Remedial after school programs

The National Economic and Development Authority estimated that the yearlong lack of face-to-face classes will cost the Philippine economy P11 trillion in productivity losses over the next 40 years. The pilot implementation of limited face-to-face classes started in November , with 28 schools in Metro Manila joining the pilot run in December Following the imposition of Alert Level 3 in Metro Manila and nearby provinces, the Department of Education deferred the expansion of limited face-to-face classes.

Based on the results of the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study where the Philippines ranked last among 58 countries in mathematics and science assessment for Grade 4 students, the World Bank has estimated that learning poverty in the country was at 90 percent in Learning poverty could worsen because of the impact of the pandemic, the World Bank warned in It is defined as the percentage of children aged 10 who could not read or understand a simple story.

Legal Advice. At the end of each academic year we will train the para-teachers to update their skill sets and to prepare them to teach the material in the next grade level.

We will conduct capacity-building exercises for para-teachers and monitors throughout the trial using an in-service approach. The materials will ensure children get time to practice and apply concepts taught to them in the classroom to increase the likelihood of mastery. These interactive materials are developed for language and mathematics corresponding to grade-specific competencies.

They assist in reinforcing these competencies through repeated application and practice of each concept until mastery is reached.

Intervention materials have been prepared based on the national curriculum and textbooks used in schools for each grade.

The materials aim to explain, illustrate and practice the grade-level concepts covered in regular class. Table 1 describes the content of this bundle of materials. To objectively measure learning levels of children in order to inform the adaptive teaching strategy with the goal of reaching the desired learning level, the implementation team will conduct a monthly internal assessment test that will be prepared by the technical team and conducted by the para-teachers.

These periodic assessments will be designed independently of the outcome assessments used for the primary outcome. They will be used to evaluate learning level progress and provide feedback used to improve the teaching and learning methods.

There will also be a similar independent evaluation administered semi-annually or annually to only enrolled participants in intervention villages, for the intervention team to track its progress. Community sensitization, through mobilization campaigns and monthly meetings, will be conducted in the intervention villages to motivate children to attend academic support classes and to sensitize and engage parents and the greater community to the importance of education and their role in ensuring better outcomes.

From the start, communities will play a vital role in the program, as they are the ones responsible for identification of possible candidates for para-teachers. These candidates will be interviewed and tested by Effective Intervention. Communities will then participate in the final para-teacher selection. Our main research question is whether the success of the STRIPES trial in providing an after-school para-teacher intervention to raise learning levels among primary school students in rural India can be replicated in rural parts of The Gambia.

This will be a cluster-randomized controlled trial conducted in eligible villages in the Lower River and North Bank Regions of The Gambia, which is located in West Africa. A village will potentially be eligible if the following conditions are met:. The number of households in the village is between 15 and according to the Gambian census;.

There are at least 15 children eligible for inclusion in the trial at the time of our enumeration 3 ;. It falls inside an eligible cluster, determined by an enumeration and mapping exercise described below, designed to minimize the risk of bias from contamination;. The Alkalo village chief consents to allow the village to participate in the trial.

A child will be eligible if he or she is resident in a village within an eligible cluster, and fits the following criteria:. He or she did not attend first grade or higher in a lower basic school or madrasa in the — academic year;. Participants will be informed that they may withdraw from the trial at any time.

We will perform a complete enumeration of children born between and in all villages meeting the criteria to be screened for eligibility in which the Alkalo consents.

Participants will be recruited by the research team during enumeration. A flowchart of how villages progress from screening for eligibility to inclusion in the final analysis is given in Fig.

Flowchart of villages through the trial. Footnote: see eligibility criteria for details on criteria for eligibility of children and how the final minimum number of eligible children per village will be determined.

The primary endpoint of this study is a composite of scores earned on English language and mathematics assessments from a test which will be conducted after 3 years of implementing the program: i. The effect of the intervention will be expressed in SD units. Secondary outcomes to be analyzed will include:. Subgroup-specific treatment effects to be investigated using interaction tests. Subgroups, defined at the individual level, to be considered are:.

We will create clusters from villages in the 2 regions through the following exercise:. All villages with between 15 and households according to the Gambian Census will be considered for inclusion in the trial;. An enumeration exercise conducted by our survey enumerators will identify the number of eligible children in each village;.

Those villages meeting the eligibility criterion for number of households and that have at least 15 eligible children 4 will be considered for inclusion in eligible clusters;. In this stage, the clusters will be drawn such that no village in an intervention cluster is within a reasonable buffer zone which we anticipate to be 3 km, but may vary depending on sample size requirements of a village in a control cluster, excluding some villages from the enumeration, if necessary, to prevent risk of contamination.

In the control group no after-school education program will be implemented during the period of the trial, but the children will receive small bundles of useful materials during annual data collection as recompense for their time. If the intervention is found to be effective in increasing child learning outcomes, and in the absence of insurmountable institutional or governmental barriers to doing so e. This program is scheduled to run the course of 3 full school years, starting in October and ending in June with the assessment.

According to the regional directorates of the MoBSE in the Lower River and North Bank Regions [ 16 ], just under 10, grade 1 children are eligible to attend school in the combined North Bank and Lower River regions in the public schools in these regions.

The exact numbers of clusters and eligible students will not be known until after the first enumeration is carried out, but based on the above numbers we estimate that there will be around clusters, each including an average of 40 students students in total. If the treatment effect is of the order of that seen in the STRIPES trial then there will be reasonable statistical power to explore interactions by ethnicity, gender, wealth and geographic location.

Randomization of clusters will be performed by the trial statistician based in London using a random number generator. This is an unblinded study as, following randomization, participants will be aware of whether or not they are in an intervention or control village. This research arm will be operated entirely independently of the team delivering the intervention in the intervention group. Village-level information on the access to various facilities and amenities in each eligible village.

School-level information about the school facilities and teachers, including attendance at school, observed during the course of the trial, of both students and teachers. Tests will be administered to all eligible children available in the village on the day of testing. In some cases, if a holiday, strike, or administrative necessity negatively impacts attendance at the test, a second visit to that village to reach all eligible and available children will be conducted. The main challenge we foresee in maintaining the integrity of the data we collect is finding and motivating the children to take the test at the end of the trial period, particularly those children not receiving the education intervention.

This location will be chosen for its suitability as a place of test administration at the end of the trial. In the meeting, we will collect data on the children, including their enrollment in school, and on their parents. As recompense for the time spent at these meetings, we will provide attendees a small bundle of useful materials, similar to that mentioned above, for the final assessment. The goals of these meetings are to:. Masters in Inclusive Education from University of Northampton.

Chaya is with the after-class remedial team of Brindavan at Seshadripiram, Bengaluru. Equipped with a Diploma in Montessori training from IMTC Bengaluru, she has work experience of around 8 years in mainstream schools along with an exposure to working in a resource lab for more than a year. Chaya holds a degree in commerce. She has also worked as an articled clerk with a CA firm as part of her education. A science graduate from Delhi University, she joined a pharmaceutical company.

She had to once more shift to teaching after becoming a part of the olive greens fraternity. Learn more about third-grade retention laws. Effective remedial programs are taught by professional teachers who have had special training. This is important for all kids, but especially for those who learn and think differently. Here are questions to ask the school about teacher training and other key aspects of a remedial program:.

Does the program offer regular reviews and exercises to reinforce learning and practice applying new knowledge? Can the pacing be adjusted for each student? Explore conversation starters to help families talk to teachers about school supports and services.

Share What are remedial programs? Podcast Wunder community app. Main menu Our work Blog Surveys and research. Join our team Privacy policy Terms of use Fundraising disclosure Sitemap. At a Glance Remedial programs address learning gaps by reteaching basic skills. They focus on core areas, like reading and math. Remedial programs are open to all students, including those with disabilities. Learn more about how remedial programs work and how to spot an effective program.

Dive deeper Not the same thing as special education.