Foundational Learning RFI Signed.docx.pdf

Request for Information Number: 72066922RFI- Foundational Skills

Date of Issue: August 25, 2022

Issued by: USAID/Liberia

Closing Date for Submissions: September 15, 2022

Closing Time: 17h00 Liberia Time

Notice Type: Request for Information

Subject: USAID/Liberia Request for Information on The Foundational Skills Activity

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)’s Mission in Liberia is exploring the design of a new activity which will work to build foundational literacy and socio-emotional skills for children in primary schools in Liberia. The Office of Acquisition and Assistance (OAA) at USAID/Liberia has developed a draft concept, Results Framework, and now aims to provide a community of stakeholders the opportunity to review, comment, and make suggestions to enhance the activity’s design.

The draft concept and Results Framework is anticipated to result in finalizing either a Statement of Work or a Program Description that may lead to a formal solicitation or Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). The place of performance is Liberia, specifically in Montserrado, Margibi, Lofa, Nimba, Bong, and Grand Bassa counties. The draft concept is provided in the following pages. Your comments will be used to develop a design document that is clear, innovative, maximizes development learning, adaptation, and impact, and facilitates coordination and collaboration with existing and planned USAID and other programs.

DISCLAIMER

Please note: This is NOT a solicitation. This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes—it does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) /NOFO or a promise to issue an RFP/NOFO in the future. USAID may release a full solicitation at a later date through the U.S.

Government portal at www.fbo.gov or www.grants.gov. The RFI is an attempt to reach out to stakeholders in an effort to receive feedback on our draft concept. Interest will be treated as information only. Responses to this RFI are not official proposals and in no way will be deemed to form any binding agreement with the U.S. Government and will not be construed as a commitment by the U.S. Government to issue a solicitation or pay for any information submitted as a result of this request. Organizations responding to this request are solely responsible for bearing all expenses associated with the preparation and submission of the responses to the RFI. It is the responsibility of the respondent to monitor www.fbo.gov or www.grants.gov for the release of any further information. Note that responding to this RFI will not give any advantage to any organization in any subsequent procurement. No telephone calls will be accepted, and neither will responses to questions be provided with regard to this notice.

http://www.fbo.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.fbo.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/

INSTRUCTIONS

Responses to this RFI must be in Microsoft Word or PDF format and submitted by the time indicated on the cover page. Feedback to the questions below should be submitted to USAID/Liberia via email to Pertaingber Lawrance Noauh, Acquisition and Assistance Specialist at pnoauh@usaid.gov with copy to Aminata Kanta, Senior Acquisition and Assistance Specialist and Andrea Plucknett, Contracting and Agreement Officer at aplucknett@usaid.gov.

USAID seeks responses to the below questions. Local Liberian organizations are particularly encouraged to comment. We request that respondents limit their submissions to six (6) pages. It is not necessary to respond to all questions if they are not relevant to your organization’s expertise and experience.

Feedback Requested:

1. Please provide your comments on what USAID should consider regarding the proposed activity purpose, results framework, results narratives, and illustrative indicators.

2. Given the rising price of gas and goods and services, what do you think is a realistic estimated cost for implementing the proposed activity in all public schools within the identified six counties?

3. How could this proposed activity support children with disabilities and what would be the cost implications? Please include a hearing and vision screening camp in the cost implications.

4. Within the scope of the RFI, do the intended results reflect locally identified priorities and needs? Please share any additional information on why or why not.

5. What role, if any, could local business and private sector actors play in achieving the intended results?

6. To what extent can the activity strengthen local organizational development capacity?

7. What strategies to support on time enrollment and retention have you found to be the most effective in Liberia?

Sincerely, Andrea M. Plucknett Supervisory Contracting/Agreement Officer

Request for Information USAID/Liberia Office of Education

BACKGROUND

USAID/Liberia is exploring the design of a new activity which will work to build foundational literacy and socio-emotional skills for children in primary schools in Liberia. This new activity will be in alignment with USAID/Liberia’s Country Development Cooperation Strategy 2019-2024, the Government of Liberia’s Pro-Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development, the Government of Liberia’s (GOL) priorities, including the Ministry of Education’s (MOE) draft Education Sector Plan (2022-2026).

Despite many efforts to address the challenges of post-conflict Liberia in the education sector, children are still not learning to read fluently and comprehend in their foundational years of schooling. Most students are much older than the stipulated official age for respective pre-primary and primary grades. Learning outcomes at all levels remain far below MOE expectations in the early grades. Additionally, most children enroll in school when they are much older than the stipulated grade entry age, and overage enrollment exacerbates drop-out rates in all education levels. The School Census of 2019/2020 identified nearly a million students (68.7%) to be overage in the school system, with 67.5% in ECE and 78.9% in primary.

The appropriate age for ECE enrollment is 3-5 years old. However, 366,101 children enrolled in ECE were above the age of 5, at almost gender parity, and had higher rates of overage enrollment in public schools (74.1%) than in private schools (60.2%).

The UNESCO Global Education Monitoring (GEM) report for 2019 identified Liberia as having the highest level of over-age students of any country in Africa (UNESCO-2019 GEM, Report), reflecting a loss of schooling due to post-conflict and post-epidemic disruptions of schooling. Out-of-school children today will be the over-age students of tomorrow as they try to catch up with their education. There are about 480,000 students above the official age for enrollment in primary schools, at almost gender parity, and higher rates of overage enrollment in public schools (85.9%) than in private schools (71%).

The endline early grade reading assessment under USAID Read Liberia in 2021 found that student reading improved from 14.4 (baseline) to 29.7 correct words per minute (cwpm), and the percentage of those able to reach Liberia’s grade 2 reading benchmark of 35 cwpm increased to 35.5% from 12.9%. However, it is worth recognizing that most of the schools in Liberia have yet to benefit from the USAID-MOE supported early grade reading (EGR) and instruction model. For example, the Read Liberia impact evaluation control schools that were not supported at all recorded poorer results staying almost at the same level, from 14.8 cwpm at baseline to 14.5 cwpm at endline while those who reached the reading benchmark also remained unchanged at 14.4% (baseline) to 14.8 % (endline).

FOUNDATIONAL SKILLS PROPOSED ACTIVITY

The draft purpose of the Foundational Skills activity is to increase the percentage of Liberian children accessing primary school and meeting government of Liberia learning standards.

USAID anticipates this to be a five year program. The anticipated geographic scope for the award is in the following six counties: Montserrado, Margibi, Lofa, Nimba, Bong, and Grand Bassa.

This activity will build on the achievements of USAID Read, Liberia, Accelerated Quality Education for Liberia Children (AQE) and coordinate and collaborate planned interventions under this anticipated award with other partners in the education sector in Liberia and across other USG-funded sectors.

Figure 1: Activity Logic Model

Result 1: Sufficient and contextually appropriate reading and teaching and learning materials are available to learners

The goal of Result 1 is to ensure that sufficient and appropriate teaching and learning materials are accessible to learners in Grade 1 through the end of primary school, including materials developed under AQE and Read Liberia. Reading is an essential foundational skill, and evidence-based teaching and learning materials that support explicit reading instruction and reading practice are essential for learning to read. Additionally, developing social emotional learning (SEL) skills-which can be developed through reading instruction and practice- can contribute to stronger academic outcomes. Interrelated challenges at each stage of the book supply chain can prevent learners from accessing the teaching and reading materials needed to learn to read. Based on evidence from the Read Liberia endline evaluation, challenges persist in ensuring these materials reach all schools and learners. An effective government book supply chain requires high-quality title development in formats and languages children can use and understand, access to those titles by printers and publishers, and a functioning supply chain to deliver and distribute books to schools and learners. The activity should develop an approach to strengthen the supply chain in Liberia, including but not limited to, supply chain policies, management, and oversight, to ensure essential teaching and learning materials are reaching the end users and can support reading instruction and acquisition among all learners.

Illustrative Indicators:

ES.1-55 Percent of learners targeted for USG assistance who have the appropriate variety of reading materials in the language of instruction with inclusive representation of diverse populations https://www.globalbookalliance.org/the-book-chain

Result 2: Teachers consistently apply evidence-based and age-appropriate teaching practices and learning materials in the classroom

The goal of Result 2 is to support teachers to improve their ability to consistently apply evidence-based and age-appropriate teaching practices, including Universal Design for Learning (UDL), and to use the available teaching and learning materials in the classroom. Based on findings from the Read Liberia endline evaluation, challenges persist when it comes to the consistent uptake and application of new teaching approaches and the use of newly developed teaching and learning materials. The Activity should apply human-centered design approaches to understand the challenges teachers face to consistently apply new pedagogical approaches and to use the new teaching and learning materials in their classrooms. Based on this analysis, the Activity should identify and test various approaches to teacher wellbeing support and professional development to ensure classroom teachers receive continuous and contextually relevant support to implement new, evidence-based teaching strategies and teaching and learning materials into their daily classroom practice.

Illustrative Indicators:

● ES.1-1 Percent of learners targeted for USG assistance who attain a minimum grade-level proficiency in reading at the end of grade 2

● ES.1-2 Percent of learners targeted for USG assistance who attain minimum grade-level proficiency in reading at the end of primary school

● ES.1-6 Number of educators who complete professional development activities with USG assistance

● Supp-10 Percent of educators providing quality classroom instruction with USG support

● Custom: Number of students who have improved socio-emotional skills

Result 3: Age 6 children are enrolled on time

The goal of Result 3 is to support on-time enrollment for grade 1 learners and strengthen the implementation of national policies for enrollment. The high number of overage learners at the primary level increases the need for accelerated learning programs (ALPs), yet presently demand outweighs supply. By increasing the number of children who enroll in school on time, the limited resources available within the education sector can be utilized more efficiently. On-time enrollment will support more children to receive developmentally appropriate education, with adequate time to learn foundational skills. To increase on-time enrolment, parents and caregivers must feel comfortable sending their young children to schools and trust that they are safe. By identifying and implementing locally-defined safety measures, this activity will promote parental involvement in creating child-friendly spaces that are conducive to learning. This activity will also engage parents and caregivers to explore contextually-appropriate ways to reduce financial barriers and opportunity costs associated with enrolling in school.

Illustrative Indicators:

● ES.1-51: Number of learning environments supported by USG assistance that have improved safety, according to locally-defined criteria

● ES.1-56: Number of learners with improved access to education through USG-assisted programs

● Supp-7: Number of parents or community members trained to support children’s education with USG assistance

● Percentage of age 6 learners who begin school at grade 1

● ES.1-13 Number of parent teacher associations (PTAs) or community-based school governance structures engaged in primary or secondary education supported with USG assistance

Result 4: Children are placed in age-appropriate classrooms, including accelerated learning classes

Result 4 aims to ensure flexible pathways for completing primary education are available for all learners to achieve equitable outcomes. Weak internal efficiency in the education system has resulted in low retention, high drop-out rates, and low completion rates, especially for girls.

Furthermore, late enrollment, low on-time enrollment, and disruptions to education due to conflict, disease outbreaks, and cultural norms have significantly strained the formal system and increased the need for alternative learning options.

Activities under Result 4 will strengthen the capacity of School Principals and District or County Education Officials (D/CEOs) to conduct placement exams and support the placement of students in age appropriate classrooms, including in accelerated learning programs. Government officials and school leaders will receive training and continuous professional development to increase their understanding of enrollment, placement, promotion, and transition policies, so that they can implement them with fidelity. Education authorities and school leaders will be expected to work together to identify local needs related to the number of classrooms, teachers, and shifts, etc., and share this information with parents and caregivers. This increased capacity will support quality implementation and oversight of the Ministry of Education’s One School Model that combines conventional classes and ALP within one school.

Illustrative Indicators:

● ES.1-12 Number of education administrators and officials who complete professional development activities with USG assistance

● ES.1-13 Number of parent teacher associations (PTAs) or community-based school governance structures engaged in primary or secondary education supported with USG assistance

[End of RFI]