Adapting and going to scale with continuous assessment and targeted remediation for early grade reading in Malawi

• In Event: Implementing Malawi’s national reading program: Opportunities, achievements, and challenges

Proposal

Abt Associates is supporting the NRP by implementing the USAID-funded Yesani Ophunzira (YESA) Activity. A key objective of YESA is to work with the MOEST to provide teachers of Standards 1-4 with the assessment tools, remediation methodology, and activities they need to ensure all learners in their classroom develop foundational literacy skills and can read with comprehension by the end of standard 4.

YESA has helped MOEST develop simple reading assessments that are aligned with the curriculum. These tests allow teachers to quickly assess students’ skills and their ability to identify letters, read syllables, read familiar words, read short sentences and read a short story—with comprehension. Using the results, teachers can provide targeted remediation activities—also designed by YESA—that help students build the literacy skills they have yet to master. As students demonstrate mastery of a skill, they are promoted to the next literacy skill.

Mr. Mavuto Chiwale will discuss how this approach to assessment and targeted remediation was developed and adapted to the Malawi context, challenges and creative solutions in rolling out at scale, and strategies for system strengthening and institutionalizing projects.

Author

• Mavuto Chiwale, Abt Associates