USAID SINDH READING PROGRAM EARLY GRADE READING AND MATHEMATICS ASSESSMENT BASELINE REPORT SINDH PROVINCE, SUKKUR DISTRICT

The report is a result of a collaborative effort between Chemonics International, Inc. and School-to-School International, with support from USAID/Pakistan. The assessment aimed to establish a baseline for early grade reading and mathematics skills among students in Sukkur District. The assessment used the Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) and Early Grade Mathematics Assessment (EGMA) tools to evaluate the reading and mathematics skills of students in grades 2 and 3. A total of 1,200 students from 60 schools participated in the assessment. The EGRA test structure consisted of five tasks: phonics, reading fluency, reading comprehension, retelling, and writing. The EGMA test structure included four tasks: number sense, addition and subtraction facts, multiplication and division facts, and word problems. The results of the assessment showed that students in Sukkur District performed below the expected standards in both reading and mathematics. The average phonics and reading fluency scores for grade 2 students were 44.6% and 34.6%, respectively. For grade 3 students, the average phonics and reading fluency scores were 51.4% and 43.1%, respectively. The results also indicated that students who spoke a language other than Urdu at home performed lower in reading and mathematics compared to those who spoke Urdu at home. The assessment also collected data on contextual variables that may affect students' performance in reading and mathematics. These variables included the number of books at home, the frequency of reading to students, and the students' attendance at school. The results showed that students who had access to more books at home and were read to more frequently by their parents performed better in reading and mathematics. The report provides a comprehensive analysis of the assessment results, including the performance of students by grade, gender, and language spoken at home. The results are presented in a series of tables and figures, which provide a detailed overview of the students' performance in reading and mathematics. The report also includes recommendations for improving reading and mathematics skills among students in Sukkur District. The assessment results will serve as a baseline for future assessments and will inform the development of interventions to improve reading and mathematics skills among students in Sukkur District. The report highlights the need for targeted interventions to address the reading and mathematics skills gap among students in the district.