The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) and The Read India Campaign

1. The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) and The Read India Campaign Impact of work in India Dr. Madhav Chavan, Pratham.

2. Sequence of events • 02-03: Innovation of accelerated ‘Learning to Read’ (L2R) and ‘learning math’ techniques. • 03-04: • Creation of a simple testing tool to help rapid assessment on large scale- also works as a mobilizing tool. • Massive scale up of L2R in school and community settings • 04-05: • First compilation of data on reading and math from different states. The idea of ‘Read India’. • 05-06: • First ASER2005 covering 85% rural India completed start to finish in 100 days • L2R mainstreamed in 45 out of 48 districts of Madhya Pradesh (MP). • 06-07: • ASER2006 indicates massive jump in reading and math in MP. • Nationwide Read India Campaign launched Dr. Madhav Chavan, Pratham.

3. A solution reflects an interpretation of the problem. But interpreting a problem in a way that it can be solved is important Dr. Madhav Chavan, Pratham.

4. In ‘pure’ form: Emphasize ‘reading’ separate from ‘language’- mainly for class III and above Non-sequential, multiple stimulus method Start ‘reading’ on day 1 Use traditional phonetic coding, decoding chart for activities Allow children to ‘learn’ - stop ‘teaching’ Supplementary reading material in card form Diluted on scale: Emphasize reading goals Learn alphabets first Use traditional phonetic chart Supplementary reading material in card form What is different about L2R? Dr. Madhav Chavan, Pratham.

5. Tool: Five levels of “child can read” Story: class II level text Paragraph: class I level connected sentences Word: simple words with different vowel signs Alphabet: common alphabets Nothing 95% story readers can answer simple questions based on text Method: Show the child “para”. If can read para, show “story”. If cannot read story- “paragraph”-level. If can read story – story level If cannot read “para” show words If can read word- word level If cannot read word, show alphabets. .. etc What is the tool and the testing method? Dr. Madhav Chavan, Pratham.

6. Easy to train less educated. “Reading” is the most visible sign of learning. Testing is demystified and the whole village wants to know how many children can read what level Can club “readers” and “non-readers”(top and bottom two) The shock to a top policy-maker and to the village-head has the same voltage. The message is simple. Action is obvious- “learn to read” The grading is less precise than more rigorous methods Comparison across languages could be tricky Does not go beyond reading fluency of class II – as yet Advantages and constraints Dr. Madhav Chavan, Pratham.

7. Four levels of math Cannot recognize numbers Can recognize numbers but cannot solve two digit subtraction with borrowing Can solve subtraction but cannot solve division of a three digit number by a one digit number Can do division 80% children who can read fluently seem to be able to solve subtraction or division Does not measure progress at grade I and II before subtraction with borrowing is taught. Does not necessarily correspond with class levels taught in different states Math tool and method is similar Dr. Madhav Chavan, Pratham.

8. Results of ASER2006 Based on a nationwide District disaggregated household survey 15,610 villages from 549 districts out of about 587 318,000 households 750,000 children 3-16 500,000 women Dr. Madhav Chavan, Pratham.

9. Reading levels: India Dr. Madhav Chavan, Pratham.

10. Math: India Dr. Madhav Chavan, Pratham.

11. Read India A people’s initiative inviting government participation. Dr. Madhav Chavan, Pratham.

12. Reduce % of children in class I and II who do not even know alphabets down to near zero Ensure near 100% children in class III to become at least paragraph readers Ensure that near 100% children in class IV-V can read story level May-July volunteer and ICDS-based campaign to ensure children entering class I and II know alphabets- work through the year on progress Provide graded supplementary reading material and get children to read… More of the above but move on to more complex material and vocabulary.. Perhaps use subject-based material: Reading to Learn Read India – goals and strategy Working through schools is not enough. Helping at home, is essential Dr. Madhav Chavan, Pratham.

13. Some results Dr. Madhav Chavan, Pratham.

14. Madhya Pradesh success Dr. Madhav Chavan, Pratham.

15. Reading schools in 5 districts of Tamil Nadu Oct ’06 to Mar ‘07 Work done by AID India Dr. Madhav Chavan, Pratham.

16. Other developments- policy • Government of India has stressed outcomes. Basic skill learning emphasized for class I and II. Most states are taking up programs • The need for basic reading, writing, arithmetic acknowledged • Measurable learning outcome frameworks being prepared • ASER results have been verified in many states and accepted although not publicly, or officially. • Some states have started their own assessment. In Andhra Pradesh, the District Institute of Educational Training students will do ASER survey in 2007. Dr. Madhav Chavan, Pratham.

17. Developments: Practice • Goal setting to achieve basic skills is happening in many states. • Traditional phonetic chart is back in classrooms officially • Supplementary reading materials are being supplied by many states as a part of basic skills improvement activities • Local reading material being produced at the state and in some cases district level although this needs to be strengthened further. • Training is activity oriented rather than just classroom-based lectures. But still a long way to go in teacher training and capacity building of academic support systems. Dr. Madhav Chavan, Pratham.

18. Summary • ASER has helped in creating an outcome oriented atmosphere. • Quality improvement has to be seen as a step wise process. Holistic change is necessary but it cannot happen all at once. • Read India is the first step solution to creating conditions for overall improvement in quality. • In a developing country, especially where a vast majority of children come from illiterate or semi-educated homes, working with schools is not enough – especially if the school system is weak. Volunteers helping at home and involving parents in the child’s learning is important. • Campaigns to achieve big change help in building an overall atmosphere of change. A number of changes are possible within this atmosphere- motivation is the key. Dr. Madhav Chavan, Pratham.

19. Reading material • ASER2005 and ASER2006. www.pratham.org • About Read India. www.readindia.org • Remedying Education: Evidence from two randomized experiments from India; Abhijit Banerjee, Shawn Cole, Esther Duflo, Leigh Lindon. http://www.povertyactionlab.com/papers/Remedying%20Education.pdf Dr. Madhav Chavan, Pratham.