72346 v1 Pacific Early Reading Assessments Series How well are Ni-Vanuatu children learning to read in French? Around the world more children have access to basic education. However, while many more children are now enrolled in school than ever before, evidence from developing countries suggest increases in enrollment are not being accompanied by improvements in learning outcomes. In the case of Vanuatu, results from the 2007 and 2009 VANSTA assessments of literacy and numeracy revealed that a large share of students in Grade 4 and 6 are failing to reach the reading comprehension and writing outcomes expected at their grade level. Growing evidence suggest that the goal of ensuring all children read fluently with comprehension after 3 years of primary education, is not only possible but feasible, even in low-literacy contexts. As a first step towards this goal, countries around the world have started to assess children in the first grades of primary education to identify instructional go together to make words, appears to be one of the main gaps and reading deficits. A Vanuatu early grade reading reasons why beginning readers in Francophone schools in assessment (VANEGRA) was conducted in November, 2009 Vanuatu struggle to read fluently with comprehension. to measure how well children in Francophone schools are In particular, VANEGRA French results suggest that learning to read in the French language in the early grades of primary education. The aim of VANEGRA French was to help • There are low levels of even basic knowledge. After educators develop local knowledge about the specific skills three years of schooling, almost 20% of the students students are struggling with and the factors that appear were unable to provide a single correct answer in sub- to contribute to reading development in the Anglophone test measuring their ability to match letters and sounds stream of the education system. to create words. The VANEGRA French assessment consisted of seven • Most students could not read fluently for modules covering basic reading skills such as the sounds comprehension. Despite increases in oral reading of letters, word reading, listening comprehension and fluency across grades, only 2 in 10 Grade 3 students reading comprehension of two independent short stories were able to read fluently to understand most of the about several experiences typical to Ni-Vanuatu children. text they read. Achieving fluency in reading is crucial to VANEGRA French results suggest that while students improve reading comprehension among students: fluent develop some basic foundational skills, most of them lack readers achieved an average comprehension of 63% of the ability to distinguish the sounds of letters in the context the text compared to the less-than-fluent for whom the of a word. A poor understanding of how letters and sounds average comprehension was only 13%. Pacific Early Reading Assessments Series • More girls are fluent readers than boys. Although there and be able to put into practice effective teaching and is variation on the number and type of sub-test in which assessment of each component. Classroom instruction that girls perform better than boys, girls in Grades 2 and 3 makes regular use of assessment to inform teachers and move faster into reading fluency with 16% of the girls and that makes use of reference reading standards could help only 10% of the boys able to read at the country-defined teachers monitor reading development in their students to reference standard of 45 correct words per minute. determine whether or not they need to adjust instruction accordingly. Additionally, more grade-appropriate reading • Teachers that know how to promote reading regularly books and other reading materials should be made available in their classroom are helping develop essential for children to read at school and at home to ensure they basic reading skills for Ni-Vanuatu students. Teachers have enough texts to practice and master reading. Support that read aloud to students, had a reading corner in their from families and the community to ensure children practice classrooms, and who made use of the recommended reading outside school will be crucial. Only when Ni-Vanuatu school texts had a positive effect on the reading of both students in Anglophone primary schools have learned to boys and girls. read can they begin to read to learn. • Family literacy plays an important role on the reading This note summarizes selected results from the 2010 Vanuatu outcomes of Ni-Vanuatu students. Students who have Early Grade Reading Assessment (French) Survey carried a literate mother or sibling, have books at home, attended out with technical assistance from the World Bank and kindergarten, and speak French at home demonstrated financial support from the Global Partnership for Education, better reading outcomes. In particular, students who the Australian Program for International Aid (AusAID) and reported having a literate family member that reads with the New Zealand Aid Program (NZAP). Currently, the World them at home showed better outcomes in most sub- Bank, in partnership with AusAID, assists Pacific island tests of VANEGRA. countries administer, analyze and disseminate early grade Moving forward reading and mathematics assessments under the scope of the Pacific Early Education Advisory Services Program VANEGRA French results call for immediate attention to (PEEAS). The purpose of PEEAS is to provide countries with the way reading instruction takes place in Vanuatu. Given evidence on the state of policies and programs promoting that only 2 in 10 students are able to read fluently with school readiness and instructional deficits in foundational comprehension by the end of Grade 3, it is unlikely that the reading and mathematics. The evidence collected is aimed majority of students will be able to cope with an increasingly to help governments and development organizations design difficult curriculum in later grades. and implement the most appropriate and effective policies in In order to improve reading outcomes in the first grades ECE/ECD and basic reading and mathematics. of primary education, it is recommended that educators and policymakers in Vanuatu re-examine the way reading For more information about PEEAS, instruction is implemented in most classrooms around contact Kris McDonall (kmcdonall@worldbank.org) or Sarah Harrison (sharrison@worldbank.org). the country. Teachers working in the early grades need to The Pacific Early Reading series is produced with the generous understand the essential components of reading instruction support of the Global Partnership for Education.