This report presents the findings of research undertaken in the Kyrgyz Republic, Central Asia. It forms part of a broader study that aims to explore the system and school-level practices that have supported learning continuity in Asia during the pandemic. The study will focus on the practices of policymakers that have supported teaching and learning and consider ways in which school leaders, teachers, and parents have worked to support children during periods of disruption. Rather than comparing the responses of countries in Asia, this study will highlight innovations in the system and school policies and programs in the Kyrgyz Republic and make recommendations based on insights from the Kyrgyz Republic’s education system. The study will focus on the system and school participants that support students in the Kyrgyz Republic but will not include students themselves.

This report presents the research findings undertaken in the Philippines and Southeast Asia. This report forms part of a broader study that explores the system and school-level practices that have supported learning continuity in Asia during the pandemic. The study will focus on the policymaker practices that supported teaching and learning and consider ways school leaders, teachers, and parents have worked to support children during periods of disruption. Rather than comparing the responses of Asia countries, this study will highlight innovations in the system and school policies and programs in the Philippines and make recommendations based on insights from the Philippines’ education system. The study will focus on the school system and participants that support students in the Philippines but will not include students themselves.

This document provides a summary of research exploring the systems, policies, and school-level practices that have supported learning continuity in Asia during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on a review of policy documents on COVID-19 responses in Asia and a deep dive analysis of system and school-level responses in the Philippines and the Kyrgyz Republic, the findings from this study provide policymakers and education stakeholders with evidence of promising practices that could be leveraged to support learning recovery and education system resilience. In addition, a policy review was conducted on the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), which focused on the practices of policymakers that have the potential to support teaching and learning. The study's intent is not to compare and contrast countries' responses but to highlight innovations in the system and school practices and make recommendations based on insights from system leaders and educators.

The rise in popularity of the Nurturing Care Framework, which describes the enabling conditions for a child to thrive in the first several years of life, has resulted in an increase in global attention on parenting and child development. The Framework includes children’s need for good health, adequate nutrition, safety and security, opportunities for early learning, and responsive caregiving. While this holistic approach to nurturing young children is surely beneficial, the implementation of Nurturing Care should be considered through a cultural lens. According to McGillicuddy-De Lisi and Subramanian (1996), beliefs about parenting and child development are developed through three means: (1) beliefs come directly (and unquestioned) through the culture; (2) beliefs are formed through the holder’s own childhood, family, and parenting experiences; and (3) beliefs are influenced by the exchange of ideas and assumptions of people from different cultures. Since these beliefs inform parenting behaviors (Bornstein, 2012), we must be thoughtful in any efforts to change parenting and caregiver behaviors which are the result of the culture and the childhood experiences of parents. Changing behavior without an adequate consideration of the underlying cultural beliefs could be at risk of perpetuating colonial legacies and destabilizing cultural ways of being. This presentation focuses on the risks and rewards of taking an approach to shaping caregiving behaviors that considers the importance of cultural continuity. The presentation will use cross-national examples from work with two Native American tribes, the Blackfeet and the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe, as well as traditional international development work in Senegal and Liberia to illustrate opportunities and challenges of foreign technical “expertise.” The differences between efforts to shape parental behaviors, which are clearly culturally-influenced, versus teacher or ECE caregiver behaviors, which may be more subtly cultural, will be examined. Finally, this presentation will offer some practical considerations for other individuals seeking to further Nurturing Care outside their own communities.

The challenges of conducting educational assessments in low- and middle-income environments during the pandemic can be eased by AI-powered speech recognition technology that offers a promising solution to enhance assessments. By utilizing advanced algorithms and machine learning techniques, this technology accurately transcribes spoken language into written text. Reading fluency and comprehension can be efficiently measured by integrating AI speech recognition into assessments, without the need for physical presence. From the safety of their homes, students can perform the assessments using their smartphones or computers, assisting schools in organizing complex logistics. AI speech recognition technology has a great edge in providing instant feedback, which is one of its main benefits. While students are speaking out loud, the AI system can swiftly assess their intonation, pronunciation, and tempo, rendering quick guidance and identifying areas for refinement. This personalized feedback effortlessly assists students in boosting their reading abilities, even in the absence of in-person teacher interactions. Moreover, AI-backed evaluations can be carried out on a wider scale, enabling educators to collect extensive data on reading patterns and tackle specific issues that are commonly seen among students. The objective of this presentation is to feature the self-administered AI Speech recognition Computer-based reading assessment that RTI developed at the request of the Philippines Department of Education (DepEd), under the USAID All Children Reading (ACR). Throughout the school years of 2020-2022, the COVID-19 pandemic posed significant challenges to conducting face-to-face assessments, particularly in remote learning environments. As a result, teachers faced constraints in terms of time and resources to individually assess learners' reading skills against crucial learning competencies. The proposed automated assessment technology offered a potential solution to alleviate this burden and streamline the evaluation process, allowing educators to efficiently gauge students' reading abilities remotely. In February 2022, ACR-Philippines initiated discussions with USAID and the Philippines Department of Education (DepEd) to produce a ‘proof of concept’ that explores the feasibility of a self-administered computer-based reading assessment (CoBRA) in English and Filipino for students in the Philippines. The concept found resonance with the DepEd leadership as the adoption of a computer-based format for assessments aligns with international practices and provides an excellent opportunity to ascertain students' preparedness to take computer-based tests, such as the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA). The result of this intervention generated a prototype solution piloted and tailored to fit DepED's existing platforms for supporting remote learning and delivery. The pilot provided insights on the feasibility of a computer-based assessment in the context of the Philippines for students in grades 4 -6. The research findings examined the performance, reliability, and results of the AI Speech recognition technology reading assessment, compared to the assessor-administered approach of the assessment. The research generated key design considerations, feedback from end users, recommendations regarding implementing similar approaches, and the future development of similar technology for other languages within and outside the Philippines.

This success story highlights the experience of a early grade math teacher and textbook writer. She outlines the development of age-appropriate requirements and standards for students first and then, once those are set, write teacher guides and student textbooks. Before starting work on the teacher guide, the Program developed the topic scopes and sequences. The teacher guides were then designed to give teachers clear instructions on the lessons. With help of the teacher guides, the teachers will know how to begin the lesson, how to connect the topics, how to continue, what problems or unexpected questions may occur, and how to guide and assist students. Additionally, they incorporated more practical examples and problem-solving tools.

Presentation at CIES in March 2024.

Primary Mathematics Skills Assessment Tool: 2021 Stimulus Sheet.

Primary Mathematics Skills Assessment Tool: 2021 Assessor Protocol.

Primary Reading Skills Assessment Tool: 2021 stimulus sheet.