Quarterly Performance Report: Partnership for Education: Learning

The activity partners with local and international development organizations and works closely with the Ministry of Education (MoE), the Ghana Education Service (GES), and other affiliated institutions to achieve this aim. The activity's program description was adjusted in Fiscal Year 2017 to focus more intensely on reading instruction. A small path pilot is implemented to test the effectiveness of the MoE's proposed reforms to primary math curricula by developing and implementing innovative approaches to teaching mathematics in a small number of primary school classrooms. The Year four work plan places greater emphasis on teaching and learning strategies that can produce measurable and improved reading outcomes for 1.1 million pupils in Kindergarten 2 through Primary 2. The activity works in 100 performing and transitioning districts in all 10 regions, covering approximately 7,278 public primary schools, 30,000 teachers, Head Teachers and Curriculum Leads, and engages 90 National Core Trainers, 836 District Teacher Support Team members, and over 800 Circuit Supervisors to train, support, and monitor the implementation of the Early Grade Reading Program. The activity includes support to schools through coaching and School-Based Insets to ensure effective implementation, monitoring, and documentation of the teaching and learning strategies. Key accomplishments in the quarter include the development and validation of Term 3 reading materials, including teacher guides and pupil books, for the Dagbani Prototype and the scaled-up Reading Program. The Term 2 materials were printed on schedule and will be distributed to all target schools in January. Draft materials for Term 3 of the reading program were also successfully developed in preparation for Term 3 implementation of the reading program. In-service training for reading instruction was strengthened for teachers, with teacher training for the Term 3 Dagbani Prototype materials completed in the 20 prototype schools. A training of trainers for 90 National Core Trainers (NCTs) on Term 2 KG2-P1 materials and on the e-learning workshop format and content was conducted, which uses a tablet-based e-course and video-conferencing interactions beamed live from the Varkey Studios in Accra. NCTs facilitated the first e-learning workshop for 1,699 CSs and DTSTs, who were introduced to the e-course and video-conferencing via live Varkey broadcast sessions with Learning's literacy experts to deepen their knowledge on Reading Fundamentals and the Term 2 KG2 and P1 Materials. The activity also conducted the pre-pilot closeout meeting with NTC and NaCCA directors, and pre-pilot district directors and heads of supervision, to draw lessons learned, which were used to inform the design of the pilot phase. School-based support from the educators, administrators, and volunteers in the pilot schools has been obtained, smoothing the way for the start of implementation in the pilot phase. The necessary tools for monitoring the FOI have been revised for use, and FOI Training was held to introduce selected GES staff on conducting FOI monitoring. FOI Data Collection was carried out in all 60 pilot schools to ascertain the level of fidelity in implementing the numeracy intervention.