Using literacy assessments to inform program implementation for a Ugandan accelerated education program.

• In Event: How specialized literacy assessments inform program adaptation and implementation in alternative education and livelihood-skills projects in Sierra-Leone, Liberia, and Uganda.

Proposal

In Uganda, the Out of School Youth Literacy Assessment has been used in an Accelerated Education (AE) project that is designed to strengthen young people's ability to engage with their environment, address their health and safety needs, and make it more likely for them to reach their potential works with in- and out-of-school youth aged 14-29. In response to Uganda's large out-of-school children and youth population and to assist in fulfillment of the government's commitment to ensuring educational opportunities for all its young people, the activity provides opportunities for children and youth who have never enrolled in or have dropped out of school to participate in AE programs.

The project has implemented its Accelerated Education program activities through two grantees across 22 learning centers in four districts: Hoima, Masindi, Kyenjojo, and Isingiro, with enrolment at 2,940 (1,376 F; 1564 M) youth. AE classes were held three to five days a week with each day having seven to ten lessons including co-curricular activities. For its first cohort, the project trained 77 (43 M; 34 F) teachers to facilitate the lessons and provided them with copies of teaching and learning aids. The teachers also received life skills, child protection and safeguarding, and teachers’ professional code of conduct training.

In 2022, the activity conducted a pre- and post- literacy assessments with 289 cohort 1 youth, and in June of 2023 it conducted baseline assessments for cohort 2 with a sample of 388 youth, for which the post-test is scheduled for November 2023. The first pre-test provided the program a snapshot of the literacy skills of youth in specific geographic areas to inform program decisions about the development of the literacy component for youth enrolling in accelerated education programs. Post-assessments provide valid, reliable data on youth literacy outcomes that can be analyzed and shared with stakeholders to strengthen the teaching of reading at AE centers, promoting continuous improvement for future cohorts in terms of reading skills, better academic performance, and learner retention in accelerated education.

This presentation will share findings from the cohort 1 and cohort 2 pre- and post-assessment, discuss lessons learned for the practical implementation of this assessment process, and reflect on how findings from this specialized literacy assessment for youth inform project activities.

Authors

• Rachel Christina, EDC

• Daniel Lavan, EDC, INC.

• Brittany Hebert, Education Development Center EDC