USAID Ethiopia Quarterly Report: January - March 2019

Agency for International Development (USAID)-supported activity implemented by American Institutes for Research (AIR). READ M&E focuses on monitoring and evaluating early grade reading as well as on the M&E needs of the overall USAID READ program. The project works closely in partnership with the Ethiopian Ministry of Education (MoE) and the National Educational Assessment and Examinations Agency (NEAEA). The project also works in collaboration with Regional State Education Bureaus (RSEBs) and City Administration Education Bureaus (CAEBs). The objectives of READ M&E are to assess student learning progress by analyzing and synthesizing nationally representative EGRA data collected for seven local languages, collect additional EGRA data annually to show reading skill gains for seven local languages, and collect nationally representative EGRA baseline data for English. The project also undertakes National Learning Assessments (NLA) at Grades 4 and 8 for reading, comprehension, and writing aligned to the new national reading curriculum developed through the READ TA program. READ M&E tracks progress and measures the performance and impact of key interventions supported by USAID through regular monitoring of READ projects to determine if implementation is on track and if outputs are leading to results, and evaluating READ projects at defined intervals to gauge the results. These efforts provide information to USAID and other stakeholders, including the federal MOE, the NEAEA, RSEBs, and CAEBs, about how combined investments across the READ projects are producing the desired changes and how implementation can be improved. The project has made significant progress in its first quarter of the fifth year, with several key activities implemented. The Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) 2018 was conducted, and the National Dissemination Workshop was held to share the results with stakeholders. The project also conducted performance evaluations to assess the effectiveness of the interventions. Additionally, the project implemented Formative Continuous Assessment and Capacity Building activities to support the development of reading skills in students. The project has also made progress in its capacity-building activities, including the Mother Tongue to English Transition (Threshold Study) and the Teachers Competency Assessment. The project has also provided technical leadership and support to the MOE, RSEBs, and other development partners. The project has also collaborated and coordinated with key partners, including other donors and NGO partners, to adapt to the evolving M&E needs and priorities of the READ program. The project has also made significant progress in its financial management, with a total expenditure of $X million in the first quarter of the fifth year. The project has also planned several activities for the next quarter, including the implementation of the CLIN #1: EGRA and M&E, CLIN #2: Learning Assessments, and CLIN #3: Capacity-Building and Research activities. The project will also continue to provide technical leadership and support to the MOE, RSEBs, and other development partners.