TangerineImproving the quality of Literacy Boost reading assessments

In partnership with Save the Children, World Vision is currently implementing Literacy Boost1, a proven literacy programme which strengthens the reading and writing skills of primary school children.

A key component of Literacy Boost programming is the assessment of children’s reading levels in order to identify learning needs, tailor programming to meet those needs and estimate programme impact.

During reading assessments, early grade students are assessed on:

• Alphabet knowledge

• Ability to read words in isolation

• Ability to decode words

•Oralreadingfluency•Oralreadingaccuracy• Comprehension

Theresultsofthebaselineassessmentallowfortheprogrammeelementstobecontextualisedandtailoredtotheneedsofthecommunityandthestudents.Studentsarereassessedafteroneyearofprogramming,whichallowsWorldVisiontomeasureprogrammeeffectivenessandtoimproveprogrammingforfutureyearsofimplementation.

TocarryoutLiteracyBoostassessments,WorldVisionstaffinBurundi,DemocraticRepublicofCongo,Ethiopia,India,Kenya,Nepal,Rwanda,Senegal,SwazilandandTanzaniahaveusedtheelectronicdatacollectionsoftwareTangerine.TangerinewasdevelopedbyRTIInternationalspecificallyforeducationassessmentssuchastheEarlyGradeReadingAssessment (EGRA) and the Early Grade MathematicsAssessment (EGMA).These assessments require uniqueelectronicdatacollectionfunctionality,suchastheabilitytomeasureastudent’saccuracyandfluencywhilereadingapassage.SinceTangerinewasdevelopedthreeyearsago,ithasbeenusedinover30countriesand50languages.

TangerineisavitaltoolforLiteracyBoostassessments, improvingdataqualityandshorteningthetimebetweendatacollectionandanalysis.LocalprogrammestaffhavequicklylearnedhowtocreateelectronicsurveyformsusingtheTangerineWizard.Oncecreated,thesurveyisdownloadedontoAndroid-compatibletabletsandrunsoffline.Resultsarelatersyncedtothecloudanddownloadedfordatacleaninganddataanalysis.

1 Literacy Boost is a copyrighted tool designed, developed and owned by Save the Children.

Enumerators review Literacy Boost assessment results using Tangerine in Ethiopia.

Lisa Sorensen / World Vision

The benefits of using Tangerine for Literacy Boost assessments include:

• Enumeratorsnolongerhavetobalancethereadingpassagescoresheetandtimer,astheyareinone place on Tangerine.• Duringenumeratortrainings,staffareabletoquicklyidentifyandcorrectanysurveydesignorenumeratorcodingerrors.• The use ofTangerine averts frequent errors when entering data from paper surveys into a

spreadsheet.• Tangerine allows for international staff to monitor data collection progress and offer assistance

from anywhere in the world with an internet connection.

WorldVision and Save theChildren’s Partnership for Literacy has assisted in further testing and developmentofTangerine.As Literacy Boost assessments have slightly different requirements from a traditional EGRA, bothorganisations have contributed insights aswell as programming additions to ensure thatTangerine is a flexibleandadaptable tool.TheorganisationsareactivemembersofabroadernetworkofgroupsusingTangerine thatcontinuallysharefindingsandadvancetheuseofTangerine.

TangerinehasvastlyimprovedthequalityofLiteracyBoostassessmentsandhasbeeninstrumentalinhelpingWorldVisionmeasurereadingskillsthroughouttheworld.

Enumerators in Rwanda use Tangerine on Android tablets to collect baseline and endline assessment data.

Lisa Sorensen / World VisionLisa Sorensen / World Vision

World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organisation dedicated to working with children, families, and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. World Vision serves all people, regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation.

www.wvi.org/educationwww.facebook.com/WorldVisionInternationalwww.twitter/WorldVision

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For more information about Tangerine, please email Education and Life Skills at World Vision International: EdLS@wvi.org

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