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Early Childhood Learning – Learnings from Assessment Studies Sridhar Rajagopalan CECED, September 25, 2013. Our Key Learnings Relevant to Early Learning. 1. Assessments are important and a partner 2. About Maths Learning levels 3. About Language Learning Levels
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Early Childhood Learning – Learnings from Assessment Studies Sridhar Rajagopalan CECED, September 25, 2013
Our Key Learnings Relevant to Early Learning 1. Assessments are important and a partner 2. About Maths Learning levels 3. About Language Learning Levels 4. Discussing Learning Levels is very important 5. Rote learning in elite private schools sets a bad goalpost 6. English and Multilingualism 7. Higher classes / Board Exams - matter for Early Learning 8. Reading for all 9. The Science of Learning Educational Initiatives
About Educational Initiatives 12 year old company specialising exclusively on Student Assessments and Learning Improvement Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai Royal Education Council Bhutan Govt. of Maldives Plus Leading Private Schools across India and abroad
1. Assessments are important and a partner "If you learn how to look at data in the right way, you can explain riddles that otherwise might have seemed impossible. Because there is nothing like the sheer power of numbers to scrub away layers of confusion and contradiction“ - S.D. Levitt (Freakonomics) • “Without feedback from precise measurement, invention is doomed to be rare and erratic. With it, invention becomes commonplace. • William Rosen • (The Most Powerful Idea in the World)
Current Reality: Very Low Student Learning Levels Class 5 Class 5 Question: Multiply: 346 x 83 Correctly answered by only 9.3% students (sample size: 9282) Less than 50% of class 5 children could write a sentence on the picture Educational Initiatives Problems seen across subjects, across studies and across regions India PISA Results
What time is this clock showing? Class 4 Maths 2. About Maths Learning Levels • In lower classes – students are able to comparatively handle questions that are very ‘straightforward’ and NOT when they are slightly atypical. Class 4 Maths What time is the clock showing? ____________ Write the answer. 70 - 43 ________ ________ • 71.4% • 49.4% Class 6 Class 6 Language Language Kheer is __________ to taste. A. bitter B. sweet C. spicy D. sour Fill the blank with an appropriate word. Question: ………is the book? Answer: It is on the table. Class 4 • 72.7% • 34.0% • 89.6% • 20.9%
2. Maths Learning Levels (cont’d) Maths (question read out) How many kites are there in this picture? Correctly answered by only 55% class 2 students. Sample size: 10000 students Subtract 26 from 51 Correctly answered by 25% students of class 4
3. About Language Learning Levels • Students writing does not go beyond the most basic, tried and tested formulaic sentences they probably trained for while in their lower classes • Their writing shows that they are learning language more as a subject and less as a means of natural communication. • The writing has a number of errors in spelling and grammar, and punctuation marks are conspicuous by their absence.
3. About Language Learning Levels • A total of 150 papers (50 from each class) were randomly selected from different schools and different regions
3. Language Learning Levels (cont’d) • A passage on brushing one’s teeth and what works.. • How did Indian states do?
3. Language Learning Levels (cont’d) • TN – 63% • HP – 53% • PISA Avg – 85% PISA 2009+
4. Discussing Learning Levels is very important Educational Initiatives
5. Rote learning in elite private schools - a bad goalpost We start with questions that reveal Learning gaps
The popular demand for English needs to be responded with discussion and dissemination about the harmful effects of English medium in early learning… • …As well as the role and importance of multilingualism 6. English and Multilingualism Educational Initiatives
7. Higher classes / Board Exams - matter for Early Learning From a State Board Paper From the CBSE Paper From the IGCSE Paper Educational Initiatives Source: Examples are from Gujarat Board, CBSE and IGCSE Class 10 papers of 2009
8. Reading for All We believe that most of India’s educational challenge can be met if we can ensure just 1 thing: that every child can read well as per grade level by class 4 level. Obviously this is easier said than done
9. The Science of Learning Many initiatives fail because of capacity issues While capacity is understood at level of teachers, institutional and systemic capacity are often ignored Need for Research based initiatives like a Science of Learning Institute, Central Reading Research Institute,
Summary - Key Learnings 1. Assessments are important and a partner 2. About Maths Learning levels 3. About Language Learning Levels 4. Discussing Learning Levels is very important 5. Rote learning in elite private schools sets a bad goalpost 6. English and Multilingualism 7. Higher classes / Board Exams - matter for Early Learning 8. Reading for all 9. The Science of Learning Educational Initiatives