MECC Activity 1 (I-Read) Data Collection Plan and Baseline Data Needs Analysis Report

project in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). ACCELERE! is a five-year $180 million effort designed to contribute to the USAID/DRC Mission's 2015-2019 Country Development Cooperative Strategy (CDCS) to increase access, equity, and retention, as well as improve the quality and relevance of education, for Congolese youth. It supports the Government of the DRC's (GDRC) goals for the education sector that are articulated in the Plan Intérimaire de l'Éducation (Interim Education Plan, or PIE) led by the Ministère de l'Enseignement Primaire, Secondaire et Initiation à La Nouvelle Citoyenneté (Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education and Introduction to New Citizenship, MEPS-INC). I-READ is one of the four activities under ACCELERE! It was awarded to Chemonics International on May 28, 2015, and it is being implemented in collaboration with its partner organizations: FHI 360, Cambridge Education, School-to-School International (STS), and Caritas Congo. From 2015 to 2020, I-READ will improve access, quality, and accountability in at least 25 education sub-provinces across four target provinces of Equateur, Kasaï Occidental, Kasaï Oriental, and Katanga. It is working with government schools as well as religious network schools that are recognized by the MEPS-INC. I-READ also supports educational access for out-of-school youth through accelerated/alternative learning programs (ALPs) in Katanga and the two Kivus (North and South). I-READ has three result areas, focusing on the overall goals of access, quality, and accountability in the target provinces. Result 1 aims to increase equitable access to a quality education environment by reducing barriers to access for primary education, increasing access to alternative/accelerated learning programs, strengthening community and school collaboration and partnerships to support access to education, and improving the quality of education environments. Result 2 aims to improve education quality by improving the quality of instruction at the primary level, supporting the effective use of teaching and learning materials in the classroom, and increasing community participation to support school-based and extra-curricular learning. Result 3 aims to improve governance and accountability by stakeholders by strengthening the development and implementation of policies for improved access and learning, strengthening school leadership and management, and increasing community and civil society oversight and accountability at local and sub-provincial levels. The I-READ Performance Monitoring and Evaluation Plan (PMEP) was submitted to the USAID Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) on November 26, 2015, and revised and resubmitted on January 18, 2016. The PMEP is intended to guide how Chemonics and its partners will monitor and internally evaluate project performance against the results laid out in the Statement of Work (SOW) for the I-READ contract. The PMEP includes a list of indicators from the I-READ PMEP, which serves as a basis for the development of this report. The Monitoring, Evaluation, and Coordination Contract (MECC) will analyze the list, including any baseline and target levels that have been provided, as well as examine the data collection methods and sources. This process is necessary so that USAID/DRC can make informed judgments on the achievement of the indicators by the I-READ interventions. The I-READ project will be implemented in collaboration with the Government of the DRC, and it will work with government schools as well as religious network schools that are recognized by the MEPS-INC. The project will support educational access for out-of-school youth through accelerated/alternative learning programs (ALPs) in Katanga and the two Kivus (North and South). The project's result areas are designed to contribute to the USAID/DRC Mission's 2015-2019 Country Development Cooperative Strategy (CDCS) to increase access, equity, and retention, as well as improve the quality and relevance of education, for Congolese youth. The I-READ project's Performance Monitoring and Evaluation Plan (PMEP) includes a list of indicators that will be used to measure the project's performance. The indicators are designed to measure the project's progress towards its result areas, which include increasing equitable access to a quality education environment, improving education quality, and improving governance and accountability. The PMEP also includes a description of the data collection methods and sources that will be used to collect data on the indicators. The I-READ project will be implemented in four target provinces of Equateur, Kasaï Occidental, Kasaï Oriental, and Katanga. The project will work with government schools as well as religious network schools that are recognized