provide technical assistance on data cleaning, consolidation, and analysis

The first key activity for EOY assessment support to the MoEST will include engaging DIAS and

MESSIP, with support from USAID, to discuss how YESA and MESSIP can work together to leverage

resources and support their assessment efforts. YESA role would be limited to providing technical and

operational guidance. YESA would not fund training or implementation of assessments as MESSIP has a

budget for these activities. YESA’s cost represented in the table below are limited to personnel costs and

estimated YESA staff travel necessary to support these assessments.


Table 5: Schedule for Supporting Development & Implementation of EOY Assessment

Activity Lead Staff

Partners

Key Outputs 2019 2020



Activity 2.2. Supporting Development and Implementation of End-of-Year (EOY) Assessments

Meet with MoEST to establish YESA role in supporting MESSIP learning assessments

RAS $ -

Technical guidance provided to MoEST as they develop and implement learning assessments

RAS $ -

Training on MoEST Mobile Application ICTD Assessments tool created in application

$23,285


TASK 3: COMMUNITY-LEVEL ASSESSMENTS AND READING

ACTIVITIES

In order to focus remaining resources to maximize the impact of YESA’s interventions to date, no

activities are planned for Task 3 in FY 2020.

TASK 4: INTEGRATION OF READING ASSESSMENTS INTO NATIONAL

READING PROGRAM AND MOEST POLICIES AND PRACTICES

INSTITUTED

INTRODUCTION

YESA is working with the MoEST, USAID, and other NRP implementing partners to improve the

reading assessment system by developing and institutionalizing CAs for classroom use, supporting the

development of other MoEST assessments for school and district-level data, and the NRA for national

level data. YESA is also supporting the MoEST in developing a policy environment that prioritizes early

grade reading improvements in student performance.

In FY20, YESA will focus on increasing MoEST ownership of YESA interventions at all levels of the

system and fostering institutionalization of the NRP assessments at national level and CA&R monitoring

and coaching at a decentralized level. This will be done by working closely with the MoEST in all aspects

of assessment design, planning, administration, monitoring, and reporting. YESA will also begin working

with PEAs and inspectors at the district level to develop coaching and monitoring tools for their use when

visiting schools to monitor CA&R activities.

ACTIVITY MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION

Tasks for activities under Task 4 will be spearheaded by the COP, DCOP, and RAS at the national level

and by the YESA DECs at the division and district level. At the national level, YESA will participate in

the NRP steering committee and NRP technical working group meetings. YESA will also work closely

with the central MoEST directorates to ensure buy-in, ownership of activities, and top-down support for

institutionalization of YESA’s inputs.

At the division and district level, YESA’s DECs and CRECCOM/FOCOLD DEO personnel, will work

side-by-side with MoEST District Education Managers (DEMs), PEAs, inspectors, ZEMISO and

DEMISO officers to institutionalize YESA activities. YESA will work with PEAs and inspectors to build

their capacity to monitor and support CA&R at the school level. YESA will work with DEMISO officers

to institutionalize the use of the MoEST EMIS mobile application for assessment data collection,

consolidation, and reporting at the zonal, district and division level; and YESA will work with the NRP

implementing partners to support district and division meetings to share best practices, common

challenges, creative solutions, and to document learning.


During FY20, YESA will focus on building MoEST ownership and institutionalization of all YESA

activities. A key action of FY20 will be institutionalizing monitoring and support of CA&R by PEAs and

inspectors at the district level.


TASK 4.1 A COMPREHENSIVE M&E SYSTEM OF READING ASSESSMENTS THAT INFORM

INSTRUCTION AND BROADER EDUCATION POLICY AND THAT PROMOTE

SUSTAINED GAINS IN READING ACHIEVEMENT.

In order for YESA’s inputs into the NRP to be sustainable, it is important that we focus on

institutionalization of YESA assessments and remediation methodology. This will be a key focus of

YESA’s work in FY20. At the national level, YESA’s COP, DCOP, and RAS will work with the central

MoEST directorates to ensure buy-in and ownership of the NRA and the CA&R framework. We will also

work to support their development of other learning assessment with support from MESSIP. YESA will

provide the MoEST with examples of how school level data can be used effectively to improve education

quality without enforcing a high-stakes standardized assessment. To this end, YESA will regularly engage

in NRP coordination meetings, including holding regular meetings with USAID and our NRP

implementing partners, MERIT and REFAM. YESA will also be an active participant in NRP technical

working groups, and NRP Steering Committee meetings.

To initiate institutionalization of the NRA, YESA will work with the MoEST to establish a MoEST Core

NRA team that will take ownership of the 2020 NRA and future NRAs. This team will co-lead the 2020

NRA and will take part in every aspect of developing, planning, and executing the NRA (see Task 1.3).

At the division and district level, YESA will intensify engagement with DEMs and PEAs to increase their

capacity to monitor, support, and oversee CA&R implementation at the school level. YESA’s DECs and

DEOs will work closely with MERIT DCs and will participate in quarterly district/division NRP meetings

with DEMs, CPEAs, PEAs, and inspectors. The purpose of these meetings will be to reinforce key

messages and best practices. It will also serve as a forum for shared learning by discussing challenges and

creative solutions to common problems. Within FY20 there will be three quarterly district level meetings

and one division level meeting.

YESA will also work closely with the MoEST to develop a CA&R coaching tool for PEAs to use when

visiting schools. These tools will be added to the MERIT PEA Coaching Tool so that the PEAs have a

NRP toolkit to support their monitoring, coaching, and reporting of NRP interventions. This tool will help

to establish the institutionalization of CA&R at the district level. YESA’s DECs will introduce this tool to

the DEMs, CPEAs, and PEAs and will schedule and coordinate co-monitoring trips to primary schools so

that YESA can support the PEAs as they first begin observing, documenting, and providing coaching to

teachers and schools on CA&R activities. YESA DECs will plan with Coordinating PEAs (CPEAs) and

share information and monthly reports to the DEMs. These reports will also inform the agenda and

discussions for the quarterly district/division NRP meetings.


Table 6: Integration of the comprehensive assessments and reading activities



Objective 4: Integration of Reading Assessments into NRP and MoEST Policies and Practices Instituted


Activity 4.1. Integration of the Comprehensive Assessments and Reading Activities

Quarterly district and division NRP meetings with PEAs, CPEAs and DEMs

DECs MERIT/ REFAM

Shared learning best practices

$110,252

Participate in NRP Cluster Workshops for DEMs and Key Government staff

DECs MERIT/ REFAM

District budget and planning for literacy

$ -

Coordination and participation in technical working groups and NRP Steering Committee

COP Planning and coordination $ -

Support YESA collaboration with MERIT and REFAM on Objective 2 and 3

COP Leveraged resources $ -

Support MoEST coordination and planning meetings

COP Shared activity plans $ -

DEM and PEA training on school monitoring and documentation of CA&R

DECs PEA monitoring reports $158,946

Benchmark workshop: Establishing categories and performance learning descriptors

$10,000

Benchmark workshop: Establishing cut scores

$10,000

Windows of Opportunity $5,000


TASK 4.2: INTEGRATION WITH THE GOM AND LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AND CROSS-SECTORAL

ORGANIZATIONS

Abt’s implementation plan for YESA will build the GoM’s capacity to improve M&E for the NRP at the

national, district, and school using innovative, low-cost, approaches for collecting, analyzing, and

disseminating data. To achieve this goal, Abt will include MoEST staff in all trainings and data collection

activities, and take a gradual approach to both building internal capacity and transferring responsibility to

ministry staff so they can successfully carry out all activities at the end of the project.

YESA will also continue its strong partnership with MERIT and REFAM. The NRP implementing

partners are working closely on work plans and continue to participate in NRP materials development

workshops, training activities, and monitoring of implementation at school level. This strong

collaboration prevents duplication, creates opportunities to leverage funds across projects, and allows us

to implement a cohesive national program.

YESA will also be working closely with its local educational partners, CRECCOM and FOCOLD, in

FY20. YESA will be building their capacity to understand reading assessments, remediation activities,

and coaching educators in support of reading.

Costs for this task are captured in Objective 2.

TASK 4.3 STUDIES TO IMPROVE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF NRP COMPLETED – ON HOLD

At the request of our COR, these activities have been placed on hold.

TASK 4.4 ESTABLISH READING BENCHMARKS IN CHICHEWA AND ENGLISH – ON HOLD

USAID is in the process of securing a consultant to lead the benchmarking effort, YESA is prepared to

provide support and coordination in consultation with USAID for this work once the consultants are on

board. For the purposes of work plan development, YESA has set aside $20,000 in total, $10,000 each

for two benchmark development workshops. These budget figures will be refined once planning is able to

take place with the consultants.

TASK 4.5 DEVELOP THREE FORMS OF LOWER PRIMARY ENGLISH ASSESSMENTS– ON HOLD

At the request of our COR, these activities have been placed on hold.


CROSS-CUTTING THEMES

In addition to the specific tasks described in Task 4, YESA will make contributions to integration more

generally. With respect to the cross-cutting sub intermediate results (SIRs), by addressing the SIRs

1“Capacity of institutions improves” and 2 “Use of technology and innovation increased” YESA will

improve the organizational capacity of the MoEST to implement the NRP through training to conduct

future NRAs, to administer learner assessments, and to interpret assessment data and provide remediation.

Also, YESA will support increased use of technology such as a mobile app that can be used by MoEST

officials to gather and disseminate performance information that will keep communities informed and

spur action. SIR 3 involves “Policy and systems strengthened” which will occur while training staff in Mo

EST and its departments. Finally, SIR 4 “Adopting positive behaviors in education,” such as mobilizing

PTAs and SMCs to increase community support to reading activities with children will lead to sustainable

and improved outcomes.

USAID GLOBAL EDUCATION STRATEGY

YESA will contribute to the USAID Education Strategy’s Goal One of improving reading skills for 100

million children. Under YESA, all Standard 1-4 teachers will be trained and coached to assess their

learners on a regular basis and group them according to reading level for supplemental activities. We will

work with MERIT’s cascade trainings and NRP teacher learning circles to ensure continued professional

development takes place with regard to CA&R.

WINDOWS OF OPPORTUNITY

Opportunities often arise to support activities that are consistent with our goals. During implementation.

YESA will take advantage of windows of opportunity to implement associated activities and interventions

consistent with the overall objectives and terms of the contract. For example, during the 2018 NRA, we

included two sample of learners to take the NRA—one group receiving instructions in English, the other

group in Chichewa. This also allows us to gauge to what extent poor language comprehension is

responsible for poor performance on the assessment. YESA will also use these funds to support NRP

related committee meetings or other events as discussed and approved by USAID.

MONITORING, EVALUATION AND LEARNING

Ultimately, YESA is about supporting MoEST in monitoring implementation of the NRP and introducing

assessment tools at the school so that remedial actions can be more robust and evidence-based. YESA has

developed a comprehensive and multi-level monitoring, evaluation and learning system to track early-

grade reading performance across all contract activities.

Our division-based personnel will regularly monitor school level implementation of CA&R and other

NRP interventions. YESA staff will also provide brief feedback and coaching to teachers and school s

based on their observations in order to improve the fidelity of implementation at the schools visited.

Monitoring reports will be consolidated and key findings, lessons learned, best practices, and creative

solutions will be documented and shared with MoEST (at national and district level) and USAID. YESA

aims to visit a minimum of 300 schools in one academic school year for monitoring.


COORDINATION AND COLLABORATION

YESA will coordinate closely and collaborate with USAID, MoEST, MERIT, and REFAM across

activities. YESA will work with MERIT to provide CA&R input into their Teacher Learning Circle

(TLC) training activities and will work hand-in-hand with MERIT on Standard 3-4 teacher training

activities. YESA and MERIT will also work together to share monitoring information so that we can

leverage our staff time at schools observing NRP inputs. YESA will also work closely with REFAM to

ensure they have access to YESA assessment materials so they can be modified for use with children with

disabilities. YESA will also work with REFAM in the review of MoEST data collection forms to ensure

that revised forms better collect information on children with disabilities.

For activities in this plan, YESA will liaise with departments such as DIAS, Basic, Planning within

MoEST, Malawi Institute of Education (MIE), TTCs, and DTED as needed to ensure all assessment,

remediation, and training processes are coordinated across agencies. We will work with USAID to

identify ways to collaborate with other NGOs focused on primary education or related sectors to amplify

impact of USAID’s programs and reduce costs.

USING LOCAL SYSTEMS

YESA will coordinate with MoEST at all levels, including divisions, districts and schools, as well at the

community level with community groups to build assessment processes based on existing infrastructure.

For example, to help provide supplemental remediation in schools, we will work with section heads who

can assist with monitoring and mentoring teachers.

INCORPORATING GENDER AND LEARNERS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS/LEARNING

DISABILITIES

Dr. Stella Kachiwanda as DCOP and Gender Advisor, will collaborate with REFAM to ensure all

assessments and systems are free of bias and stereotypes as they relate to gender and disability and to

ensure all children—including learners with disabilities and orphans and vulnerable children—are

empowered to learn to read.

ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE

YESA will review any potential requirements and submit an Environmental Mitigation and Monitoring

Plan as required.


GENERAL MANAGEMENT APPROACH

YESA’s head office in Lilongwe is responsible for overall project management and technical leadership.

It will also be responsible for school and community-based activities in the Central West Division. The

YESA team also includes divisional teams embedded in strategic districts in each of the five other

education divisions. Leadership in the Lilongwe office is responsible for providing management support

and oversight to division-based teams and liaising with MoEST departments for technical guidance.

Working with MoEST: YESA will work closely with MoEST on all major activities. As the assessment

and remediation component of the NRP, MoEST will be supported to lead the implementation of YESA

inputs. Ministry officials will be involved in decision making, activity planning, and implementation.

YESA will join the existing NRP Steering Committee, the structure that oversees progress in the

implementation of the NRP and makes decisions to ensure its effectiveness. The NRP Steering

Committee is chaired by the Secretary for Education, Science and Technology and typically meets

quarterly. YESA will provide technical guidance, capacity building, and ongoing support to MoEST staff

who deliver and monitor activities.

Each YESA division team comprises two core staff: a Division Education Coordinator and local

subcontract hire Division Education Officer (DEO). These two work together to monitor implementation

of YESA interventions at the school level and provide coaching as needed to teachers, section heads, head

teachers, and community-school structures (e.g., PTA, SMC, etc).

The divisional team members lead, build capacity, and monitor the activities of district and zonal level

implementers to ensure the successful and timely implementation across YESA’s school and community-

based components. District and zonal implementers will include the DEMs, PEAs, District and/or Zonal

Education Management Information System (DEMIS and/or ZEMIS) Officers, Community Development

Assistants (CDAs), and local organizations.

Working with local partners: YESA will work with local subcontractors CRECCOM and FOCOLD to

support our work related to CA&R. Local subcontractor personnel will report to the DCOP and the

Community Mobilization and Engagement Specialist. YESA will plan, coordinate, support, and work

closely with MERIT and REFAM, engaging them in materials development activities and combining

trainings wherever possible.

Adaptive Management: In order to achieve YESA’s objectives, we will review and revise project design

and implementation plans as new information emerges or the country context changes. YESA will collect

regular feedback from the field, based on continuous engagement of local counterparts by YESA

subcontractors and DECs. YESA’s monitoring, evaluation, and learning strategy provides the continuous

use of data to support adaptive management at all levels. As part of quarterly review and planning,

selected YESA staff from the head and division offices will review performance to date for the set of

indicators and discuss process observations. Small adjustments in training and support will be addressed

immediately, while larger modifications will be subject to comprehensive review and adjusted either

during the annual planning cycle or before, depending on the urgency of adjustments. Annually at

division and national levels, YESA staff and government stakeholders will similarly review progress in

order to make management and resource allocation decisions.


APPENDIX A: KEY PROGRAM

INDICATORS AND TARGETS

Target Actual Target Actual Target Actual Target Actual

Activity Goal: Comprehensive Assessment and Capacity Building Systems for Early Grade Reading Instituted and Sustained to Support Malawi’s National Reading

USAID Standard Indicators Cutting Across Results Areas

0 3,848,953 2,303,978 1,990,193 1,544,975 1,972,559 3,962,752 103% 6,400,268 3,962,752 62%

0 44,377 27,788 22,559 31,227 24,986 47,545 107% 44,377 47,545 107%

0 632,128 308,408 469,017 86,368 323,720 422,387 977,772 155% 832,096 977,772 118%

0 6,225 480 5,803 - 6,283 101% 6,075 6,283 103%

0 5,500 5,500 0% 5,500 - 0%

Learners Reading Performance Monitored

0 NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA

0 0% -8% - 0%

0 0% -5% - 0%

0 0% -3% - 0%

0 0% 4% - 0%

0 0% 3% - 0%

0 0% 2% - 0%


R1.1 Capacity for performing NRAs created or augmented within Government of Malawi institutions

9 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 9 9 100%

R1.2 Capacity for performing NRAs created or augmented within Government of Malawi institutions

92 - 0 0 0 0 0% 92 92 100%

9 - 0 0 0 0% 9 9 100%

1 - 0 0 0 0% 2 1 50%

12,461 - NA NA 10 0 0 0% 10,000 12,461 125%

R1.3 Sufficient demand and political will to support regular NRAs identified, developed, and institutionalized

% of FY19

Annual

TargetINDICATOR

FY19 Annual

Target

FY18

Actual

FY19 Q1 Reporting

PeriodFY19 Q2 Reporting Period

FY19 Q3 Reporting

Period

FY19 Q4 Reporting

Period

LoA Target LoA Actual% of LoA

Target

FY19

Actual

ES. 1-5. Number of learners reached in reading programs at the primary level with USG

assistance (Learners reached with remediation, continuous and end-of year

assessments interventions)

ES.1-7. Number of primary school educators (key teachers, section heads and

teachers), who complete professional development activities on implementing

evidence-based reading instruction with USG assistance (2.1.1 and 2.3.3)

ES.1-10. Number of primary or secondary textbooks and other teaching and learning

materials (TLM) provided with USG assistance

ES.1-12. Number of education administrators and officials who complete professional

development activities with USG assistance (1.2.1; 1.2.2; 2.1.1 and 2.3.3.)

ES.1-13. Number of parent teacher associations (PTAs) or community-based school

governance structures engaged in primary or secondary education supported with USG

assistance (3.2.1; 3.5)

ES.1-1. Percent of learners who demonstrate reading fluency and comprehension of

grade level text at the end of grade 2 with USG assistance.

Ind.1.1.2. Percent point annual decrease in Standards 2 and 4 learners with zero

scores in letters, syllables, decodable/familiar words





Ind. 1.1.3. Percent point annual increase in means scores on letter names, syllables,

and decodable/familiar words for Standards 2 and 4 learners (Year 3 – NRA; Year 4 -

EOY)



EOY)



EOY)

Ind. 1.1.1. Number of NRA tools identified, standardized, and used to inform targeted

planning and new education policies

Ind. 1.2.1. Number of MoEST enumerators and supervisors trained to conduct the

standardized NRAs

Ind. 1.2.2. (ES 1-12) Number of MoEST staff trained to select a new nationally

representative sample of schools, analyze the data, and produce reports

Ind. 1.2.3. Number of NRAs conducted by host country institutions

Ind. 1.2.4. Number of students assessed on early grade reading (NRA)

YESA - Indicator Tracking Table (ITT)

Project Indicators



% of FY19

Annual

TargetINDICATOR

FY19 Annual

Target

FY18

Actual

FY19 Q1 Reporting


FY19 Q3 Reporting

Period

FY19 Q4 Reporting

Period


Target

FY19

Actual


Project Indicators

0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 2 200% 2 2 100%

0 1 0 1 8 0 0 8 800% 2 8 400%

Objective 2:Universal School Level Utilization of Assessment Strategies and Techniques for Reading and School Management Instituted

R2.1. Implementation of continuous assessment (CA) techniques at the school level supported

0 6,225 480 6,225 5,803 6,225 9 6,292 101% 6,225 6,292 101%

R2.2. Capacity for performing school-level assessment in reading increased

0 44,377 27,788 22,559 0 - 0 - 31,227 24,986 47,545 107% 44,377 47,545 107%

0 10% 10% 10% 10% 0% 55% 0%

R2.3. School-level assessment tools, identified, developed, standardized, and utilized

0 632,128 308,408 519,795 5,650 5,398 323,720 422,387 947,580 150% 832,096 947,580 114%

0 9 0% 9 0 0%

0 0% 16,500 0%

0 0% 10% 0%

R2.5. Schools regularly collect student reading data to inform the development of annual school improvement plans tied to PSIP and other related grant funding

0 1 1 - 0% 2 0 0%

0 5,650 0 0 0 0 0 0% 5,650 0 0%

Objective 3: Community-Level Capacity for the Performance and Informed Use of Reading Assessments and Reading Activities Instituted

R3.1. Community-level reading data understanding and use increased

0 0 0% 2.8 0 0%

R3.2. Capacity for performing household-level community-led assessment of reading instituted

0 5,650 0% 5,650 0 0%

R3.3. Support of community-level reading activities increased

0 5,650 0% 5,650 0 0%

0 0% 30% 0 0%

R3.4. Community-level assessment and reading improvement tools identified, standardized, and utilized

0 6 6 - 0% 6 0 0%

0 8 8 - 0% 8 0 0%

R3.5. School Management Committees (SMCs) are successfully tracking key data and other key indicators identified by USAID with MoEST that allow SMCs to hold schools accountable

0 5,650 0

Objective 4: Integration of Reading Assessments into National Reading Programme (NRP) and MoEST Policies and Practices Insituted

Ind. 1.3.1. Number of policies or procedures adopted by MoEST to facilitate improved

instruction

Ind. 1.3.2. Number of results dissemination meetings held where key stakeholders

gather and discuss NRA results and policy implications

Ind.2.1.1. (ES.1-12) Number of education administrators and officials who complete

professional development activities with USG assistance – CA&R

Ind. 2.2.1. (ES.1-7) Number of primary school educators who complete professional

development activities on implementing evidence-based reading instruction with USG

assistance – CA&R

Ind. 2.2.2. Percentage of teachers conducting CA&R with fidelity

Ind. 2.3.1. (ES.1-10) Number of primary or secondary textbooks and other teaching and

learning materials (TLM) provided with USG assistance – CA&R

Ind. 2.3.2. Number of EOY tools developed and standardized for early grade reading in

Std 1-4

Ind. 2.3.3. (ES.1-7) Number of primary school educators who complete professional

development activities on implementing evidence-based reading instruction with USG

assistance – EOY

Ind. 2.3.4. Percent of schools where EOY assessments were conducted

Ind. 2.5.1 Number of tools developed to support schools in reporting their student

reading data to advocate for PSIP funding.

Ind. 2.5.2 (ES.1-13) Number of parent teacher associations (PTAs) or community-

based school governance structures engaged in primary or secondary education

supported with USG assistance – reading data reports

Ind 3.1.1. Change in assessed oral reading fluency in areas with community-led reading

remediation compared with changes in areas without remediation

Ind. 3.2.1. (ES.1-13) Number of parent teacher associations (PTAs) or community-


supported with USG assistance – community assessment & remediation

Ind. 3.3.1 Number of community reading centers identified and supported

Ind 3.3.2. Percentage of schools with parents engaged in community-level reading

activities

Ind. 3.4.1. Number of community-level assessments identified and standardized

Ind. 3.4.2. Number of community-level reading improvement tools identified and

standardized

Ind. 3.5.1. (ES.1-13) Number of parent teacher associations (PTAs) or community-


supported with USG assistance – SMC school accountability



% of FY19

Annual

TargetINDICATOR

FY19 Annual

Target

FY18

Actual

FY19 Q1 Reporting


FY19 Q3 Reporting

Period

FY19 Q4 Reporting

Period


Target

FY19

Actual


Project Indicators

R4.1. Two-three studies to improve the implementation of NRP completed

0 0% 1 0 0%

R.4.2. Assessment for primary teacher English language capacity instituted

0 0% 3 0 0%

R.4.3. Benchmarks reflective of reading comprehension created

0 0% 8 0 0%

R4.4. YESA contribution to integration verified

1 1 1 1 1 100% 3 2 67%

Ind. 4.1.1. Number of studies conducted to improve NRP

Ind. 4.2.1. Number of tools for lower primary English assessment developed and

adopted by MoEST

Ind. 4.4.1. Number of organizations collaborated with on reading activities

Ind. 4.3.1. Number of benchmarks for early grade reading created for English and

Chichewa



APPENDIX B: SUBCONTRACTORS

Partner Role

ELF Learning Solutions (of Aid India) Support the development of CA&R English materials

Invest in Knowledge Initiative (IKI) Support the capacity building for the MoEST to implement

NRAs

SoukTel Information and communication technology (ICT) firm for

developing MoEST EMIS mobile application software

Creative Centre for Community Mobilization

(CRECCOM)

Contribute to materials development, support training

activities, and monitor zonal and district level

implementation of CA&R in five divisions: NED, CWED,

CEED, SHED, and SEED.

Foundation for Community Livelihood and

Development (FOCOLD)

Contribute to materials development, support training

activities, and monitor zonal and district level

implementation of CA&R in SWED


APPENDIX C: PLANNED

INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL

Travelers Itinerary Purpose Timeframe

Jeremy Koch Malawi - France R&R November 2019

Angeline Zengeni Zimbabwe - Malawi Finance support and

training January 2020

Tania Dalou, Gina

Assaf, SoukTel Washington, DC – Malawi

Training MOEST on EMIS

mobile application February 2020

Mavuto Chiwale Malawi – Miami – DC CIES Presentation – Abt

HQ Visit March 2020

Jeremy Koch Malawi – Miami – DC CIES Presentation – Abt

HQ Visit March 2020

Phyllis Jones-Changa Atlanta, GA – Malawi Program quality oversight March 2020

Jeremy Koch Malawi – SC, USA R&R/Home Leave June 2020

Deborah Ventimiglia Rockville, MD – Malawi Communications/M&E

Support June 2020

NRA Data Analysis

STTA - TBD Rockville, MD – Malawi

MOEST NRA data analysis

training August 2020


APPENDIX D: ANNUAL BUDGET

Activity 2019 2020 Total USD

Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep

Program Management

Program Management, Reporting, and Meetings


$151,449 $151,449 $151,449 $151,449 $151,449 $151,449 $151,449 $151,449 $151,449 $151,449 $151,449 $151,449 $1,817,392



$9,966 $9,966 $12,217 $16,402 $16,402 $12,180 $12,180 $40,352 $39,116 $5,744 $5,744 $5,744 $186,013

Activity 1.1: Develop Assessment

Lead MoEST through a NRA EGRA instrument review and adaptation workshop

$0 $0 $0 $0 $8,078 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $8,078

Activity 1.2: Administer National Reading Assessment

Lead MoEST through process for planning NRA admin and national sample

$0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Training of supervisors and enumerator

$0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $87,888 $0 $0 $0 $0 $87,888

NRA Administration

$0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $147,147 $0 $0 $0 $147,147

Activity 1.3: Build Capacity

Identify MoEST personnel to co-lead 2020 NRA activities

$0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Work in full partnership with MoEST to transfer knowledge in all NRA activities

$0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0


Activity 1.4: Create Demand for NRA Results

Work with MoEST to consolidate and clean NRA data

$0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Work with MoEST to analyze NRA data

$0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Work with MoEST to begin drafting NRA report

$0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Design mobile tool for easy access to reading data

$0 $0 $0 $0 $15,149 $15,149 $15,149 $15,149 $15,149 $0 $0 $0 $75,745

MoEST NRA Monitoring and Data consolidation training

$0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Link assessment data to EMIS system

$0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0



$26,368 $48,083 $113,607 $433,156 $27,339 $27,339 $27,339 $41,370 $27,339 $27,339 $27,339 $27,339 $853,955

Activity 2.1. Supporting Development & Implementation of Continuous Assessment (CA) and remediation

Finalize draft Std 1-4 ENGLISH continuous assessments and remediation materials

$0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Participate in NRP Std 1-2 materials development workshop to input CA&R

$0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0


Convene workshop to review Std 1-4 ENGLISH assessments and training materials

$0 $17,159 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $17,159

Support monitoring of NRP Std 1-2 Teacher Training

$0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Finalize Std 1-4 ENGLISH CA&R materials and associated training materials for SH/HT Training

$0 $0 $31,650 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $31,650

Develop M&E indicators, data collection form, and process for collecting data

$0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Print Std 1-4 ENGLISH CA&R materials and associated training materials for SH/HT Training

$0 $0 $180,000 $180,000 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $360,000

In partnership with MERIT/ REFAM, implement cascade trainings for SH/HT to roll out Std 1-4 ENGLISH

$0 $0 $0 $1,031,733 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $1,031,733

Monitor and support CA&R implementation

$0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0


Activity 2.2. Supporting Development and Implementation of End-of-Year (EOY) Assessments

Meet with DIAS, MESSIP, USAID to establish YESA role in supporting their learning assessments

$0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Technical and operational guidance provided to MoEST as they development and implement learning assessments

$0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Training on MoEST Mobile Application

$0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $23,285 $0 $0 $0 $0 $23,285

Objective 3: Community Level Capacity for the Performance and Informed Use of Reading Assessments and Reading Activities Instituted


$0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Objective 4: Integration of Reading Assessments into NRP and MoEST Policies and Practices Instituted


$10,994 $20,919 $10,994 $10,994 $20,919 $10,994 $10,994 $10,994 $20,919 $10,994 $20,919 $10,994 $171,627

Activity 4.1. A Comprehensive M&E System of Reading Assessments

Quarterly district and division NRP meetings with PEAs, CPEAs and DEMs

$0 $27,563 $0 $0 $27,563 $0 $0 $0 $27,563 $0 $27,563 $0 $110,252

Participate in NRP Cluster Workshops for DEMs and Key Government staff

$0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Coordination and participation in technical working groups and NRP Steering Committee

$0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0


Support YESA collaboration with MERIT and REFAM on Objective 2 and 3

$0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Support MoEST coordination and planning meetings

$0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0

Plan with and support PEA school monitoring of CA&R

$0 $0 $0 $0 $0.00 $0.00 $158,946 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $158,946

Activity 4.4. Establish reading benchmarks in Chichewa and English

Benchmark workshop: Establishing categories and performance learning descriptors

$0 $0 $0 $0 $10,000 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $10,000

Benchmark Workshop: Establishing cut scores

$0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $10,000 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $10,000

Windows of Opportunity

$0 $0 $0 $0 $1,666.67 $0 $0 $1,666.67 $0 $0 $1,666.67 $0 $5,000

ALL Components and Costs

Program Management

$151,449 $151,449 $151,449 $151,449 $151,449 $151,449 $151,449 $151,449 $151,449 $151,449 $151,449 $151,449 $1,817,392

Objective 1 $9,966 $9,966 $12,217 $16,402 $39,629 $27,329 $27,329 $143,389 $201,412 $5,744 $5,744 $5,744 $504,871

Objective 2 $26,368 $65,242 $325,257 $1,644,889 $27,339 $27,339 $27,339 $64,655 $27,339 $27,339 $27,339 $27,339 $2,317,782

Objective 3 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0.00

Objective 4 $10,994 $48,482 $10,994 $10,994 $60,148 $20,994 $169,940 $12,661 $48,482 $10,994 $50,148 $10,994 $465,825

TOTAL Components

$198,777 $275,139 $499,917 $1,823,734 $278,566 $227,111 $376,057 $372,154 $428,682 $195,526 $234,680 $195,526 $5,105,870

NATIONAL READING PROGRAM YESA

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