Developing readers study program: piloting, and measuring an approach to targeting struggling readers in primary schools in Kiambu County.

• In Event: Mitigating the learning crisis: Evidence and Lessons from literacy remedial programs in Kenya, Zambia, and Lebanon

Proposal

Educational stakeholders in Kenya have made concerted efforts to improve literacy outcomes among early-grade learners. The TUSOME literacy program was successfully implemented at scale to enhance foundational literacy outcomes. Findings from the TUSOME end-line report showed that in English, only 14% of grade 1 pupils were emergent readers, and 13.5% were fluent readers; in grade 2, 35% were emergent readers, and 18% were fluent readers in English (Keaveney et al., 2020). The prolonged school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant negative impact on the learners with the most reading challenges in Kenya, with a considerable increase in non-readers in grades 1 and 2 from 2019 (22%) to 2021 (35%) (Ministry of Education, 2022). An indication that large proportions of learners are reading below the expected grade level. There are knowledge gaps in using evidence-based practices to help struggling readers in early grades. In response to this challenge, the African Population and Health Research Centre [APHRC], in partnership with the MoE, is implementing a pilot study to model and measure the response to the intervention (RTI) approach targeting struggling readers in primary schools. The objectives of the study include examining 1). The effect of structured response to intervention in Kiswahili and English on the literacy component skills in Kiswahili and English among grade 2 and 3 students at risk of reading failure. 2). The pathways for effectively mainstreaming structured literacy intervention to support at-risk students within the existing government implementation structures. 3). The contexts that enhance uptake and/or inhibit modeling and success of the intervention.
This study is a two-year longitudinal multi-site (block) cluster-randomized design from 2023 to 2026. The impact evaluation will be conducted in public primary schools in three counties. In 2023, the pilot remedial is being conducted in Kiambu County in 15 public schools with grade 2 and 3 children. This pilot seeks to pilot generate evidence and lessons that will be utilized to enhance the implementation of the impact evaluation. All grades 2 and 3 children in all 15 schools will be screened using the Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) in English and Kiswahili. The EGRA data will be used to identify at-risk students and group students for instruction. Level 1 non-readers, level two- limited decoding fluency based on cut-off scores, and level 3 limited text reading fluency based on MoE fluency benchmarks. Children identified to be at risk will receive tier two or tier three instruction in English and Kiswahili. Instruction will be delivered in small homogeneous groups of 10 - 15 students five times a week over 12 weeks. At the end of 12 weeks of instruction, all the children will be post-tested using the EGRA tools. Primary data will also be generated from stakeholder questionnaires, knowledge skills and attitudes surveys, and qualitative key informant interviews. In this presentation, we will share the lessons on the best practices for implementing a remedial program. The mechanisms for mainstreaming support and conditions that enhance or hinder uptake and policy implications will be shared.

Authors

• Brenda Aromu Wawire, African Population and Health Research Center

• Moses Ngware, African Population And Health Research Center

• Fridah Gatwiri Kiambati, African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC)

• Nelson Gichuhi Muhia, African Population and Health Research Center APHRC

• Francis Maina Kiroro, African Population And Health Research Center

• Sarah Koko, RTI International