Sec_C_ATTACHMENT_02_-_Nicaragua_Reading_Assessment.pdf

SECOND DRAFT REPORT

February 2012

ASSESSMENT AND DESIGN RECOMMENDATIONS

FOR IMPROVING READING PERFORMANCE OF

UNDER-PERFORMING CHILDREN IN PRIMARY

SCHOOLS ON NICARAGUA’S ATLANTIC COAST

ASSESSMENT AND DESIGN RECOMMENDATIONS

FOR IMPROVING READING PERFORMANCE OF

UNDER-PERFORMING CHILDREN IN PRIMARY

SCHOOLS ON NICARAGUA’S ATLANTIC COAST

SECOND DRAFT REPORT

This report was made possible with support from the American people, through the U.S. Agency for

International Development (USAID). The contents are the responsibility of Veronica Delgado, David

Evans, Barbara Hunt and Tulio Tablada and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the USAID or the

United States Government.

Assessment and Design Recommendations for Improving Reading Performance i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This evaluation was undertaken in February 2011 by a team of four people: Veronica Delgado Aburto, teacher and Educational Researcher; David P. Evans, Team Leader and Senior Education Analyst; Barbara

C. Hunt, Reading Education Specialist and Senior Education Analyst; and Tulio Tablada, former Deputy

Minister of Education and Senior Program Analyst.

Over the course of the evaluation, the team met and worked with many people who provided enthusiastic support to our efforts and we wish to thank them all, even if we cannot name them here.

We wish to give special thanks, however, to the following people:

Alicia Dinerstein, Chief, Office of Health and Education (OHE), USAID/Nicaragua

Alicia Slate, Education Specialist, OHE, USAID/Nicaragua

Ray Hooker Taylor, President, Fundacion para La Autonomía y Desarrollo de la Costa Atlantica de Nicaragua (FADCANIC)

Hazel Wilson, FADCANIC

Lisa Powell, FADCANIC

Jessica Rocha, Secretary of Education, RAAN

Nubia Ordoñez, Secretary of Education, RAAS

The Education Delegates in the RAAN and RAAS

All of the project partners who graciously provided us with their time and assistance.

The principals, teachers and parents who so kindly permitted us to interview them as they were preparing to start the school year, or, in some cases, when they had just started.

Any errors in the report are, of course, the sole responsibility of the evaluation team.

ii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................................... i

Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................................. ii

Acronyms .......................................................................................................................................................... iii

Executive summary .......................................................................................................................................... vi

SECTION I. INTRODUCTION

Goal and Purpose of the Assessment Methodology Constraints to Carrying out the Report Structure of the Report

SECTION II. BACKGROUND

Overall Education Sector in Nicaragua Other Donors Working on Reading in Primary Schools USAID Strategy and USAID/Nicaragua Past Experience

SECTION III. FINDINGS ON THE ATLANTIC COAST IN PRIMARY SCHOOL READING

Nicaragua: Countrywide Data Comparisons of Reading Achievement within Nicaragua Factors Contributing to Children’s Difficulty in Learning to Read Availability of Programs to Address Reading Issues

SECTION IV. Lessons Learned

SECTION V. Recommendations Recommended Option: Working with the GON Alternative Option: Non-formal Out of School Program ...................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Possible Indicators for Reading Program, Either Option........................ Error! Bookmark not defined.

SECTION VI. CONCLUSIONS

ANNEXES

Annex I. Documents Consulted Annex 2 List Of Key Individuals Interviewed Annex 3. List Of Institutions Visited Annex 4. Elementary Education In The RAAN And RAAS Annex 5. Information About Available Reading Tests Annex 6. Best Practices In The Teaching Of Early Literacy iii

ACRONYMS

AECID Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo (Spanish Agency for

International Development Cooperation)

AED Academy for Educational Development

AGE Alianza Global de Educación (Global Alliance for Education)

AIR American Institutes for Research

AMCHAM American Chamber of Commerce/Nicaragua

AOTR Agreement Officer’s Technical Representative

APA Aprendo, Practico, Aplico (Learn, Practice, Apply)

BICU Bluefields Indian & Caribbean University

CDN Convención de los Derechos del Niño (Convention for Rights of the Child)

CERCA Civic Engagement for Education Reform in Central America

CETT Centers for Excellence in Teacher Training

CIASES Centro de Información y Educativa Social (Center for Social and Educational Information)

DIT Desarrollo Infantil Temprano (Early Infant Development)

EFA Education for All

EGMA Early Grade Mathematics Assessment

EGRA Early Grade Reading Assessment

EIB Educación Intercultural Bilingüe (Intercultural Bilingual Education)

ELI Evaluación de Lectura Inicial (Early Reading Evaluation - Spanish name for EGRA)

FADCANIC Fundación para la Autonomía y Desarrollo de la Costa Atlántica de Nicaragua (Foundation for the Autonomy and Development of the Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua)

IDB Inter-American Development Bank

LAC Latin American and Caribbean

LGE Ley General de Educación (General Law of Education)

MINED Ministry of Education

NGO Non-Governmental Organization

OEI Organización de Estados Iberoamericanos (Organization of Iberoamerican States)

ONG Organismo no Gubernamentale (NGO in Spanish)

PASEN II Programa de Apoyo al Sector Educativo Nicaragúense II (Second Project of Aid to the Nicaraguan Education Sector)

PISA Programme for International Student Assessment

Pcpm Palabras Correctas por Minuto (Correct Words per Minute) iv

RAAN Región Autónoma del Atlántico Norte (North Atlantic Autonomous Region)

RAAS Región Autónoma del Atlántico Sur (South Atlantic Autonomous Region)

RTI Research Triangle Institute

SEAR Sistema Educativo Autónomico Regional (Regional Autonomous Education System)

UE Unión Europea (European Union)

UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

UNICEF United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund

URACCAN Universidad de las Regiones Autónomas de la Costa Caribe de Nicaragua (University of the Autonomous Regions of the Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua)

USAID United States Agency for International Development

WB World Bank v

Nicaragua Education Statistics “At a Glance”

Table 1: Selected National Data (2009 – 2010)

MINED1 Year

WB

EdStats2 Year

Gross Enrollment Rate (%) Primary 104.7 2009 117.6 2010

Secondary 65.8 2009 69.4 2010

Net Enrollment Rate (%) Primary 85.8 2009 92.5 2010

Secondary 46.9 2009 45.8 2010

Dropout Rate (%) Primary 9.5 2009

Secondary 13.8 2009

Repetition Rate (%) Primary 9.5 2009 7.9 2010

Secondary 8.2 2009 5.7 2010

Out of School Children (#) Primary 48,167 2010

Secondary 68,614 2010

Trained Teachers (%) Primary 74.9 2010

Lower Secondary 51.8 2010

Gender Parity Index for Net Enrollment, Primary

(Ratio of females to males in net enrollment)

1.01 2010

Pupil Teacher Ratio, Primary

(Number of students per one teacher)

30.2 2010

1 Ministerio de Educación de Nicaragua. (2011). Plan Estratégico de Educación 2011-2015.

2 World Bank EdStats Data Query. (2012). Retrieved from World Bank website http://databank.worldbank.org/data/home.aspx (accessed March 28, 2012)

Table 2: Select Comparisons of RAAN, RAAS, and National-level Data (2009)

RAAN RAAS National

Dropout Rate, Primary (%)1 14.8 17.0 9.5

Dropout Rate, Secondary (%)1 15.0 19.5 13.8

Late Starters in Primary (%)2

(Students whose age is at least one year past the age for that grade)

79.7 72.7 55.8

Out-of-School Population Age 7-14 (%)2 36.2 36.8 20.5

Children with Zero Years of Schooling within Out-of-School

Population Age 7-14 (%)2 79.1 79.1 70.8

Students that Passed the 2006 Spanish Proficiency Test (3rd

Grade)3 4.3 5.8 8.6

Teachers in Primary Education without Formal Training (%)2 58.1 46.7 26.4

1 Ministerio de Educación de Nicaragua. (2011). Plan Estratégico de Educación 2011-2015.

2 Flórez, C. A. (2011). Situación y Perspectivas en Nicaragua para Universalizar una Educación Primaria de Calidad.

3 Castro, V., Laguna, J. R. & Vijil, J. (2010). Informe de Resultados: ELI 2009 Caribe.

vi

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Purpose:

The primary purpose of the assessment team is to investigate the feasibility of developing a new basic education program for under-performing children in reading in primary schools on the Atlantic Coast and to propose recommendations for its design; its secondary purpose is to collect information about the target population, under-performing children in primary school, and the organizations that serve them.

Findings:

A variety of studies undertaken by international (UNESCO) and domestic organizations (e.g. MINED and

CIASES, which administered EGRA in several parts of Nicaragua) have shown that Nicaraguan children do not score well on reading achievements tests and that the autonomous regions of the Caribbean Coast are among the lowest scoring group of regions and/or departments in the country and well below standards at grade level.

A number of factors may contribute to children’s difficulty in learning to read on the Caribbean Coast, including:

1. Socioeconomic factors:

poor nutrition health problems special needs, such as learning disabilities, difficulties with speech and language lack of availability of printed materials absence of a culture of reading absence of parents child labor in agriculture

2. School factors:

lack of preschool experience poor match between child’s culture and language and that of school many untrained teachers lack of training on strategies for teaching reading lack of varied instructional strategies lack of culture of assessment poor classroom management and use of time lack of materials lack of positive child-friendly atmosphere lack of availability of schools and teachers vii absence of technology absence of extra help or after-school enrichment programs

Many students on the Atlantic Coast are having trouble learning to read, with only 12.5% of first graders in the RAAN and the RAAS scoring at or above international standards for Spanish on the EGRA, as compared with 25% in other parts of the country.

A number of these students cannot read at all and they are much more likely to suffer from the socioeconomic difficulties noted above, such as poverty, unidentified special needs, and an absence of print in the home environment. Teachers and principals expressed concerns about these students and teachers reported staying after school to try and help them. But there is a high incidence of untrained teachers who lack knowledge of effective strategies for teaching reading and how to address complex learning problems, and the schools have an almost complete dearth of materials. The law specifies that children should be taught to read in their home language, but in many instances teachers lack the training and the materials to provide such instruction, so many children are also struggling to learn to read in a language they do not speak.

There are few programs that focus on reading in Nicaragua. Some projects were identified in Nicaragua that provide after-school programs for students, such as those run by the Padre Fabretto Foundation and

AMCHAM; however these do not function on the Atlantic Coast. Two projects were found that provide assistance on the Atlantic Coast: 1) RTI, working through Project Zamora Terán, provides after-school reinforcement activities in reading in the RAAS in connection with the “One laptop per child” program and

2) FADCANIC’s Education for Success Project has an activity in which mentoring is done by older youth, and its Pearl Lagoon Academy for Excellence offers a variety of enrichment activities in out of school hours.

Recommendations:

There are a number of options open to USAID to improve reading in grades one to three in the Caribbean

Coast Region. The assessment team recommends a program with five components that the team believes are essential for the success of a reading program. The elements are prioritized by the importance of the investment, with the most important first.

Teacher training to include the following elements:

1. Training teachers in the five fundamental components of reading;

2. Training teachers to use varying strategies for teaching reading to students from different language/cultural groups, with different learning styles and at different levels, within the regular classroom setting;

3. Training reading specialist/resource persons who will run and organize the after-school or pull-out reading programs, and serve as a resource to the school and community;

4. Training teachers to use assessment tools to determine reading levels and track student progress;

and

5. Training teachers to utilize a materials and pedagogical hints toolbox.

Materials

1. A “toolbox” of materials and pedagogical hints for teachers

2. Mini Reading Corners for each classroom;

3. Carefully selected easy readers and children’s books for school libraries

4. Textbooks and books for schools, as resources allow; and viii

5. Provision of basic school supplies such as markers, chart paper, etc.

Community mobilization in support of reading

Assistance to schools in setting up after-school reading programs

1. Training for teachers and parents to operate after-school programs; and

2. Experimenting with incentives to encouraging children to attend after-school programs

Modest investment in Technology/Resource Centers

An alternative option presented would include only an informal out of school program for students in grades one to three needing special assistance in reading.

Conclusions:

The team found that there is need and that it is feasible to develop an early grade reading program on the

Caribbean Coast. Although the assessment team found that improving reading in the early primary grades is a complex problem requiring a complex response and the challenges are daunting, the recommended program has a real opportunity to make a dramatic difference in the lives of the children and people of

Nicaragua’s Caribbean Coast.

SECTION I. INTRODUCTION

Goal and Purpose of the Assessment

The failure of many children to learn to read is a severe problem in Nicaragua. Overall, about 20 percent of

Nicaragua’s first grade students do not learn to read well enough to be promoted to the second grade. On

Nicaragua’s Atlantic coast, teaching early reading skills is made more challenging by multiculturalism and multilingualism (English, Spanish and indigenous languages), and many youth drop out of school with poor or no reading skills and become at-risk and vulnerable to crime and anti-social behavior.

Within this milieu, USAID/Nicaragua commissioned this assessment to explore the possibility of developing a new strategic approach and basic education program that will improve reading performance of children and youth on the Atlantic coast of Nicaragua. The primary purpose of the assessment team is to investigate the feasibility of developing a new basic education program for under-performing children in reading in primary schools on the Atlantic Coast and to propose recommendations for its design; its secondary purpose is to collect information about the target population, under-performing children in primary school, and the organizations that serve them.

Methodology The team used four methods to carry out the assessment, including:

Document review: The evaluation team reviewed all relevant documents provided by USAID, including an extensive Reading List for the GEM II Goal 1 Basic Education Assessment. In addition, the team reviewed other relevant and/or contextual information that could inform the team on key issues such as early grade reading development strategies, USAID strategy or papers, or reviews of Nicaragua’s particular economic development and human and institutional capacity requirements (please see Annex 1 for a list of documents consulted);

Interviews with key stakeholders: At the national level, and at regional and district levels on the

Atlantic Coast, the assessment team interviewed about 45 key Ministry of Education (MINED), regional and municipal Education Officers, knowledgeable observers of basic education and Non-Formal

Education (NFE), and educational experts in the donor and NGO community (please see Annex 2 for a list of the key people interviewed);

Group interviews: The assessment team carried out group interviews with proposed direct and indirect beneficiaries for the potential program, including about 50 principals, 42 teachers, and 5 parents (please see Annex 3 for a list of organizations and schools visited); and

Field observation: Whenever possible the assessment team attempted to observe classrooms, school facilities, the availability of reading materials, teaching techniques, etc. Although most schools were not in session, the assessment team was able to talk to teachers and principals and to get an impression of the issues and obstacles to implementing a reading program in those schools.

The evaluation team used a semi-structured questionnaire for each of nine client groups to guide the interviews. The questionnaires were used as guidance and the interviewers asked more in-depth questions as the interviewee and time permitted (please see Annex 8 for the nine interview guides).

Constraints to Carrying out the Report

The evaluation team experienced some constraints in carrying out the assessment due to the timing and length of time allowed for the evaluation:

The assessment was carried out in February, just before the new school year was to begin and when most schools were not in session. As a result, classroom observations were not possible for most schools. Nevertheless, some observations of regular school classes were made at the one school in session. In those schools not yet open, administrators, principals, and teachers were preparing for the opening of school and generously shared their time and opinions with the assessment team.

The team carried out the assessment over less than a three-week period, which hampered making appointments with people and limited the number of field visits to the Caribbean Coast. Given the tight interview schedule, visits to the Mining Triangle of Bonanza, Rosita and Siuna were not possible because there were no seats on the limited flights. Moreover, despite our very best effort, the team was not able to interview all the recommended key stakeholders.

Given the current political situation, USAID does not work directly with the MINED and has limited contact with the central government. Since many education services are delivered by the MINED and all of education in Nicaragua is regulated by the MINED, data collection in some key areas was very difficult.

Given the circumstances and timing of the evaluation, the team was not able to select a random sample of people for the focus groups. With few appointments, the assessment team was only able to assemble a sample of available interviewees. Although the results of the interviews are not statistically significant with any confidence levels, the consistency of the responses throughout the country left little doubt about the veracity of the information collected.

Section II will briefly outline basic information about the education sector in Nicaragua including the

Ministry of Education (MINED) strategy in early grade reading, the donor’s investment plans in education, and the USAID strategy and experience in education in Nicaragua. Section III of the report will present the findings from the assessment of the Caribbean Coast assessment. Section IV will summarize the lessons learned, while Section V will present recommendations about how to address any issues the evaluation team found. Section VI will offer some conclusions about the assessment and proposed program activity.

SECTION II. BACKGROUND

Overall Education Sector in Nicaragua

1. The Legal Foundations of the Educational System

Title II of the Nicaraguan constitution establishes that Nicaragua is a multiethnic and multilingual country. It mandates Spanish as the official language of the country, and also has established that Miskitu, Creole, Sumu, Garífuna and Rama are official in the autonomous regions of the Atlantic Coast.

According to the General Law of Education, the Nicaraguan Educational System is composed of five sub-systems: a) the Basic Education, Secondary Education and Teacher Training Subsystem, b) the Technical and

Professional Education Subsystem, c) the Higher Education Subsystem, d) the Autonomous Education Subsystem of the Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua (SEAR) and e) the Extra-school Education Subsystem.

The Ministry of Education (MINED) is in charge of running the Subsystem of Basic and Secondary Education as well as Teacher Pre-Service Education. Teacher preparation is provided by the Normal Schools, two of which are located on the Caribbean Coast, one in Bilwi and the other one in Bluefields.

Structure of the Subsystem

The subsystem under the MINED is called Basic Regular Education; it includes Initial Education (Preschool), Elementary and Secondary. Initial Education serves children who are under 6 years of age. Elementary

Education includes Regular Elementary (grades 1 to 6), Multi-grade, Accelerated Basic Education, Education for Adults, and Basic Special Education.

Secondary Education is the third level of Regular Basic Education; it lasts five years, covering grades 7 to 11.

It includes Regular Secondary Education, Accelerated Education (usually on Saturday and Sunday) and Distance Secondary Education.

2. National Strategic Plan

The MINED has developed a strategic plan for education for the period 2011- 2015. Although the strategic plan does not outline a specific strategy for reading in the early grades, there is reason to believe that most proposed activities to improve reading in the early grades are within the MINED strategy. The strategy outlines objectives to: reduce illiteracy; improve the quality of education, especially in the early grades;

reduce repetition and dropout rates; improve the capacity of teachers; improve the educational opportunities for indigenous and afro-Nicaraguans; and enhance the skills of the workforce. The MINED has plans to provide texts in first to fourth grade, and is working on a project to preserve coastal languages that are in danger of dying out. It has also prepared curriculum and texts from preschool through fourth grade in languages spoken by indigenous groups and Afro-descendants living in the regions of the Atlantic

Coast. Given that an investment to improve the reading skills of children in the Caribbean coast would be consistent with most, if not all, of these objectives, it would appear that the MINED would support an early grade reading program.

3. Reading Policies and Standards

The new curriculum recently elaborated by the Ministry of Education and provided to all schools has identified competencies and their corresponding indicators for every grade and subject. Reading falls within the area of Language and Literature.

To reinforce the monitoring of student achievement in reading, the MINED is working with the Proyecto de

Apoyo al Sector Educativo Nicaragúense (PASEN II), supported by the World Bank (WB) and Alianza Global de

Educación (AGE). PASEN II will conduct two standardized tests in the areas of Language and Literature and

Mathematics in the years 2013 and 2015. These tests will be administered to a representative sample of students in fourth and sixth grades. Nicaragua also plans to participate in the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)’s standardized testing in 2013.

4. Teacher Preparation and Responsibilities

The General Law of Education established the legal framework that regulates the training of future teachers at all levels. Future elementary teachers are prepared in Normal Schools. These educational institutions function at the equivalent of the secondary level (grades 7 – 11), and the training lasts five years. There are also Ministry-designed courses (called Cursos de Profesionalizacion in Spanish), that are intended to train non-certified teachers so that they may become certified. Finally, it should be noted that the Ministry of Education offers workshops and seminars in order to keep teachers abreast in their respective fields.

Teachers’ responsibilities are prescribed by the Teaching Career Law (Ley de Carrera Docente). The law states that teachers must follow government educational policies, maintain ethical behavior and participate in activities to keep abreast in their disciplines, as well as in pedagogical practices.

5. Education Sector in the Atlantic Coast

The educational situation in both Autonomous Regions presents major challenges. From a historical point of view, these are two regions that have been relatively isolated since the Hispanic conquest. The population and its languages have given Nicaragua distinctive characteristics.

It is difficult to deny that, from an educational point of view, this area of the country has been neglected;

however, recent historical events seem to promise a better future for these Nicaraguans.

6. SEAR

The Región Autónomo Atlántica del Norte (RAAN) and the Región Autónomo Atlántico del Sur (RAAS) are autonomous regions that manage the educational subsystem known as the Sistema Educativo Autónomico

Regional (SEAR). The law establishes the rights of the people of this region to have their own educational model, one that will be pertinent and respond to the specific linguistic and cultural needs of both regions. It also specifies that the educational autonomy of those regions include the legal capacity to organize and manage the educational subsystems in their territories, in accordance with their traditions, value systems and culture, while still coordinating with the national MINED. SEAR is to be implemented in the near future with the financial support of the World Bank. Currently, as part of the regional governmental structure, there is a Secretary of Education in each region who coordinates activities with the MINED.

Other Donors Working on Reading in Primary Schools

The donors work together in Nicaragua, and UNICEF is the coordinator of the donor group. Several major donors are focusing on preschool and primary grades, either directly on reading or in ways that will assist reading instruction. The World Bank is focusing on curriculum and materials at the primary level, with an emphasis on multi-grade schools. It is developing elementary textbooks, and will provide training to teachers on the use of the new books.

In the Proyecto de Apoyo al Sector Educativo Nicaragüense (PASEN-II), the World Bank will manage the funds from the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) (Alianza Global para la Educación,AGE) to improve preschool opportunities. This will include improvement and construction of preschool classrooms, as well as training of teachers and preschool educators. Availability of more preschool opportunities will improve students’ chances for success in reading. The project expects to work in 40 municipalities, in six departments and in both the RAAN and the RAAS. As mentioned above, the PASEN-II project will also be testing students in reading and mathematics in the fourth and sixth grades in 2013 and 2015. The European

Union (EU) and World Bank are focusing both on secondary education and on improvement of the management capacity at the preschool level. The EU also plans to work on articulation of basic education with technical professional training.

UNICEF is working with the MINED in a competition involving reading aloud in the early grades. Teacher training in reading is also included in this project. The goal of the competition is for it to be conducted in a way that will be enjoyable and help all children feel like winners. UNICEF is also cooperating with the

MINED on themes that cut across subject areas, such as the environment. These would also have some effect on the reading program. In addition, UNICEF financed a study done by the Centro de Información y

Educativa Sociales (CIASES) on reading comprehension at the primary level, and is assisting with curriculum development in the SEAR. UNICEF is preparing a program of cooperation for 2013-2017. This plan is paying special attention to the transition from primary to secondary school and the development of flexible ways to address the needs of adolescents, especially those who have been out of school. UNICEF also provided assistance with the MINED Strategic Plan for 2011-2015 (Plan Estratégico, 2011-2015).

The International-Development Bank (IDB) has previously focused their work on early childhood, and plans have been under negotiation for continued work at that level. The work at policy level would affect the SEAR, although specific programs would probably not be provided on the Atlantic Coast.

Over the last four years the Organización de Estados Iberoamericanos (OEI) has worked extensively in the

RAAS and RAAN including, among other things, working with the Normal Schools in Bluefields and Bilwi and the Bluefields Indian & Caribbean University (BICU) to assist teacher training and develop materials, providing literacy and administrative training to municipal and community workers in the Atlantic Coast, as well as developing pedagogical and screening materials for preschool teachers and administrators in the

RAAS and the RAAN.

The Spanish Agency for International Cooperation [Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional para el

Desarrollo (AECID)], invests mostly in higher education, but also provides assistance at secondary, primary and preschool levels. It has centers on the Atlantic Coast and has worked on a curriculum for indigenous languages.

Table 1 presents the major donors whose current or planned work involves early reading or contributes to success in early reading. Projects managed by these donors, as described above, will work nationally and also impact the SEAR either through policies that affect the RAAS and the RAAN or through direct intervention in those regions.

Table 1. Donors Working in Reading or Areas Related to Reading

World

Bank

European

Union

UNICEF OEI IDB AECID

Preschool X X X X X X

Primary X X X

Secondary X X X

Teacher Training X X

Adult literacy

Training

X X X

USAID Strategy and USAID/Nicaragua Past Experience

1. Agency Strategy

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) issued a new Education Strategy for the period 2011-2015 which identifies three goals to guide USAID educational investments. The three goals are: 1) Improved reading skills in primary grades; 2) improved ability of tertiary and workforce development programs to produce workforce relevant skills; and 3) increased equitable access to education in crisis and conflict countries.

The first goal of reading at the primary grade level is an explicit choice to focus on reading improvements and phases out previously funded activities that are no longer seen as core activities, such as early childhood education or secondary education. Areas other than reading, such as math and science, may be indirectly impacted by USAID Missions’ programs through system strengthening, such as teacher training, data development and administration, and school management and governance. Nevertheless, the agency education strategy prioritizes an emphasis on improving reading results within partner country educational systems.

2. Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) Region

Despite recent advances in access to education, educational systems in the Latin America and Caribbean region (LAC) continue to face serious challenges, especially in reading. The overall quality of education is poor, and LAC students consistently score near the bottom on international test comparisons in all fields, including reading.

The compromised quality of education impedes the ability of the region to move forward politically and economically. LAC lags behind its competitors educationally. Young workers in the region enter the labor force with fewer years of education than do workers in countries of similar incomes in Asia and the Middle

East. In some of the countries in which USAID works, as many as four out of ten students do not complete primary school, and even more do not go on to secondary school. Of those who enroll in secondary school, at least 40 percent do not graduate. As few as 30 percent of students read and write at grade level.

A growing number of youth leave school without basic literacy and life skills and, because of a rise in youth unemployment, are susceptible to joining gangs, committing crimes, and remaining in poverty

Indigenous, rural, and poor urban students particularly suffer from unequal access to quality education. The responsibility for the high numbers of illiterate children lies partially with the teachers. A good number have not finished secondary school. Many are ill-prepared and have insufficient materials and support in the classroom. The high rate of students who have to repeat a class drains already inadequate education investments.

USAID/LAC is currently designing a new program to strengthen reading as the foundation for all learning.

The new program will build on the successes of the Centers of Excellence for Teacher Training (CETT), which provided a model for effective teacher training to upgrade the reading instruction skills of classroom teachers in grades 1, 2, and 3. CETT coordinated with teacher training institutions in LAC to train highly skilled and motivated teachers to give their pupils a strong reading and writing foundation. Since its inception in 2002, CETT trained 35,095 teachers and administrators and helped over 799,300 underprivileged students in 16 countries get a better education.

3. USAID/Nicaragua

Within the LAC as well as the Central America region, Nicaragua consistently ranks near the bottom in nearly every educational indicator. For example, Nicaragua has the lowest rates of matriculation and the highest dropout rates from primary school - indicators, in part, of poor reading skills - in Central America and the LAC region. Within this milieu, the semi-autonomous Atlantic Coast Regions (the RAAN and

RAAS) fare even worse. For example, the average number of years of schooling is 2.9 years in the RAAS and 2.3 years in the RAAN (the national average is 5.2 years).1

The core of USAID’s basic education program in Nicaragua for the last ten years has been the model school program, characterized by its child-centered approach, parent and community involvement and student government activities. There are now 3,000 model schools nationwide, benefitting 454,511 students.

USAID/Nicaragua expects to build on the lessons learned in the development of these programs, including those from the Nicaraguan CETT program carried out by the Normal School at Jinotepe, as it seeks to address the issues associated with children underperforming in reading on the Caribbean Coast.

USAID/Nicaragua also invests in several other programs in the education sector. Under the Central

American Regional Security Initiative (CARSI), USAID provides educational opportunities for at-risk youth

1 EDUQUEMOS Situación y Perspectivas en Nicaragua para Universalizar Primaria de Calidad, Febrero 2011; and Ministero de Educacion, Plan Estratégico, 2011-2015 through scholarships for children in grades 4-6 and for high school students in three municipalities in

Nicaragua’s South Atlantic Autonomous Region (RAAS) that are highly vulnerable to drug trafficking. And, USAID’s Scholarships for Education and Economic Development (SEED) program provided 21 scholarships to young Nicaraguans to study in U.S. universities and community colleges in 2009. From 1991-2008, under the previous CASS Scholarship program, 927 Nicaraguans had the opportunity to study in the U.S.

SECTION III. FINDINGS ON THE ATLANTIC COAST IN PRIMARY

SCHOOL READING

The early grades, especially first grade, are critical for success in reading. Students who fail first grade frequently get discouraged, come to dislike school, and then drop out, sometimes after repeating first grade two or three times. This section first presents data on Nicaragua’s countrywide performance on reading tests in the first three grades, since it is important to understand the overall level of reading performance in

Nicaraguan primary education. Data presented are from international assessments and from national standardized tests. The information is followed by comparisons between the RAAN and the RAAS and the rest of Nicaragua.

Nicaragua: Countrywide Data

1. Comparison with other Latin American Countries: SERCE

In mid-2008, UNESCO’s Latin American Laboratory for Assessment of the Quality of Education evaluated the skills of third and sixth graders in math, reading and science in 16 Latin American countries. This test, The Second Regional Comparative Study, known as SERCE, is the most recent and comprehensive study of the quality of education in the region, and is one of only a few sources of information on early reading in

Nicaragua. The mean score on the reading test is 500. The highest scoring of the countries participating was

Cuba, with a score of 627. Others in the top tier scored between 510 and 563. Nicaragua’s third graders scored 470, which placed them second in a group of countries that scored significantly below the mean.

Approximately 44 percent of Nicaraguan third graders scored at the lowest achievement level (1) on the reading test, while fewer than 4 percent scored at the highest level (4). Nicaragua’s results and relative placement were very similar for the sixth graders.

Data from the SERCE are not presented by department or region, but comparisons of rural and urban performance are presented. In Nicaragua urban third graders had a mean score advantage of about 30 points over rural students on the tests. Nicaragua ranked 4th on this measure out of 17 countries; Cuba had the lowest differential between urban and rural students, around 15 points, while the largest differential was noted in Peru, almost 80. Unfortunately, the study noted that the reason Nicaragua had a low differential was that both urban and rural students performed poorly. Countries’ scores were also compared with their per capita income; Nicaragua’s GDP per capita was the lowest of all of the countries participating, and its students scored higher than would have been predicted according to Nicaragua’s income levels.2

Another international test in reading is the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), which is administered to 15 year olds by the OECD. However, Nicaragua has not participated in the PISA testing.

2. Countrywide Assessments of Reading Ability in Nicaragua

Standardized testing at the national level is relatively new in Nicaragua. National standardized tests administered in 2002 by the MINED showed that only 8 percent of third graders and 5 percent of sixth graders were proficient in reading Spanish. Preliminary test results from 2006 showed little change in these scores.3 However, in 2009, the MINED tested students in grades 4, 6 and 9 in reading and math, with the goal of using these results as a baseline for future testing. Scores were divided into 5 levels. Among fourth graders, 17.9 percent scored at the lowest level, and only 1.1 percent scored at the highest level. The largest percentage, 45.1 percent scored at the “basic” level, which was the second lowest. In general, students in the urban areas scored better than those in rural areas, and girls scored better than boys on the reading test, in all three grades tested.

Ganimian, Alejandro, 2009. How Much Are Latin American Children Learning; Highlights from the Second Regional Student Achievement Test. PREAL. Data obtained from UNESCO/OREALC’s Latin American Laboratory for Assessment of the Quality of Education at: http://llece.unesco.cl.

USAID Office of Inspector General, 2008. Audit of USAID/Nicaragua’s Education Activities, p. 4.

Comparisons of Reading Achievement within Nicaragua

There are few existing comparisons of reading achievement in the early grades between the Atlantic Coast and the rest of Nicaragua. Data presented below have been assembled from the national standardized tests and from testing done in various donor projects using the Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA).

1. National Standardized Tests

The MINED presented scores by department and region for the 2009 standardized tests. The RAAN and the RAAS were among a group of five departments/regions that had the lowest percentage of students scoring at the highest level on the reading test. With regard to the percentage of students scoring at the lowest level, again the RAAN and the RAAS were among the 5 departments/regions with the highest percentages of students scoring at that level.4

2. Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA)

Recently, the Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) has been administered in several selected areas of the country. This is known in Nicaragua as the Evaluación de Lectura Inicial (ELI). (See Annex 5 for a description of the EGRA.)

The EGRA was administered in the RAAN and RAAS in 2009 in a sample of 40 schools that included 121 teachers, 35 school principals and 1692 students. The tests were administered in Spanish, Mískito, Panamahka and Creole, the version of English spoken by many Afro-descendants in the Caribbean. The sections of the test that students found most difficult were the ones involving phonemic awareness. These include recognizing the sound of the initial letter in a word and recognizing the sound of a letter. In

Nicaragua, some indigenous languages pronounce certain phonemes differently, while others do not exist.

For example, some Nicaraguan indigenous groups pronounce “f” as if it were a “p.” Although the EGRA tests developed in other languages are designed to reflect accurately pronunciation in those languages, such differences in pronunciation or lack of existence of certain phonemes would be expected to affect the test scores of students who speak indigenous languages but have been instructed and/or tested in Spanish or English.

Recent research indicates that phonemic awareness is a key ingredient in learning to read, and recommendations are that it be taught orally very early in kindergarten or first grade. Paradoxically, although Spanish has a much more regular sound-symbol relationship than English, it has not been customary in most of Latin America to teach letter sounds; the focus has typically been on letter names and on learning to read syllables.

Another section of the EGRA where children experienced difficulties was the fluency test, in which students are asked to read aloud a short passage at an appropriate level for their grade. Fluency is important because students who read too slowly and haltingly usually cannot make any sense of what they are reading. Thus, for most readers, a certain level of fluency is necessary for comprehension. Among 337 first graders tested in Spanish, 30.8 percent could not read any part of the text. Among the 217 Miskito students, who were tested in Miskito, 85 percent were not able to read the selection. On the positive side, it was noted that students did better as they moved up through the grades. On the Spanish test, first graders read correctly

17 words per minute, while in third grade they read 54.9 words per minute. In Miskito students moved from 2.3 words per minute to 33 words per minute in third grade. It is important to note that test results are not comparable between languages, because some languages are more complex and take longer when learning to read. The Miskitos have an oral culture, and did better in oral comprehension, when the passages in Miskito were read to them and they answered oral questions about the reading.

Overall, however, the results were well below standards per grade level. In Spanish it is desirable that students be able to read 60 words per minute by the end of second grade, and 90 at the end of third. In this

MINED 2010. Plan Estratégico de Educación, 2011-2015, P.34, 35 (the tests were administered in 2009 but reported in 2010).

study only 15.7 percent of first grade students tested in Spanish reached or surpassed the expected standard.5

It is important to understand how the EGRA results in the RAAN and the RAAS compare with those of students in the rest of Nicaragua. Two studies were done in 2011 to establish base line EGRA data for other projects. One was for schools being served by the project Fundación Zamora Terán. The EGRA was administered in 13 municipalities in the departments of Boaco, Carazo, Chinandega, Chontales, Granada, León, Managua, Masaya and Rivas. Urban students comprised 70 percent of the sample, while 30 percent of the students were rural. The test can be administered at three points during the school year and has standards for each of the three points in time. This testing was done in the middle of the year. The results indicated that the major difficulties of the students were in reading comprehension, alphabetic code, fluency and phonemic awareness (conciencia fonológica).

The standards in Spanish for mid-year in first grade are that a student should be able to read at least 20 words per minute; by the middle of second the standard is 50 words per minute, and by the middle of third grade, students should be able to read fluently 70 words per minute. In the Fundación Zamora study, 25 percent of first graders met or exceeded the standard. At second grade, this figure rose to 50 percent, while in third grade 46 percent met or exceeded the standard.6

A similar study was conducted in September 2011 to establish baseline data for schools being served by an

AMCHAM project. For this study the EGRA was administered in Chinandega, León, Managua, Matagalpa, Masaya and Rivas. The group included 39 percent rural students and 61 percent urban. Using mid-year norms, 25 percent of first graders met or exceeded international norms, as did 52 percent of second graders and 49 percent of third graders.7

Although these studies were undertaken at different points in time, it may be noted that first and second grade students in the EGRA testing in the RAAS and RAAN demonstrated more needs in early reading than did students in the other parts of Nicaragua. See Table 2 for a comparison of performance of Spanish readers on the Atlantic Coast with those in other departments of Nicaragua.

Table 2. Percentage of Spanish-Speaking Students at or above International Standard in Oral

Reading Fluency in Spanish on the EGRA, on the Atlantic Coast and in Other Departments of

Nicaragua

RAAN and RAAS

Oct., Nov. 2009

(End of Year Norms)

Other Departments, Fundación Zamora

July, Aug. 2011

(Mid-Year Norms)

Other Departments

AMCHAM

July, Sept. 2011

(Mid-Year Norms)

Grade One 15.7% 25% 25%

Grade Two 35.6% 50% 52%

Grade Three 50.8% 46% 49%

These data include only Spanish-speaking children, and the testing was done at different points in time. Also, the two projects were serving populations selected as needing help. Therefore, the data are not directly comparable, but are illustrative of the needs in the RAAN and the RAAS. It may be noticed that in Grade 3

Spanish speaking children on the Atlantic Coast performed better than those in the other departments. This may illustrate the positive effect of remaining in school. However, other data previously presented in this report also indicate higher dropout rates in the RAAN and RAAS, so it may also be possible that students doing less well had left school by third grade. The many speakers of other languages in the RAAN and RAAS

Castro, Laguna and Vijil, 2009. Informe de Resultados: ELI Caribe. CIASES.

6 Castillo, Melba y Vijil, Josefina. 2011.Informe de Resultados de la Aplicación Prueba EGRA a una muestra de estudiantes de Primero a Tercer grado de escuelas beneficiarias de la Fundación Zamora Terán, Castillo, Melba, Vijil, Josefina. 2011. Informe de Resultados de la Aplicación Prueba EGRA. AMCHAM are not included in the comparison, which simply means that the relative need for assistance in early reading in the RAAN and RAAS is even greater than suggested by these data.

Factors Contributing to Children’s Difficulty in Learning to Read

There are many factors that contribute to a child’s interest in reading and success in learning to read.

These include adequate nutrition and good health, a warm home and parenting environment, many pleasant opportunities to enjoy books and stories during the child’s preschool years, experiences and ample discussion about those experiences that provide a child with a wide vocabulary and knowledge about the world. This section first presents socioeconomic factors, especially those linked with poverty, and then outlines factors that contribute to a child’s success or failure in school.

1. Socioeconomic factors

Unfortunately, many children in the RAAN and the RAAS live in an environment of poverty or extreme poverty in which there is a cluster of factors that combine to make it difficult for a child to experience success in school. The following are factors that are commonly noted in environments of poverty around the world. Not all may apply to children in the RAAN and RAAS, but many are likely to be relevant. All of these factors affect children’s ability to learn to read successfully.

Poor nutrition, sometimes extreme, with stunting of growth found in areas of severe poverty.8

Health problems, including untreated vision and hearing problems, and internal parasites, which are extremely common in many poor children.

Speech and language problems or learning disabilities that go unrecognized and untreated. This is typically a problem in areas of poverty around the world. Teachers expressed concerns about how to help children who seemed to have learning difficulties.

Lack of experience with print. This may include illiterate parents and no books or print materials in the home, and for rural children, no print in the surrounding environment.

Absence of a culture of reading in the general environment.