Learning Outcomes

Learning now at the center of the FTI agenda

Learning levels are too low for the vast majority of over half a billion pupils attending primary school in poor countries. Many children leave primary school without knowing how to read, write or do simple arithmetic. Low-income countries aiming at the Education for All goals are expected to develop capacity to ensure that all children learn according to national standards, particularly reading.

Reading skills indicators

FTI has adopted two reading skills indicators that reflect the core placement of learning outcomes in the FTI agenda. These two indicators also reflect the fact that reading is the foundation of all learning in all subjects and grades. These indicators are:

• Proportion of students who, after two years of schooling, demonstrate sufficient reading fluency and comprehension to "read to learn".
• Proportion of students who are able to read with comprehension, according to their countries' curricular goals, by the end of primary school.

Why early grade reading?

Experts agree about the need to start measuring learning in early grades, when corrective measures can be more effective. There is the pragmatic choice to start by measuring reading, as foundation for further progress. Moreover, children's success in school (and in life) depends on early mastery of reading.

Reading assessment

Tracking reading progress requires systematic assessment tools that must be sound, simple and affordable to poor countries on a long term basis. Governments committed with quality education regularly use assessment results to adopt classroom practices proven to increase learning outcomes.

What is the current situation in countries?

About two thirds of FTI's eligible countries participate in regional and/or international student assessment studies. Many countries have implemented their own national systems. However, the wealth of data coming out of student assessments has not translated into systematic and effective actions to improve learning-and, in particular, reading.

The indicative Framework

FTI's Indicative Framework now incorporates the two reading skills indicators. Governments are asked to generate baselines for 2010 and, thereafter, report learning outcomes data on an annual or biennial basis. Local Education Groups are asked to take this information into account in their appraisal of sector strategies. Analyses of a country's trends in children's reading skills should be regularly included in mid-term reviews of FTI operations.

Funding for learning outcomes

Funding is available to help countries that do not have data about the reading skills of their students. FTI supports countries' initiatives to address their data and capacity gaps. All sources of FTI funding may finance actions to improve children's reading skills on the basis of assessment results. Many FTI institutional partners also support learning assessments, including capacity building of local personnel-an essential element of FTI's learning outcomes agenda. Among these are UNESCO, UNICEF, regional development banks, bilateral agencies, non-governmental organizations and the World Bank.

Role of EFA FTI Secretariat

With regard to implementation, the EFA FTI Secretariat will play a facilitation role. All Secretariat's support to governments will be channeled through Local Education Groups (LEGs). The Secretariat will:

• Provide information to LEGs and governments, including options for financing and assessment tools, particularly for early grade reading.
• Encourage governments to supply the required data about the two new indicators of reading skills, using the Indicative Framework (IF) template.
• Promote the programming in education sector plans of effective activities for capacity development building in learning outcomes, both for assessments and use of results.
• Disseminate policies and practices that promote assessment-based increases in learning levels, particularly in early grade reading.
• Foster development by experts of simple, reliable, and low cost solutions to learning deficiencies applicable to the realities of poor countries, including affordable tools.
• Collaborate with partner institutions engaged in learning outcomes actions, like UNESCO's Learning Counts, USAID's Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA), and the World Bank-managed Russian Education Aid for Development (READ).

During the last decade, within the Education for All - Fast Track Initiative, significant progress was achieved in access to schooling and primary school completion. The challenge is to equate schooling with learning. School attendance alone limits the potential large returns of education to individuals and societies. Learning counts!