Strengthening early learning assessments as a foundation for fostering peaceful societies in Africa

• In Event: Creating strong Learning Systems: Assessment Design, Data Utilization, and Foundations for Peaceful Societies

Proposal

BACKGROUND: Acquiring foundational skills such as literacy, numeracy and socio-emotional development is essential for promoting school readiness and equips the learner with the skills and attitudes promoting peaceful coexistence as they lay the foundation for success in the later life of the individual. Strengthening early learning assessments provides a mechanism for improving the quality of early childhood education (ECE). Assessing children's development and learning at the start of school is crucial for decision making on the necessary interventions to improve learning and the quality of ECE programming. Despite significant global progress in access to quality ECE, significant challenges remain, particularly in diverse and resource-constrained settings including SSA. One challenge across Global Partnership for Education (GPE) partner countries in West and Central Africa is the lack of localized, scalable tools that measure all skills for all children. This results in a lack of evidence and data to inform quality improvements and complicates comparisons across countries and regions.
AIM: Through this study, we aim to generate evidence from five countries of West and Central Africa (Burundi, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Conakry, Senegal and The Gambia) on how learning assessments can be used to strengthen foundational learning and life skills and smoothen transition to primary school. Through this study, we will engage with pre-school and early primary teachers, school managers, parents, and policy makers in the assessment of early learning to strengthen an inclusive early learning approach; explore enablers and barriers to scaling the use of the adapted quality diagnostic and early learning assessment tools, document strategies that make early learning environments more gender and disability inclusive and that foster integration of gender equality and social inclusion considerations into early learning assessments and mobilize evidence and knowledge using existing national, regional, and continental knowledge exchange and policy dialogue platforms to inform improvements in early learning assessments.
METHODS: This study employs an applied research design with a multiple-case study approach considering each country’s contextual issues around foundational learning and school readiness. We are using a mixed methods approach to collect both qualitative and quantitative data. The multiple-case study approach will enable us to establish the contextual factors that influence the feasibility and effectiveness of the adapted assessment tools and facilitators of their scale up in the real world, particularly among vulnerable children including those with disabilities. We will deliver the study through four sequential work packages. The first involves a regional scoping review and individual country situation analysis conducted through desk review and augmented with interviews with key education sector stakeholders in each country. In the second work package, we will convene a workshop to validate the findings of the scoping review and situation analysis reports and employ co-creation strategies to improve and pilot an adapted early learning assessment tool in each of the five countries. In the third work package, will deploy the adapted tools in actual assessment of learning in selected schools in each of the five countries coupled with capacity strengthening of the education sector stakeholders based on mutually identified capacity needs. In the fourth and final work package we will analyze, translate and package the evidence into multiple knowledge products for dissemination targeting a wide array of education sector stakeholders and through diverse platforms to promote uptake of key learnings by for improved learning outcomes.
EXPECTED IMPACT: The expected long-term outcome of the applied research initiative is improved quality of inclusive early learning environments, foundational skills and school readiness and transitions in Burundi, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Conakry, The Gambia, and Senegal. The intermediate outcomes are the following: (1) evidence on the appropriate tools and approaches for measurement of early learning environment and assessment of early learning outcomes in the project countries is documented (2) demonstrated capacity among project stakeholders to routinely generate, analyze, translate and use evidence from measurement of early learning assessments and early learning outcomes to inform practices and policies that are promotive of school readiness (3) facilitators and barriers to scaling the use of adapted and comprehensive measurements tools and approaches are mapped and documented (4) lessons learnt from the implementation process in the project countries are disseminated across the continent leveraging existing regional and continental platforms.
RESULTS: Preliminary findings from the scoping review reveal several barriers that could potentially hinder effective assessments of young children’s early learning. These include lack of standardization in assessment tools, insufficient teacher training on assessment methods, high child-to-teacher ratios, neglect of socio-cultural contexts, and inadequate resources to support assessments. These findings have important implications for policy including creating standardized assessment tools that are culturally and linguistically relevant to ensure that assessments are appropriate for the diverse contexts within SSA, improved multisectoral coordination among various stakeholders to foster effective assessments, development of targeted strategies to mitigate the impact of high child-to-teacher ratios, and provision of adequate resources to enhance both assessment practices and training opportunities for educators.

Authors

• George Evans Odero Owino, African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC)

• Silas Odhiambo Onyango, African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC)

• Patricia K Kitsao-Wekulo, African Population and Health Research Center

• Margaret Nampijja, African Population and Health Reserach Center, Nairobi