Request for Task Order Proposal (RFTOP) No.: SOL Reading Analysis in Djibouti Page 5 of 37

Transcription

1 Page 5 of 37 ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS SOW RFTOP GER MENFOP EGRA NGOs USAID FAR COR CO TO AIDAR RCE ADS IEE EA BEO Statement of Work Request for Task Order Proposal Gross Enrolments Rate Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training Early Grade Reading Assessment Non-Governmental Organizations United States Agency for International Development Federal Acquisition Regulation Contracting Officer Representative Contracting Office Task Order United States Agency for International Development Acquisition Regulation Request for Categorical Exclusion Automated Directive System Initial Environmental Examination Environmental Assessment Bureau of Environmental Officer

2 Page 7 of 37 SECTION C DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS/STATEMENT OF WORK C.1. Background Since 2000, the Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training (MENFOP), with USAID support, has embarked on ambitious education reforms that have led to impressive results including the increase of the Gross Enrolment Rate (GER) from 49.5 percent in 2003 to 78.5 percent in 2013 (MENFOP national statistical yearbook ). Despite progress with access indicators, education quality remains low. There are still difficulties to overcome such as large classes; a high number of children repeating a year, especially the final year of primary or middle school; inadequate initial training of teachers, insufficient pedagogical supervision by inspectors that often fails to cover remote rural schools. The improvement in quality has not had the desired impact, especially in the ability of pupils to read fluently. Obviously, children demonstrate low achievement rates in major subjects, especially in French and math. The system has suffered from: 1) Poor reading instruction, insufficient teacher training 2) Weak policy environment for early grade reading and learning French as a second language, 3) Inadequate community participation to support reading. In addition, the curriculum for reading in primary education has not been revised since According to national studies carried out by MENFOP on a sample of children from second grade, 7 out 10 children cannot read or master basic elements of reading. With a significant dropout rate, many children are not completing primary school. Every year, 5 percent of school children repeat the grade, and this number reaches 9 percent in grade five. The EGRA, an evaluation of the USAID/Djibouti Assistance to Education project ( ), and a Workforce Development Assessment conducted in April 2014, all highlighted the need to reinforce basic literacy to improve children s learning achievements. On a national learning assessment, only 40 percent of fifth graders achieved the minimum mastery of the primary education curriculum in 2013 (page 38 of the Education Action Plan). French has been the official medium of instruction in Djiboutian schools since independence in Children begin Arabic studies at age 9 in third grade. English is introduced in middle school. Children entering grade one are put into linguistic immersion and are expected to acquire oral fluency and literacy in French by the end of grade two; however, Djiboutian primary grade teachers are not given specialized training in teaching French as a second language. For most children, schools are the only venues where they are able to read or speak in French. There has been very little, if any, implementation of national languages as the medium of instruction in primary education in Djibouti. In terms of gender equity in primary education, a gender gap in enrollment persists across regions in Djibouti. The gender parity index is 0.87 in urban schools and 0.74 in rural schools. In Djibouti, 46% of the school population in public primary schools is female. The gender gap appears to be the largest at the upper grades, most likely due to increasing economic and

3 Page 8 of 37 cultural pressures on girls and their families. Despite tremendous efforts made by the government and its development partners to increase girls enrollment and retention rates, there are still some barriers to gender equity: cultural attitudes and fears regarding girls education, lack of awareness or acknowledgement of gender gaps, distance to school, lack of female role models and gender related- challenges in transition to middle school. USAID/Djibouti intends to closely examine some of the above factors through four studies: A curriculum and learning materials review; A pre-service and in-service teacher training study; An analysis of teacher perceptions and attitudes and how these influence teacher practices in reading instruction. A book production sector study C.2. Tasks and Deliverables Study 1: Curriculum and learning materials review Research question: What are the gaps between current curriculum, teaching, and learning materials in grades 1-5 and recent knowledge on evidence-based approaches to teaching children to read in French as a second language? This study will be a two-part analysis of Ministry-approved curriculum and policy, as well as textbooks, student workbooks, teacher guides, and multimedia support materials such as the applications available on the MENFOP One Tablet Per Child platform. It will inform the remaining two studies, focusing on how these are used in the classroom along with other evidence-based approaches to teaching French as a second language. Curriculum review: The review shall evaluate the Ministry s official primary school French language curriculum and standards for official textbooks, teachers guides, and student workbooks, relative to current student performance as well as internationally accepted standards. The review will also look into the existing reading materials, if they are free of gender stereotypes and negative portrayals of females and whether females are underrepresented in illustrations and stories. The textbook review will compare the existing curricular guidelines against the language arts textbooks for grades one through five to determine whether they provide the type of instruction that research shows is needed to facilitate French oral language, reading and writing skills for French language learners (FLL). The review will focus on: alignment to Djiboutian curricular standards and benchmarks for French language

4 Page 9 of 37 acquisition scope and sequence (leveling) of French language literacy components, including fundamental aspects of reading (phonemic awareness, vocabulary, comprehension) range and inclusiveness of various evidence-based methods (i.e., listening, speaking, reading, writing) Review of gender considerations. The final analysis may also explore opportunities for local publishing of stories, games, and multimedia that could complement the government s official textbooks and improve reading outside of school hours. Study 2: Pre-service and in-service teacher education study Research question: How do the in-service and pre-service primary teacher preparation curriculum, coursework and practicum align with recent knowledge of how children learn to read in French? What and how are teachers taught about how to teach reading and French language development? This study will review the official nationwide teacher training curriculum for the National Teacher Training College. It will look at: Theoretical background and coursework: what do teachers learn about language, linguistics, and children s oral and written language development in both French and in national languages? Applied coursework: what do teachers learn about teaching methods and strategies, including development of teaching materials, classroom configurations, developing a literacy environment and opportunity to read? Practicum: How much guided practice do teachers get in their pre-service program and in student teaching experiences? What type of supportive supervision is provided, and how are those teachers selected and prepared for their role? How well prepared are teachers to take their own classroom and what type of supportive supervision is provided in the first years of teaching? What portion of their study is spent in the field practice-teaching? How well in-service programs for reading instruction include best practices for teaching French as a second language? What amount of in-service teacher training for reading instruction in French or national languages do they receive during any given school year? What are the focus areas of in-service language and reading training? What training programs in reading instruction are required? In analyzing teacher education, the analysis will reveal whether the supervision teams including inspectors and pedagogical advisors are aware of the needs to be addressed or whether they need to be trained on best practices on reading instruction. The analysis will also look into whether the existing teacher education program are gender sensitive and female teachers benefit from the same training programs as male teachers, and

5 Page 10 of 37 receive the same supervision support. This will indicate whether female teachers outnumbered by male teachers actually need more support to deliver quality reading instruction. Data will also reveal whether there is a need to provide gender awareness training to teachers. Study 3: Teacher Perceptions, Attitudes, and Methods Research Question: What teacher perceptions and attitudes most influence teacher practices in reading instruction? This study will examine teacher perception about teaching French and how these perceptions affect their teaching practice. The study should also include a survey on Djiboutian teachers attitudes towards Somali and Afar languages. Currently, mother tongues are not taught in primary education, but they are used to teach songs, folk tales and poetry for one hour a week. It is only in pre-school education that mother tongues are used as a medium of instruction. The survey shall reflect perceptions about linguistic practices generally as well as specific teaching behaviors, and the surrounding policy environment. Qualitative and, to a certain extent, quantitative data will be collected from teachers using a combination of individual interviews, focus group discussions, and classroom observations. The teaching methods review would observe teachers in grades 1-3 reading/language arts lessons, and would capture the language and instructional methods in the classroom to determine whether the teaching strategies also align with curriculum and include evidence based-methods of teaching French. The analyses will use classroom observation tools to evaluate teachers pedagogic methods. This would be supplemented (in a very small number of schools) with more qualitative evaluations carried out by Djiboutian reading specialists. The study would also look at total time on task and gather data on other elements of an opportunity to read index (OTR). The interviews with teachers during class observations will be gender sensitive, involving equally female and male teachers to talk about their perception and experience in teaching reading in primary education. Collected data may indicate improved teaching skills for reading in one sex over the other, whether either possess better French language skills for an unidentified reason or have a natural disposition to carrying a message across to pupils. Study 4: Book sector study An important element in any reading intervention is the availability of appropriate teaching and learning materials as well as supplemental reading materials. The implementer should start with a desk review of existing documentation on the book production sector in Djibouti. The study will describe this process and determine training needs of those taking part in the production chain, including the production of learning materials in French and national languages. This study will inform discussions on strategies to improve efficiencies including procurement and delivery mechanisms. For example, the study could determine if new

6 Page 11 of 37 textbook editions or print runs are generally available in adequate supplies at the start of the school year. The review will also assess current production specifications of different materials to assess durability, replacement life cycles and unit costs. The analysis can also look into the distribution and management of textbooks at the school level. The study will also include an analysis of the local market for supplementary readers. Through interviews with local NGOs and commercial publishers, publishers associations, authors, and a sample of book retailers, the study will evaluate the available titles and quantities of children s literature (both fiction and nonfiction) books, including decodable and leveled readers in French and in local languages. Local librarians may be interviewed to assess trends in children s titles book use. Coupled with information on the Ministry s school library policy and implementation, this information can inform decisions on strategies to promote reading outside of school hours. To the extent possible, the study will identify innovations in the field of children s literature in Djiboutian national languages from within Djibouti or from other places that would be particularly relevant to the Djiboutian context. The reading materials analysis will look into the usefulness of such reading books in the school libraries. How often do children read library books? Are they appropriate to the children's levels? Do they actually contribute to improving the children s reading skills? How often do teachers use them in reading sessions? Are other reading materials available in classrooms and in school libraries? C.3 Cross-cutting activity: Capacity building While conducting the research, the Contractor will work closely with the Ministry of Education (such as Teacher Training Institutes, inspectors and central and regional staff) and especially the Statistical Unit and the Monitoring and Evaluation Unit of the Ministry of Education and Djiboutian organizations/university to provide opportunities for hands-on participation in the research process, where practical. A series of targeted workshops, including one at the national level, will also take place for dissemination of results. The workshops will include gender considerations in that beneficiaries male and female will equally benefit from capacity building trainings to strengthen their skills in data research and dissemination. C.4 Proposed Timeline The proposed period for implementation of this research is eight to nine months, from approximately early November 2016 through July/August 2017, during which the above-mentioned research activities will be carried out. Timeline Week 1 Week 2 Weeks 3-5 Activity Team mobilizes Team mobilizes; Initial in-brief with Ministry, formulation of research teams Instrument development and testing, Sample selection, training of research teams

7 Page 12 of 37 Weeks 6-9 Weeks Week 13 Week Week Week Week Week Week 29 Data collection Data analysis and preparation of preliminary results (Power point presentations and two-page summaries of results),begin drafting reports Present findings to Ministry, Continue report drafting Complete the draft report and conduct Stakeholder Workshop Incorporate feedback from the workshop and submit draft reports Review and comment Finalize reports Translation to English Submit final reports in French and English C.5. Key Personnel To complete the studies in the time allocated, the contractor may consider forming teams that will work on the studies in parallel. It is also recommended to work with the National Teacher Training College, university professors and researchers, inspectors, pedagogical advisors, and classroom teachers, who will bring their expertise to the team, and at the same time, will benefit from the hands-on capacity building. Although not an exhaustive list, suggested members of the team(s) are: A Team Leader, with a strong knowledge and professional background in primary grade reading and/or language teaching and acquisition, and good knowledge on gender equity issues in primary education in the region. He/she will be responsible for ensuring that all disseminated data is gender disaggregated where possible. The team leader shall be responsible for coordinating and directing the overall research effort, including preparation and submission of the draft and final reports. The team leader should have advanced degree (preferably Ph. D.) in education with seven years of experience of which three years are in the developing world. He/she should also have experience in early grade reading and excellent written and oral communication skills in French and English and possess good organization and team-building skills. Experience in East Africa or in francophone African countries is advantageous. Evaluation Specialist: The evaluation specialist should have advanced degree (Masters) and five years of experience in conducting participatory evaluations, including facilitating group meetings and using rapid appraisal methods. The evaluation specialist must have successful previous experience in educational evaluation and familiarity with basic education issues. The evaluation specialist should have excellent written and oral communication skills in English and French. Curriculum Expert: The curriculum expert should have advanced degree (Masters) in curriculum and five years of experience in teaching, curriculum development or research is necessary. The curriculum experts should have excellent written and oral

8 Page 13 of 37 communication skills in French. English language skills are a plus, but not required. Previous experience in the region and knowledge of early grade reading are also a plus. Teacher Education Specialist: The teacher education specialist should have advanced degree (Masters) in education and five years of experience in teacher education, teaching or research. The Teacher education specialist should have excellent written and oral communication skills in French. English language skills are a plus, but not required. Previous experience in the region and knowledge of early grade reading are also a plus. Local Curriculum Specialist: The local curriculum expert should have a minimum of first degree (BA, BEd.) in education and five years of experience in teaching, curriculum development or research is necessary. The curriculum experts should have excellent written and oral communication skills in French and preferably, in one of the national languages in Djibouti. English language skills are a plus, but not required. Knowledge of or experience in early grade reading is also a plus. Local teacher Education Specialist: The local teacher education specialist should have a minimum of first degree (BA, BEd.) in education and five years of experience in teaching, teacher education or research is necessary. The teacher education specialist should have excellent written and oral communication skills in French and preferably, in one of the national languages in Djibouti. English language skills are a plus, but not required. Knowledge of or experience in early grade reading is also a plus. Administrative and Logistical Support: This team member should have a minimum of a first degree in social sciences or related fields and shall be in charge of all administrative and logistical aspects. Responsibilities may include ensuring transport to meetings and site visits, arranging meetings, other travel arrangements, and arranging for translation and interpretation. Experience as an administrative specialist/assistant is a plus. Relationship with Host Country Governments and Key Stakeholders: USAID/Djibouti will play the key role in liaising with national-level actors at the MENFOP. USAID/Djibouti will work with Ministry counterparts at the national and regional levels. The implementer s direct communication with the Djiboutian government shall be undertaken only following coordinated consultation with USAID/Djibouti. C.6. Deliverables The implementer shall submit the following reports to USAID/Djibouti Final work plan within 10 days of the approval of the contractor proposal and budget Brief monthly progress reports (English or French). Final Reports of the four studies (English and French).

9 Page 14 of 37 A two-page summary of each study (English and French) Anonymized data sets to be posted to a public website References USAID Education Strategy National Reading Exams Reports USAID/Education Performance Evaluation Workforce Development Assessment Ministry of Education Action Plan & Ten year Master plan Djibouti Ministry of Education National curriculum Basic Education Official program Programme de l enseignement fondamental/ Enseignement primaire Textbooks for French language instruction in grades 1-5 used in public schools and selected private schools (approximately 10 textbooks in total) -END OF SECTION C-

10 Page 17 of 37 SECTION F DELIVERIES OR PERFORMANCE F.2 PERFORMANCE PERIOD The period of performance for this task order is 9 (nine) months from TBD to TBD. F.3 PLACE OF PERFORMANCE Place of Performance of the task order issued under this RFTOP is Djibouti. F.4 TIMELINE, DELIVERABLES AND SUPERVISION USAID anticipates the period for implementation of this research is approximately eight to nine months from approximately early November 2016 to July 2017/August 2017 to complete. Timeline Week 1 Week 2 Weeks 3-5 Weeks 6-9 Weeks Week 13 Week Week Week Week Week Week 29 Activity Team mobilizes Team mobilizes; Initial in-brief with Ministry, formulation of research teams Instrument development and testing, Sample selection, training of research teams Data collection Data analysis and preparation of preliminary results (Power point presentations and two-page summaries of results),begin drafting reports Present findings to Ministry, Continue report drafting Complete the draft report and conduct Stakeholder Workshop Incorporate feedback from the workshop and submit draft reports Review and comment Finalize reports Translation to English Submit final reports in French and English Offerors should provide a detailed timeline with their proposal. The implementer shall submit the following reports to USAID/Djibouti Final work plan within 10 days of the approval of the contractor proposal and budget Brief monthly progress reports (English or French). Final Reports of the four studies (English and French). A two-page summary of each study (English and French) Anonymized data sets to be posted to a public website F.5. KEY PERSONNEL a) The Contractor must furnish the following individuals deemed key personnel for the performance of this contract.

11 No Key Position Key Personnel 1 Chief of Party (COP) / Team Leader [TBD] 2 Evaluation Specialist [TBD] 3 Curriculum Expert [TBD] b) The key personnel identified above are considered essential to the work being performed under this contract. The Contractor must remain responsible for providing such key personnel for full- time performance for the term of this contract unless otherwise agreed to by the Contracting Officer. c) The Contractor must make Key Personnel immediately available upon award. The failure to provide the key personnel designated above at any point during the performance period may be considered nonperformance unless such failure exists beyond the control, and through no fault or negligence, of the Contractor. d) The Contractor must immediately notify the Contracting Officer and the COR of any key personnel s departure and the reasons therefore. The Contractor must take steps to immediately rectify the departure of key personnel and will propose a substitute candidate for each vacated position along with a budget impact statement in sufficient detail to permit evaluation of the impact on the contract. e) The Contractor must not replace any of the key personnel without the written consent of the Contracting Officer and the COR whether provided in advance or by ratification. SECTION H SPECIAL TASK ORDER REQUIREMENTS H.1 H.2 TEAM COMPOSITION AND DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS To complete the studies in the time allocated, the contractor may consider forming teams that will work on the studies in parallel. It is also recommended to work with the National Teacher Training College, university professors and researchers, inspectors, pedagogical advisors, and classroom teachers, who will bring their expertise to the team, and at the same time, will benefit from the hands-on capacity building. Although not an exhaustive list, suggested members of the team(s) are: A Team Leader, with a strong knowledge and professional background in primary grade reading and/or language teaching and acquisition, and good knowledge on gender equity issues in primary education in the region. He/she will be responsible for ensuring that all disseminated data is gender disaggregated where possible. The team leader shall be responsible for coordinating and directing the overall research effort, including preparation and submission of the draft and final reports. The team leader should have advanced degree (preferably Ph. D.) in education with seven years of experience of which three years are in the developing world. He/she should also have

12 experience in early grade reading and excellent written and oral communication skills in French and English and possess good organization and team-building skills. Experience in East Africa or in francophone African countries is advantageous. Evaluation Specialist: The evaluation specialist should have advanced degree (Masters) and five years of experience in conducting participatory evaluations, including facilitating group meetings and using rapid appraisal methods. The evaluation specialist must have successful previous experience in educational evaluation and familiarity with basic education issues. The evaluation specialist should have excellent written and oral communication skills in English and French. Curriculum Expert: The curriculum expert should have advanced degree (Masters) in curriculum and five years of experience in teaching, curriculum development or research is necessary. The curriculum experts should have excellent written and oral communication skills in French. English language skills are a plus, but not required. Previous experience in the region and knowledge of early grade reading are also a plus. Teacher Education Specialist: The teacher education specialist should have advanced degree (Masters) in education and five years of experience in teacher education, teaching or research. The Teacher education specialist should have excellent written and oral communication skills in French. English language skills are a plus, but not required. Previous experience in the region and knowledge of early grade reading are also a plus. Local Curriculum Specialist: The local curriculum expert should have a minimum of first degree (BA, BEd.) in education and five years of experience in teaching, curriculum development or research is necessary. The curriculum experts should have excellent written and oral communication skills in French and preferably, in one of the national languages in Djibouti. English language skills are a plus, but not required. Knowledge of or experience in early grade reading is also a plus. Local teacher Education Specialist: The local teacher education specialist should have a minimum of first degree (BA, BEd.) in education and five years of experience in teaching, teacher education or research is necessary. The teacher education specialist should have excellent written and oral communication skills in French and preferably, in one of the national languages in Djibouti. English language skills are a plus, but not required. Knowledge of or experience in early grade reading is also a plus. Administrative and Logistical Support. This team member should have a minimum of a first degree in social sciences or related fields and shall be in charge of all administrative and logistical aspects. Responsibilities may include ensuring transport to meetings and site visits, arranging meetings, other travel arrangements, and arranging for translation and interpretation. Experience as an administrative specialist/assistant is a plus. CONTRACTOR S STAFF SUPPORT, AND ADMINISTRATIVE AND LOGISTICS ARRANGEMENTS The Contractor shall be responsible for all administrative support and logistics required to fulfill the requirements of this Task Order. These shall include all travel arrangements, appointment scheduling, secretarial services, report preparations services, printing, and duplicating.

13 Page 30 of 37 SECTION L INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE PREPARATION OF THE PROPOSAL A six (6)-day workweek is authorized during fieldwork data collection in Djibouti. d. Annexes: [No page limit] i. Curriculum Vitaes of the Assessment Team (for both expatriates and locals); ii. Two (2) professional references (with contact information) for each of the team members; iii. Signed statements of availability from the team members for the estimated period of performance; iv. Two (2) professional writing samples of which the Team Lead was a key author; v. Two (2) research reports of which the evaluation Specialist was a key member of the research team;