Report on the Development of Learner Assessment Tools and Teacher Surveys Tshivenḓa Reading Benchmarks

The project was carried out by Khulisa Management Services in collaboration with the Department of Basic Education. The development of learner assessments relied on adapting pre-existing instruments from the Ulwazi Lwethu project and the South African Institute for Distance Education's African Storybook project. These instruments were modified to suit the purposes of developing Tshivenḓa reading benchmarks. The instruments submitted with this deliverable are the result of collaboration among a team of multi-disciplinary specialists, including linguists, statisticians, evaluators, and researchers. The development process involved conducting three pilots, which have been used in developing learner assessments for Setswana and English First Additional Language. These pilots have since been adopted by the Department of Basic Education as a standard for developing learner assessments to establish reading benchmarks. The learner assessments include a range of tools, such as Rapid Object Naming, Syllable Awareness, Phonemic Awareness, and Word Reading, among others. These tools are designed to assess various aspects of reading proficiency, including oral reading fluency and comprehension, written comprehension, and letter-sound knowledge in Tshivenḓa. The teacher surveys are contextual tools designed to gather information from teachers about their teaching practices and perceptions of student reading abilities. The surveys are intended to provide insights into the teaching and learning environment and to inform the development of reading benchmarks. The development of the learner assessments and teacher surveys has benefited from the collaboration of a team of specialists and the piloting process. While it is likely that the instruments may be further refined as fieldwork training takes place, the data from the three pilots show that the set of instruments submitted with this deliverable are well-functioning and suitable for establishing reading benchmarks in Tshivenḓa. The instruments submitted with this deliverable include the full set of learner assessments in PDF format, as well as the Teacher Survey and informed consent forms. The development of the learner assessments and teacher surveys is an important step towards establishing reading benchmarks in Tshivenḓa and improving reading proficiency among learners. The Department of Basic Education has adopted the piloting process used in developing the learner assessments for Setswana and English First Additional Language as a standard for developing learner assessments to establish reading benchmarks. This indicates that the development of the learner assessments and teacher surveys for Tshivenḓa reading benchmarks is aligned with the Department's standards and requirements.