Early Grade Reading Monitoring Report 2018

The assessment aimed to determine the performance of students at the end of Grade 2 in reading skills, as well as to compare the performance over time and identify relationships between reading performance and home and school factors. The assessment used the Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) tool, which measures reading skills in five subtasks: phonemic awareness, alphabet recognition, decoding, fluency, and comprehension. The tool was developed and validated by School-to-School International and Chemonics International, Inc. in collaboration with the Centre National d'Appui au Développement et à la Participation Populaire (CENADEP) and the Ministre de l'Enseignement Primaire Secondaire et Professionelle. The results of the assessment showed that students in public primary schools and learning centers in the Democratic Republic of Congo performed poorly in reading skills, with mean scores ranging from 0.4 to 0.7 out of 1.0 for the five subtasks. The performance was particularly low in phonemic awareness and alphabet recognition. The results also showed significant differences in reading performance between boys and girls, with girls performing better in all subtasks except phonemic awareness. The assessment also compared the performance of students in 2018 with earlier years, showing that there was no significant improvement in reading skills over time. However, the results also showed that students who had access to more books and reading materials at home performed better in reading skills. The assessment identified several factors that contributed to the poor performance in reading skills, including limited access to books and reading materials, inadequate teacher training, and insufficient resources for schools. The assessment recommended that the government and other stakeholders take immediate action to address these factors and improve the reading skills of students in public primary schools and learning centers in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The assessment also recommended that the government and other stakeholders develop and implement a comprehensive plan to improve reading skills in public primary schools and learning centers, including providing teacher training, increasing access to books and reading materials, and improving school infrastructure. The assessment also recommended that the government and other stakeholders establish clear benchmarks and targets for reading skills and monitor progress regularly to ensure that students are meeting these targets. The assessment was conducted in collaboration with the Centre National d'Appui au Développement et à la Participation Populaire (CENADEP) and the Ministre de l'Enseignement Primaire Secondaire et Professionelle, and the results were validated by a team of experts from School-to-School International and Chemonics International, Inc. The assessment was funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and was conducted in 11 provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo.