The Gambia Early Grade Reading Assessment EGRA Programme

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The Gambia Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA)
Programme

• Presented by
• Baboucarr Bouy Permanent Secretary
• Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education
• The Gambia
• Copenhagen 21st April 2009

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OUTLINE OF PRESENTATION

• EGRA initiative (How it all started in The
  Gambia)
• Description of sample/group, time and process
• Summary of results
• Follow-up Actions
• Conclusion and Lessons Learnt

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EGRA in The Gambia

• Started in The Gambia in May 2007
• 40 schools selected using a stratified random
  sampling method
• The sample consists of 34 public, 2 private, 4
  mission schools

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EGRA in The Gambia (Contd)

• 1200 children in Grades 1, 2 and 3 in 40 schools
  corresponding to 10 of the total number of Lower
  Basic/Basic cycle schools across the country
• 30 students per school (10 per grade)

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Results Shocking

• 46 of Third Grade students could not correctly
  read a single word of connected text
• Average third grade reading levels were ten words
  per minute with virtually no comprehension
• These poor results were consistent with the
  national assessment tests

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2008 National Assessment Test Results
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FOLLOW-UP ACTIONS

• Results of the assessment spurred Government
  into Action (Senior Management Team taking the
  lead)
• A task force consisting of senior officials was
  set up to work on interventions aimed at curbing
  reading inabilities in schools

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FOLLOW-UP ACTIONS (Contd)

• Review workshops held immediately to
• identify reading gaps in instructional materials
  of schools and teacher training college curricula
• identify best practices in the teaching of
  reading at early grades in the country
• Handbook on Teaching Early Grade Reading
  Abilities (EGRA) produced for training of teachers

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FOLLOW-UP ACTIONS (Contd)

• Teacher Training About 3000 teachers, including
  head teachers, senior teachers, Grades 1 3
  teachers and cluster monitors trained using the
  Handbooks
• Early literacy programme initiated and more
  training conducted.

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FOLLOW-UP ACTIONS (Contd)

• Radio cassettes provided for correct
  pronunciation of letter sounds in order to
  increase phonemic awareness of teachers, pupils
  and even parents
• Revised handbook (Early Grade Literacy Handbook)
  used to train trainers and teachers nationwide

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FOLLOW-UP ACTIONS (Contd)

• Supplementary readers developed to ensure
  sustainable phonemic awareness
• Improvements in students reading abilities have
  been included as a key performance area in the
  Service Level Agreements that have been signed
  with head teachers in February this year.

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EGRA was useful because

• Results created awareness in the system on the
  scale of the problem
• Tool used in testing was very easy to understand
  (can be used by teachers for diagnostic,
  instructional, monitoring and remedial purposes
  in classroom)

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Conclusion Lessons Learnt

• More emphasis placed on students reading
  abilities at both teacher training level and
  classroom.
• Anecdotal evidence from CCM indicate greater
  awareness by teachers of reading challenges and
  even some improvement in student reading levels.

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CONCLUSION LESSONS LEARNT

• Involvement of the sector leadership in the Early
  Grade Reading initiative and the priority
  accorded to it has greatly enhanced and expedited
  the positive changes being registered thus far.
• With the right mix in the use of phonics approach
  in the early grades, students reading abilities
  can be improved.

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Finally.

• The use of EGRA in The Gambia will contribute
  significantly in helping the country meet the
  challenge of improving learning outcomes a key
  EFA/FTI goal.