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All Children Reading-Cambodia

QUARTERLY PROGRESS REPORT April 2017 – June 2017

14 July, 2017 AID-OAA-TO-16-00017 Number: REQ-ASIA-16-00017 April 2017 – April 2019 TOCOR: Mitch Kirby Cambodia COR: John Collins Submitted by: RTI International 3040 Cornwallis Road Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-0155 Tel: (919) 541-6000 This document was produced for review by the United States Agency for International Development.

All Children Reading–Cambodia Quarterly Report April-June 2017 iii

Table of Contents Page List of Tables .................................................................................................................... iv

List of Acronyms and Abbreviations .................................................................................v

1 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 1

1.1 Activity Overview ...................................................................................... 1

1.2 Activity Description................................................................................... 1

1.3 Activity Objectives by Results .................................................................. 2

1.4 Ongoing Activities .................................................................................... 3

2 Overview of Implementation Progress: April 2017–June 2017 ........................... 4

2.1 Overview and Project Start-Up ................................................................ 4

2.2 Accomplishments in Q3 by Result ........................................................... 6

2.2.1 Result 1: The MoEYS effectively manages at the national, provincial, district, and school levels, evidence-based EGR programs ...................................................................................... 6

2.2.2 Result 2: Partnerships and coherence strengthened to support EGR objectives in Cambodia ....................................................... 8

2.2.3 Result 3: Assist in the development of a coordinated and harmonized evidence-based early grade reading and writing program endorsed and implemented in grades 1 through 3 that is feasible, practical, and scalable ............................................. 11

3 Changes in Key Personnel and Reallocation of Level of Effort ........................ 12

4 Activity Project Management Support ............................................................... 12

4.1 Operational Activities ............................................................................. 12

4.2 Overall Opportunities and Constraints (project level) ........................... 12

4.3 Reports and Deliverables ...................................................................... 13

4.3.1 Expected Delays ........................................................................ 13

4.4 Monitoring and Evaluation Updates ...................................................... 13

5 Timeline of Activities .......................................................................................... 14

Annex A: Quarterly Financial Report ............................................................................. 17

Annex B: International Travel Plans for Current and Upcoming Quarters.................... 18

iv All Children Reading–Cambodia Quarterly Report April-June 2017

List of Tables Table 1. Overview of Activities and Progress, by Result................................................. 3 Table 2. Organizations with Which Partnerships Are Being Pursued ........................... 10

All Children Reading–Cambodia Quarterly Report April-June 2017 v

List of Acronyms and Abbreviations ACR All Children Reading AMEP Activity Monitoring and Evaluation Plan BIP-MP Branding Implementation Plan and Marking Plan CPD continuous professional development DCD Department of Curriculum Development ECED Early Childhood Education Department EGR early grade reading EGRA Early Grade Reading Assessment EQAD Education Quality Assurance Department GPE Global Partnership for Education LOE level of effort LTA local technical assistance MoEYS Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, Cambodia NGO nongovernmental organization PED Primary Education Department TLM teaching and learning materials TPAP Teacher Policy Action Plan TTD Teacher Training Department USAID United States Agency for International Development

All Children Reading–Cambodia Quarterly Report April-June 2017 1

1 Introduction

1.1 Activity Overview Activity Name: All Children Reading-Cambodia Activity Start Date and End Date:

4/24/2017–4/24/2019

Funding Source (Specify USAID/Washington or the USAID Mission):

USAID/Cambodia

Lead at USAID Mission, if applicable:

John Collins

Contract Number: AID-OAA-TO-16-00017 Number: REQ-ASIA-16-00017 Activity Lead: Claire Wyatt Name of Subcontractors: TBD Geographic Coverage (cities and or countries):

Cambodia

1.2 Activity Description The US Agency for International Development- (USAID-) funded All Children Reading-Cambodia project will improve the early grade reading (EGR) skills of children in grades 1–3 in Cambodia. The project will assist the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS), its development partners (DPs), nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and the private sector to harmonize EGR teaching and learning approaches in Cambodia and coordinate and support the implementation of rigorous, feasible, practical, and scalable EGR interventions and models in Cambodia. The project will build upon pre-existing EGR tools, textbooks, and approaches in partnership and coordination with EGR partners working in Cambodia. It will provide coordination, logistical, secretariat, and financing and technical assistance services to the Technical Committee for Early Grade Reading of the MoEYS, and the technical task forces under this body. All Children Reading-Cambodia will assist the MoEYS in developing official MoEYS-endorsed EGR resources, including curriculum documents, teaching and learning materials (TLMs), and modules and materials to support both in-service and pre-service training. The activity will work with subnational officials (provinces, districts, schools, and communities), NGO partners, and the private sector to develop and take to scale EGR interventions (based on the elements of successful programs, but with particular emphasis on the feasibility of scaling up, supporting, and sustaining those elements) that can be implemented district-wide and/or province-wide, with the explicit intention of testing out and evaluating the system supports needed to assure a high degree of fidelity of implementation and impact. This will include subawards or grants to partner(s) as part of this approach. An additional focus of the project is to support the MoEYS in developing and putting into operation a national EGR program, strategy, and plan. This plan will be developed in close coordination with the MoEYS and its other programs and projects. Most importantly, All Children Reading-Cambodia will partner with the MoEYS in the development of its Global Partnership for Education- (GPE-) funded EGR activities and will align the All Children Reading-Cambodia supported activities to the other reforms being supported through GPE.

2 All Children Reading–Cambodia Quarterly Report April-June 2017

1.3 Activity Objectives by Results All Children Reading-Cambodia will assist the MoEYS in increasing the proportion of children in grades 1–3 who are able to read and understand at the appropriate grade level. To help reach this goal, All Children Reading-Cambodia is providing technical assistance to support three results. Result 1: The MoEYS effectively manages at the national, provincial, district, and school levels, evidence-based EGR programs. A summary of work supported under Result 1 includes the following:

• Providing technical assistance to support review and revisions of the Khmer language curriculum and syllabus for higher-level pre-school and for primary grades 1–3

• Reviewing and updating existing teacher guidelines and materials for higher-level pre-school and textbooks for grades 1–3

• Developing a teacher’s manual for grades 1–3, and assisting the MoEYS in making more widely available existing supplementary reading and language materials

• Assisting the MoEYS in designing and developing in-service training and support based on the curriculum and materials revisions mentioned above, including ensuring that the training is designed to align with the emerging continuous professional development (CPD) policy, framework, and standards

• Working with the MoEYS to coordinate with the upcoming GPE-funded project to pilot and evaluate the above materials, training, and support in a selected number of provinces and schools (to be determined through consultation among the MoEYS, USAID, and other DPs)

• Providing technical assistance to reinforce the capacity of the Education Quality Assurance Department (EQAD), including helping the department develop the student learning assessment framework and produce analysis and products for disseminating assessment results to different target audiences

Result 2: Partnerships and coherence strengthened to support early grade reading objectives in Cambodia. A summary of work supported under Result 2 includes the following:

• Jointly developing a work plan with the MoEYS and its NGO partners supporting EGR

• Helping establish routine communication and collaboration practices among the EGR partner organizations and between those organizations and the MoEYS

• Funding the participation and contribution of NGO partner organizations to the technical work associated with the above-mentioned improvements in early grade learning curriculum, materials, training and support, and instruction

• Harmonizing and standardizing the Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) tool and instruments being used in Cambodia for project/program evaluation

Result 3: Assist in the development of a coordinated and harmonized, evidence-based early grade reading and writing program endorsed and implemented in grades 1–3 that is feasible, practical, and scalable.


A summary of work supported under Result 3 includes the following:

• Supporting and informing the development of the MoEYS national program, strategy, and plan for early grade learning, including helping communicate and publicize that program

• Identifying and mobilizing potential private sector and other resources to contribute to the successful implementation of the national program

1.4 Ongoing Activities

Table 1. Overview of Activities and Progress, by Result Activity Progress

Result 1: The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS) effectively manages at the national, provincial, district, and school levels, evidence-based early grade reading (EGR) programs

Review and update the syllabus for Khmer language in higher preschool and grades 1–3 Ongoing Develop teacher materials and student books for higher preschool and grade 1 Not started Develop cross-curricular reading materials and leveled books for reading for pleasure Not started Design the teacher training needed for the implementation of the revised curriculum for higher preschool and grade 1 Not started Develop tools and resources for supporting teachers and design of a system of ongoing teacher mentoring and support Not started Provide technical assistance to the reform to the development of continuous professional development (CPD) framework and policy Ongoing Assist the Education Quality Assurance Department (EQAD) in the completion of a student learning assessment framework and provision of additional capacity building in the production of analytical outputs designed to disseminate assessment findings to different target audiences

Ongoing

Result 2: Partnerships and coherence strengthened to support EGR objectives in Cambodia Develop work plan in conjunction with the MoEYS and nongovernmental organization (NGO) partners Completed

Support more effective communication and coordination among development and implementing partners supporting EGR Ongoing Establish mechanisms for contracting with the MoEYS’s NGO partners to support the work of the MoEYS Ongoing

Build on the work accomplished through All Children Reading-Asia to harmonize the use of the Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) by the MoEYS and its partners for evaluating the impact of EGR interventions

Ongoing

Result 3: Assist in the development of a coordinated and harmonized evidence-based early grade reading and writing program endorsed and implemented in grades 1 through 3 that is feasible, practical, and scalable

Support the development, implementation, and promotion of an MoEYS EGR National Program Ongoing Support the development and implementation of an EGR National Action Plan Not started Cultivate and engage private sector and resource partners to increase the resource envelope available to support EGR at scale Not started


2 Overview of Implementation Progress: April 2017–June 2017

This section summarizes the active tasks throughout the quarter and lists the anticipated tasks for the coming quarter. Opportunities and constraints are also discussed for each of the ongoing activities. Any changes in key personnel or reallocation to level of effort within an activity are documented.

2.1 Overview and Project Start-Up The debut of the project, initially intended for early 2017, was delayed considerably due to contracting and administrative procedures. Therefore, prior to the official establishment of All Children Reading-Cambodia, three activities in Cambodia were supported under All Children Reading (ACR)-Asia. These included:

• Gathering examples of the EGRAs being done by the MoEYS—in particular under the auspices of the GPE-funded pilot reading intervention—and by the Ministry’s partner NGOs also implementing EGR projects. The review of these assessment approaches and tools is feeding into the All Children Reading-Cambodia work to help the MoEYS harmonize the various approaches to EGRA and to assist in standardizing the EGRA tools being used in Cambodia.

• Conducting background research and drafting a policy brief on teacher CPD. RTI experts in teacher policy completed the research, incorporated feedback from USAID/Cambodia and from members of the working group assigned to develop CPD policy, and completed and shared the research broadly to inform policy discussions among the MoEYS and its DPs regarding proposed reforms to teacher policy.

• Building the capacity of EQAD to analyze and make use of existing assessment data, including disseminating assessment results in user-friendly formats. Short-term technical assistance from RTI worked hand-in-hand with EQAD technical staff to review the grade 6 national assessment results and develop and print a pamphlet summarizing those results. The MoEYS and other stakeholders in Cambodia found the summary pamphlet informative and useful, referring to it in a variety of meetings and settings.

The modification to the ACR-Asia contract adding the activity in Cambodia was signed on March 20, 2017, just prior to the beginning of the third quarter (Q) of the current fiscal year (FY). All Children Reading-Cambodia therefore was officially launched the following month (April 2017), with much of the work in FY17 Q3 focused on project start-up (hiring staff and establishing operational viability) and on forming working relationships with key leadership and technical counterparts in the MoEYS. Two staff members, Team Leader and Technical Advisor Claire Wyatt and Coordination and Collaboration Advisor Sokhim Ou, began work, with the formal technical kick-off of the project, on April 24. Also during Q3, project staff and RTI Home Office staff conducted interviews and identified Senghean Soy to fill the Operations and Finance Specialist position. Mr. Soy was approved by USAID/Asia contracts on June 22, 2017, and will begin work next quarter. Pending the identification and fielding of that position, RTI fielded a succession of three staff from our Home Office and one from our Asia Regional Office to support All Children Reading-Cambodia’s operational needs during start-up. In addition, Senior Technical Advisor and Home Office Manager for All Children Reading-Cambodia, Joseph DeStefano, traveled to Phnom Penh from May 1 to 13 to assist in establishing technical relationships with key MoEYS colleagues, facilitating meetings with NGOs, assisting in planning and facilitating the co-creation workshop, and drafting the annual work plan.


The MoEYS has a set of committees and working groups to develop, oversee, guide, and carry out the government’s plans for improving basic education. A preoccupation of the project therefore was to align the activities of All Children Reading-Cambodia to the work of the Steering Committee for Early Grade Learning, the Technical Committee for EGR, and the task forces under that technical committee focused on work relating to EGR (e.g., curriculum, TLMs, teacher CPD, assessment, etc.). Therefore, the development of the project annual work plan began with a series of meetings, first with the above mentioned Technical Working Group for EGR, followed by a meeting with His Excellency Dr. Nath Bunroeun, Secretary of State for Education, and then individual meetings with key technical departments within the MoEYS, including the following:

• Primary Education Department (PED)

• Teacher Training Department (TTD)

• Education Quality Assurance Department (EQAD)

• Department of Curriculum Development (DCD)

• Early Childhood Education Department (ECED)

• Special Education Department (SpED) Additionally, a meeting of NGOs active in the education sector and focused on early grade learning was held May 12, 2017, and the project team held subsequent meetings with some of the NGOs that attended that meeting, as well as others that were unable to join. The project team organized and facilitated a planning workshop (co-creation workshop) for members of the Technical Working Group for Early Grade Reading on May 12, 2017. The results of that meeting defined the priority areas of intervention and objectives for the project, contributing to the drafting of the annual work plan. The team continued to work in close collaboration with members of the Technical Working Group and the MoEYS’s implementing partners to further define the details of the project’s activities. Final details were worked out during a launch and planning workshop held May 30 and 31, 2017, the results of which guided the finalization of the annual work plan. The participatory approach to planning All Children Reading-Cambodia activities meant that work on some of the initial activities under Result 1 that were foreseen for the current work plan period could also begin (discussed under Section 2.2 below).1 In addition to the planning and start-up activities mentioned above, the project worked to identify local NGO partners that can support the technical areas of work under Result 1. Several meetings have been held with potential NGO partners, both collectively and individually, so that appropriate mechanisms for engaging their staff could be worked out. Substantial progress has therefore been made in the past 6 weeks toward the Result 2 objective of establishing working relationships with selected implementing partners in Cambodia. Lastly, in addition to the annual work plan (submitted and approved in final form to USAID/Cambodia on June 21, 2017), the current quarter has included work on two other initial project deliverables:

• The Branding Implementation Plan and Marking Plan (BIP-MP) was drafted, shared and discussed with USAID/Cambodia, redrafted and reviewed. The final version was submitted 7 July, 2017 for USAID/Washington approval and concurrence.

• The Activity Monitoring and Evaluation Plan (AMEP) was drafted and submitted to USAID on July 3, 2017.

1 Records of organizations involved in these meetings are contained as annexes to the All Children Reading- Cambodia Annual Work Plan.


2.2 Accomplishments in Q3 by Result

2.2.1 Result 1: The MoEYS effectively manages at the national, provincial, district, and school levels, evidence-based EGR programs

Tasks Ongoing/Completed in Q3 1. Review and updating of the syllabus for Khmer language in higher preschool and

grades 1–3 The participatory approach taken to developing the All Children Reading-Cambodia work plan enabled the project to engage the key technical stakeholders and political leadership within the MoEYS in discussions regarding how best to approach a review and updating of the Khmer language curriculum and materials for grades 1–3. It was agreed that the project would support research among teachers and other key stakeholders to get feedback on the current textbook (this is the current embodiment of the curriculum, as in 2009–2010 when the textbooks were updated, the curriculum standards were not updated to reflect these changes). The project will also collect and analyze available data on EGR. These activities, along with a desk review of the current curriculum documents will feed into a report recommending any changes to the syllabus. DCD had started work on the syllabus before the project team was in place and has drafted the content for grades 1–3 to reflect the current textbook. However, the department has said it would like to use the feedback from teachers to further strengthen these. Project staff consulted with MoEYS leadership and, based on their stated objectives, developed a scope of work for this research. The RTI Home Office and Asia Regional Office supported All Children Reading-Cambodia in the development of request for proposal documents and advised on the research design for the study. A workshop will be held next quarter with curriculum task force members and interested NGO partners to develop the tools for the research and the a local firm will be selected to undertake this research. In addition, meetings with ECED enabled project staff to begin determining how best to support that department in a review of the existing higher preschool pre-reading curriculum and materials. ECED had conducted a teacher survey to gain feedback on the curriculum and planned for a consultative workshop July 3–4, with staff from the MoEYS Technical Working Group for Preschool Curriculum Revisions, various provincial offices of education, and school directors. In order to support preparation for this workshop, the project team reviewed the current preschool manuals and developed a presentation to share with ECED, including lessons learned from preschool in low-income contexts and some areas for Cambodia to consider (in particular, with regard to Khmer language). The project team were invited to attend the workshop in July to present some of these ideas and support discussions around Khmer language content.

2. Provide technical assistance to the reform and development of CPD framework and policy

Following the policy brief on CPD done prior to the start of All Children Reading-Cambodia, USAID/Cambodia and the MoEYS requested that the project continue to advise on the development of reforms to the teacher career structure and the emerging teacher CPD policy. During Senior Advisor DeStefano’s trip to Cambodia in May, he and the other project staff attended a meeting of the Teacher Policy Action Plan (TPAP) taskforce, at which proposed reforms to the teacher career structure were discussed. Following that meeting, Dr. DeStefano began working on some analysis of current teacher qualifications and pay scale in order to build an analytical tool for modeling proposed changes in salary scales, career structure, and teacher advancement requirements. Additional work to support the development of the CPD policy and TPAP will in part depend on the evolving institutional and political environment surrounding these activities. At the end of Q3, it is not clear that All


Children Reading-Cambodia will be able to productively engage the TPAP or other parties involved, nor is it evident that we would be able to have policy analysis and advice taken up by the MoEYS actors leading this work. In addition, UNICEF have provided some funding for technical assistance to this work, and therefore there might not be a need for USAID to also fund this.

3. Assist EQAD in the completion of a student learning assessment framework and provide additional capacity building in the production of analytical outputs designed to disseminate assessment findings to different target audiences.

As mentioned in Section 2.1 above, ACR-Asia had RTI provide technical assistance to EQAD to build capacity for analytical outputs, such as the grade 6 national assessment results summary pamphlet. Following that successful engagement, EQAD has requested additional assistance to produce similar dissemination products (for other exam results, and targeting different audiences). RTI Home Office staff, notably, statistician Simon King, have been in contact with EQAD to schedule the next round of capacity building, collaborative work. EQAD has identified the fourth week in July as an opportunity to work together on producing additional dissemination products. Regarding completion of the student learning assessment framework, RTI Home Office staff have also been in touch with EQAD leadership regarding when best to schedule additional work on this front. RTI Home Office staff with assessment expertise, Peggy Dubeck and Jonathan Stern, began working on compiling examples of assessment frameworks to share with EQAD and reached out to the Australian Council on Education Research to discuss work they have been doing in Cambodia related to the Southeast Asian regional exam in which Cambodia is considering participating. Drs. Dubeck and Stern also developed a scope of work for working with EQAD and other technical directorates to generate an initial draft framework. Dates in July and early August were explored for this work. EQAD expressed concern about their current busy schedule—with preparation and administration of exams coming up in August. Therefore, this work has been put off until early September, with precise dates to be confirmed.


Anticipated Tasks for Q4 Tasks Time frame Review and update the syllabus for Khmer language in higher preschool and grades 1–3 July, Aug, Sept 2017

• Continue working meetings with relevant technical directorates July, Aug, Sept 2017

• Present and support facilitation at a consultative workshop held by ECED to review the pre-school curriculum

July 2017

• Put NGO partner staff in place to assist in review of existing grade 1–3 curriculum Aug 2017

• Conclude procurement procedures to secure a local partner for the teacher survey and hold a workshop with the curriculum task force to develop survey instruments.

July 2017

• Complete teacher survey Aug, Sept 2017

• Disseminate and discuss results of teacher survey, with implications taken into account during curriculum review

October 2017

Work with USAID and the MoEYS to confirm how the additional funding for inclusive education can support the development of technical content and support implementation of an inclusive reading program.

• J. DeStefano to travel to Cambodia in July and support conversations with relevant stakeholders

July, 2017

Assist EQAD in developing the learner assessment framework

• Drs. Dubeck and Stern to travel to Cambodia in early September

Sept, 2017 (to be confirmed by EQAD)

Build EQAD capacity to produce and disseminate additional analytical products

• Mr. King to travel to Cambodia in July and work with EQAD July 2017

Opportunities and Constraints The preparation and conduct of the co-creation workshop at the end of May and the project launch workshop in early June provided great opportunity for All Children Reading-Cambodia to establish sound working relationships with the relevant MoEYS leadership and technical staff. These activities also allowed the project to garner robust input from MoEYS and NGO partners active in the EGR space, thus leading to a work plan with broadly owned and shared objectives and activities. The biggest constraints thus far encountered by the project concern the delayed start-up (pending completion of the contracting actions in USAID/Asia) and the limited ability of the MoEYS to successfully assist RTI in establishing the necessary institutional arrangements to operate as an international NGO in Cambodia. How RTI has coped with these constraints is discussed in Section 4.2. USAID/Cambodia’s Education Office has been instrumental in maintaining strong working relationships with the MoEYS and with the various NGOs working on early grade learning during the time project start-up was delayed. The sound working relationships and the good faith established by USAID/Cambodia enabled All Children Reading-Cambodia to begin work rapidly as soon as staff were on board in April 2017.

2.2.2 Result 2: Partnerships and coherence strengthened to support EGR objectives in Cambodia

Tasks Ongoing/Completed in Q3 1. Work plan developed in conjunction with the MoEYS and NGO partners

As mentioned earlier, the numerous meetings and the two workshops held during May and June enabled All Children Reading-Cambodia to transparently develop a work plan that has


taken into account input from relevant MoEYS counterparts and stakeholders, NGO partners, and the DPs actively supporting improvements in learning outcomes in Cambodia. After several iterations of the draft work plan, the final version of the plan was submitted to and approved by USAID on June 21, 2017.

2. Support more effective communication and coordination among development and implementing partners supporting EGR

USAID and All Children Reading-Cambodia held an initial meeting among potential/likely NGO partners at USAID’s offices on May 5, 2017.2 During this meeting, attended by project staff, RTI Senior Technical Advisor Dr. DeStefano, and USAID Education Officers John Collins and Sereisatya Ros, the scope of work of the project was reviewed and the modalities for engaging NGO partners in the work were discussed. Additional follow-up meetings were had with each potential partner to further explain how the project intended to work and to foster more open communication among the organizations supporting improvements in EGR. Additionally, partners helped All Children Reading-Cambodia determine the kind of partnering mechanisms that would best enable them to participate in and contribute to the first phase of work with the MoEYS of reviewing and revisiting the curriculum, scope, and sequence for Khmer reading and writing in early grades.

3. Establish mechanisms for contracting with the MoEYS’s NGO partners to support the work of the MoEYS

All Children Reading-Cambodia has reached out to 8 organizations to try to establish formal roles for them in a local technical assistance (LTA) team. Each organization has been asked to submit the documentation necessary to establish either a subcontract or a subgrant for their provision of services. In addition, specific scopes of work were drawn up for organizations depending on the likely technical areas to which they could best contribute (following discussions with those organizations regarding this). Table 2 summarizes the organizations with which we are pursuing these kinds of arrangements, indicating the likely role each would play. Note that contracts or grants with each organization will allow the work to be structured in phases that are aligned with the different expected phases of technical assistance to be provided by the project as laid out in the annual work plan.

2 As mentioned earlier, a record of the attendees at this meeting is included as an annex to the All Children Reading-Cambodia Annual Work Plan.


Table 2. Organizations with Which Partnerships Are Being Pursued Organization Technical Assistance Role

Enfants et Dévéloppement Supporting the development of curriculum, teaching and learning materials (TLMs), teacher professional development materials for preschool

Kampuchean Action for Primary Education Supporting the development of curriculum, TLMs, teacher professional development materials for grades 1–3

Krousar Thmey Supporting the development of curriculum, TLMs, teacher professional development materials for pre-school and grades 1–3 (in particular for children with disabilities and inclusive education)

Open Institute Supporting the development of curriculum, TLMs, teacher professional development materials for preschool. Supporting the development and use of fonts for reading and writing materials. Supporting collaboration with the Local Technical Assistance team by serving as the secretary for the group

Room to Read Supporting the development of curriculum, TLMs, teacher professional development materials for grades 1–3

Save the Children Supporting the development of curriculum, TLMs, teacher professional development materials for grades 1–3 and possibly preschool

World Education Supporting the development of curriculum, TLMs, teacher professional development materials for grades 1–3

World Vision International Supporting the development of curriculum, TLMs, teacher professional development materials for grades 1–3 and possibly preschool

All Children Reading-Cambodia has also discussed with Aide et Action the possibility of supporting the organization with a grant to strengthen its Khmer Library App, enabling greater sharing of reading materials within Cambodia.

It is important to note that while All Children Reading-Cambodia has reached out to these organizations and has drafted scopes of work for how they could contribute to achieving the objectives of the current work plan, it is not certain that it will be possible to establish contractual or other arrangements with all of them. At the end of Q3, the project was continuing to discuss each organization’s potential role and had begun receiving some of the documentation necessary for establishing subcontracts/subgrants.

4. Build on the work accomplished through ACR-Asia to harmonize the use of EGRA by the MoEYS and its partners for evaluating the impact of EGR interventions

All Children Reading-Cambodia technical advisor Claire Wyatt has been working with RTI Home Office EGRA experts, Dr. Stern and Jessica Mejia, to review the existing EGRA instruments in use in Cambodia. This follows on the work already accomplished by Dr. Stern and Ms. Mejia in August 2016, and using the information gathered by a local consultant in February and March 2017 (all conducted under ACR-Asia). Based on our team’s review and taking into account comments received from technical staff in the MoEYS and some of its NGO partners, a workshop was held to conduct one final review of the instrument developed in collaboration with the MoEYS. At that workshop, the group agreed on some updates, as well as some points for the MoEYS leadership to review and decide on. It was agreed that the updated tool would be made available for use by partners, along with some suggested guidelines for use among NGOs. Use within MoEYS projects and interventions would need to be discussed further and agreed-upon by Ministry leadership. It was agreed that the use of additional comparable passages will be important in future years to ensure the integrity of the assessment. The project can work with the MoEYS and partners to develop and pilot these before their use in the expected GPE-funded intervention in 2018, if the MoEYS wished to do this.


Anticipated Tasks for Q4 Tasks Time frame Monitor and adjust/amend work plan as needed in conjunction with the MoEYS and other partners

July, Aug, Sept 2017

Support more effective communication and coordination among development and implementing partners

• Field visit with NGOs that will form the LTA team July 2017

• Regular coordination meetings to be set up and supported by the project July 2017

• Project communication regular channels established July, Aug 2017

Establish mechanisms for contracting with the MoEYS’s NGO partners

• Subcontract/subgrants put in place with selected organizations July, Aug, Sept 2017

Harmonize use of EGRA

• Final version of instruments to be shared with partners following workshop in late June, including suggested guidelines for use

July 2017

Opportunities and Constraints The work of Result 2 has been greatly facilitated by the willingness of all the MoEYS NGO partners to seek out the means to collaborate with All Children Reading-Cambodia. All of the concerned potential partners have been patient during the time project start-up was delayed, and eagerly and openly participated in the various meetings and workshops that were convened once the project began work. While the issue has yet to arise, the procedures and necessary paperwork required for establishing subcontracts and subgrants may present some constraints to the objectives of Result 2. RTI has enlisted the support of our Home Office and Asia Regional Office to help ensure that contracting and granting procedures can proceed as efficiently and expeditiously as possible. Nevertheless, given the volume of agreements to be reached, we can realistically anticipate that in some instances the formalization of contractual arrangements may take longer than desired.

2.2.3 Result 3: Assist in the development of a coordinated and harmonized evidence-based early grade reading and writing program endorsed and implemented in grades 1 through 3 that is feasible, practical, and scalable

Tasks Ongoing/Completed in Q3 1. Support the development, implementation, and promotion of a MoEYS EGR National

Program Most of the work under Result 3 is anticipated to take place during later stages of All Children Reading-Cambodia. However, during this first quarter of operation (Q3), we have begun discussions with the MoEYS leadership and technical staff regarding the importance of defining and promoting a national early grade learning program. During the workshop held with members of the Technical Working Group for EGR on May 12, 2017, the notion of defining and establishing an identify for a national program was discussed. MoEYS colleagues were receptive to the idea. In the coming quarters, All Children Reading-Cambodia will assist the MoEYS in creating a national program identity and planning for the communications activities that would establish and rally support for that identity.


Anticipated Tasks for Q4 Tasks Time frame Support the development, implementation, and promotion of a MoEYS EGR National Program

• Work with the MoEYS and its partners to define and brand the national program

Sept, 2017

Opportunities and Constraints MoEYS appears open and willing to have the project support the work foreseen under this Result. No constraints were encountered in Q3.

3 Changes in Key Personnel and Reallocation of Level of Effort

There are three in-country staff: Team Leader, Claire Wyatt; Coordination and Collaboration Advisor, Sokhim Ou; and Finance and Operations Specialist, Senghean Soy. Both Ms. Wyatt and Mr. Ou are on board and have received initial training in RTI’s systems, policies, and procedures. Mr. Soy received approval from USAID on June 22, 2017 and will start with the project in July. Mr. Soy will receive in-country training in Q4 on RTI financial systems, policies, and procedures from a member of the RTI Jakarta office finance team. The RTI Home Office and Asia Regional Office have provided ongoing operational support, both from a distance and by mobilizing a succession of four individuals to provide on-the-ground operational and financial support to the project during start-up. A local consultant, Rattana Huy has also been engaged on a part-time basis to support the review of Khmer language materials.

4 Activity Project Management Support

4.1 Operational Activities During this first quarter, our field and Home Office teams worked to advance the operational start-up of the project. David Harbin, Chelsea Lehman, and Kyle Freedman from the Home Office and Ares Uly from the Asia Regional Office in Jakarta provided in-country short-term technical assistance and completed various administrative tasks. The project office within the MoEYS has been established—furniture, equipment, and supplies have been procured and the internet is up and running. The finance system and a project bank account have been set up. The project team is in the process of pursuing subcontracts and grants with partners.

4.2 Overall Opportunities and Constraints (project level) Prior to the start of the project, we entered into a letter of agreement with the MoEYS that stated that the MoEYS would assist All Children Reading-Cambodia in becoming operational. The two most consequential tasks outlined in this letter were MoEYS assistance with payrolling local staff in accordance with local law and opening a project bank account. Unfortunately, despite the best intentions behind the letter of agreement, the document has not worked out as originally envisioned. Despite attempts from Puthy Kann with the Department of Labor and the General Department of Taxes, we still are not able to hire local


staff and appropriately payroll them in accordance with local tax law. As a workaround, we are engaging Mr. Ou and Mr. Soy on long-term consulting agreements from our Home Office. Mr. Kann spent substantial amounts of time working with the Ministry of Finance to obtain a letter that would allow us to open a project bank account with ACLEDA bank. We recently received an updated version of this letter, and ACLEDA has accepted it and informed us that we can proceed with the opening of our official project bank account. In the meantime, we have been using a combination of transfers from our Jakarta office and temporary project bank accounts in staff members’ names as opposed to the project’s name. Given the hurdles that we have faced with the letter of agreement, and given the fact that we still cannot officially hire local staff, RTI has decided to pursue registration as an international NGO. We are in the process of collecting the documents needed, and we anticipate that we will be registered by the end of December 2017.

4.3 Reports and Deliverables Three operational deliverables were completed during Q3, the first quarter of project activity. These include:

• The annual work plan developed with input from the MoEYS and NGO partners. Submitted and approved in final form to USAID/Cambodia on June 21, 2017.

• The Branding Implementation Plan and Marking Plan (BIP-MP) was drafted, shared and discussed with USAID/Cambodia, redrafted and reviewed. The final version was submitted 7 July, 2017 for USAID/Washington approval and concurrence.

• The AMEP was drafted and submitted to USAID on July 3, 2017.

4.3.1 Expected Delays As noted above, EQAD was unavailable in July to continue the work on the student learning assessment framework. As a result, this deliverable will be delayed. It is now tentatively scheduled for September.

4.4 Monitoring and Evaluation Updates The first quarter of this project was dedicated to project start-up, developing the Year 1 Annual Work Plan and the draft Activity M&E Plan, and finalizing procedures and processes for project management, communication, and reporting. Reporting on performance indicators will begin in the next quarter following the approval of the AMEP. Future quarterly reports will include actual values for the indicators as appropriate given the rhythm of implementation of different activities, which will begin implementation in Q4 of FY17.


5 Timeline of Activities Deliverables and timeline for May 2017 to November 2018 (preparation for 2018 school year grade 1 pilot). Note: Colored blocks indicated when deliverable will be completed, detailed timeline for development of each deliverable to be determined with relevant stakeholders)

2017 2018

LEADING SUPPORTING May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov

Curriculum and Textbook Review Report documenting agreements on high-level changes needed to the Khmer syllabus (e.g. possibly some content moved from grade 1 to 2, content to be taught in pre-school)

Department of Curriculum Development (DCD)

Early Childhood Education Department (ECED) & Primary Education Department (PED)

Outline developed for Khmer language syllabus for Pre-school through grade 3 (learning outcomes listed by semester for all four grades)

DCD ECED & PED

Detailed scope and sequence content for Khmer language pre-school & grade 1 developed (weekly mapping of skills, content, methods, and options for materials). Including agreements on structure of teacher guidelines and instructional methods.

DCD ECED & PED

Any updates to segments of the grade 1 textbook made (based on scope and sequence), illustrations developed

DCD PED

Grade 1 student activity book/workbook/set of reading books developed (with additional decodable stories for practice and activities)

PED DCD & Teacher Training Department (TTD)

Teacher activity book and teacher guidelines developed for grade 1 (based on syllabus)

DCD PED & TTD Upper pre-school teacher and student materials developed

ECD DCD & PED Existing materials catalogued and made available on Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MoEYS) portals

PED DCD & ECED

Additional reading materials collection / reading list


2017 2018

LEADING SUPPORTING May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Cross-curricular reading materials and books for reading for pleasure developed (either new content, or reading lists of existing content)

PED DCD & TTD

Reading list with recommended books for students at different levels

PED DCD & TTD

2017 2018 LEADING SUPPORTING May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov

Modules for INSET workshops Early grade reading (EGR) in-service training (INSET) content developed (based on syllabus and teacher guidelines) for grade 1 and pre-school

PED DCD, TTD, Education Quality Assurance Department (EQAD)

Videos of key instructional practices and activities completed

PED DCD & TTD

Implementation plan for training and support

Plan jointly developed with the MoEYS for training implementation

PED DCD, TTD, EQAD

Tools for ongoing teacher support Tools for coaching/mentoring developed PED DCD, TTD,

EQAD Tools for principal / provincial and district offices of education observation developed

PED DCD, TTD, EQAD

Tools for ongoing teacher learning (e.g., cluster activity manuals) developed

PED DCD, TTD, EQAD

Training of trainers (TOT) TOT manuals developed to be used in master training and for teacher trainers

PED DCD, TTD, EQAD

TOT delivered PED DCD, TTD, EQAD

School and coach training Delivery of training for principals and mentors PED DCD, TTD,

EQAD Grade 1 teachers trained for grade 1 pilot of updated materials

PED DCD, TTD, EQAD


2017 2018 LEADING SUPPORTING May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) Tool EGRA tool finalized along with brief guidelines for use by the MoEYS and nongovernmental organizations

EGR Tech-nical Working Group

Policy development Distribution of the teacher professional development policy brief to support continuous professional development policy framework

TTD PED

Modelling tool for budget implications of reforms to salary scale

TTD PED Use of assessment and data A report presenting the Cambodia education sector assessment framework

EQAD/ PED

DCD

Staff at EQAD trained on data analysis and presentation

EQAD

Support provided to EQAD to produce up to 5 data presentation products

EQAD PED

7000 copies of all data presentation products printed and distributed

EQAD


Annex A: Quarterly Financial Report Financial Summary at June 30, 2017 RTI International - Quarterly Financial Statement


Annex B: International Travel Plans for Current and Upcoming Quarters

Name of Traveler Destination and Purpose Travel Dates

David Harbin (approved) Cambodia; project start-up (operations focus) April-May 2017 Joe DeStefano (approved) Cambodia; activity start-up (technical focus) May 2017

Kyle Freedman (approved)

Cambodia; project start-up (operations focus) June-July 2017

Ares Uly (approved) Cambodia; project start-up and training Finance and Operations Manager July 2017

Simon King (approved) Cambodia; EQAS capacity building training July 2017

Joe DeStefano (approved) Cambodia; Technical planning for inclusive education funds July 2017

quarterly progress report - united states …pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/pa00n62z.pdf · 4.4 monitoring...

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