DRAFT SOW for Presolicitation Notice.docx

SOL 656-12-000001

Draft Statement of Work

DRAFT DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS/STATEMENT OF WORK

I. PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES

The title of the project to be implemented under this contract is the Early Grade Reading Assessment Plus Quality Instruction and Management (EGRA+QIM) Project.

In full support and alignment with the USAID Forward, EGRA+QIM will invest in and work with host-country government systems and local indigenous non-governmental organizations (NGOs) ensuring that sustainable change within the education sector remains in-country. The EGRA+QIM project will demonstrate the Agency’s new commitment to build partner country capacity by directly training and supporting local education institutions, and strengthening their abilities as the country’s front-line education service providers to manage for and achieve significant and meaningful results.

This contract will be one of several mechanisms for implementing the USAID/Mozambique Basic Education Program for the 2012 to 2017 period. The central emphasis for the Basic Education Program is to support “improved reading outcomes for students in grades 2 and 3 in Zambezia and Nampula provinces.” The principal approach will be to improve the quality and increase the quantity of reading instruction in grades 2 and 3.

Support will be provided through expert training and coaching support, and institutional development at the provincial, district, teacher training institute, and school cluster levels. The Contractor will focus on the following areas: a) Improved in-service teacher training and coaching in reading instruction; and, b) Strengthened school management.

The Contractor will seek to inspire political leadership, train and mentor education sector personnel in Mozambique to significantly advance reading outcomes in the early grades of public primary school education. The Contractor is required to ensure the cost-effectiveness of interventions and develop the capacity of local education institutions for specific institutions in reading assessment and instruction.

Work performed under this contract will contribute towards achieving the global USAID Education Strategy – Goal 1: “Improved reading skills for 100 million children in primary grades by 2015;” and toward the fourth objective of the USAID/Mozambique Country Assistance Strategy (CAS): “Expand opportunities for quality education and training.” Additionally, activities under this contract are aligned with the Ministry of Education’s (MINED) long-term strategic National Education Plan, which specifically guides education sector donors to focus on three key areas: a) Increasing access; b) Improving quality; and, c) Strengthening institutional capacity.

The overall goal of the EGRA+QIM project will be “Improved reading outcomes for students in grades 2-3 in Nampula and Zambezia provinces.” To achieve this goal, the Contractor will provide key training, coaching and technical assistance to improve the quality of basic education services with a specific and focused emphasis on improving early grade reading outcomes. Training and technical assistance will be limited to the provinces of Zambezia and Nampula, and activities will focus on two Intermediate Results (IRs):

IR1. Improved QUALITY of reading instruction in grades 2-3 in targeted schools; and IR2. Increased QUANTITY of reading instruction in grades 2-3 in targeted schools

Under IR1, the Contractor and local education institutions will work together at the provincial, district, school cluster, and teacher training institute level to improve the quality of early grade reading instruction, and specifically, the reading outcomes of students in grades 2 and 3 in target schools. Activities to achieve IR1 will focus on improving in-service teacher training and coaching, and increasing the availability of learning materials to teachers and students. Activities to achieve IR2 will focus on increasing the quantity of reading instruction, and will focus on school director training and coaching to strengthen school management.

The Contractor will provide training, coaching, and support to enhance the capacities of in-service teachers and school directors, especially in relation to teaching and managing the challenging and complex multi-shift schools found in both rural and urban areas. Education personnel from local education institutions will be selected to participate in training activities to build their capacity to deliver and manage effective and efficient services in early grade reading assessment and instruction.

The Contractor should seek to maintain the target area and schools as a living laboratory for early grade reading improvement. Collaborative work at the national level is encouraged, especially in aspects that strengthen MINED’s policies and management capacity related to improvements in quality instruction, and specifically, improvements in early grade reading. Civil society participation, public private partnerships, innovation, science and technology are encouraged, and the Contractor should take these into consideration in the design and implementation of this contract.

II. BACKGROUND

Following a long colonial period, a 10-year war for independence, and 16 years of civil war, Mozambique is rebuilding its education sector and strengthening its capacity to provide quality educational services. Under the colonial government, the Portuguese provided very little education for most Mozambicans. By 1962, after centuries of Portuguese rule, only 25 percent of the population had any education at all (Candido et al, 1986). The illiteracy rate at independence, in 1975, was estimated to be as high as 93 percent. The civil war, which lasted from 1977 to 1992, resulted in the destruction of 50 percent of school infrastructure (especially primary schools) and saw many teachers kidnapped or killed.

Despite these challenges, access to primary education in Mozambique expanded rapidly after the civil war ended in 1992. The Government of Mozambique (GOM) created a national system of primary school education and, between 2003 and 2007, the number of children in primary school increased from 3.3 million to 5.3 million at an average growth rate of 8 percent per year. Retention of children in school has improved from 30 percent in 2006 to 41 percent in 2010 (Mozambique Fast Track Initiative (FTI) and Catalytic Fund Application, 2010).

Although available budget has not fully met increasing demand for services, the GOM has continuously increased allocations to the education sector, consistently allocating around 20 percent of its budget, including both internal and external sources, to the education sector, with more than half these funds going to primary education.

The GOM has also initiated reforms in public financial management, decentralization, and human resource management aimed at improving the provision of basic services. In the education sector, increasing operational budgets have been managed at the school level, and specific funds have been channeled to both provincial and district accounts for supervision activities.

Despite laudable progress in access made since 1992, key challenges still exist and will have to be overcome to help the primary school system teach children the basic skills required for the country’s economic and social development. Improving the quality and increasing the quantity of instructional time, crucial for academic success, remains a challenge and an elusive goal across the public primary school system.

The rapid expansion of the primary school system in sheer numbers of children has not been accompanied by a similar increase in the number of modern classrooms. Double and triple shifts of teaching (early morning/midday/afternoon) have become standard among the majority of schools in the system, meaning that students spend a limited amount of time in the classroom and receive a low quantity of instruction in basic skills such as reading.

III. RATIONALE

Education is a vital element in the socio-economic and democratic transformation of Mozambique. Progress along the development continuum and full participation in a competitive global economy will require Mozambique to address critical educational quality and learning outcomes issues, especially in light of lackluster performance as has been highlighted in a sequence of assessments (USAID Educational Quality Improvement Program (EQUIP) 2 Aga Khan 2011; Southern and Eastern Africa Consortium for Monitoring Educational Quality (SACMEQ) 2007). Moreover, many Mozambicans believe that education is one of the key tools for improving socio-economic conditions, and narrowing the gap between rich and poor.

The EGRA+QIM project supports the mission’s overall objectives in Mozambique, in particular, contributing to goals in democracy and governance, health, and economic growth. In democracy, an educated population increases public participation and the formation of democratic values; in economic growth, skilled workers are key to increased productivity and viable domestic market; and, in health, an educated populace results in improved health outcomes.

The EGRA+QIM project also directly supports Goal 1 of the USAID Education Strategy (2011) which states: “Children who do not attain reading skills at the primary level are on a lifetime trajectory of limited educational progress and therefore limited economic and developmental opportunity.”

USAID/Mozambique’s Basic Education Program fully recognizes that early grade reading competency is critical to children staying in school, achieving long-term academic success, and positioning themselves for future employment and career opportunities.

Higher levels of education are directly linked to higher incomes, improved health, and increased ability to participate in a democratic society. Thus, this objective has the potential to affect long-term outcomes in a number of the strategic priority areas outlined in the USAID/Mozambique CAS. As the USAID Education Strategy notes, education raises individual incomes and “helps ensure that growth is broad-based and reaches the poorest.”

Improving the Quality of Instruction

Mozambique has an acute shortage of seasoned teaching personnel, and currently 26 percent of practicing primary school teachers have not received any form of training at all (MINED, 2010). An emergency program created to address teacher shortage in the rapidly expanding education system, initiated by MINED in 2008, accepted 10th grade graduates into a scaled-down, one-year training program.

Despite the emergency recruitment efforts, many teachers still work double and triple shifts, and in 2010 the teacher/student ratio in Mozambican primary schools was 1/66, significantly higher than the Southern Africa regional average of 1/45 (Mozambique FTI and Catalytic Fund Application, 2010). This high teacher/student ratio and lack of teacher training and support limit the quality of educational instruction that students receive during the limited hours they do spend in the classroom. Researchers agree that enhancing the quality of in-service training, coaching, and support for low-skilled teachers is paramount to improving instructional quality and learning outcomes in reading (McKinsey, 2010; EGRA PLUS: Liberia, 2011).

Increasing the Quantity of Instruction Time for Learning

In addition to teacher performance, school directors (principals) in Mozambican primary schools most often receive only minimal training before taking up school management responsibilities, and struggle with the difficult challenges related to managing complex multi-shift schools, supervising three shifts of teaching personnel, and partnering with civil society and parents. Currently, most school directors and pedagogical directors are teachers plucked directly from the classroom.

School directors, if they are fortunate, receive four days of training to prepare them for their management and leadership responsibilities (MINED, 2011). To date, there is no official or systematic training offered for school pedagogical directors, who supervise teaching and academic portfolios at primary schools.

Mozambique’s school management challenges, combined with its poor quality and limited quantity of basic instruction, have led to dire consequences. A USAID EQUIP 2-funded study (2011) found that due to teacher absenteeism, student attendance, and management issues, the schools were limited to, on average, 30 days of instructional time per 193-day official school year in 2010.

The rapid increase in the number of students has placed immense pressure on the education system, and with a lack of appropriately trained teachers and insufficient classroom hours, school quality and learning in basic reading and math skills have significantly deteriorated. Key standard indicators for measuring primary school system performance are stagnating or in decline.

Given the absence of a national testing system for monitoring student achievement, Mozambique relies on a regionally implemented test, the SACMEQ, which revealed plummeting scores in reading, from 516.7 in 2000 to 476 in 2007, indicating a significant deterioration in primary school learning achievement. Further evidence of dismal learning outcomes was recently revealed in the aforementioned EQUIP2/Aga Khan Foundation study, which found that 59 percent of third grade students in the 49 schools studied could not recognize letters, and those students who could read only read an average of five words per minute.

If left unchecked, the current decline in learning outcomes may threaten Mozambique’s ability to capitalize on opportunities for significant employment generation as well as overall social stability and national unity. The current situation calls for more effective resource management and an emphasis on improving learning outcomes—particularly in reading skills—in the early grades.

Educators worldwide recognize that early grade reading competency is critical for continued retention, long-term academic success, and future employment and career opportunity. Children who do not attain basic reading skills in primary school will experience difficulty throughout their academic careers and are more likely to struggle at a survival level or below in future economic pursuits.

Focus on Early Grade Reading

Primary school students in Mozambique are clearly not learning to read at a level that will give them a foundation for academic success. Poor reading outcomes in schools can generally be traced to poor quality of reading instruction and an insufficient quantity of classroom time devoted to reading instruction. The USAID Education Strategy recognizes this phenomenon across education systems in the developing world, and recommends that reading outcomes be improved through increased instructional time for reading, improved teacher training and instructional materials, and using reading diagnostic tools on a continuous basis.

In Mozambique, teachers are not trained to provide effective reading instruction, and they often lack access to appropriate pedagogical materials. School directors are not adequately trained in school management, and they do not provide sufficient supervision and support to teachers. Parents, many of whom are illiterate themselves, receive little information about the performance of their local schools and their children’s achievement at school, and are unable to hold education personnel accountable. Most often, parents do not know how to reinforce reading instruction at home or take an active role in their children’s education. These issues must all be addressed to increase quality and quantity of instruction with the end goal of improving reading outcomes.

IV. TARGET GEOGRAPHICAL REGIONS AND BENEFICIARIES

The EGRA+QIM project shall include activities at the provincial, district, school cluster, and local school levels. EGRA+QIM shall target the provinces of Zambezia and Nampula in central and northern Mozambique. The rationale for selecting these two provinces can be summarized as follows: These two heavily populated and rural provinces combined contain 42 percent of the school-age population of Mozambique and, according to national statistics have posted weak education performance results compared to national averages (Table 1). In addition, girls in these two provinces are grossly underserved and disadvantaged.

The national illiteracy rate for women is 62.7 percent; in Nampula it is 77.4 percent, and in Zambezia 79 percent (Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), 2008). Furthermore, despite clear and pressing needs, there is relatively little bilateral or multilateral support for education in these provinces, with the exception of UNICEF working in only one district in each province.

Finally, other USAID and US government (USG) programs operate in these two provinces, and the EGRA+QIM project will take advantage of opportunities for developing intra- and inter-agency synergies in the areas of HIV/AIDS prevention, support to orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs), gender based violence awareness, life and livelihood skills for young women and girls, decentralization, local capacity development, and civil society strengthening.

Table 1- Gross Completion Rates for Lower Primary, Upper Primary, Lower Secondary and Upper Secondary for Nampula and Zambezia Provinces compared to National Rates in 2009 (numbers in %):

Lower Primary

(MINED, 2011)

The EGRA+QIM project shall focus on the 1,000 urban and rural schools within full school clusters with the largest enrollments in the economic corridors of Zambezia and Nampula provinces. An analysis of which specific schools should be targeted shall be undertaken based on MINED priorities, and to reach as many grade 2-3 children as possible while achieving low unit costs and geographic coverage in critical economic corridors to achieve the USAID Education Strategy – Goal 1 target.

The Contractor shall consider that demonstrating significant improvement in student reading outcomes will directly ignite political will at the national, provincial, district and school levels and encourage MINED and civil society entities to work together to formulate and change education policy to sustain reading achievement progress and expand the geographical coverage of proven interventions. At the national level the primary partner will be MINED. For specific actions, outlined below, the Contractor shall work with the following key MINED national directorates:

Direcção de Planificação e Cooperação (DIPLAC);

Direcção Nacional de Ensino Primário (DNEP);

Direcção Nacional de Formação de Professores (DNFP);

Direcção de Gestão e Garantia de Qualidade (DNQ); and Instituto Nacional de Desenvolvimento da Educação (INDE)

At the local level, the Contractor shall work with the following local education institutions and personnel:

Provincial Education Office - Direcção Provincial de Educação e Cultura (DPEC);

District Education Office - Serviço Distrital de Educação, Juventude e Tecnologia (SDEJT);

Teacher Training Institute – Instituto de Formação de Professores (IFP); and School Clusters - Zonas de Influência Pedagógica (ZIP).

Sustaining EGRA testing and QIM instructional improvements will be a long-term challenge. The Contractor shall build the management capacity of local government and non-government expert local technicians to implement and manage such activities. The eventual institutional home for EGRA+QIM type support activities will be at the local education institution level, DPECs, SDEJTs, IFPs, and ZIPs, with provincial leadership emanating from the DPECs for EGRA and the IFPs for QIM.

V. PROPOSED ACTIVITY

Overall Approach

At the beginning of the project, adequate local capacity to manage, develop, and implement EGRA+QIM activities does not sufficiently exist within MINED, civil society or the private sector in Mozambique. That said, to begin building local capacity, and close technical and financial management gaps in the area of early grade reading and assessment, the Contractor shall partner with local organizations and work closely with local education institutions, using a learning-by-doing approach, to implement the project, and to facilitate the eventual handover of project activities. Such focused action will begin the process of steadily and incrementally building local capacity to eventually manage the delivery of EGRA+QIM type activities.

Initially, the Contractor shall be required to partner with a local indigenous NGO, Mozambican university, or a private sector company to recruit, train, and manage locally hired staff (enumerators, trainers, and field managers) to rapidly build an adequately qualified and trained labor force to debut and scale up EGRA+QIM activities. It is expected that, if necessary, the Contractor shall build its local indigenous partners technical, organization, and financial management skills to the level that the local partner can singularly conduct and manage functions related to recruitment, training and field management of locally hired staff to accomplish EGRA+QIM activities.

Additionally, the Contractor shall train and prepare local education institution personnel for complete technical and managerial handover of EGRA+QIM activities, with the Contractor serving an advisory role during the 2015 school year. Incrementally, more financial and management responsibilities for EGRA+QIM activities will be transferred to MINED. USAID intends on using Fixed Amount Reimbursement Agreements (FARA) or other available mechanisms to provide direct funding to MINED to manage EGRA+QIM activities the last quarter of 2014, and during the 2015 and 2016 school years.

To begin the process of building the capacity of local education institutions, the Contractor shall conduct an institutional gap analysis of pertinent local education institutions to identify technical, procurement, financial management, and organizational development gaps that will need to be bridged to enable sustainable local management. Based on the results of the institutional gap analysis, the Contractor shall:

a) identify strengths and improvement opportunities for building capacity; and

b) provide a comprehensive feedback report and action plan to USAID and MINED with the goal of building local capacity to begin handover of EGRA+QIM activities during the 2014 school year. Handover of EGRA+QIM activities to the full control and management of MINED local education institutions shall be flexibly conducted according to a given timeline.

MINED Role in EGRA+QIM

2013 - Demonstration & Training

· MINED forms core senior team to accompany EGRA+QIM activities

· DPECs establish daily 45 minute reading time in EGRA+QIM target schools

· DPECs, IFPs and Districts designate personnel to participate in EGRA+QIM training and management activities; designated personnel receive technical and management training

· USAID contractor conducts institutional gap analysis and rolls out EGRA+QIM project through demonstration, training and technical assistance

2014 - Transition to Handover

· DPEC/IFP/District personnel continue to learn and practice skills to organize, plan, and manage EGRA+QIM activities

· DPEC (EGRA) and IFP (QIM) personnel manage activities last 3 months of school year with technical assistance; respective Unidade de Gestao de Aquisicoes (UGEAs) assume financial management responsibilities with technical assistance from the Contractor during the last three months of the school year, August to October.

· MINED choses cost effective interventions to scale up in 2015 school year

· USAID contractor hands off management tasks and financial resources for last three months of school year to MINED.

· USAID contractor continues capacity building of MINED personnel.

2015- Full Handover of Implementation of Activities to MINED

· MINED receives USAID direct funding to manage activities for entire school year with technical assistance from the USAID contractor.

· DPEC fully leads provincial team to implement September 2015 EGRA

· IFP fully leads provincial team to implement teacher training QIM activities

· Respective UGEAs fully responsible for financial management with some technical assistance from USAID contractor

· MINED choses most cost effective interventions to scale up in 2016 school year

· USAID contractor pulls back to advisory role 2016 - Direct USG Funding to MINED (cover under Option I)

· DPECs and IFPs fully manage EGRA+QIM

· MINED receives direct USG funding at unit cost level to scale up activity to additional target schools; respective UGEAs fully responsible for financial management

· Option Year - USAID contractor pulls back to mentoring role and conducts minimal fiscal and managerial oversight

Additionally, the Contractor shall recruit and embed in year 1, an EGRA Liaison Officer in each DPEC in the target provinces to encourage effective coordination, and through a learning-by-doing approach, ensure active involvement and participation of local education personnel in EGRA+QIM training and management activities. The early effort to reach out to build the critical knowledge base and capacity in local education institutions will ensure that a pool of government personnel exists within the target provinces to manage the scale-up of these interventions.

Since the management of human and financial resources related to conducting a sophisticated regional education assessment like EGRA is a long term goal, it is imperative to demonstrate repeatedly during the first two academic years, 2013 and 2014, successfully implemented EGRA tests and interventions that have a direct and positive affect on reading outcomes. Having witnessed and participated in successful EGRA+QIM activities that significantly improve reading outcomes, personnel from local education institutions and school staff will actively take part in trainings and eventually take greater ownership and responsibility for the management and scaling up of such activities.

Throughout the first two years of the project, the EGRA Liaison Officer in DPEC will coordinate continuous efforts to train and mentor local education personnel in the planning and management skills required to successfully implement and scale-up the EGRA instrument and QIM interventions. During the 2015 school year, host-country government education personnel will assume full responsibility for implementing EGRA+QIM activities. The ultimate test of project sustainability will be the successful delivery and management of the 2014, 2015 and 2016 EGRA evaluations and the successfully delivery of QIM activities with minimal technical assistance from the Contractor staff during the same period.

Successful handover of EGRA+QIM activities to direct local control and the path to direct funding to provinces and districts to deliver such services will depend to a large extent on local education institutions’ ability to perform in a manner that engenders confidence as measured by progress in reading outcomes.

Following the development of the key knowledge and skills required to deliver and manage EGRA+QIM type activities, and successfully implemented and locally managed EGRA tests in 2014, 2015 and 2016, local education institutions and the local market of education professionals will have proven whether or not they have sufficiently gained the basic know-how to implement and scale-up early grade reading assessment and instruction type activities.

Should host country personnel and institutions be unable to demonstrate the capacity to manage an EGRA test on their own during 2014 and 2015, further technical assistance could be continued, and handover and direct funding delayed.

Objective

The EGRA+QIM project hypothesis is that focused training, coaching and support to in-service teachers and school directors will directly improve the quality and increase the quantity of instructional time, which will then significantly affect reading outcomes. The EGRA+QIM project in Mozambique builds on the successes of a multitude of EGRA type projects and research worldwide, and introduces additional innovative interventions.

Because of the innovative interventions, USAID will conduct an Impact Evaluation (IE) using randomized control trial (RCT) methodology. The EGRA+QIM Contractor shall collaborate closely with an independent and external IE Contractor to test this hypothesis in a RCT of representative schools before selecting interventions to scale up and allocating additional resources.

The IE Contractor shall have lead responsibility for developing, piloting and overseeing the RCT to establish a baseline, and assess the relative strength of early grade reading methods and school management practices in terms of improving reading outcomes. The findings from the IE should advance the understanding of the direct and indirect linkages among factors related to:

a) in-service teacher and school director training;

b) improved school management; and

c) increased quality instructional time; and

d) improved reading outcomes

The EGRA+QIM project allows for the comparison of a control group and two substantially different interventions. The control group of 60 schools will be randomly selected from the target provinces and will receive no project intervention but whose performance will be measured.

The first treatment group, the “medium” intervention, will be comprised of 60 additional, randomly selected schools and will receive an intensive slate of training, coaching and support activities focused on improving reading instruction.

The second treatment group, the “full” intervention, will be a third set of 60 schools and will receive a slate of training, coaching and support activities targeting reading instruction, and an additional slate of activities to improve school management focusing on increasing instructional time devoted to reading.

The IE Contractor shall conduct the evaluation according to the following general timeline (See Attachment J.9 for a more detailed timeframe):

· Sep 2012: EGRA instrument piloted.

· Jan 2013: RCT begun to collect baseline reading outcome data in initial 180 schools.

· Sep 2013: First year of RCT completed to evaluate impact of interventions in 180 schools.

· Sep 2014: Second year of RCT completed in original 180 schools; EGRA conducted in additional 480 schools, managed by MINED.

· Sep 2015: EGRA conducted to assess delivery to additional 480 schools; EGRA evaluation managed by MINED.

· Sep 2016: Final EGRA managed by MINED; Option year for Contractor.

Based on the results of the first year IE, the EGRA+QIM Contractor shall scale up the most cost-effective interventions to 480 additional schools in the 2014 academic year, and, in 2015, the project will scale up to an additional 480 schools to test the capacity of the MINED to fully manage EGRA+QIM type activities. Thus by the end of the 2015 school year, the EGRA+QIM project will have been rolled out to 1080 of the largest schools (120+480+480) in the provinces of Zambezia and Nampula, and based on these results, USAID and the MINED will identify unit costs and the number of schools for additional EGRA+QIM scale up in 2016 and beyond.

To achieve the overall objective, the following intermediate results (IRs) shall be accomplished:

Intermediate Result 1: Quality of Reading Instruction in Grades 2-3 in target schools improved.

The Contractor shall work with local institutions to improve the quality of reading instruction in target schools so that the quality of instructional time is maximized to develop solid reading skills.

Improving the quality of reading instruction requires two sub-IRs which were selected based on international early grade reading evidence and success stories such as those found in McKinsey (2010) and USAID/EGRA PLUS: Liberia (2011) as well as the USAID Education Strategy. Under IR1, the Contractor shall work with local education institutions and personnel. A key element of the objective is to ensure that work conducted to improve the quality of reading assessment and instruction is sustainable.

Sub Intermediate Result (Sub IR) 1.1: Improved in-service teacher training and coaching in reading instruction

The major focus of Sub IR1.1 shall be to provide training and technical assistance to improve the quality of early grade reading instruction with the ultimate purpose of delivering quality education services that will significantly improve reading outcomes. The Contractor shall support local education institutions to improve in-service teacher training with the specific end goal of improving reading outcomes in grades 2-3. This work will include training and coaching for in-service teachers, and support for local education institutions and personnel to institutionalize training and capacity building practices that engender and sustain change.

MINED has embarked on a promising reform agenda to improve the quality of teaching by reinforcing in-service teacher development and support. Key to improving the quality of reading instruction in Mozambique is providing teachers with training and assistance to effectively teach key reading skills to young children. The Contractor shall work with local education institutions and personnel to develop and test a school-cluster-based continuous in-service teacher training model focused on child-centered early grade reading instruction. Initial training shall be reinforced by regular coaching to strengthen teachers’ ability to effectively improve reading outcomes.

MAIN ACTIVITIES

a. Collaborate with Program Stakeholders - Consult and engage local education institutions and personnel to orient them to the EGRA evaluation instrument and QIM interventions to ensure ownership and eventual sustainability of activities.

b. Design, pilot, and implement Early Grade Reading and School Management Assessment Instrument – Develop, pilot and implement an early grade reading and school management assessment (EGRA) instrument in Portuguese tailored to the needs of Mozambican public primary schools for specific use in grades 2-3. The instrument will measure key early grade reading skills including but not necessarily limited to reading fluency and comprehension in grades 2-3, as well as to provide information on classroom and school management practices related to improving reading outcomes. The EGRA instrument developed will be practical and provide adequate information for education leaders and practitioners regarding reading outcomes as well as information related to the quality of instruction and school/classroom management. The EGRA assessment instrument shall be adopted by the IE Contractor in development of the RCT. At the end of the first academic year of project interventions, under the oversight of the IE Contractor, the EGRA+QIM Contractor shall use the EGRA assessment to evaluate reading progress across the control, medium and full treatment groups. Following the IE, the EGRA+QIM Contractor shall assist the MINED to conduct regular end of school year EGRA assessments to closely measure progress in reading outcomes and school management.

c. Develop/Implement Teacher Training/Coaching Model in Target Schools- The EGRA+QIM Contractor shall work with local education institutions and personnel to develop and implement a one-academic-year school-cluster-based continuous in-service early-grade-reading teacher training and coaching model that is congruent with current teacher development policies, practices, and needs in Mozambique, and which does not negatively impact the school schedule and available hours of instruction to students. The objective of the model is to cause significant improvement in reading outcomes in grade 2-3 students in target schools. The model will not be more than a one-step-cascade teacher training approach, may include face-to-face training for teachers at the beginning of the school year, and will focus on regular coaching support and monitoring throughout the school year to ensure that improved instructional practices are being implemented effectively at the school level. The Contractor shall train primary school pedagogical directors already posted to target schools as teacher coaches who will subsequently coach and support early grade reading teachers at the school level in which they are both employed. The training model shall promote gender equality and inclusiveness of students from vulnerable populations.

The QIM teacher training and coaching model shall be implemented according the following timeline:

· Jan – Sep 2013: QIM interventions implemented in initial 120 treatment schools.

· Jan – Sep 2014: QIM interventions scaled up to 480 schools, and introduction of innovative interventions to extend geographic coverage while maintaining low unit cost introduced. IFP personnel manage activities the last three months of the school year, August to October.

· Jan – Sep 2015: QIM interventions scaled up to additional 480 schools to test capacity of local education institutions to deliver and manage services; full handover to MINED.

· Jan – Sept 2016: Direct funding to MINED; QIM interventions scaled up to additional schools on a per unit cost basis. Option year for Contractor.

d. Develop/Implement Continuous Classroom Reading Assessment Training – The Contractor shall work with local education institutions and personnel to train pedagogical directors to train and coach early grade reading teachers in continuous student learning assessment specific to reading. Learning assessment procedures and practical learning assessment aids should include step-by-step instructions a typical teacher will use for assessing student learning during classroom activities. The model will build capacity of teachers to analyze individual student reading achievement.

ILLUSTRATIVE RESULTS

· Improved in-service teacher training and coaching in reading instruction.

ILLUSTRATIVE INDICATORS & TARGETS*

* = The above timeline refers to calendar years.

** = In-service teachers "trained," "coached," and “attending planning sessions” are the same cohort.

DELIVERABLES

· EGRA and School Management assessment instrument developed, piloted, implemented on regularly scheduled basis (yes/no), and results analyzed and disseminated.

· School cluster based in-service teacher training model developed with MINED participation and implemented.

Sub IR.1.2: Availability of learning materials to students and teachers in grades 2-3 increased

Appropriate learning materials are critical to effective reading instruction. The Contractor shall develop, disseminate, and provide utilization training and coaching for teaching and learning materials specific to improving reading outcomes in grades 2-3. The Contractor shall work with local education institutions and personnel to ensure that materials developed are relevant to the Mozambican context. All materials shall promote and be independently reviewed for gender equality and inclusiveness of students from vulnerable populations.

MAIN ACTIVITIES

a) Develop Scripted Lesson Plans – The Contractor shall work with local education institutions and personnel to develop and test tightly scripted key lesson plans closely tied to the official reading curriculum and textbooks that will, if implemented with fidelity and accompanied by coaching and support, be able to produce significant progress in reading outcomes at the end of one school year in grade 2-3. The Contractor will make all related scripts and source materials available to all USAID partners and the public.

b) Package, Distribute and Provide Utilization Training and Coaching for Scripted Lesson Plans – The Contractor will package, distribute, and provide utilization training and coaching for the set of tightly scripted lesson plans to reading teachers in grades 2-3 in target schools. This set of lesson plans will be produced in a practical and durable fashion to withstand the harsh conditions found in Mozambican schools and in a manner that makes the materials highly portable, practical, and easy to use at various levels in the early grades.

c) Develop Set of Teaching/Learning Aids – The Contractor will work with local education institutions and personnel to develop set of teaching/learning aids for improving reading outcomes in grades 2-3 that are closely tied to the official reading curriculum and textbooks, and that if implemented with fidelity and accompanied by coaching and support, be able to produce significant progress in reading outcomes at the end of one school year in grade 2-3. All materials will be independently reviewed for gender equality and inclusiveness of students from vulnerable populations.

d) Package, Distribute and Provide Utilization Training for Set of Teaching/Learning Aids – The Contractor will package, distribute, and provide utilization training and coaching for the set for set of teaching/learning aids. This set of teaching/learning aids will be produced in a practical and durable fashion to withstand the harsh conditions found in Mozambican schools and in a manner that makes the aids highly portable, practical, and easy to use at various levels in the early grades.

ILLUSTRATIVE RESULTS

A. Increased availability of learning materials to students and teachers in grades 2-3.

ILLUSTRATIVE INDICATORS & TARGETS*

* = The above timeline refers to calendar years.

** = In-service teachers "trained," and "coached" are the same cohort.

DELIVERABLES

· Packet of scripted lesson plans developed, packaged, and distributed with utilization training.

· Set of low-cost, gender aware, locally supportable, and appropriate set of teaching aids and materials developed, packaged, and distributed with utilization training.

IR 2: Quantity of Reading Instruction in Grades 2-3 in target schools increased.

Under IR 2, the Contractor will work with local education institutions and personnel. A key element of the objective is to ensure that work conducted to increase the quantity of reading instruction is sustainable.

Improved quality of reading instruction alone will not lead to improved reading outcomes if the quantity of time students spend on successful reading tasks in the classroom is insufficient. The factor of sufficient quantity of instructional time is referred to in the education research literature as “Academic Learning Time (ALT)[footnoteRef:1].” In brief, ALT highlights the importance of both quality and quantity of successful academic oriented activity in the classroom. [1: Academic Learning Time (ALT) is defined as that part of school time in which students are engaged successfully in activities which are directly related to learning outcomes. The concept of ALT was originally coined by the Effective Schools Movement in the USA in the late 1980s.]

While quality of instruction is indeed important, maintaining a sufficient and regular quantity of instruction time in the classroom focused on successful and relevant academic activity is absolutely crucial to register significant progress in learning achievement over time. Teacher absenteeism, multiple shifts due to overcrowding, and failure to use school time effectively, all contribute to insufficient quantity of instruction time devoted to reading.

Quite simply, there is a need to train, coach and support school directors to manage schools in a manner that increases the quantity of quality instructional time required for academic achievement. However, in Mozambique, school directors often receive only minimal training before taking on the complicated school management issues found in schools.

To achieve IR2, the Contractor will work with local education institutions and personnel to train, coach and support school directors with the specific objective of increasing the quantity of reading instruction in targeted schools so that students are exposed to adequate amounts of high-quality reading instruction that allows them to develop strong reading skills. Improving the quantity of reading instruction requires two sub-IRs which, again, were selected based on international early grade reading evidence and success stories such as those found in McKinsey (2010), and EGRA PLUS: Liberia (2011) as well as the global USAID Education Strategy.

Sub IR2.1 Strengthened school management:

Many of the root causes behind the insufficient quantity of reading instruction can be traced to poor school management. As noted in the previously mentioned EQUIP2/Aga Khan study, and specific to describing current school management challenges in Mozambique, students are losing more than 50 percent of potential learning time as a result of “late start times, early closing, and extended recess.” The same Aga Khan study found that due to conditions that cut into the quantity of instruction time, on average, “only 30 days a year remain for actual instruction to take place.”

With a clear target of increased quantity of instructional time devoted to proven methods related to successful reading achievement, the Contractor will work with local education institutions and personnel to develop and train school directors to use a set of management aids that, if implemented faithfully over the course of a school year, will cause measurable improvements in school management that will lead to improved reading outcomes.

Initial training will be reinforced by regular coaching to strengthen school directors’ management abilities. With improved school management skills, school directors will be better able to supervise teachers and ensure that they are in the classroom and focused on reading instruction in a pedagogically appropriate manner for an adequate quantity of time on a daily basis to support progress in reading outcomes.

MAIN ACTIVITIES

a) Conduct Institutional Gap Analysis – The Contractor will conduct a gap analysis of key education institutions and personnel (DPEC, Districts, IFPs, and ZIPs) to identify technical, procurement, financial management, and organizational development gaps that will need to be addressed to enable fuller local control, management and delivery of early grade reading assessment and instruction activities. The Contractor will develop a work plan for developing capacity of key personnel to bridge gaps over the course of the project so that MINED personnel are able to implement and manage EGRA+QIM activities including technical and financial management aspects.

b) Management Capacity Building Training – The Contractor will train and prepare local education institution personnel to implement and manage EGRA+QIM activities, and to assume major fiscal and management responsibility for the last three months of the 2014.

c) Develop/Implement School Directors Training/Coaching Model – The Contractor will work with local education institutions and personnel to develop and implement a school cluster based continuous in-service school director training model that is congruent with current policy and practices, and does not negatively affect the academic schedule and available hours of instruction to students. The training model should be no more than a one-step-cascade format and may include face-to-face training for school directors at the beginning of the school year.

The model will also train school director coaches who will subsequently train, coach and support school directors at the ZIP and local school level on a regular basis during the school year. The objective of the model is to cause significant increases in ALT. The training/coaching model will include criteria and procedures for identifying appropriate coaches for school directors as well as a coaching system that will be fully sustainable by the third year of the EGRA+QIM project. One candidate for the school director coaching position already discussed with MINED are the current ZIP coordinators who already exercise some degree of professional development authority over all education personnel within the school cluster. In addition, the training model will ensure gender equality and inclusiveness of students from vulnerable populations.

d) Develop Set of School Management Aids - The Contractor will work with local education institutions and personnel to develop a set of classroom and school management aids that, if implemented with fidelity and accompanied by coaching and support, will be able to increase the quantity of instructional time and produce significant progress in reading outcomes. This set of school management aids should be low-cost, locally supportable, and be produced in a practical and durable fashion to withstand the harsh conditions found in Mozambican schools and in a manner that makes the aids highly portable, practical, and easy to use at various levels in the early grades. All materials will be independently reviewed for gender equality and inclusiveness of students from vulnerable populations.

e) Package, Distribute and Provide Utilization Training for Set of School Management Aid – The Contractor will package, distribute and provide utilization training through coaches of school management aids to all school directors in EGRA+QIM target schools, and monitor the effective use of the aids and materials. In addition, the Contractor will make aids and source materials available to all USAID partners and the public.

f) Develop/Implement School Management Assessment Training for School Directors – The Contractor…