Has reading achievement increased as a result of the USAID/Uganda School Health and Reading Program? Is classroom teacher behavior improving based on program interventions? Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) data collected for Cluster 2 shows that Leb Acӧli, Lugbarati, and Runyoro-Rutooro schools receiving the SHRP intervention are continuing to make small but significant progress towards reading proficiency. • All 4 Cluster 2 languages started out with very low levels of reading readiness at the beginning of P1. At the end of P2, Leb Acӧli and Runyoro-Rutooro schools receiving program interventions are performing significantly better than control schools in local language reading fluency, local language reading comprehension and in English reading fluency, with a medium to large effect size. • Teachers in program classrooms are teaching more from lesson plans that employ early grades reading methodology. Learners in program classrooms are more likely to read from printed material. • While teachers are receiving some classroom support from head teachers, follow up support by CCTs is insufficient • In general, there were no differences in reading scores for boys and girls, but they are noted in the report when they do occur.

This report summarizes the findings from a baseline assessment that was conducted in February and March, 2015 to determine the current status of reading achievement in the “Cluster 3” schools in which the Program is currently working, as well as achievement in control 1 schools that will be used as a basis for comparison in assessing the effectiveness of the interventions going forward. The baseline assessment sets out to answer the following questions in an attempt to lay the foundation for and support a national literacy policy and subsequent reading program in primary schools nationwide. -- What is the level of reading achievement among P1 and P32 learners in the local language and in English in Ugandan primary schools? -- What is currently happening in P1 reading lessons? -- How are teachers and schools supported to teach reading? -- What should be the focus of future MoESTS and stakeholder support for reading?

Has reading achievement increased as a result of the USAID/Uganda School Health and Reading Program interventions? Early Grade Reading Assessment data collected for four Cluster 1 languages (Ateso, Leblango, Luganda and Runyankore-Rukiga) and English at the beginning of Primary 1 compared to end of Primary 4 show increases in fundamental reading skills, higher than increases found in control schools. No systematic differences were found between girls and boys. By the end of P4, learners in Program Schools are reading more words than learners in control schools and are closer to becoming fluent readers in both Local Language and English.

Has reading achievement increased as a result of the USAID/Uganda School Health and Reading Program interventions? Early Grade Reading Assessment data collected for 4 Cluster 1 languages (Ateso, Leblango, Luganda and Runyankore-Rukiga) and English at the beginning of Primary 1 compared to end of Primary 3 show increases in fundamental reading skills, higher than increases found in control schools. By the end of P3, learners in Program Schools are reading more words than learners in control schools and are closer to becoming fluent readers in both Local Language and English.

Briefer: Final Early Grade Reading Assessment Results from the USAID/Uganda School Health and Reading Program. This briefer compares English and local language reading fluency and comprehension among program and control learners from Primary 1 to Primary 4 (when the program ended) and beyond to Primary 5. It also goes back and compares Primary 2 results for later cohorts. Major findings: • By the end of Primary (P4), program learners were more than twice as likely to be reading 60 or more words per minute in English than learners from control schools. • P4 Program learners were also able to answer almost twice as many comprehension questions correctly in English than control learners. • Program results are proving to be sustainable. P2 learners in subsequent cohorts registered reading gains similar to those found in the initial cohort, and control schools brought into the program also registered gains. Furthermore, these gains are being maintained into P5 (though the program ended in P4)

This report describes the results of a program designed to expand use of Tangerine:Tutor (now known as Tangerine:Coach), a model scaled successfully in Kenya, to Ugandan coaches. The first aim of the program was to improve the quality of interactions between Coordinating Centre Tutors (CCTs, or “coaches” for convenience) and teachers, as well as the quantity of those interactions (increase the frequency of school visits). During this pilot effort, which lasted approximately 18 months, we studied the added value of a digital case management tool and job aids to improve coaching activities in two Early Grade Reading (EGR) programs in Uganda. The iterative, user-centered design and monitoring focused on changes in the quality and quantity of coach and teacher interactions.The second aim was to improve the quality of communication between CCTs and Teacher Training Colleges (TTCs), between CCTs and districts and between local stakeholders and institutions (i.e., schools, TTCs and district offices) and the Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES). This aim was to be accomplished through a Web-accessible dashboard based on the digital tools that quickly communicated school support coverage, as well as teacher and learner attendance. The pilot effort successfully introduced the case management tool and job aids, built a dashboard to communicate progress and trained users across four regions of Uganda.

Children’s development is significantly attributed to their experiences at home, from birth through the early years of schooling, and responsive caregiving from early on has a significant impact on later learning outcomes. Interventions aimed at increasing parental engagement in children’s early learning can be expensive, however, and there is limited evidence as to what works best for parenting programs in low- and middle-income countries. This report presents the findings from a parent engagement pilot intervention conducted by the Tayari program in three counties in Kenya that tested two methods of providing parents with home-based responsive play activities to promote children’s holistic development.

In this CIES 2019 presentation, Rachel Jordan presents how Tangerine Tutor is used to conduct and improve upon classroom observations in the USAID Uganda School Health and Reading Program.

In an optimally efficient education system, all children enroll and complete the primary cycle in a one year to one grade ratio, acquiring basic reading, math and critical thinking skills along the way. Unfortunately, in many LMICs, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, many children entering primary school are met with limited instructional materials and under-equipped teachers (UNESCO, 2014), which can lead to education systems that are inefficient and characterized by low primary school completion rates, high grade-specific gross enrolment rates, and under-reported repetition rates, particularly in the early grades. This presentation reports the findings from a nationally representative study of over-enrollment and repetition in primary 1 in Uganda. The following research questions are addressed: 1) What is the enrolment pattern and the age distribution of pupils enrolled in primary 1, according to school records, teachers, and parents/guardians; 2) What is the repetition rate in primary 1, according to school records, teachers, and parents/guardians; 3) What is the relationship between repetition and age of enrolment in primary 1; 4) What is the enrolment rate in pre-primary education and its relationship with primary 1 repetition; 5) What are parents’/guardians’ attitudes and expectations about pre-primary education and repetition in primary 1. Data from enrollment, classroom, and administrative records on age and repetition were gathered from 120 schools. Caregivers and teachers of 1,440 randomly selected primary 1 students were also interviewed about student age, repetition in primary 1, and past enrollment in pre-primary education programs. Information from caregiver and teacher interviews was compared with data from enrollment, classroom, and school administrative records on the age of primary 1 students and repetition in primary 1. We also analyzed the relationship between participation in pre-primary education programs and student repetition in primary 1 through an odds-ratio logistic regression. Findings show that reports by caregivers and teachers of under-age and over-age pupil enrollment and repetition in Primary 1 were much higher than official reports. Additionally, pupils with no pre-primary education were 3.8 times more likely to repeat Primary 1, even controlling for gender, age at enrollment, and SES. Finally, almost 30 percent of caregivers enrolled their children in Primary 1 early, expecting repetition. Research and policy implications include the need to understand and challenge official repetition rates, to examine the effect of pre-primary on education system efficiency, and to investigate the effectiveness of automatic promotion policies.

CIES 2018 Presentation, given by Rachel Jordan. In Uganda, and many other settings, too few children are learning how to read. In response, countries have embarked on national reading programs. Unfortunately, these programs are rarely evaluated rigorously at a large scale. This paper is based on larger research that efforts looked at the impact of a large-scale mother tongue reading program in Uganda using a randomized control trial in twelve language communities. It also looked at the differences in mother tongue reading acquisition attributed to linguistic differences, differences in program implementation and socioeconomic differences in the communities. The research points to language complexity as an important predictor of reading acquisition. Aspects of this complexity (transparency, tonal markings, agglutination) will be discussed in the 12 languages supported by current early grade reading reform efforts. Tying into language mapping efforts, the paper will also discuss the realities of language mapping on the ground where, for example, regardless of the predominant language spoken by the school community the school language of instruction is decided at the district level.