quarterly program report

April 30, 2021

This publication was produced for review by the United States Agency for International Development.

It was prepared by Chemonics International Inc.

QUARTERLY PROGRAM REPORT USAID SOMA UMENYE PROJECT

QUARTER 2, FISCAL YEAR 2021 (JANUARY 1 – MARCH 31, 2021)

DISCLAIMER

The authors’ views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the United

States Agency for International Development or the United States government.

QUARTERLY PROGRAM REPORT USAID SOMA UMENYE PROJECT

QUARTER 2, FISCAL YEAR 2021 (JANUARY 1 – MARCH 31, 2021)

Contract No. AID-OAA-I-14-00055, Task Order No. AID-696-TO-16-00001

Cover photo: A teacher a GS Miyove in Gicumbi District administering the oral reading fluency sub-test

of the Local Early Grade Reading Assessment (LEGRA) to a P3 student. (Credit: Emma-Claudine

Ntirenganya/USAID Soma Umenye)

SOMA UMENYE QUARTERLY PROGRAM REPORT | iii

CONTENTS

Acronyms ................................................................................................................ iv

Executive Summary ............................................................................................... vi

Challenges .............................................................................................................. vii

Project Overview ................................................................................................... 1

A. Background .................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

B. Program Description ................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Achievements and Discussion of Major Activities .............................................. 3

A. Operational Activities .............................................................................................................. 4

B. Technical Activities ................................................................................................................... 5

Challenges and Lessons Learned ........................................................................ 34

A. Challenges Encountered and Proposed Remedial Actions ............................................34

B. Success Stories and Lessons Learned .................................................................................35

Activities Planned for Next Quarter.................................................................. 39

A. Operational Activities ............................................................................................................39

B. Technical Activities .................................................................................................................39

Annex A. Reporting Against Indicators ............................................................. 51

Annex B. School-Based Orientation for NewP1-P3 Kinyarwanda Teachers 66

Annex C. Term-specific Cutscores for LEGRA Sub-tasks (P1-P3) ............... 108

Annex D. Memorandum of Understanding for the RSL Dictionary ............. 116

SOMA UMENYE QUARTERLY PROGRAM REPORT | iv

ACRONYMS

BEQAD Basic Education Quality Assurance Department

BLF Building Learning Foundations (DFID/FCDO)

CBC Competency-Based Curriculum

CoP Community of Practice

COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease

CPD Continuing Professional Development

CTLRD Curriculum, Teaching, and Learning Resources Department (REB)

DDE District Director of Education

DFID Department for International Development (UK)

DEO District Education Officer

DOS Dean of Studies

EGRA Early Grade Reading Assessment

ESAD Examinations, Selection, and Assessment Department (REB)

ESSP Education Sector Strategic Plan

FCDO Foreign and Commonwealth Office (UK)

FY Fiscal Year

GOR Government of Rwanda

HT Head Teacher

IR Intermediate Result

KRC Kinyarwanda Reading Camp

LARS Learning Assessment in Rwandan Schools

LEGRA Local Early Grade Reading Assessment

LTM Learning and Teaching Materials (see TLM)

MEL Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning

MINEDUC Ministry of Education

NCPD National Council of Persons with Disabilities

NESA National Examinations and School Inspection Authority

NQT Newly Qualified Teacher

NRC National Reading Campaign

NRTT-SL National Reading Training Team (School Leader Training)

NRTT-TT National Reading Training Team (Teacher Training)

REB Rwanda Basic Education Board

RSL Rwanda Sign Language

SOMA UMENYE QUARTERLY PROGRAM REPORT | v

SEI Sector Education Inspector

SGAC School General Assembly Committee

TDM Teacher Development and Management and Career Guidance and

Counseling Department (REB)

TLM Teaching and Learning Materials (see LTM)

TTC Teacher Training College

UDL Universal Design for Learning

URCE University of Rwanda College of Education

USSD Unstructured Supplementary Service Data

VVOB Flemish Association for Development Cooperation and Technical Assistance

SOMA UMENYE QUARTERLY PROGRAM REPORT | vi

OVERALL RESULTS IN QUARTER 2 (JANUARY – MARCH

2021)

• Through REB, completed the successful distribution of 2,755 tablets and 30

laptops for school leaders to support them with comprehensive assessment,

continuous professional development, and coaching • Trained 7,643 participants, including school leaders (head teachers, Deans of

Study, SEIs, DEOs, and DDEs) and lead teachers from each school on conducting

Term 1 LEGRA. Supported school leaders and lead teachers to facilitate a school-

level community of practice on LEGRA preparation for 18,030 P1-P3 teachers • Scripted, recorded, and produced a total of 34 radio lessons (8 lessons each for

each grade covering the Term 3 curriculum and 10 supplementary lessons

primarily covering decodables; 4 pending final REB approval) which completed the

bank of P1-P3 radio lessons covering the Term 1-Term 3 curriculum • Distributed 138,633 TLMs to 585 new schools (including P1-P3 student textbooks,

teacher guides, and read alouds) • Distributed 7,032 TLMs specifically to new P1-P3 Kinyarwanda teachers (including

P1-P3 teacher guides and read alouds) • Observed an increase in key metrics during the March 2021 school-based

monitoring, including: 65% of classrooms using project-provided books (compared to 51% in

March 2020) 83% of teachers demonstrating essential skills in teaching Kinyarwanda

(compared to 75.7% in March 2020) 48% of teachers reporting to have received adequate coaching (compared

to 41% in March 2020)

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

SOMA

UMENYE

The objective of the Soma

Umenye activity, which is a

five-year initiative of USAID

and REB, is to ensure that

at least 70 percent of

students in P1-P3 are able

to read grade-level

Kinyarwanda text with

fluency and comprehension.

To achieve this, Soma Umenye focuses on the

classroom and school-level

interventions necessary to

improve reading

instruction, including the

provision of materials,

training and coaching,

supportive leadership, and

analysis of student

assessment results.

Additionally, Soma Umenye

works to strengthen the

capacity of the education

system in Rwanda to enable

high quality reading

instruction to continue

beyond the life of the

activity. Soma Umenye is

being implemented by

Chemonics and its partner

organizations in all public

and government-aided

primary schools nationwide

from July 2016 to July 2021.

For more information

contact Stephen Blunden

sblunden@soma-

umenye.org

Testimonial

“I really give thanks to this program [School-Based Orientation for New P1-P3

Kinyarwanda Teachers] as when a teacher arrives and has missed an induction, it is

difficult from them to teach effectively. I found this to be a home grown solution. I

think this can be applied to other subjects. I strongly thank every stakeholder who

plays a role to ensure the smooth implementation of this school-based orientation

program for new P1-P3 Kinyarwanda teachers” – Gerard Murasira, Director of

Teacher Training Unit, REB

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

SOMA UMENYE QUARTERLY PROGRAM REPORT | vii

ACHIEVEMENTS • Developed and implemented a five-week School-Based Orientation for New

P1-P3 Kinyarwanda Teachers to fill an immediate gap (in the absence of face-

to-face training) for approximately 7,000 new lower primary teachers.

Through this program, trailed the use of lead teachers (e.g.: previously-

trained) to act as coaches for new teachers.

• Successfully supported schools, sectors, and districts across the country to

conduct a Term 1 LEGRA

• Celebrated International Mother Language Day with a virtual webinar to

mark the official handover to REB of 2,969,844 decodable readers for P1

students

• Continued to support the National Reading Campaign, through the Soma

Rwanda platform, by highlighting nine “literacy change makers”

• Supported REB and NESA to integrate, for the first time, timed oral reading

fluency and reading comprehension tasks (modeled from the project’s EGRA)

into the national LARS IV assessment

CHALLENGES • REB recruited and placed a large cohort of approximately 7,000 new P1-P3

Kinyarwanda teachers in Term 1. COVID-19 restrictions for most of Term

1 prevented face-to-face trainings for these new teachers, requiring Soma

Umenye to quickly put in place an interim solution until face-to-face training

was allowed.

• The large number of new schools with a primary section (585) required

Soma Umenye to collaborate with REB to creatively use stock in the

project’s warehouse to quickly distribute TLMs to new schools. New

schools still require more TLMs.

SOMA

UMENYE

For more information

contact Stephen

Blunden

sblunden@soma-

umenye.org

PLANS • Conduct a four-day training for new and re-deployed P1-P3 Kinyarwanda

teachers

• Deliver a two-day refresher training for school leaders to prepare them to

analyze Term 1 LEGRA data and develop Term 2 remediation plans

• Support NESA, teachers, and school leaders to reflect on Term 1 LEGRA

data through a series of school, sector, and district inamas

• Continue to conduct school-based activities, including supporting a cycle of

communities of practice and coaching

• Prepare to deliver a post-Term 2 Kinyarwanda Reading Camp (KRC)

targeting zero scorers

• Analyze findings from the TLM audit to inform book care messages/longevity

strategies and support REB with modeling for future TLM print and

distribution cycles

SOMA UMENYE QUARTERLY PROGRAM REPORT | 1

SECTION 1

PROJECT OVERVIEW USAID Soma Umenye was designed in response to the GOR’s priorities and the evidence (demonstrated by

assessments like the Learning Assessment in Rwandan Schools) that early grade reading required additional

investment. Its objective is to improve reading outcomes in Kinyarwanda for at least 1 million children.

Specifically, Soma Umenye will target all children in Grades 1-3 attending public and government-aided

schools nationwide and ensure that at least 70 percent of these students are able to read grade-level text

with fluency and comprehension. Below, Exhibit 1 lists Soma Umenye’s results framework.

Exhibit 1. USAID Soma Umenye project results framework

Development Objective: Increased opportunities for Rwandan children and youth to succeed in schooling and the

modern workplace

IR 1: Classroom instruction in early- grade

reading improved

IR 2: Systemic capacity for early-grade reading

instruction improved

Sub-IR 1.1: Evidence-based, gender-sensitive early-

grade reading materials available and used

Sub-IR 2.1: National advocacy mechanisms for early-

grade reading interventions strengthened

Sub-IR 1.2: Teachers’ use of evidence-based, gender-

sensitive instructional practices in early- grade reading

increased

Sub-IR 2.2: Student and teacher performance

standards and benchmarks for early-grade reading

applied

Sub-IR 1.3: Capacity of head and mentor teachers to

coach and supervise early-grade reading instruction

strengthened

Sub-IR 2.3: Research-based policies and curricula

in support of early-grade reading instruction

implemented

Sub-IR 1.4: Schools’ and teachers’ use of

student assessment results improved

Sub-IR 2.4: Early-grade reading assessment systems

strengthened

Sub-IR 2.5: Capacity of TTCs to prepare effective early-

grade reading teachers improved

Cross-Cutting: Gender and inclusion of students with special needs, ICT

IR 1 focuses on the classroom and school-level interventions necessary to improve evidence-based reading

instruction, including the provision of materials, training and coaching, supportive leadership, and analysis

and use of student assessment results.

IR 2 focuses on strengthening the capacity of the education system in Rwanda to implement and support high-

quality, evidence-based reading instruction throughout the country, and thereby enabling high quality reading

instruction to continue beyond the life of Soma Umenye.

Exhibit 2 provides an outline of Soma Umenye’s Year 5 activities and how they align with IR 1 and IR 2.


Exhibit 2. Year 5 activities mapped against IR 1 and IR 2

Year 5 Activities

B1. COVID-19 Considerations

B2. Materials

B3. Sustainable Continuous Professional Development, Quality

Instruction, and School-Based Support for Teachers and School Leaders

B4. Comprehensive Assessment

B5. Inclusion

B6. Communications

B7. Monitoring/Evaluating and Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting

B8. Transition Activities

B9. Closeout Activities

Soma Umenye Results Framework Corresponding Year 5 Activities

IR 1: Classroom instruction in early grade reading improved

Sub-IR 1.1: Evidence-based, gender-

sensitive early-grade reading materials

available and used

B1a Support REB to deliver a remote learning program

B2a Ensure student access to learning materials

B2b Build REB capacity to procure teaching and learning materials to better manage its book supply chain

B2c Digitize the P1-P3 teacher’s guides

B5e Pilot Orbit Reader for students who are blind

B5f Produce and distribute accessible digital supplementary readers

B6a Deliver the National Reading Campaign

Sub-IR 1.2: Teachers’ use of evidence-

based, gender-sensitive instructional

practices in early-grade reading increased

B3a Deliver an integrated cycle of communities of practice, coaching, and reflection for P1-P3 Kinyarwanda

teachers, school-based coaches, SEIs, and DEOs

B3b Train newly qualified and redeployed P1-P3 Kinyarwanda teachers in best practices in early grade

reading instruction

B5a Implement a Universal Design for Learning pilot in selected P1 classrooms

Sub-IR 1.3: Capacity of head and mentor

teachers to coach and supervise early-

grade reading instruction strengthened



Sub-IR 1.4: Schools’ and teachers’ use of

student assessment results improved

B4a Support P1-P3 Kinyarwanda teachers to conduct formative assessment

B4b Support REB to implement end of term assessments in P1-P3 Kinyarwanda


Soma Umenye Results Framework Corresponding Year 5 Activities

B4c Collaborate with REB to implement school-level remediation for P1-P3 students

IR 2: Systemic capacity for early-grade reading instruction improved

Sub-IR 2.1: National advocacy

mechanisms for early-grade reading

interventions strengthened

B4d Develop a comprehensive assessment dashboard and transition it to REB

Sub-IR 2.2: Student and teacher

performance standards and benchmarks

for early-grade reading applied

B2c Digitize the P1-P3 teacher’s guides



B4b Support REB to implement end-of-term assessments in P1-P3 Kinyarwanda

Sub-IR 2.3: Research-based policies and

curricula in support of early-grade reading

instruction implemented

B7 Monitoring/evaluating and collaborating, learning, and adapting

B8 Transition activities

Sub-IR 2.4: Early grade reading

assessment systems strengthened B4e Support NESA to deliver a NESA-EGRA

Sub-IR 2.5: Capacity of TTCs to

effectively prepare teachers of early grade

reading teachers increased

B3c Support REB to leverage TTCs for a sustainable approach to CPD and coaching

Cross-Cutting

Gender and inclusion of students

with special needs, ICT

B5a Implement a Universal Design for Learning pilot in selected P1 classrooms

B5b Support the National Council of Persons with Disabilities to finalize Rwandan Sign Language

B5c Support REB and stakeholders to standardize and validate a Kinyarwanda braille code

B5d Adapt the 2018 and 2019 Andika Rwanda books for blind children

B5e Pilot Orbit Reader for students who are blind

B5f Produce and distribute accessible digital supplementary readers


SECTION 2

ACHIEVEMENTS AND DISCUSSION

OF MAJOR ACTIVITIES

After 10 months of school closures, lower primary students in Rwanda (except those in Kigali) finally returned to

school for in-person instruction on January 18th, 2021. While Kigali students followed on February 23rd, Term 1

was not without its challenges. For example, there were approximately 7,000 new P1-P3 Kinyarwanda teachers

when schools re-opened (some of whom had no previous teacher training) and Government of Rwanda COVID-

19 guidelines prohibited any face-to-face events/meetings until March 15th. In the absence of a formal training,

Soma Umenye collaborated closely and quickly with REB this quarter to design and implement a five-week school-

based orientation for new P1-P3 Kinyarwanda teachers. Additionally, when limited face-to-face meetings were

finally allowed on March 15th, Soma Umenye immediately took action and, within three days, organized and

facilitated a three-stage Term 1 Local Early Grade Reading Assessment (LEGRA) training for approximately 7,600

participants (including all school leaders and a lead P1-P3 teacher from each school). Following this, a nationwide

LEGRA (representing the first time such an activity has taken place in Rwanda) successfully marked the end of

Quarter 2. Exhibit 3 outlines some key cabinet and REB announcements that serve to contextualize the updates in

the remainder of this report.

Exhibit 3. Overview of Government-Level Decisions Impacting Soma Umenye Activities in Quarter

2

January

2021

February

2021

March

2021

Cabinet Announcements

January 5th: Lower primary remains closed.

Movement between districts (including

Kigali) is prohibited. In-person meetings are

prohibited.

January 18th: Lower primary returns to

school in all districts except Kigali. In person

meetings are prohibited in all districts.

February 2nd: Lower primary in Kigali

remains closed. Movements between all

districts and in-person meetings still

prohibited.

February 23rd: Lower primary in Kigali

resumes. Movement between all districts

and in-person meetings still prohibited.

March 15th: Movement between districts

resumes, except for Bugesera, Nyanza, and

Gisagara. Physical meetings can resume (not

exceeding 30% of capacity; COVID-19

testing required for meetings with more than

20 participants).

March 29th: Movement for Bugesera,

Nyanza, and Gisagara resumes.

Updates from REB

Training: Following the March 15th cabinet

announcement, REB gives the go-ahead for

Term 1 LEGRA approves Soma Umenye’s

first face-to-face training since March 2020

(LEGRA training for all school leaders

started on March 18th, 2021).

Teacher Placement: Phase IV teacher

placement still underway without a firm

finalization date. Estimates from REB and

Soma Umenye in March indicate that there

were approximately 7,200 new P1-P3

Kinyarwanda teachers placed during the

earlier phases of teacher recruitment.

New Leadership: Appointment of a new

REB Director General (DG) and Head of

Teacher Development, Management, Career

Guidance, and Counselling Department

(TDM).

National Examination and School

Inspection Authority (NESA): Creation

of a new agency, replacing REB’s

Examination, Selection and Assessment

Department (ESAD) and MINEDUC

inspectorate.


During Quarter 2, the government of Rwanda appointed a new Director General (DG) and Head of Teacher

Development, Management, Career Guidance, and Counselling Department (TDM) of REB, and created a new

institution – the National Examination and School Inspection Authority (NESA). NESA replaced the Examinations,

Selections, and Assessment Department at REB and the inspectorate in MINEDUC. Immediately following the

announcement of the changes in leadership, Soma Umenye engaged with the new REB DG, Head of TDM, NESA

DG, and the Head of Department of Basic Education and TVET Examination at NESA to not only provide them

with an overview of Soma Umenye but to also understand their priorities and their vision for their respective

institutions and departments. Doing this enabled the project to continue its activities without interruption, while

at the same time building strong relationships with the new leadership.

A. OPERATIONAL ACTIVITIES

Operations. Following the Government of Rwanda’s cabinet communiqué restricting movements in Kigali starting

on January 18, 2021, the project reverted to working remotely. As the project already had protocols in place, staff

were able to easily transition to working remotely during the lockdown. As schools resumed in January and

February, which allowed for the distribution of materials to new schools and newly qualified and redeployed

teachers, as well as the resumption of face-to-face training activities, the project developed protocols that

required project staff and service providers to be tested for COVID-19 before coming into contact with

beneficiaries. The protocols also included strict measures should an individual test positive. The project is

currently in the process of exploring how it can strengthen its COVID-19 testing protocols, including requiring

project staff to submit hardcopy proof of their negative status prior to attending a project activity and testing of

non-project staff members (i.e., trainers).

Recruitment. Following the resignation of the Technical Finance Coordinator and Communications Assistant in the

first quarter, the project completed the recruitment and onboarded two new staff members. During the reporting

period, the project also finalized the recruitment of an Assessment Specialist consultant to conduct pre- and post-

training assessments for refresher trainings for school leaders and newly qualified teachers, as well as a short-term

closeout coordinator to assist with the project’s first phase of closeout.

At the end of Quarter 2, the project was finalizing the recruitment of an HR Officer (following the departure of

the former HR Officer), two Inclusion Specialist consultants, as well as a Digitized Teacher’s Guide and Quality

Assurance Specialist consultant. Finally, the project started the recruitment process for a MEL Specialist following

the resignation of the current MEL Specialist.

Procurement and logistics. At the end of January, the project worked closely with REB to develop a plan for the

distribution of P1-P3 textbooks, teacher guides, and read aloud story books to new schools. As Kigali was in

lockdown at that time, the project requested and received police clearance for the warehouse manager and casual

workers to pick and pack TLM kits that were delivered to the new schools. The project conducted large

distributions of TLMs for new schools and new P1-P3 Kinyarwanda teachers (see Activity B2a for additional

details).

During Quarter 2, the project conducted an analysis of all the teaching and learning materials distributed to date

and any gaps in the distribution of materials. The project continued to work with its distributors to develop plans

to remediate errors in distribution and intends to execute these plans following the reopening of schools for

Term 2 in April 2021. Finally, the distributor of classroom library bookshelves indicated that it completed the

distribution of bookshelves in Eastern, Southern, and Western Provinces. As of the end of the quarter, the

project was in the process of verifying the submission of proof of delivery notes and assembly verification forms.

On January 14, 2021, the project transferred 2,755 tablets (for school leaders at the sector and school-level)

equipped with cases and screen protectors to the Government of Rwanda. In addition, on February 3, 2021, the

project transferred 30 laptops (for DEOs in charge of primary education) equipped with Microsoft Office and

Norton Antivirus to the GOR.


B. TECHNICAL ACTIVITIES

B1. COVID-19 CONSIDERATIONS

B1a. Support REB to deliver a remote learning program

Deliver P1-P3 radio lessons. In Quarter 2, Soma Umenye completed development of a complete lesson bank of

radio lessons spanning the Grade 1, 2, and 3 Kinyarwanda curricula. These lessons provide a key resource to

support REB delivery of future audio lessons as well as a resource for teacher training and remediation. During

this reporting period, the project focused on completing the production of lessons covering Term 3 content as

well as a bank of ten supplementary lessons that complement the standard bank of lesson with more interactive

content in longer lessons (as shown in Exhibit 4).

Exhibit 4. Radio Lessons Produced and Broadcast in Quarter 2

Support REB’s digital materials platform. During Quarter 2, Soma Umenye continued to support REB’s online

eLearning platform through the submission of final Andika Rwanda videos and digital storybooks to REB for

upload. Additionally, during this quarter, Soma Umenye scripted and recorded a radio program for decodable

readers. With the successful distribution of 2,969,844 decodable readers to every P1 classroom (see Activity B2a

for additional details), Soma Umenye developed a radio program to specifically guide parents on the role they can

play when their P1 child brings home his/her first decodable reader. The radio program begins by providing

parents with an overview of what decoding is and why it is a critical foundational reading skill. The program then

transitions to audio of a P1 student reading the first decodable reader, called “Irera,” which focuses on the

consonant “r.” The program models how a parent can support his/her child with the decodable reader at home,

including strategies for providing encouragement and supporting the child if he/she is struggling. The program also

provides some guidance for parents who may be illiterate and unable to follow the words that their child is

reading. The program finishes with informing parents about when their child will bring home decodable readers as


well as messages around the importance of book care. At the end of Quarter 2, Soma Umenye received approval

from REB to broadcast the program at the start of Term 2 (Quarter 3).

B2. MATERIALS

B2a. Ensure student access to learning materials

Finalize distribution of remaining project materials. During the January-February 2021 lockdown, the project worked

closely with REB to develop and execute a plan for the distribution of P1-P3 textbooks, teacher guides, and read

aloud story books to new schools. Given the uncertainty in enrollment numbers and limited remaining stock of

TLMs, the project allocated the following materials to each of the new schools: 120 P1 textbooks, 35 P2

textbooks, 75 P3 textbooks, two P1 teachers guides and read aloud story books, one P2 teacher guide and read

aloud story book, and one P3 teacher guide and read aloud story book. The project executed the distribution by

utilizing District Advisors as distribution agents.

Additionally, during this quarter, to mark the successful development and distribution of 2,969,844 decodable

readers for P1 students, Soma Umenye facilitated an official handover event with REB. The event coincided with

the observance of International Mother Language Day, providing REB and Soma Umenye with an opportunity to

reinforce the critical importance of foundational literacy in mother tongue. The event, which was a virtual webinar

hosted by REB, brought together approximately 250 representatives from MINEDUC, REB, USAID/Rwanda, local

government education officials (including DDEs, DEOs, and SEIs), head teachers, and Soma Rwanda members. The

event provided an opportunity to (1) raise awareness about decodables and their role in supporting P1 students

to learn to read, (2) highlight the role of parents in monitoring and supporting their children’s progress in reading

by giving them to read at home; (3) emphasize the role of school leaders and teachers in encouraging and

monitoring the effective use of reading materials; (4) engage education officials at the sector, district, and national

level to highlight the role of decodables and the importance of making time to read so students are supported to

reach the reading benchmarks; and (5) demonstrating the potential cost effective use of virtual communications to

inform a wide cross section of stakeholders about a new initiative. See Activity B6a for additional details.

Audit student textbooks in schools (losses, condition of books). Following close collaboration with CTLRD, Soma

Umenye commenced a book audit in 15 schools per district at the end of Quarter 2. To prepare for this, Soma

Umenye co-developed and finalized (following a pilot in one school per district) the audit tool and protocols with

CTLRD. Soma Umenye designed the tools to capture a wide range of information, which is outlined in Exhibit 5.

The project’s District Advisors were trained on the tools (which are uploaded in SurveyCTO) and, in late March,

began the audit process in a total of 450 randomly sampled schools across the country. The project will analyze

and reflect on the results of the audit with REB in Quarter 3.

Screenshots from the virtual decodable handover webinar on February 19th, 2021.


Exhibit 5. Overview of the TLM Audit Tool

Component of the TLM Audit

Tool

Explanation

1. School census This section enables the project to capture the number of P1-P3 students

and P1-P3 Kinyarwanda teachers in the sample schools, disaggregated by

grade level with P1 students being further disaggregated by cohort (cohort

of 2020 vs. new cohort of 2021).

2. Audit of materials This section enables the project to capture specific information about the

following TLMs in schools: P1-P3 student textbook, P1-P3 teacher’s guide,

and P1-P3 read alouds. In addition to cataloging the quantity of each

material (including the date the school received it), this section will allow

for the District Advisor to inspect the materials and classify each into one

of four categories: near perfect condition, good condition, in need of

repair, and beyond repair. For books that are classified as “in need of

repair” or “beyond repair,” the project will record the reasons why.

Exhibit 6 provides an overview of the different categories. Additionally, the

District Advisor will note the number of missing or lost materials. Finally,

the District Advisors will take pictures of the state of TLMs in each school,

which can be included in the final audit report.

3. Reasons for loss/damage

of TLMs

Through interviews with head teachers, this section solicits inputs from

schools about why they think that TLMs have been lost or damaged. Here,

it is expected that some common reasons could include:

• Lack of school bags to carry books

• Students changing schools

• Poor book storage infrastructure in schools

• Book care expectations not conveyed properly to students

4. Strategies to increase

longevity of TLMs

Through interviews with head teachers, this section allows for school-level

input on possible solutions to increase longevity for each type of TLM.

Following the head teacher’s responses, District Advisors will then ask

schools whether they have employed specific strategies, including, but not

limited to:

• Covering books

• Asking parents to provide school bags

• Meeting with the School General Assembly Committee (SGAC)

and engaging them in book care advocacy with parents

• Repairing books

5. Observations This section allows the District Advisor to record any other necessary

information, including observations of how TLMs are being used by

students and teachers in each of the sampled schools.

Exhibit 6. Categories of TLMs for the Book Audit

Categories Description

Near Perfect Condition

• Has front/back covers

• Has all the content/pages

• Clean – no writing in the book

Good condition

• Has front/back covers

• Has all the content/pages

• Clean – little or no writing in the book


In need of repair

• Lost cover page(s)

• Torn cover page(s)

• Lost non-learning content pages (introductory/table of content pages)

• Torn, but not lost, learning pages

• Pages on the verge of falling out, but available

Beyond repair

• Lost pages of learning content due to binding (i.e., pages fell out and

are lost)

• Lost pages of learning content due to poor handling (i.e., pages torn

out)

• Water/rain damage that has caused the book to become unreadable

• Extremely dirty/defaced/penned pages that has caused the content to

become unreadable (penned = written in with pen/marker)

Provide a short-term solution to support the double P1 cohort proposed for the 2020/21 school year. During the

reporting period, the project held a meeting with the Acting Director General of REB to discuss the proposed

plan for the distribution of refurbished textbooks to existing schools. Following the meeting, on January 12,

CTLRD conducted a site visit to the project’s warehouse in order to inspect the refurbished textbooks.

Following the inspection, Soma Umenye received approval from the Head of CTLRD to distribute the textbooks

to existing schools; however, the project was requested to prioritize the distribution of teaching and learning

materials to new schools. Exhibit 7 provides a breakdown of the distribution of textbooks, teacher guides and

read alouds to new schools in Quarter 2.

Exhibit 7. TLMs Distributed to New Schools (validation still being completed)

Province # of

Districts

# of

new

schools

Textbooks Teacher Guides Read Alouds

P1 P2 P3 P1 P2 P3 P1 P2 P3

Southern 6 83 9960 2,880 6,225 161 84 82 161 83 83

Northern 5 75 8880 2,590 5,550 148 74 74 148 74 74

Eastern 6 192 23,160 6,755 14,430 386 248 193 324 193 192

Western 7 121 14,520 4,235 9,075 242 121 121 216 121 121

Kigali 6 114 13,439 3,920 8,394 224 112 112 224 112 112

Total 30 585 69,959 20,380 43,674 1,161 639 582 1073 583 582

During Quarter 2, Soma Umenye also supported the distribution of excess teacher guides and read alouds for

new P1-P3 Kinyarwanda teachers in existing schools. Exhibit 8 provides a breakdown of this distribution.

Exhibit 8. Teacher Guides and Read Alouds Distributed to New P1-P3 Kinyarwanda Teachers in

Existing Schools (validation still being completed)

Province # of

Districts # of schools

Teacher Guides Read Alouds

P1 P2 P3 P1 P2 P3

Southern 6 348 407 201 178 407 204 178

Northern 5 242 245 113 129 245 113 129

Eastern 6 286 425 193 172 425 193 172

Western 7 879 495 250 217 472 228 182

Kigali 6 172 236 147 146 238 146 146

Total 30 1,927 1,808 904 842 1,787 884 807


At the end of the reporting period, the project was in the process of developing a distribution plan to distribute

the refurbished P1 textbooks to high volume schools.

B2b. Build REB capacity to procure teaching and learning materials to better manage its book

supply chain

Deliver supply chain training to REB. In Quarter 2, Soma Umenye continued to develop the supply chain training

module and supplementary materials. The project plans to use findings from the TLM audit (see Activity B2a) to

influence the supply chain training and provide REB with evidence to support a modeling framework for TLM print

numbers. The project expects this to be particularly important for the September 2021 school year and helping

REB to predict book longevity and distribution numbers.

Present recommendations to REB on its print specifications and print quality assurance. No activity in Quarter 2 as this

will, in part, be influenced by the findings of the TLM audit (see Activity B2a).

Develop and disseminate book supply chain guidelines. No activity in Quarter 2.

B2c. Digitize the P1-P3 teacher’s guide

Digitize the P1-P3 teacher’s guide. During this quarter, Soma Umenye explored options for how to digitize the P1-

P3 teacher’s guide and began a local recruitment for a consultant with specific digitization expertise.

B3. SUSTAINABLE CONTINUOUS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, QUALITY

INSTRUCTION, AND SCHOOL-BASED SUPPORT FOR TEACHERS AND SCHOOL LEADERS

B3a. Deliver an integrated cycle of communities of practice, coaching, and reflection for P1-P3

Kinyarwanda teachers, school-based coaches, SEIs, and DEOs

Deliver training to newly appointed school leaders. Given the delay in the recruitment and appointment of new school

leaders, Soma Umenye and REB agreed to include acting school leaders in the project’s training (further described

in this section and B4b).

Deliver refresher training to all school leaders. Initially, Soma Umenye planned to deliver a two-day refresher training

to all school leaders (including acting school leaders) during Term 1. However, COVID-19 restrictions prohibited

in-person meetings until March 15th, which was only two weeks before the end of Term 1. With the priority

focused on equipping school leaders to deliver Term 1 LEGRA (see Activity B4b), Soma Umenye did not conduct

a refresher training in Quarter 2. Instead, at the end of Quarter 2, Soma Umenye started planning to deliver a

school leader refresher training in April.

To support school leaders during trainings and CPD (see related sub-activities in this section and Activity B3b),

Soma Umenye provided all head teachers and SEIs1 with a tablet (2,755 in total) and all DEOs in charge of primary

education with a laptop (30 in total). Soma Umenye officially handed over the tablets and laptops to REB in

January and February, respectively. REB then facilitated a successful distribution of the devices to all districts by

the end of February.

Develop community of practice materials. During Term 1, Soma Umenye prioritized rapid support for the almost

7,000 new P1-P3 Kinyarwanda teachers through a School-Based Orientation Program. Part of this program

involved school-level communities of practice where previously-trained teachers and head teachers supported

new teachers to get up to speed on key instructional literacy skills. In Quarter 1, Soma Umenye developed a

guiding document schools that outlined content for each of the planned sessions (see Activity B3b for further

1 Soma Umenye provided SEIs in 16 districts with tablets as VVOB has previously provided SEIs in 14

districts with tablets. Soma Umenye coordinated with SEIs in the 14 districts to load project-related

materials on their tablets.


details). Additionally, during this quarter, Soma Umenye developed content for a LEGRA-specific community of

practice. This community of practice was part of the three-stage LEGRA training (see Activity B4b) that occurred

in March, right before teachers and school leaders administer the Term 1 LEGRA. Each head teacher, supported

by a lead P1-P3 Kinyarwanda teacher, facilitated a day-long community of practice to orient other teachers on (1)

what LEGRA is; (2) how to administer it; and (3) how it is part of a larger monitoring, reflection, and remediation

cycle at the school, sector, district, and national level.

Distribute community of practice materials. During this quarter, Soma Umenye disseminated materials for Term 1

communities of practice on school leaders’ tablets. With the introduction of the five-week School-Based

Orientation Program for New P1-P3 Kinyarwanda Teachers (see Activity B3b for further details), most

communities of practice during Term 1 came under that program. Through that program, Soma Umenye

disseminated materials for communities of practice to support new P1-P3 teachers via WhatsApp and email with

existing groups of school leaders, head teachers, and teachers. For the LEGRA-specific community of practice

(mentioned above), Soma Umenye distributed guidance on the content to head teachers and lead teachers when

they attended the sector-level LEGRA training (see Activity B4b for further details).

Support the reporting cycle for communities of practice and coaching. During Quarter 2, Soma Umenye primarily

collected data on community of practices that were part of the School-Based Orientation Program for New P1-P3

Kinyarwanda Teachers. From the school monitoring activity in March (end of Quarter 2), initial data indicates that

63% of head teachers organized a community of practice (compared to 18% organized by a Dean of Study, and 7%

organized by someone else such as a lead teacher or school-based mentor). 14% did not organize a community of

practice at all. Among those who organized communities of practice, 85% noted that they organized one

community of practice per month and 11% organized a community of practice once per term. 66% of P1-P3

teachers stated that they participated in a recent community of practice.

Deliver virtual coaching pilot. When lower primary students returned to school on January 18th, REB’s priority was

ensuring that the almost 7,000 new teachers for P1-P3 (some of them with no previous education experience)

had the skills they needed to effectively deliver the Term 1 curriculum. To address this, Soma Umenye supported

REB to develop and deliver a five-week school-based orientation program for new P1-P3 Kinyarwanda teachers

(see Activity B3b and Annex B for additional details). With a quick turnaround to support REB’s priority, Soma

Umenye did not conduct an official virtual coaching pilot; however, the project integrated targeted messaging and

follow-up for participants in the program. Soma Umenye developed and communicated a series of weekly

messages, and daily in the initial phases of the program, for different stakeholders including new teachers, lead

teachers, head teachers, SEIs, and DEOs. The messages, disseminated by the project’s District Advisors over

WhatsApp, email, and phone, included reminders about key aspects of the program and, in the later weeks, were

constructed following a reflection on weekly MEL data. This enabled Soma Umenye to have almost daily contact

with program participants to support them with implementation. Annex B provides additional information about

the specific messages.

Assess virtual coaching pilot. No activity in Quarter 2.

B3b. Train newly qualified and re-deployed P1-P3 Kinyarwanda teachers in best practices in early

grade reading instruction

Train NQTs and re-deployed teachers in Soma Umenye foundational training. In 2020, MINEDUC and REB began the

process of recruiting almost 18,000 new teachers to not only address the nationwide problem of teacher

shortages at the primary and secondary level but to also fill the gap stemming from the construction of more than

22,000 new classrooms. In Quarter 1, Soma Umenye and REB estimated that there were approximately 7,000

new teachers for lower primary. Some of these teachers did not have previous training; therefore, it was critical

to orient them and ensure they were supported to deliver the Term 1 content. Given that face-to-face trainings

were prohibited until mid-March (almost the end of Term 1), and inconsistent internet connectivity as well as lack

of access to devices for teachers, it became clear that one of the only ways to immediately support new teachers

was at the school-level using teachers and school leaders themselves.


In consultation with REB, Soma Umenye first wanted to better understand how continuous professional

development (CPD) was taking place at the school-level for lower primary since schools re-opened. With no

standardized/dedicated time on the calendar for CPD and challenges when schools re-opened (e.g.: double P1

cohort, shift in medium of instruction, and potential increase in the number of shifts to meet social distancing

requirements), the project was concerned that schools would not find the time to conduct CPD focused on

equipping new P1-P3 Kinyarwanda teachers with basic teaching skills. In February, less than a month after lower

primary students returned to school, the project conducted a small rapid survey to understand how head

teachers and teachers were supporting new teachers and how they were conducting CPD. Soma Umenye

randomly sampled 12 schools across six districts in all five provinces. Encouragingly, all schools in the sample

reported that they conducted at least one CPD session for primary-level teachers since schools re-opened.

Additionally, 11 out of 12 schools noted that they made time for CPD during the weekdays, with only one school

conducting CPD over the weekend. 11 out of 12 schools reported that they arranged and conducted a specific

CPD session for new P1-P3 teachers using a mixture of previously trained teachers and head teachers to facilitate

the sessions. When asked whether they would benefit from a targeted school-based CPD program to support

new P1-P3 Kinyarwanda teachers, head teachers responded positively. All head teachers in the sample expressed

commitment to supporting new teachers through CPD and eight committed to scheduling time on the school

calendar for new teachers to meet with a previously-trained teacher. One school leader also committed to

providing additional coaching to support new teachers.

REB and Soma Umenye reflected and adapted on the results of the rapid survey, which demonstrated that many

schools were already taking the initiative to provide support to new teachers (during a time when face-to-face

training was not possible). From this, Soma Umenye and REB co-designed a five-week School-Based Orientation

Program for New P1-P3 Kinyarwanda Teachers. This program, which ran from late February – March, was

designed to meet an immediate need until more formal face-to-face training could be conducted. The key

elements of the program are highlighted in Exhibit 9. Additionally, while the remaining part of this section

provides a summary of the program, Annex B provides a full report on the school-based orientation for new P1-

P3 Kinyarwanda teachers with additional details on the structure of the program, the CLA cycle, findings, and next

steps/recommendations.

Exhibit 9. Core Elements of the School-Based Orientation Program for New P1-P3 Kinyarwanda

Teachers

Element Description

Program Participants

New teachers In consultation with head teachers and SEIs, Soma Umenye District Advisors

identified the number of new P1-P3 Kinyarwanda teachers in each school (existing

and new). The primary role of the new teacher was to attend sessions with the

lead teacher (further described in this table).

Lead teachers In consultation with head teachers and SEIs, Soma Umenye District Advisors

selected a lead teacher from each school. A lead teacher was either a member of

Soma Umenye’s National Reading Training Team – Teacher Training (NRTT-TT)

or an experienced teacher who had previously completed the ten-day

Kinyarwanda early grade reading training. The primary role of the lead teacher was

to support new P1-P3 Kinyarwanda teachers through one-on-one coaching, group

coaching, and lesson observations.

Head teachers, SEIs,

and DEOs

Head teachers, SEIs, and DEOs were responsible for ensuring that the program

was implemented properly in schools, sectors, and districts and providing support

to schools where necessary. In some cases, head teachers and SEIs directly

facilitated sessions with new teachers.

Program Structure and Materials

Phase 1: Week 1 Phase 1 focused on individual meetings (1-hour sessions throughout the week)

between lead teachers and new teachers to focus on five key skills that new


teachers need to master in order to ensure successful delivery of Term 1 content.

The five key skills that Soma Umenye identified included:

Five core components of literacy (phonics, phonological awareness,

fluency, vocabulary, reading comprehension) and writing

Gradual release of responsibility: “I do, we do, you do”

Core instructional materials (textbook and teacher’s guide)

Supplementary instructional materials (decodable and supplementary

readers)

Weekly lesson structure for P1-P3 in the teacher’s guide

To support both lead teachers and new teachers with the Week 1 schedule, Soma

Umenye provided them with an overview document that included content for each

session and highlighted specific areas of existing materials for them to reference.

Examples of existing materials included the teacher’s guide, student textbook,

supplementary readers, previous training modules, and training videos (on school

leaders’ tablets).

Phase 2: Weeks 2-5 Phase 2 focused on a cycle of practice, lesson observation, and reflection. During

this time, lead and new Kinyarwanda teachers had the opportunity to observe each

other in the classroom. For new teachers, this provided an opportunity to observe

model lessons and receive feedback from the lead teacher on their lessons. After

each observation, lead and new teachers engaged in reflection sessions to review

the lesson they just observed, ask questions, and determine areas for improvement

for future lessons. To support teachers with the Week 2-5 schedule, Soma

Umenye provided brief lesson observation forms as well as guidance to structure

reflection sessions.

MEL, Communications, and CLA

Monitoring

framework

Soma Umenye developed a monitoring framework for the five-week program and

conducted weekly monitoring across all 30 districts, targeting a random sample of

150 schools (150 head teachers, 150 lead teachers, 150 new teachers, 150 SEIs,

and 30 DEOs each week). Soma Umenye District Advisors collected data each

week through phone interviews about how the program was being implemented,

challenges that participants were facing, participants’ impressions of the program,

and any creative solutions that schools were putting in place.

Communications

strategy

To support participants, Soma Umenye developed a five-week communications

strategy to not only communicate the program’s goals but to also provide answers

to common questions and remind school leaders to support with the program’s

implementation. Examples of the key messages include:

School-based peer support is an effective strategy to build teacher

capacity.

Schools are equipped with a wide range of resources to support early

grade reading in Kinyarwanda. All teachers, current and new, should use

these materials in class and allow students to borrow books to practice at

home.

Head teachers and Deans of Studies should support teachers to engage in

professional development through CoPs and coaching, and utilizing

resources on the recently distributed tablets.

In addition to the general messages, Soma Umenye also disseminated daily (at the

beginning) and weekly targeted messages to new teachers, lead teachers, head

teachers, SEIs, and DEOs. The project’s District Advisors used their existing

WhatsApp groups with all districts, sectors, and schools to convey the messages.

CLA cycle To supplement the monitoring framework, Soma Umenye applied a weekly CLA

cycle to reflect on monitoring data and make changes to the program as needed.

The project held weekly Pause and Reflect sessions with members from the

technical, field, MEL, and communications teams. Each Pause and Reflect session

included a presentation on rapid reports from each province, a review of the


weekly monitoring data, an overview of the technical and communications plans

for the following week, and time for reflection and discussion on best practices and

programmatic pivots (if needed). While the Pause and Reflect sessions were

implemented primarily at the project-level, Soma Umenye District Advisors did

share key results and findings on a weekly basis with district, sector, and school

leaders in order to encourage a similar cycle of reflection and adaptation.

Reflecting on the findings from the program, Soma Umenye identified several success factors, as well as common

challenges, which the project will continue to reflect on with REB in preparation for a second round of the

program for Term 2. Exhibit 10 highlights some of these factors.

Exhibit 10. Factors Contributing to the Success of the School-Based Orientation Program for New

P1-P3 Kinyarwanda Teachers and Continued Challenges

Success Factors

Engagement of sector and district leadership raised the profile of the activity and, in some locations,

their involvement was key to the success of the program as they helped identify where schools could support

one another to fill gaps.

Engagement of school leadership (head teachers) who often demonstrated leadership and creativity in

supporting new teachers. Head teachers often stepped in to lead one-on-one sessions with new teachers (if

there were no lead teachers) of identified neighboring schools to partner with and complete the program

together.

The positive impact on lead teachers, who noted that this program has been a useful refresher for them

and an opportunity to support their colleagues.

The program aligned well with existing guidance from REB on how school-based CPD should

take place. Even though there is no official time for CPD on the calendar, REB clearly emphasizes the

importance of CPD. As a result, Soma Umenye found that this supported program implementation and the

program served as a model for effective implementation of school-based CPD.

From a project level, regular time to pause and reflect (including reviewing data and input from

the field), was instrumental to effective implementation as best practices were amplified across the country

and adaptations made to better support new teachers. Should this program extend into Term 2, Soma Umenye

will explore opportunities to bring REB, DEOs, and SEIs into more regular reflection.

Regular phone messaging was determined to be a positive contribution, as the messages regularly

reminded stakeholders of their role, provided data from the monitoring reports, and shared best practices

from different schools.

The positive engagement with TTCs, which some schools leveraged, through partnering with TTC tutors,

when they had a shortage of lead teachers. This could serve as a model for future CPD practice.

School-based solutions meant that, even though the program was not implemented uniformly across the

country, schools were able to adjust delivery of the topics and their timing based on school-specific needs and

priorities.

Continued Challenges

Time was continuously referenced as a challenge. While there were many instances of teachers and schools

finding creative ways to schedule time for CPD, others noted that there is not enough time during the school

week to conduct thorough CPD.

Lack of materials in new schools made it difficult for some new teachers to fully engage with the program.

While Soma Umenye did distribute materials to new schools in February, it was not enough to fully equip all

P1-P3 classrooms in the 585 new schools. Following an inventory of remaining TLMs in the project’s

warehouse, the project will distribute excess teacher guides and read alouds to new schools in Quarter 3.

Not all schools (particularly new schools) had previously-trained teachers to act as lead teachers

which made it difficult for all new teachers to feel supported. Some schools found innovative and “home-

grown” solutions (such as those described above) but other schools struggled to support new teachers. In

these schools, head teachers were preoccupied with other activities and there may not have been a proactive

SEI to step in to provide support.


At the end of March, Soma Umenye facilitated a virtual site visit with REB, NESA, USAID/Rwanda, and selected

representatives from the local level including one DDE, one DEO, two SEIs, three head teachers, two lead

teachers, and two new teachers. The virtual site visit was an opportunity for participants learn more about the

program, discuss successes, and share challenges. The virtual site visit combined video footage as well as

interactive sessions, allowing participants to engage in real-time with selected stakeholders to ask questions,

reflect, and learn more about the program. See Annex B for more details about the virtual site visit.

At the end of Quarter 2, Soma Umenye began planning for a four-day face-to-face training for new P1-P3

Kinyarwanda teachers. This training is scheduled to take place in mid-April during the Term 1 holiday.

B3c. Support REB to leverage TTCs for a sustainable approach to CPD and coaching

Support REB to finalize the tutor’s guide and design of the tutor training program. This activity was completed in

Quarter 1.

Support implementation of the TDM policy related to the TTCs’ role in in-service training. No activity in Quarter 2 as

MINEDUC has not yet finalized the TDM policy.

B4. COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT

B4a. Support P1-P3 Kinyarwanda teachers to conduct formative assessment

Support teachers to conduct formative assessment. Soma Umenye included a video and supplementary training

material on formative assessment on tablets for head teachers. The project also referenced these materials in the

introductory community of practice sessions for Term 1. In March (at the end of Quarter 2), Soma Umenye

conducted school-level monitoring with initial data showing that only 10% of teachers were measuring their

students literacy progress through structured formative assessments on reading sub-skills. Note that Soma

Umenye conducted the school-level monitoring only eight weeks after schools outside of Kigali resumed and only

three weeks after Kigali schools resumed. The project will explore ways to increase formative assessment

practice in Quarter 3.

A lead teacher and new teacher at GS

Gishihe in the Southern Province viewing

REB and Soma Umenye training videos on

the head teacher’s tablet (provided by

Soma Umenye).

SEI of Rangiro Sector in Nyamasheke District

providing support to new teachers through the

School-Based Orientation Program.


B4b. Support REB to implement end of term assessments in P1-P3 Kinyarwanda

Conduct adapted LEGRA in selected districts. In Quarter 1, Soma Umenye discussed with REB the possibility of

conducting an adapted LEGRA (i.e., only the oral reading fluency and reading comprehension sub-tests) in selected

districts before Term 1. Initially, the idea for this was to build on the delivery of a small pilot of an adapted

LEGRA in Burera district during school closures in August 2020. However, in discussion with REB in Quarter 1,

Soma Umenye decided to focus on conducting the nationwide LEGRA in the last 2 weeks of Term 1.

Finalize the development of a bank of equated test items for Term 1 and Term 2 LEGRA assessments. During Quarter 2

Soma Umenye worked closely with NESA to integrate the end of unit assessment bank items for P1-P3

Kinyarwanda (previously developed by the project) into the CA-MIS. NESA’s goal is for teachers, parents, and

students to access the CA-MIS and download sample questions; however, the platform is not yet fully operational.

Additionally, in Quarter 2, Soma Umenye continued to develop a bank of Term 1 and Term 2 LEGRA test items

in order to hand over to NESA. The project expects to finish this work in Quarter 3.

Deliver Term 1 and Term 2 LEGRA training. At the beginning of Quarter 1, REB requested Soma Umenye’s support

in drafting term-specific benchmarks for each of the P1-P3 LEGRA sub-tasks so that teachers and parents could

better track students’ progress over the course of the year. Soma Umenye drafted the benchmarks based on

what students should have accomplished at the end of Term 1 and Term 2. Due to the timing of this request (at

the beginning of Term 1 and with little time before the scheduled Term 1 LEGRA), Soma Umenye and NESA

agreed to administer the term-specific benchmarks at the same time as conducting the Term 1 and Term 2

LEGRA so that proper validation of the benchmarks can be done with students who have covered the appropriate

content. The term-specific benchmarks can be found in Annex C.

On March 15th, the Government of Rwanda permitted limited face-to-face meetings. In the week that followed,

Soma Umenye both received confirmation from NESA to move forward with the Term 1 LEGRA and organized

and facilitated a three-stage LEGRA training for all school leaders and one lead teacher from each school across

the country (except for those in Bugesera, Nyanza, and Gisagara2).

Exhibit 11. Outline of the Three-Stage LEGRA Training

In the first stage, on March 18th, Soma Umenye’s District Advisors trained approximately 500 DEOs, DDEs, and

SEIs. These district and sector-level officials had previously received LEGRA training as part of Soma Umenye’s

School Leader Module 3 training; however, that was more than a year ago, so both REB and Soma Umenye took

2 Bugesera, Nyanza, and Gisagara districts remained on lockdown due to an increase in the number of

COVID-19 cases.

1. District-level

• Soma Umenye District Advisors trained DDEs, DEOs, and SEIs

2. Sector-level

• SEIs trained all head teachers, Deans of Studies, and one lead P1-P3 teacher per school

3. School-level

• Head teachers/Deans of Studies and the lead teacher trained other P1-P3 teachers through a school community of practice


the decision to provide a one-day refresher on the LEGRA process and how to administer the test. At the

district-level training, Soma Umenye distributed printed copies of each sub-task test for P1-P3, school-level

reporting forms, and an addendum to the LEGRA guide. The addendum to the LEGRA guide (which was

previously distributed at the School Leader Module 3 training in 2020 and uploaded on school leaders’ tablets),

included specific information about the new term-specific benchmarks. At the end of the training, SEIs carried the

materials back to their respective sectors for use in the second stage of the training.

In the second stage of the training, Soma Umenye supported SEIs to train head teachers, Deans of Studies, and

one lead P1-P3 teacher from each school on March 20th. This second stage happened at the sector-level. For the

third and final stage, head teachers and lead teachers went back to their individual schools and trained the other

P1-P3 Kinyarwanda teachers through a school-level community of practice on March 21st. Each stage of the

training followed the same core outline, which is highlighted in Exhibit 12.

Exhibit 12. Outline of the LEGRA District, Sector, and School-Level LEGRA Training

Agenda Item

1 Introduction to LEGRA and the early grade reading benchmarks

2 How to prepare and conduct the LEGRA Pre-Assessment Meeting

3 How to prepare for the administration and marking of Day One LEGRA (group tests)

4 How to prepare for the administration and marking of Day Two LEGRA (one-on-one tests)

5 Regarding school-level LEGRA results (paper-based and tablet-based)

6 How to prepare and conduct the LEGRA Post-Assessment Meeting

Soma Umenye supported several REB and NESA officials to observe and supervise the three stages of the Term 1

LEGRA training as well as the pre-assessment meetings which were conducted at the school-level on March 22nd.

While Soma Umenye will prepare a full Term 1 LEGRA report, with results, in Quarter 3 for discussion and

reflection with REB and NESA, Exhibit 13 highlights a few common observations (both successes and areas for

improvement) from the joint Soma Umenye and REB/NESA team during the training and pre-assessment

meetings. Soma Umenye will continue to discuss these observations in Quarter 3 and this larger reflection will

also inform the project’s support of Term 2 LEGRA delivery.

Exhibit 13. Observations During the Term 1 LEGRA Training and Pre-Assessment Meetings

Observation Explanation

Evidence of strong district and

sector-ownership during the

second stage of the training

(sector-level training)

Attendance at the sector-level training was almost 100% in all sectors

and participants (head teachers, Deans of Studies, and lead P1-P3

Kinyarwanda teachers) reported to be eager to learn more about

LEGRA. While SEIs were the primary trainers for each sector site,

several DEOs and DDEs either visited training sites or acted as co-

trainer, demonstrating local ownership of the activity.

Creative practices during the

third stage of the training

(school-level community of

practice)

Observers noted that head teachers took full ownership of the school-

level community of practice. In some instances, head teachers decided

to include lower primary teachers of other subjects so that they could

support, particularly during the second day of LEGRA (the one-on-one

tests) with the management of students and overall logistics. P1-P3

teachers also noted that they enjoyed being trained by their own head

teacher and lead teacher as it provided them the space to ask more

honest questions and brainstorm school-specific solutions.

Need for advance

communication

Given the initial uncertainty around the Term 1 LEGRA (with meetings

prohibited until March 15th), NESA only made the final decision to

conduct the LEGRA in March and Soma Umenye had to wait until mid-

March in order to conduct training prior to the administration of the

test. By this point, districts had already scheduled and communicated


exam schedules and these schedules included a P1-P3 Kinyarwanda

exam that was not LEGRA. Given the sequence of events, this was

unfortunately unavoidable; however, schools adapted well and

conducted the two-day LEGRA when other subject exams had finished.

While it is not expected that Term 2 will have as many disruptions as

Term 1, Soma Umenye will work closely with NESA and district/sector

authorities in advance of the Term 2 LEGRA to ensure that it is

properly incorporated in district exam schedules.

School-based solutions during

the Pre-Assessment Meeting

During the pre-assessment meetings, which occurred the day before

the first LEGRA test, observers noted that head teachers (and the lead

teachers who attended the second stage of the training) generally

facilitated thorough meetings using the training materials provided,

including videos. As prompted during the second stage of the training,

head teachers used the pre-assessments to think through some

potential challenges and devise school-based solutions in advance. Some

of these included:

• Potential absenteeism: Given that LEGRA was coming after

other exams had finished, some schools anticipated a larger

number of absentee students. As a result, during the pre-

assessment meetings, they devised strategies to ensure

students came to school for LEGRA. Some of these examples

included involving the SGAC and getting them to send

volunteers around the village to remind parents to send their

students to school for LEGRA. Other schools decided that, if

students did not show up for the morning shift, they would call

parents and ask them to send students for the afternoon shift.

• Potential challenges administering the one-on-one LEGRA

tests: For schools that had a particularly large number of P1-P3

students, head teachers and teachers used the pre-assessment

meeting to discuss the best way of managing students during

the one-on-one tests. Some schools decided that they would

engage teachers from other grades and subjects to manage the

class while the P1-P3 teacher was conducting the one-on-one

tests. This would have the added benefit of minimizing noise

disruptions to allow students to concentrate during their one-

on-one tests.

• Potential lack of writing materials: In the pre-assessment

meetings, some teachers were worried that students would

come to school without a pen or pencil (which are needed for

the group LEGRA tests). Observers noted that some head

teachers agreed to purchase additional boxes of pens before

the first day of the LEGRA tests in case students arrived

without a writing utensil.

Soma Umenye designed and implemented strict COVID-19 preventative measures during the LEGRA trainings.

For example, the project ensured that there were no more than 20 participants in each training room, chose large

training rooms to enable social distancing, and procured hygienic items (e.g.: hand sanitizer and soap) for each

training room.

Support head teachers, SEIs, and DEOs to manage LEGRA data collection. Soma Umenye supported schools to

conduct the two-day LEGRA test from March 23rd – 24th. The first day included the group tests (decoding and

dictation) and the second day was focused on the one-on-one tests (oral reading fluency and reading

comprehension). As with the LEGRA training, a team from REB and NESA joined Soma Umenye staff in

monitoring sites across the country. Exhibit 14 highlights initial observations from the two-day LEGRA which will


be discussed further and expanded on in a final LEGRA report and reflection meeting with REB and NESA in

Quarter 3. This larger reflection will also inform the project’s support of Term 2 LEGRA delivery.

Exhibit 14. Observations During the Two-Day Term 1 LEGRA Administration

Observation Explanation

Generally, evidence of strong

leadership by head teachers

In a majority of the schools that the Soma Umenye, REB, and NESA

team observed, head teachers were fully present on both days of

LEGRA and they supported their teachers to effectively administer the

tests. For example, some head teachers conducted “morning meetings”

with P1-P3 teachers on Day 1 and Day 2 of the LEGRA test to make

sure they were planned for the day. In other instances, head teachers

conducted end-of-day reflections with P1-P3 teachers to discuss how

the tests went and make sure that teachers had a deadline for finalizing

their paper-based class reports. Overall, head teachers and teachers

expressed appreciation for LEGRA and even asked whether

assessments for other subjects could follow the LEGRA process.

Mixed results for how schools

managed large numbers of

students

During the LEGRA training, Soma Umenye and SEIs stressed to head

teachers the importance of advance planning for Day 2 of the tests (the

one-on-one tests). This can be a difficult test to manage as it requires

teachers to be focused on one student at a time, preferably sitting

outside of the classroom to minimize distraction from other students.

Observers noted that some head teachers managed this process very

well. For example, some head teachers recruited other school staff

members to supervise classes while the P1-P3 teacher conducted the

one-on-one tests. In another example, the Kinyarwanda teacher gave

some activities for her students to do (e.g.: reading and drawing) while

she conducted the one-on-one tests.

In other schools, however, observers noted that some teachers seemed

overwhelmed by both conducting the one-on-one tests and managing

their other students to minimize noise disruptions. In general, it took

these teachers longer to administer the tests as they were having to

frequently try to re-focus and manage the rest of the class.

Schools followed the test

protocols and completed the

tests on time

Observers noted that schools, despite some challenges with large class

sizes, generally conducted the LEGRA tests within the allotted time

frame. Some schools were quite efficient (often smaller schools) and

decided to conduct all four tests on the same day. There were other

schools, however, who had to extend LEGRA to a third day. This did

not prove problematic though as schools had this time available.

Observers also noted that, for the most part, schools followed the

assessment protocols. There were some instances where teachers

were confused by the instructions on the paper-based LEGRA tests, but

they were supported by either the head teacher or another P1-P3

teacher to help them understand them.

It should be noted that, in collaboration with the project, NESA made the decision to postpone LEGRA for Kigali-

based schools as they were about a month behind other schools in terms of covering Term 1 content (given that

a Kigali lockdown in January and February delayed school re-opening). While Kigali schools will still conduct end-

of-term exams (in line with the exam schedule in other schools), NESA determined that the Kigali Term 1 LEGRA

will be considered an “experimental” LEGRA (to be conducted in April). Soma Umenye will support Kigali-based

schools to conduct the Term 1 LEGRA in Quarter 2 (April).


Support head teachers, SEIs, and DEOs to reflect on LEGRA data. This activity will take place in Quarter 3.

Make LEGRA data available on the comprehensive assessment dashboard. This activity will take place in Quarter 3.

B4c. Collaborate with REB to implement school-level remediation for P1-P3 students

Deliver Term 1 KRC training. When restrictions on in-person meetings eased on March 15th, there were only two

weeks remaining in Term 1. Since this did not leave a lot of time for face-to-face trainings, Soma Umenye, in

collaboration with REB and NESA, prioritized the Term 1 LEGRA and used this short window to provide a

district, sector, and school-level training to all school leaders and P1-P3 teachers. Given that KRC introduces new

concepts and new instructional strategies, teachers require an in-depth training prior to implementation. Due to

the extremely limited time for training during Quarter 2 and the collective focus on ensuring LEGRA data for

every student at the end of Term 1, Soma Umenye decided not to conduct KRC during Term 1. Instead, in

Quarter 3, the project will discuss with REB about planning for a Term 2 KRC.

Support schools to prepare for and deliver Term 2 KRC. No activity in Quarter 2.

Support head teachers, SEIs, and DEOs to reflect on Term 1 and Term 2 KRC data. No activity in Quarter 2.

Make post-KRC LEGRA data (Term 1 and Term 2) available on the comprehensive assessment dashboard. No activity in

Quarter 2.

Finalize a training video on engaging instructional strategies. This activity was shifted to Quarter 3 given the focus on

equipping new P1-P3 teachers with the foundational early grade reading skills (through the school-based

orientation) in Quarter 2.

Support the dissemination of the video during Term 1-3 communities of practice. No activity in Quarter 2.

B4d. Develop a comprehensive assessment dashboard and transition it to REB

Finalize the comprehensive assessment dashboard architecture. In Quarter 2, Soma Umenye continued to build out

the comprehensive assessment dashboard, including web systems access, visualization levels, and reporting

templates. The project also continued to have discussions with NESA about the status of the proposed

Comprehensive Assessment – Management Information System (CA-MIS). The project worked, and will continue

to work, closely with NESA to ensure integration of the LEGRA data into the CA-MIS when it is functional.

Regardless, Soma Umenye’s priority is ensuring that school, sector, district, and national-level stakeholders have

P3 students at EP Mbuga (Nemba Sector, Gakenke

District) completing a LEGRA test on Day 1 A teacher at GS Kabyaza (Mukamira Sector, Nyabihu

District) administering a one-on-one LEGRA test on Day 2


access to the Term 1 LEGRA data (whether it’s on the dashboard or the CA-MIS) towards the beginning of

Quarter 3 to inform school, sector, and district inamas.

Ensure LEGRA, KRC, and EGRA data is uploaded to the comprehensive assessment dashboard. No activity in Quarter 2.

Transition the comprehensive assessment dashboard to REB. No activity in Quarter 2.

B4e. Support NESA to deliver a NESA-EGRA

Collaborate with NESA to develop a 2021 EGRA. In Quarter 2, Soma Umenye began the very early stages of planning

for a 2021 NESA-EGRA which is slated to take place in August/September 2021. Additionally, during this quarter,

the project supported REB and NESA with the implementation of the Ministry of Education’s Learning

Achievement in Rwandan Schools (LARS IV) Assessment. While LARS IV was initially delayed due to school

closures, REB successfully administered the assessment at the end of February in 295 schools in all 30 districts.

Responding to a REB request, Soma Umenye supported with the development of the question item bank. Drawing

from the EGRA, Soma Umenye developed oral reading fluency and reading comprehension tests for early grade

Kinyarwanda. This represented the first time that a LARS assessment included oral reading fluency and reading

comprehension tests, enabling Rwanda to produce internationally comparable early grade reading data. It also

provides additional data, presented against the national reading benchmarks (supported by Soma Umenye for P3),

for REB to reflect on in order to drive decision-making.

Equate EGRA and LEGRA results. No activity in Quarter 2.

Train data collectors for the 2021 EGRA. No activity in Quarter 2.

Collect data for the 2021 EGRA. No activity in Quarter 2.

Conduct data cleaning, analysis, and report writing for the 2021 EGRA. No activity in Quarter 2.

Disseminate 2021 EGRA endline findings. No activity in Quarter 2.

Make EGRA data available on the comprehensive assessment dashboard. No activity in Quarter 2.

B5. INCLUSION

B5a. Implement a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) pilot in selected P1 classes

In Year 4, Soma Umenye co-developed, with REB, a UDL framework for P1 teachers and started a pilot in

selected schools in Gicumbi district. Given school closures in March 2020, Soma Umenye had to suspend the

pilot. When lower primary students returned to school on January 18th, 2021, there were a number of challenges

that made it difficult to continue the pilot. These challenges included:

• No ability to do face-to-face training until March 15th: Given that the bulk of the UDL training is focused

on inclusive teaching strategies, it is critical to be able to demonstrate these strategies in-person with

teachers and provide them with an opportunity to practice and receive feedback. Additionally, the

UDL training challenges the typical notions of disability education in Rwanda in that it does not

require teachers to identify students with a particular disability and then teach differently depending

on disability-type. Instead, it focuses on students’ learning strengths/challenges and tasks the teacher

with varying his/her instruction to better support a wider range of students. This, however, requires a

fundamental mindset shift for teachers. As a result, it is something that needs to be introduced face-

to-face, with an experienced trainer, followed up with quality support.


• Recruitment and re-deployment of P1-P3 teachers: While schools were closed, REB recruited almost

18,000 new teachers nationwide (with approximately 7,000 new teachers for P1-P3). In addition to

the large recruitment numbers, some existing teachers were re-deployed to either different grades or

to newly-constructed schools. Not all pilot teachers remained in their same positions.

• Focus on English-language training and new teacher training: Given the shift in language of instruction

(from Kinyarwanda to English) and the large number of new teachers (some of whom had no previous

teaching training), REB’s focus was on providing English language training and training for new

teachers. This, coupled with the fact that in-person trainings could not start until March 15th, meant

that school leaders and teachers were being pulled in different directions. Soma Umenye’s priority

during this period was proving a school-based orientation for new P1-P3 Kinyarwanda teachers.

• Double P1 cohort: When the new P1 cohort started school on January 18th, they joined the existing P1

cohort from the 2019/2020 school year. This meant that the pilot size would have effectively doubled

but there was no guarantee that students who started in the pilot returned to school. This would

require a new baseline literacy assessment.

While Soma Umenye did not resume the UDL pilot in Quarter 1, it was clear that REB had embraced UDL as a

strategy to support all students, including those with disabilities. One indication is the focus on UDL which is

included in the recently developed school remediation guide by REB which included learning from the UDL pilot

as well as from KRC. Soma Umenye continued to integrate lessons learned from the initial stages of the UDL

pilot into other Quarter 2 activities, including preparation for formal face-to-face training for new Kinyarwanda

teachers which will take place in Quarter 3. The project also used lessons learned to support the accessible digital

Andika Rwanda activity (see Activity B5f for more details).

B5b. Support the National Council of Persons with Disabilities (NCPD) to finalize Rwandan Sign

Language

Collaborate with the Rwanda National Union of the Deaf to finalize the remaining signs. In Quarter 2, Soma Umenye

held multiple discussions with NCPD and RNUD to agree on a process for taking work forward with the RSL

dictionary. During this process, Soma Umenye supported NCPD and RNUD to define the structure of the RSL

Dictionary Steering Committee. All parties agreed that the primary responsibility of the steering committee will

be to review/approve signs and the layout of the dictionary. During this quarter, Soma Umenye also identified a

consultant with specific expertise in sign language linguistics to provide technical support to RNUD in building out

the dictionary. In March, Soma Umenye convened a meeting with NCPD, RNUD, and the proposed consultant.

The meeting was an opportunity for RNUD, supported by Soma Umenye, to propose their plan and methodology

for completing the dictionary and for NCPD to interview the consultant. Following the meeting, NCPD approved

the proposed way forward and, at NCPD’s request, Soma Umenye drafted and executed a Memorandum of

Understanding (MoU) between NCPD, Soma Umenye, and RNUD (see Annex D). The MoU will guide the three

parties in the next stages of the development of the dictionary. With NCPD’s approval granted at the end of

Quarter 2, Soma Umenye will execute contracts with RNUD and the consultant at the beginning of Quarter 3.

Support NCPD to validate the RSL dictionary. No activity in Quarter 2.

B5c. Support REB and stakeholders to standardize and validate a Kinyarwanda braille code

Hold workshop with REB and stakeholders to standardize and validate a Kinyarwanda braille code. While this activity

was largely completed in Quarter 1, competing priorities prevented Soma Umenye from fully discussing the next

steps with REB in Quarter 2 in order to finalize the braille document.

B5d. Adapt the 2018 and 2019 Andika Rwanda books for students who are blind

Validate the draft braille books. This activity was completed in Quarter 1.

Print and distribute the braille books. In Quarter 2, Soma Umenye worked with NUDOR to print 540 copies of the

2018 and 2019 Andika Rwanda books. Soma Umenye will print the remaining 240 copies in Quarter 3.


B5e. Pilot the Orbit Reader for students who are blind

Deliver pilot. In Quarter 2, Soma Umenye received five Orbit Readers and will collaborate with REB to use them in

Quarter 3.

Assess pilot and disseminate findings. No activity in Quarter 2.

B5f. Produce and distribute accessible digital supplementary readers

Secure validation from REB. In Quarter 1, Soma Umenye had multiple consultations with REB (CTLRD and ICT) to

review and revise five draft accessible digital Andika Rwanda readers. In Quarter 2, following the progress made in

the previous quarter, REB provided Soma Umenye with new guidelines on accessible digital materials. These

guidelines were not specific to REB; rather, they were general lessons learned and suggestions for standards from

UNICEF (following their accessible digital textbook pilot in six countries; Rwanda being one of them). These

suggestions for standards are based on the core UDL principles.

Digitizing a textbook is different than digitizing a supplementary reader; a textbook potentially lends itself to more

digital features, whereas a supplementary reader is more limited in how it can be digitized. During this quarter,

Soma Umenye discussed with REB the importance of not overloading the digitized supplementary reader with too

many IT features and rather focusing on integrating features that would support student engagement. In particular,

Soma Umenye was focused on a set of core features, including: (1) option for RSL video; (2) option for audio

narration; (3) glossary of key vocabulary words in the story; and (4) interactive reading comprehension questions.

Soma Umenye re-designed a prototype book during this quarter, based on further feedback from REB (see

below). As REB continues to explore options for digitization, Soma Umenye offered to support to develop draft

standards for accessible digital early grade supplementary readers so that REB has a consistent and realistic

benchmark to measure not only the Andika Rwanda readers, but also future supplementary reader, against.

The re-designed cover page enables easier access to different

features of the book (including the audio version, RSL version,

glossary, and reading comprehension questions.

Each page also includes a more user-friend

navigation feature, with arrows to navigate to the

next/previous page, an option to return to the home

screen, and an option to see the RSL video for the

page.

An example of the RSL video

that students can “opt-into” on

each page of the text.


Train end users. No activity in Quarter 2.

Distribute accessible digital readers to selected schools. No activity in Quarter 2.

B6. COMMUNICATIONS

B6a. Deliver the National Reading Campaign

Deliver Phase 2 of the National Reading Campaign. In Quarter 2, Soma Umenye continued to support the Soma

Rwanda (“Rwanda Reads”) platform, in collaboration with MINEDUC and other development partners, to deliver

the National Reading Campaign. During a Soma Rwanda Steering Committee on 27 January 2021, the Ministry of

Education approved the extension of the National Reading Campaign through June 2021, to align with the

previously extended NRC Media Awards, and in consideration of the time lost as a result of the COVID-19

pandemic.

A key focus of the NRC during this reporting period was the celebration of Rwanda’s literacy Change Makers.

These are individuals who are committed to making reading a daily habit in their own life and who take action to

support Rwanda’s culture of reading. Throughout Quarter 2, nine Change Maker cards were published by the

project as well as through Soma Rwanda social media accounts. Change Makers included teachers, headteachers,

parents, print and television journalists, popular musicians, social media influencers, and local government officials.

To ensure NRC messaging reached across the nation, Soma Umenye continued broadcasting the NRC song and

jingle on three community radio stations, daily throughout the month of January.


In February, the project collaborated with REB to host a webinar about decodable readers. This event coincided

with International Mother Language Day and promoted the importance of providing children with daily reading

time using books written in their mother language in order to build critical foundational literacy skills. Nearly 250

participants joined the virtual event, including local government officials and school leaders. An NRC video about

parents reading with their children at home was a highlight of the agenda. The video can be watched here on the

project YouTube: https://youtu.be/YyWLuOO44B8

B6b. Raise visibility of Soma Umenye activities

Document project activities for sharing. In Quarter 2, Soma Umenye collected audio and video documentation of

project activities in order to raise their visibility and for use in project reports and communications. The

Communications Team visited schools during the School-Based Orientation for New Teachers and during the

implementation of LEGRA, in order to gather photos and video footage, as well as conduct interviews for use in

communications materials. In addition, photos shared by the Field team were archived for later use.

In order to share Soma Umenye’s best practices in conducting remote monitoring of activities during the COVID-

19 pandemic, the project shared a short video documentary on remote monitoring. It can be watched here on

YouTube: https://twitter.com/SomaUmenyeRw/status/1351451694731841537?s=20

Soma Rwanda helped disseminate Change

Maker cards that challenge people to

make reading a daily habit.

As part of International Mother Language Day

celebrations, Soma Umenye and REB hosted a webinar

about how parents can use decodable readers to support

their child’s reading at home.

https://youtu.be/YyWLuOO44B8

https://twitter.com/SomaUmenyeRw/status/1351451694731841537?s=20


Disseminate project information through social media. Soma Umenye created a buzz around project activities through

a series of exchanges on Twitter and publication of activities on YouTube, including P1-P3 Kinyarwanda radio

lessons. Project activities, including the decodable webinar, School-Based Orientation for new teachers, and

LEGRA, were promoted on Twitter and parents were reminded of the available digital literacy materials that can

be accessed on both project and REB online platforms.

Soma Umenye shared a video highlighting how remote

monitoring of activities has continued.

Soma Umenye announced the decodable

readers that all P1 students will begin taking

home to practice reading.

The project continued to promote the

availability of radio lessons and digital reading

materials.


Soma Umenye shared the key highlights of a

Virtual Site Visit to reflect on the School-Based

Orientation for new teachers.

A tweet thread introduced the public to

LEGRA and recognized all the stakeholders

involved in its success.


Soma Umenye has grown its Twitter audience from 1,829 in the previous quarter to 2,085 by 31 March 2021,

earning over one thousand impressions per day on average. Project Twitter highlights for the reporting period

show the top tweet earned over 17k impressions and the top mention earned nearly 2k engagements. On

average, the account earned eight likes and three retweets per day, up from the previous quarter. The shared

media, including the YouTube links for radio lessons and Read Aloud videos earned two link clink per day.

Field team photos of the School Based

Orientation of teachers were shared on

social media.

Soma Umenye wished students a good holiday

break and encouraged them to use time at

home to practice reading.


Different partners have also been engaged to promote literacy and project activities through social media.

Develop communications materials. In Quarter 2, the project leveraged communications to support the

implementation of different project activities, including development of a series of training videos which were

uploaded on all distributed ICT devices to school leaders. Specific Communication Strategies were developed and

implemented for the School-Based Orientation of new teachers and LEGRA, including sharing targeted messages

for the Field team to send by phone to stakeholders to support effective activity implementation. A radio program

to inform parents of their role to support P1 students to use decodable readers was developed in Quarter 2 and

will be broadcast on radio in term 2 when decodables go home with students.

In light of restrictions on in-person events, Soma Umenye hosted a virtual site visit so that REB and

USAID/Rwanda could observe the progress of the School Based Orientation for new teachers. The

communications team gathered video footage of the activities at school level to be shared in advance of the site

visit webinar. A summary video of the activities was also developed and can be watched here on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/aSWqqwdoMs0

A District twitter account promoted the

term 1 LEGRA activities.

Rwanda Basic Education Board announced the Soma

Umenye contribution of ICT devices to support early

grade learning.

USAID Rwanda shared Soma Umenye success in

delivering early grade reading materials.

A District shares appreciation of the tablets delivered

by Soma Umenye to support effective school

leadership for learning.

https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fyoutu.be%2FaSWqqwdoMs0&data=04%7C01%7Csblunden%40soma-umenye.org%7C7ab83b6089f848b4a60f08d8f2a11d3d%7C7c1f24a67d39452c82370726e3b19a73%7C0%7C0%7C637526121137279476%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=082rxXgNw0vOu9TdcbmQtgkVsV9LHDc1yGZzDq%2Bi5pw%3D&reserved=0


A short video was produced to celebrate International Women’s Day, which highlighted the role of female

teachers and school leaders in responding to school closures due to Covid-19. The video can be accessed here on

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SomaUmenyeRw/status/1368961199627509771?s=20

Engage Rwandan media. Soma Umenye staff regularly shared updates about the project’s radio and digital content

to Rwandan media through a WhatsApp group created to keep media informed. This group was informed upon

approval of the final NRC Media Awards categories and timelines. The project also shared content related to

different quarter 1 activities, including the School-Based Orientation of new teachers and LEGRA. The press were

invited to attend the webinar on decodable readers in February and were provided with a press package, including

a press release and a FAQ sheet about the decodable readers. In addition, the project responded to requests by

the media for informational interviews, including a request from a community radio station in the southern

province to discuss the provision of ICT devices for school leaders.

An article was published about the ICT devices in a Kinyarwanda online news magazine, Kigali Today. It can be

read here: https://www.kigalitoday.com/uburezi/amashuri/article/huye-abayobozi-b-amashuri-abanza-bahawe-ipad-

zizabafasha-kunoza-akazi

B6c. Support regular required reporting

Support required reporting and develop success stories. During Quarter 2, Soma Umenye documented various project

activities for the archive and quarterly reports. Documentation this quarter included photography and

videography of the webinar on decodable readers , the School-Based Orientation of new teachers, distribution of

tablets to school leaders, and LEGRA.

B6d. Ensure appropriate branding and marking

Ensure appropriate branding and marking. On an ongoing basis, Soma Umenye ensured that all project materials

were branded according to USAID branding guidelines. In particular, examples this quarter included a series of

training videos for school leaders and teachers, presentations used to onboard new government officials, all

materials used in the decodable webinar, and improvements to the design of the LEGRA dashboard.

B6d. Leverage communications to support Soma Umenye’s expected results

Support Soma Rwanda. In Quarter 2, Soma Umenye continued to collaborate with Soma Rwanda members on an

ongoing basis regarding the National Reading Campaign, 2021 Literacy calendar, and the development of the Soma

Rwanda website.

The project celebrated International Women’s Day with a

short video honoring female teachers and school leaders.

https://twitter.com/SomaUmenyeRw/status/1368961199627509771?s=20%20

https://www.kigalitoday.com/uburezi/amashuri/article/huye-abayobozi-b-amashuri-abanza-bahawe-ipad-zizabafasha-kunoza-akazi

https://www.kigalitoday.com/uburezi/amashuri/article/huye-abayobozi-b-amashuri-abanza-bahawe-ipad-zizabafasha-kunoza-akazi


In Quarter 2, Soma Umenye collaborated with the Secretariat to oversee final development of the new Soma

Rwanda website and transfer management from the Consultant to the Secretariat. The new website has been

validated by the Steering Committee and is in full operation at https://somarwanda.rw

To increase awareness and traffic to the new website, a web banner was developed as well and the project will

advocate for its placement on government websites to direct online traffic to Soma Rwanda.

B7. MEL

B7a. Conduct ongoing performance monitoring

Review data collection tools. In Quarter 2, Soma Umenye prepared and conduct school monitoring visits in 147

schools (see below for additional details). To prepare for this, the MEL team, in collaboration with Technical and

Field teams, revised the school monitoring tool. The revision specifically focused on the addition of questions

related to how teachers were adapting following school re-opening. Exhibit 15 presents a summary of some of the

questions that Soma Umenye added to the school monitoring tool.

Exhibit 15. Additional Questions in the School Monitoring Tool

Additional Questions

How has your school adjusted the timetable for [insert class observing] as a result of COVID-19? (e.g.: class

has fewer than normal lesson per week; class is using blended learning to cover some content at home; class

meets on weekends; no changes have been made as a result of COVID-19)

What blended learning strategies are you using to supplement in-person instruction? (e.g.: encouraging

students to follow Kinyarwanda radio lessons; providing students with homework; facilitating students to

borrow the textbooks and practice at home; facilitating students to borrow other reading materials to

practice reading at home)

The homepage of the new Soma Rwanda website.

https://somarwanda.rw/


Collect and analyze data on Soma Umenye performance with respect to required indicators. Soma Umenye continued to

monitor the quality of implementation of Soma Umenye activities against established quality benchmarks. During

Quarter 2, this included remote learning and school monitoring and lesson observations. See below for additional

details on both activities.

Coordinate school monitoring and lessons observation activities to monitor the fidelity of Soma Umenye’s implementation. In

March, Soma Umenye Provincial and District Advisors conducted school monitoring visits, including lesson

observations, in 147 schools. Findings showed that students in 65% of classrooms were using project-provided

books (compared to 51% in March 2020, just before school closures), 83% of teachers demonstrated essential

skills in teaching Kinyarwanda (compared to 75.7% in March 2020), 48% of P1-P3 Kinyarwanda teachers reported

receiving adequate coaching (compared to 41% in March 2020), and 30% of head teachers demonstrated essential

leadership skills in support of early grade Kinyarwanda literacy in their schools (compared to 29% in March 2020).

When these results came in at the end of Quarter 2, Soma Umenye noted that they were, perhaps, more positive

than expected. With lower primary teachers having been out of school for several months and the influx of

approximately 7,000 new teachers in January 2021, we could have expected to see a drop in indicators around

fidelity (e.g.: use of TLMs, essential teaching skills, etc.). On the other hand, schools may have been more

motivated to re-start (following COVID-19 closures) and the School-Based Orientation Program may have had an

impact on those indicators. Soma Umenye will further explore these questions in a learning event in Quarter 3

with representatives from REB as well as those from the school, sector, and district level.

Additionally, Soma Umenye conducted weekly monitoring for the School-Based Orientation for New P1-P3

Kinyarwanda Teachers. This included developing a MEL framework, sampling frame, coordinating the data

collection process (targeting 150 schools each week), and producing weekly reports for reflection. See Activity

B3b and Annex B for additional details about the program, including findings.

Coordinate remote monitoring of uptake of radio lessons and other remote learning tools. In January and February, Soma

Umenye continued to monitor participation of radio lessons by conducting weekly phone surveys with a sample of

parents (approximately 1,500) of P1-P3 students. The findings indicated that 55% of P1-P3 students listened to the

radio lessons, 91% of P1-P3 students received support from parents/guardians, siblings or other household

members, 11% of the sampled parents reported having accessed the Kinyarwanda PDF read aloud books and 57%

of them shared the books with their children and supported them to read. Finally, 10% of respondents reported

that they engaged with the USSD *134# assessment items. Soma Umenye ended monitoring of radio lessons and

remote learning in February.

Produce summary reports of collected data on the internal dashboard. No activity in Quarter 2.

B7b. Implement data quality assurance procedures

Carry out data quality assessments to verify data submitted for Soma Umenye indicators. At the beginning of Quarter 1,

Soma Umenye conducted routine data quality assessments on the remote learning monitoring data for January

and February. Soma Umenye verified every indicator in the remote learning tool by checking, verifying, and

validating 20% of the submitted samples for both months. As the project team could not travel to the field to

conduct physical verification (as has been done in the past), the team verified data through phone calls. The

internal data quality assessments did not reveal any major issues with the remote learning data.

Additionally, Soma Umenye continued to conduct internal data quality assessments on all TLM distribution data,

including textbooks, teacher guides, read alouds, supplementary readers, and bookshelves. This exercise included

verifying proof of delivery notes (PoDs) at new and existing schools.

B7c. Report Soma Umenye data as required

Submit quarterly performance data through Development Information Solutions portal. No activity in Quarter 2.


Prepare and submit training participants’ cost data through TEAMS. As sectors were delayed in sending training

documents following the LEGRA training at the end of March, Soma Umenye was unable to submit this training

data by the end of Quarter 2. Soma Umenye will submit this data in Quarter 3.

B7d. Conduct evaluation activities

See Activity B4e.

B7e. Conduct collaborating, learning, and adapting activities

External Collaboration. Soma Umenye staff regularly collaborate with external partners, directly and through

established technical working groups, in order to improve achievement of project results and align activities with

government of Rwanda plans. In Quarter 2, this included close planning with REB on several key activities,

including TLM distribution, TLM audit, LEGRA and training plans. Soma Umenye also met with newly appointed

officials in REB and NESA to provide orientation on the project and participated in an Education Sector Working

Group meeting to discuss revisions to the school timetable. Soma Umenye also met directly with partners,

particularly BLF, around approaches to train new teachers.

Soma Umenye regularly collaborated with the Ministry of Education, REB, and USAID Mureke Dusome to

coordinate the National Reading Campaign under the Soma Rwanda platform in order to raise the visibility of

early grade reading as a national priority.

The project has continued to actively engage disabled person’s organizations, particularly RNUD, NCPD, and RUB

in the development of accessible digital readers, Rwanda Sign Language dictionary, and the standardization of the

Kinyarwanda braille code.

Support Collaborative learning with counterparts. In Quarter 2, Soma Umenye placed a key focus on engaging NESA

and REB staff to observe and discuss the implementation of LEGRA and the School Based Orientation program

for new teachers. During Term 1 LEGRA, both REB and NESA staff were paired with Soma Umenye staff to visit

and observe LEGRA implementation, resulting in increased awareness and ownership of LEGRA as well as

providing in depth reporting on challenges and best practices which can inform LEGRA Term 2 planning.

A virtual site visit was hosted during Quarter 1 to engage REB and NESA staff in reflection on the School Based

Orientation program for new teachers. Prior to the virtual event, participants were provided with a video of

school-level activities. During the visit, a series of panel discussions allowed participants to directly engage with

stakeholders at school, sector, and district level about implementation and the impact of the program.

Enable internal learning across project teams, and adaptation as needed. In Quarter 2, the MEL team continued a

series of focus group sessions with project staff to develop learning questions to guide Year 5 monitoring and

learning. These questions and scenarios planning were used to review and revise the school monitoring tools used

during Term 1 of the new school year.

In order to support the implementation of the School Based Orientation program for new teachers, the MEL

team initiated a cycle of Pause & Reflect sessions throughout the program. These sessions were planned weekly

and provided staff from across project teams the opportunity to reflect on monitoring data and reports from the

field in order to continuously improve the program (see Annex B for additional details).

External Learning Agenda. Soma Umenye is committed to supporting REB and MINEDUC form their learning

agenda, including a focus on early grade reading. In Quarter 2, the project continued discussions with MINEDUC

and REB around their key learning questions and a process to take this activity forward.


B8. TRANSITION

Develop and deliver a Rwanda Early Grade Reading Toolkit for REB and MINEDUC. In Quarter 2, Soma Umenye

continued to collect and package both evidence and best practice (local and international) for REB, MINEDUC,

and NESA on early grade reading.

B9. CLOSEOUT ACTIVITIES

In Quarter 2, Soma Umenye continued preparing the project’s close-out plan. The plan includes key tasks for both

a technical and administrative close-out.


SECTION 3

CHALLENGES AND LESSONS

LEARNED A. CHALLENGES ENCOUNTERED AND PROPOSED REMEDIAL ACTIONS

Quarter 2 marked a period of renewed excitement and energy with the return of lower primary students

across the country to school. After being out of school for 10 months (and 11 months for students in Kigali),

Soma Umenye witnessed both teachers and students eager to return to school. While this presented many

opportunities this quarter – including the ability to rollout LEGRA nationwide enabling NESA, supported by

Soma Umenye, to collect literacy data for every P1-P3 student at the end of Term 1 and the chance to

strengthen CPD at the school-level for approximately 7,000 new P1-P3 Kinyarwanda teachers – there were

also some challenges that required ongoing flexibility including:

• New cohort of P1-P3 Kinyarwanda teachers, some of whom had no previous training. In 2020, MINEDUC and

REB commenced a large-scale recruitment of almost 18,000 new teachers to not only address the

nationwide issue of teacher shortage at the primary and secondary level but to also fill the gap

stemming from the construction of more than 22,000 new classrooms (which was fast-tracked during

the period of COVID-19 school closures). When lower primary students returned to school in mid-

January 2021, recruitment of new teachers was not finished; however, through collecting data from

every school, Soma Umenye’s District Advisors estimated that there were approximately 7,000 new

P1-P3 Kinyarwanda teachers. This number was far greater than initially anticipated. For example,

towards the end of 2020, Soma Umenye expected somewhere in the range of 4,000 – 5,000 new P1-P3

Kinyarwanda teachers. Such a large number of new teachers for lower primary, with many of them

untrained3, presented a number of challenges. It is worth noting that in previous years, the number of

new teachers was significantly lower, at approximately 1,500. This turnover impacts project planning

and budgeting for training activities as well as potentially having a negative impact on teaching and

learning.

Firstly, REB identified the immediate need to provide training to these new teachers; however, COVID-

19 guidelines in Rwanda prohibited face-to-face training until mid-March 2021. Waiting until mid-March

to provide formal training would have meant that teachers would have taught most of the Term 1

content without any specific support. Soma Umenye recognized this need and quickly pivoted to co-

develop with REB a five-week School-Based Orientation Program for New P1-P3 Kinyarwanda

Teachers. The program, further described in Activity B3b and Annex B, supported lead teachers

(previously trained teachers) to provide training and coaching to new teachers. Using existing materials

(including TLMs and videos), Soma Umenye provided a supplementary guidance document that outlined

key content (e.g.: scaffolding approach, five key literacy components, how to use the teacher’s guide,

etc.) for teachers to cover and provided information around lesson observations and structured de-

brief sessions. Every primary school across the country began implementing the program about a

month after Term 1 started and the uptake was relatively high. Both new and lead teachers expressed

support for the program and Soma Umenye documented several instances of outside-the-box thinking

by schools (e.g.: partnering with neighboring TTCs to have TTC tutors coach new teachers through the

program and combining with neighboring schools for those schools with no lead teachers).

3 Reports from one district official indicate that approximately 70% of the new P1-P3 Kinyarwanda teachers in

his district had no previous education training.


Secondly, the challenge with new (and previously untrained) teachers is that they lack exposure to,

knowledge of, and confidence in basic pedagogical competencies. While new teachers benefitted from

the school-based orientation program, Soma Umenye acknowledges that this is not enough and that,

for those teachers who started the 2021 academic year with no previous training in education, more

support is required. In addition to conducting a four-day face-to-face training for new P1-P3

Kinyarwanda teachers in Quarter 3, Soma Umenye will also continue to advocate with REB that new

teachers without any previous education training should receive training on basic pedagogical principles,

in addition to subject-specific training. Soma Umenye expects this to be particularly important in the

upcoming months as Phase IV of teacher recruitment is due to be finalized in April 2021 (Quarter 3).

• Restrictions around face-to-face training for most of Term 1. For most of Quarter 2, COVID-19 restrictions

on in-person events prevented face-to-face training. This presented challenges as Soma Umenye was

unable to provide face-to-face support to new teachers and school leaders at the beginning of Term 1

(which would have been the ideal timing). For teachers, Soma Umenye adapted to provide a school-

based solution (as described above). For school leaders, the critical training during this quarter was on

Term 1 LEGRA administration. On March 15th, the government of Rwanda eased restrictions on in-

person events to allow for 20 individuals in a meeting room, not exceeding 30% of the venue’s capacity.

Soma Umenye acted quickly and, by March 18th, implemented the first stage of the three-stage Term 1

LEGRA training (a training for DDEs, DEOs, and SEIs). Additionally, the project put strict COVID-19

precautions in place (see Activity B4b for additional details about this training). While the training was a

success, it required a good deal of flexibility to execute a nationwide training within three days and,

given the short notice, Soma Umenye and NESA were unable to provide trainees with advance warning.

While that did not impact attendance at the training, Soma Umenye did learn that some districts had

already conducted end-of-term Kinyarwanda assessments for P1-P3 students. Soma Umenye and NESA

had to provide clear communications during the training to ensure that every school conducted the

Term 1 LEGRA. The project does not anticipate facing the same challenges for the Term 2 LEGRA

(Quarter 3); however, should the operating environment change to make administering Term 2 LEGRA

more difficult, Soma Umenye will work closely with NESA to ensure (1) clear communications to

districts and schools and (2) sufficient advance warning to districts about the end-of-Term 2

comprehensive assessment schedule.

• Large number of new schools requiring TLMs. In 2020 and the beginning of 2021, MINEDUC fast-tracked

the construction of more than 22,000 new classrooms. Working closely with district officials, Soma

Umenye’s District Advisors determined that, at the beginning of Term 1, there were 585 newly

constructed schools with a primary section. With enrollment number still in flux, the most immediate

challenge was that these schools did not have any TLMs, and the project had not planned to do a mass

printing of all TLMs at the beginning of Year 5. However, to provide rapid support to new schools,

Soma Umenye made a proposal to REB to distribute excess materials in the project’s warehouse

including those that, initially, did not pass quality assurance checks from previous print runs. Soma

Umenye re-inspected all the TLMs and only included those that met revised quality assurance standards

(e.g.: even if there were some defaults with the book, was it still useable, even if only for a year?). After

receiving approval from CTLRD, Soma Umenye conducted a rapid distribution of 138,633 TLMs

(including P1-P3 teacher guides, textbooks, and read alouds) to 585 new schools. While this

distribution does not provide new schools with the number of TLMs that they require, Soma Umenye

will be working closely with REB in Quarter 3 (following the results of the TLM audit) to support REB

to predict TLM print numbers for the September 2021 school year and beyond.

B. SUCCESS STORIES AND LESSONS LEARNED

See next page.


SNAPSHOT

Strengthening National Early Grade Reading Assessment

Oral reading fluency and comprehension tests made part of national assessment.

PHOTO: USAID Soma Umenye

An enumerator conducts an

individual student assessment during LARS IV. (Nyabihu,

March 2021)

Since 2018, USAID Soma Umenye has worked closely with the Rwanda Education Board (REB) to review and revise an early grade reading Kinyarwanda assessment framework in order to promote foundational skills of individual learners based on a strong assessment system. In March 2021, this collaboration reached a milestone success with the Ministry of Education’s Learning Achievement in Rwandan Schools (LARS IV) assessment including individual timed oral reading fluency and comprehension tests for the first time.

From 2018, the early grade reading Kinyarwanda assessment framework was revised to better align with the curriculum, performance descriptors and assessment metrics. Soma Umenye supported REB to develop an assessment item bank and deliver a national sample-based Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) using the new framework.

Based on the successful work, REB and Soma Umenye embarked on a process to develop annual oral reading fluency and comprehension benchmarks for P1 to P3 Kinyarwanda. The benchmarks are regionally and internationally comparable and, when applied, will allow Rwanda to report on both the Sustainable Development Goal indicator for Quality Education (SDG 4) and the Human Capital Index.

Following the validation of the benchmarks, REB requested Soma Umenye’s support to plan the fourth iteration of their LARS assessment with the specific aim to add individual timed oral reading fluency and comprehension tests for early grade Kinyarwanda. Soma Umenye supported question item bank development and enumerator training. LARS IV was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 but was successfully administered between 15 February and 1 March 2021 in 295 schools in all 30 districts of Rwanda.

The addition of individual timed oral reading fluency and comprehension tests mean that LARS IV will produce internationally comparable early grade reading data, thus contributing to more informed decision-making in order to achieve national reading targets and address barriers to Rwanda’s human capital development.

Dr. Alphonse Sebaganwa, Head of Assessment at the National Examination and School Inspection Authority, has appreciated the advantage that the updated LARS assessment will provide the sector. “Reading is a foundation to all learning. Individual assessment of learners’ reading fluency and comprehension will enable us to get a better picture of specific areas where learners are struggling so that necessary action can be taken at the right levels.”


SNAPSHOT

New teachers supported through school-based coaching School-based training is a timely and sustainable response to Covid limitations.


A lead teacher orients new lower primary teachers on early grade reading teaching methodology.

(Kigali, March 2021)

USAID Soma Umenye supports the Rwanda Basic Education Board (REB) to ensure early grade teachers are equipped with effective strategies to teach reading and writing in Kinyarwanda. Improved teaching will facilitate achievement of the goal that all children are able to read fluently in Kinyarwanda by the end of Primary grade 3.

Following extensive school construction by the Ministry of Education to ensure a safe return to school, REB recruited approximately 7,000 new teachers for lower primary. Soma Umenye is committed to provide all new early grade teachers with training on evidence-based instructional techniques for reading in Kinyarwanda. However, due to health guidelines, traditional face-to-face mass training was not possible.

In response, USAID Soma Umenye supported REB to design and implement a school-based orientation for new teachers. The five-week program focused on delivering core skills that early grade teachers required to teach Term 1 content and utilized a lead teacher in each school to provide direct support to new teachers through coaching and lesson observations. A lead teacher was one who had previously received USAID Soma Umenye’s early grade Kinyarwanda reading training.

Project monitoring found that most schools were able to at least partially implement the program, with a focus on reviewing the five components of literacy and familiarizing new teachers with core instructional materials. New teachers also had the chance to observe lead teachers in the classroom and then be observed themselves. During debriefs and Communities of Practice, new teachers received additional guidance to continuously improve.

Mr. Noel Nahimana, a new teacher in Ngororero district did not graduate from a Teacher Training College (TTC). He said, “I am not a TTC graduate, but I can now teach confidently. I thank the school for giving me the opportunity to learn new skills and I wish that we will be given another such training.”

Though headteachers still request for more in-depth face-to-face training, they believed the program was successful in meeting an urgent need. One lead teacher from Kigali City told REB that she believes the school-based approach to training should be applied to other subjects as well. She went on to say, “Supporting new teachers through this program also gave me an opportunity to review what I have previously received training on, which is useful as we begin the new school year.”

The Director of Teacher Training at REB, Mr. Gerard Murasira, appreciated Soma Umenye’s support of this “home-grown solution”. He agreed that it is a method which can be applied to other subjects as it allows schools to take ownership to meet the needs identified among their teachers.


SNAPSHOT

Every P1 to P3 student assessed in Kinyarwanda reading

Local Kinyarwanda early grade reading assessment scaled to all schools nationwide.


A teacher administers an

individual reading fluency test

during LEGRA. (Ruhango,

March 2021)

In 2019 the Rwanda Basic Education Board established a system of Comprehensive Assessment to provide standardized assessment results for every level and subject. This system aims to support evidence-based decision making from the classroom to national level.

USAID Soma Umenye supported REB to design the Local Early Grade Reading Assessment (LEGRA) as part of this Comprehensive Assessment system to test all learners at the end of each term from P1 to P3 in Kinyarwanda. LEGRA is a formative early grade reading assessment that gives teachers and schools the information they need to design targeted remediation programs to get students back on track.

Piloted in September 2019, LEGRA was scaled nationwide in March 2021 with teachers administering group and individual tests over a two-day period to measure student’s ability to recognize letters and words, listening comprehension, and reading fluency.

LEGRA includes a fully cycle of reflection, beginning with a pre-assessment meeting during which teachers predict the reading performance of their students. Following the assessment and marking, a post-assessment meeting is held and teachers reflect on their student’s actual performance to develop plans to improve their teaching and learning.

To prepare for the national scale up of LEGRA, sector and school leaders participated in refresher trainings before organizing trainings at school-level for all P1 to P3 teachers. For many teachers, LEGRA was a new assessment experience but both teachers and headteachers appreciated the assessment, noting that having individual performance results for each child will support them to provide targeted support to struggling students.


SECTION 4

ACTIVITIES PLANNED FOR NEXT

QUARTER

A. OPERATIONAL ACTIVITIES

Recruitment. In Quarter 3, the project plans to finalize the recruitment of the HR Officer, MEL Specialist, two

Inclusion Specialist consultants, and the Quality Assurance Specialist consultant. The project works to remain

nimble in its recruitment to respond to staff departures as the end of the project nears.

Procurement and logistics. In Quarter 3, the project intends to release requests for proposals for (1) the

disposal of rejected P1 textbooks and (2) the printing of supplementary P1-P3 teachers guides and read

alouds, as well as award a subcontract for the printing of library posters. The library posters (three for each

grade), co-developed with REB, highlight book care, library rules, and the book checkout process. Teachers

are able to use the posters as teaching aids and having them in the classroom further promotes book lending

and reading at home.

As mentioned above, the project will finalize the remediation of TLM distribution errors and any

discrepancies in the distribution and assembly of bookshelves. Following the remediation, the project will use

the results of the ongoing physical inventory to identify remaining TLMs which can be distributed to new

schools.

Finance and compliance. In Quarter 3, the project will undergo its closeout finance and compliance review

(FCR). FCR is an annual exercise that is completed by Chemonics to ensure that the project is compliant

with Chemonics’ internal policies and procedures and USAID rules and regulations.

Additionally, at the beginning of Quarter 3 (in preparation for two nationwide face-to-face trainings for new

teachers and school leaders – see Activities B3a and B3b), Soma Umenye will develop a comprehensive

COVID-19 site assessment and management plan. The assessment and management plan will consist of three

important protocols: (1) COVID-19 testing protocols for Soma Umenye staff and external trainers; (2) a site

assessment survey, which will be conducted by the project’s Provincial and District Advisors, to ensure that

every training site has appropriate space, handwashing stations, and hygiene facilities; and (3) protocols for

managing trainees while at training sites and ensuring that they respect COVID-19 guidelines. For the third

protocol, Soma Umenye envisions working with districts to identify youth volunteers for each site to manage

handwashing, social distancing, and training check in/check out. Additionally, once finalized, Soma Umenye

expects to share the plan with REB so that they can review our proposed approach and reference it for

future trainings.

B. TECHNICAL ACTIVITIES

B1. COVID-19 CONSIDERATIONS

B1a. Support REB to deliver a remote learning program

Deliver P1-P3 radio lessons. By the end of June, Soma Umenye expects to have delivered the full bank of P1-P3

radio lessons, including ten supplementary lessons, to REB.


Support REB’s digital materials platform. In Quarter 3, Soma Umenye will digitize the nine remaining Andika

Rwanda readers (into both read aloud and PDF formats). Soma Umenye will continue to work with REB to

upload all P1-P3 radio lessons and digital Andika Rwanda readers to REB’s eLearning platform. Additionally,

Soma Umenye will broadcast the decodables radio program (aimed at orienting parents to how they can

support their children with decodable readers at home) in Quarter 3 and explore options for using the

upcoming school inama – where the community will reflect on Term 1 LEGRA data (see Activity B4b) – to

re-play the radio program and emphasize the importance of decodables.

B2. MATERIALS

B2a. Ensure student access to learning materials

Finalize distribution of remaining project materials. Following the start of Term 2 in April, the project will finalize

the remediation of TLM distribution errors and any discrepancies in the distribution and assembly of

bookshelves.

Audit student textbooks in schools (losses, condition of books). At the beginning of Quarter 3, Soma Umenye will

finalize the collection of the TLM audit data. Following analysis, Soma Umenye will prepare an audit report

and share with REB, and potentially other development partners, in a virtual reflection meeting. After

receiving input from REB, Soma Umenye will then share the findings with district education leadership to

promote book care messages and local solutions for book longevity. Soma Umenye will also incorporate the

findings from this audit into the supply chain training and guidelines for REB (see Activity B2b). Finally, the

project intends to utilize the collected data to come up with a strategy to ensure as many new P1-P3

teachers as possible (in existing and new schools) have access to a teacher’s guide and read aloud book.

Provide a short-term solution to support the double P1 cohort proposed for the 2020/21 school year. As agreed in

the January 6th, 2021 meeting with the Acting Director General of REB and the Head of CTLRD, the project

will distribute P1 refurbished textbooks to high volume schools starting in May. Based on conversations that

have happened since that meeting with REB, the project will not be indicating in any way that the P1

refurbished textbooks are different from the textbooks currently in schools.

B2b. Build REB capacity to procure teaching and learning materials to better manage its book

supply chain

Deliver supply chain training to REB. In Quarter 3, Soma Umenye will finalize the supply chain training module

and supplementary materials (including the incorporation of the TLM audit – see Activity B2a). The project

will then work with REB to schedule a time to deliver the training virtually.

Present recommendations to REB on its print specifications and print quality assurance. In Quarter 3, following the

TLM audit, Soma Umenye will present recommendations on print specifications and book testing tools

reflecting global changes to paper specification, which have been accepted regionally, as well as reflecting

Rwanda-specific learning.

Develop and disseminate book supply chain guidelines. In Quarter 3, Soma Umenye will finalize the book supply

chain guidelines. Soma Umenye will develop these guidelines based on global supply chain best practice as

well as regional and local book supply chain contexts. The project will disseminate the guidelines during the

training (described above).


B2c. Digitize the P1-P3 teacher’s guide

Digitize the P1-P3 teacher’s guide. In Quarter 3, Soma Umenye plans to continue digitizing the P1-P3 teacher’s

guide and will produce a first draft for REB review.

B3. SUSTAINABLE CONTINUOUS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, QUALITY

INSTRUCTION, AND SCHOOL-BASED SUPPORT FOR TEACHERS AND SCHOOL

LEADERS

B3a. Deliver an integrated cycle of communities of practice, coaching, and reflection for P1-P3

Kinyarwanda teachers, school-based coaches, SEIs, and DEOs

Deliver training to newly appointed school leaders. Given the delay in recruitment and appointment of new

school leaders, Soma Umenye agreed with REB in Quarter 2 to include all acting school leaders in the

project’s upcoming trainings. In Quarter 3, Soma Umenye will include acting school leaders in the planned

school leader refresher training that will be focused on providing a refresher on LEGRA data and next steps

(see below for further details).

Deliver refresher training to all school leaders. In Quarter 3 (May), Soma Umenye will develop and deliver a two-

day refresher training to school leaders. The refresher training will focus on a practical application of Term 1

LEGRA results, including an opportunity for school leaders to upload data to their tablets (if they have not

done so already), reflect on LEGRA data, use the data to develop achievable remediation and turnaround

plans for Term 2, and prepare for school, sector, and district inamas. Soma Umenye plans to deliver this

training in two stages. In the first stage, Soma Umenye’s Provincial and District Advisors will train DDEs,

DEOs, and SEIs at the district-level. In the second stage, SEIs will train head teachers and Deans of Studies at

the sector-level.

Develop community of practice materials. In Quarter 3, Soma Umenye will continue to develop community of

practice materials for Term 2 and Term 3. In particular, given the positive responses from lead teachers and

new teachers on the five-week Term 1 School-Based Orientation Program, Soma Umenye will continue to

develop specific community of practice materials so the program can continue in Quarter 3. Additionally,

Soma Umenye will collect feedback from school-, sector-, and district-level communities of practice and

make any revisions or updates to the planned materials as required to better support community of practice

participants.

Distribute community of practice materials. In Quarter 3, Soma Umenye will continue to utilize multiple channels

for distributing community of practice materials, including through established WhatsApp groups at the

school-, sector-, and district-level; over email to sector and district leaders; and on tablets that the project

will distribute to school leaders.

Support the reporting cycle for communities of practice and coaching. In Quarter 3, Soma Umenye will continue to

support and monitor the reporting cycle for communities of practice and coaching.

Deliver virtual coaching pilot. Given that the priority in Quarter 2 was providing, essentially, nationwide remote

support to all teachers and school leaders (due to COVID-19 restrictions which prohibited in-person

meetings), Soma Umenye will continue this approach in Quarter 3. The project will continue to utilize

Provincial and District Advisors to support teachers and school leaders through the use of phone,

WhatsApp, and email. Additionally, Soma Umenye will continue encouraging DEOs and SEIs to do the same.


Assess virtual coaching pilot. In Quarter 3, Soma Umenye will routinely examine the extent to which Provincial

and District Advisors are remotely supporting teachers and school leaders and, as needed, identify ways to

improve communication and support.

B3b. Train newly qualified and re-deployed P1-P3 Kinyarwanda teachers in best practices in

early grade reading instruction

Train NQTs and re-deployed teachers in Soma Umenye foundational training. At the beginning of Quarter 3, in

April, Soma Umenye will organize and implement a four-day training for new and re-deployed P1-P3

Kinyarwanda teachers (approximately 7,000). This training will build on the School-Based Orientation

Program conducted in Quarter 2 but will provide more intensive training for these teachers. In conducting

this training, Soma Umenye will adhere to strict COVID-19 prevention protocols (further described in

Section A – Operational Activities). This means that the project will increase the number of training sites

rooms at the sector-level in order to support social distancing and keep the number of trainees per room

below 20. This will require more trainers (compared to previous Soma Umenye trainings), as described

below.

Soma Umenye plans to conduct this training in three-stages. In the first stage, Soma Umenye will conduct a

one-day virtual orientation for the project’s Provincial and District Advisors and approximately 50 trainers

from Inspire, Educate, and Empower Rwanda (IEE). The IEE trainers will be master teachers from the

National Reading Training Team (NRTT) and they will have previously delivered the foundational and/or

refresher training for P1-P3 teachers.

In the second stage, Soma Umenye, in conjunction with the 50 master trainers, will provide a training of

trainers (ToT) to approximately 240 other members of the NRTT as well as 60 lead teachers. The project

will select the lead teachers from the list of those who participated as lead teachers in the School-Based

Orientation Program from Quarter 2. It will be necessary to supplement the NRTT cohort with lead

teachers and IEE master trainers in order to ensure that each training room has a trainer. Soma Umenye

expects that utilizing lead teachers as trainers will support REB to further build a cadre of competent

trainers.

In the third and final stage, Soma Umenye will support the trainers to deliver a four-day training to new and

re-deployed P1-P3 Kinyarwanda teachers during the Term 1 holidays. As part of the planned pre-test, Soma

Umenye will also ask trainees about their education background in order to get a better sense of how many

of them are untrained. We predict that this information will be helpful for REB as they continue to plan

training for new teachers.

Exhibit 16 provides an outline of the four-day training module.

Exhibit 16. Outline of the Four-Day New and Re-deployed Teacher Training Module

Day 1

• Overview of the USAID Soma Umenye theory of change

• Introduction to reading and writing instruction

• Overview of Kinyarwanda P1-P3 instructional materials

• Gradual release of responsibility: “I do, We do, You do” teaching strategy

Day 2

• Introduction to evidence-based reading instruction (five core components)

• Teaching phonological awareness

• Teaching phonics

• Practice teaching of a phonological awareness and phonics lesson


Day 3

• Teaching vocabulary

• Teaching reading fluency

• Teaching reading comprehension

• Teaching writing Day 4

• Teaching Kinyarwanda grammar, literature, and general knowledge of the Kinyarwanda language

• Gender and inclusion in the teaching and learning process

To supplement the in-person training for new teachers, Soma Umenye plans to develop and implement

another round of the School-Based Orientation (following its success as a CPD model in Term 1). At the

beginning of Quarter 3, Soma Umenye will develop the content for the program. This content could be based

on monitoring data from Term 1 (e.g. focusing on areas that were not fully covered in Term 1) or it could be

similar to Term 1 but targeting the newly recruited teachers from REB’s Phase IV recruitment, which is

anticipated to be complete at the start of Term 2.

B3c. Support REB to leverage TTCs for a sustainable approach to CPD and coaching

Support REB to finalize the tutor’s guide and design of the tutor training program. This activity was completed in

Quarter 1.

Support implementation of the TDM policy related to the TTCs’ role in in-service training. If a final copy of the TDM

policy becomes available, then project will then work with REB and partners in Quarter 3 to reflect on the

new policy and identify areas where it relates to the role of TTCs in in-service training.

B4. COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT

B4a. Support P1-P3 Kinyarwanda teachers to conduct formative assessment

Support teachers to conduct formative assessment. In Quarter 3, Soma Umenye will continue to reinforce the

importance of formative assessment to school leaders and P1-P3 Kinyarwanda teachers. Soma Umenye will

primarily use communities of practice, upcoming trainings, and the Term 2 School-Based Orientation

Program to support teachers to conduct regular formative assessments in their classrooms.

B4b. Support REB to implement end of term assessments in P1-P3 Kinyarwanda

Conduct adapted LEGRA in selected districts. No activity planned in Quarter 3.

Finalize the development of a bank of equated test items for Term 1 and Term 2 LEGRA assessments. In Quarter 3,

Soma Umenye will work closely with NESA to ensure that the test items are uploaded in the CA-MIS

dashboard, when it is available and fully functional.

Deliver Term 1 and Term 2 LEGRA training. Soma Umenye delivered a Term 1 LEGRA training in Quarter 2. At

the end of Quarter 3, Soma Umenye will support schools, sectors, and districts with Term 2 LEGRA

(currently planned for the beginning of July) through planned communities of practice.

Support head teachers, SEIs, and DEOs to manage LEGRA data collection. While school leaders managed Term 1

LEGRA data collection in Quarter 2, Soma Umenye will provide a two-day refresher training in Quarter 3

(May 2021; see Activity B3a and below) that will focus on enabling all school leaders to effectively transfer

paper-based LEGRA data onto their tablets. Towards the end of April, Soma Umenye will also support NESA

to ensure that Kigali schools deliver a Term 1 LEGRA. Kigali schools did not conduct a LEGRA at the end of


March because Kigali schools started Term 1 approximately one month after other schools (due to an

extended COVID-19 lockdown in Kigali).

Support head teachers, SEIs, and DEOs to reflect on LEGRA data. As part of the planned school leaders refresher

training in Quarter 3 (see Activity B3a), Soma Umenye will support participants to reflect on Term 1 LEGRA

data. This will include developing Term 2 remediation plans and updating School Improvement Plans (based

on the LEGRA data). Following the refresher training, Soma Umenye will support NESA to ensure that

school, sector, and district inamas take place to allow for further reflection on data. Reflection on Term 2

LEGRA data will take place in Quarter 4.

In Quarter 3, Soma Umenye will also kickstart a more structured cycle of learning with NESA and REB,

driven by LEGRA data. Exhibit 17 provides an overview of this planned cycle.

Exhibit 17. 2021 School Year Assessment and Learning Cycle for P1-P3 Kinyarwanda

Make LEGRA data available on the comprehensive assessment dashboard. In Quarter 3, Soma Umenye will

continue discussions with NESA about the status of the proposed CA-MIS database. Regardless of whether

or not it will be fully functional in Quarter 3, Soma Umenye’s priority will be ensuring that schools, sectors,

and districts have visualized Term 1 LEGRA data in a way that they can use it to make decisions, inform

priorities, and engage with the community during the scheduled inamas.

B4c. Collaborate with REB to implement school-level remediation for P1-P3 students

Deliver Term 1 KRC training. As explained in Section 2, Soma Umenye did not deliver a Term 1 KRC.

However, the project does plan to deliver a Term 2 KRC in July (Quarter 4). To prepare for this, Soma

Umenye will finalize the KRC training module in Quarter 3 and discuss with REB TDM appropriate dates to

deliver the training (likely at the end of June or beginning of July).


Support schools to prepare for and deliver Term 2 KRC. Soma Umenye will support schools to conduct Term 2

KRC in Quarter 4.

Support head teachers, SEIs, and DEOs to reflect on Term 1 and Term 2 KRC data. This activity will take place in

Quarter 4.

Make post-KRC LEGRA data (Term 1 and Term 2) available on the comprehensive assessment dashboard. This

activity will take place in Quarter 4.

Finalize a training video on engaging instructional strategies. In Quarter 3, pending any changing COVID-19

restrictions, Soma Umenye will film a video highlighting easy-to-use and engaging instructional strategies

(using a script that the project developed in Quarter 1).

Support the dissemination of the video during Term 1-3 communities of practice. Following the finalization of the

video, Soma Umenye will provide it to school leaders (on their tablets and laptops) for use during the

communities of practice.

B4d. Develop a comprehensive assessment dashboard and transition it to REB

Finalize the comprehensive assessment dashboard architecture. In Quarter 3, Soma Umenye will continue

discussions with NESA around the CA-MIS. It has always been Soma Umenye’s intention to avoid duplicate

dashboards and integrate Kinyarwanda comprehensive assessment data into a NESA-owned system. If, during

these discussions, it becomes clear that the CA-MIS will not be functional for some time, then Soma Umenye

will proceed with developing an interim comprehensive assessment dashboard for LEGRA and post-KRC

LEGRA data (building on work conducted in Quarters 1 and 2).

Ensure LEGRA, KRC, and EGRA data is uploaded to the comprehensive assessment dashboard. When data becomes

available, Soma Umenye will ensure that it is uploaded to the dashboard. In Quarter 3, Soma Umenye

expects to upload Term 1 LEGRA data (as well as data from the LEGRA and KRC 2019 pilots).

Transition the comprehensive assessment dashboard to NESA. Following discussions with NESA (see above),

Soma Umenye will plan to transfer all dashboard architecture and data to NESA. The project expects to

begin this process in Quarter 3.

B4e. Support NESA to deliver a NESA-EGRA

Collaborate with NESA to develop a 2021 EGRA. In Quarter 3, Soma Umenye will begin discussions with NESA

around planning for a NESA-EGRA in August.

Equate EGRA and LEGRA results. No activity planned in Quarter 3.

Train data collectors for the 2021 EGRA. No activity planned in Quarter 3.

Collect data for the 2021 EGRA. No activity planned in Quarter 3.

Conduct data cleaning, analysis, and report writing for the 2021 EGRA. No activity in Quarter 3.

Disseminate 2021 EGRA endline findings. No activity in Quarter 3.

Make EGRA data available on the comprehensive assessment dashboard. Following the finalization of the

dashboard, Soma Umenye will upload EGRA 2018 data.


B5. INCLUSION

B5a. Implement a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) pilot in selected P1 classes

In Quarter 3, Soma Umenye will continue to work with REB to integrate UDL strategies into communities of

practice, in-term remediation, and upcoming trainings.

B5b. Support the National Council of Persons with Disabilities (NCPD) to finalize Rwandan

Sign Language

Collaborate with the Rwanda National Union of the Deaf to finalize the remaining signs. In Quarter 3, Soma

Umenye will execute a subcontract with RNUD and begin work with them on developing the remaining signs

and building out the rest of the RSL dictionary. Additionally, during this quarter, Soma Umenye will execute a

contract with an external consultant, who has expertise in sign language linguistics, to support RNUD to

develop the introductory chapter of the dictionary on the structure of RSL as a language. Throughout the

process, Soma Umenye plans to maintain a detailed deliverables tracker in order to provide updates to

NCPD, USAID, and other government of Rwanda stakeholders as required.

Support NCPD to validate the RSL dictionary. No activity planned in Quarter 3.

B5c. Support REB and stakeholders to standardize and validate a Kinyarwanda braille code

Hold workshop with REB and stakeholders to standardize and validate a Kinyarwanda braille code. In Quarter 3,

Soma Umenye will formally document the outcomes of the workshop and discuss next steps with REB in

order to finalize the braille document.

B5d. Adapt the 2018 and 2019 Andika Rwanda books for students who are blind

Validate the draft braille books. This activity was completed in Quarter 1.

Print and distribute the braille books. In Quarter 3, Soma Umenye will work with NUDOR to print the

remaining braille books and then distribute them to the schools for the blind and selected model inclusive

schools (where teachers have expertise in teaching braille to students who are blind).

B5e. Pilot the Orbit Reader for students who are blind

Deliver pilot. In Quarter 3, Soma Umenye will load project-supported student learning materials onto the five

Orbit Readers and, in collaboration with REB’s newly-formed Special Needs Unit, coordinate with the

schools for the blind for use with their teachers and students.

Assess pilot and disseminate findings. No activity planned in Quarter 3.

B5f. Produce and distribute accessible digital supplementary readers

Secure validation from REB. At the beginning of Quarter 3, Soma Umenye will work with REB to secure

validation of the revised prototype produced in Quarter 2. The project will work with REB to agree on a

process to expedite the validation of the remaining books. Pending discussions with REB, Soma Umenye will

also explore the possibility of supporting REB to develop draft standards for accessible digital supplementary

readers.


Train end users. In Quarter 3, Soma Umenye will conduct a training for teachers from the schools for the deaf

and selected model inclusive schools to orient teachers on how to use the accessible digital Andika Rwanda

stories in their classrooms.

Distribute accessible digital readers to selected schools. As the books are finalized, Soma Umenye will coordinate

with REB to load the accessible digital readers onto existing REB-provided devices (tablets and laptops) in

schools for the deaf and selected model inclusive schools.

B6. COMMUNICATIONS

B6a. Deliver the National Reading Campaign

Deliver Phase 2 of the National Reading Campaign. The National Reading Campaign will conclude by the end of

June. In Quarter 3, Soma Umenye will support the final push to promote time for reading with continued

dissemination of Change Maker cards, a radio show with Rwanda Basic Education Board, and promotion of

book lending and parental support for children to have at least 15 minutes each day to practice reading.

Throughout the campaign, media have been encouraged to share the campaign messages and promote

literacy through their storytelling platforms. In Quarter 3, Soma Umenye will collaborate with the Ministry of

Education and Soma Rwanda platform to organize the close of the NRC Media Awards, including the judging

process and a virtual awards ceremony. Once the media winners have been selected, the journalists and their

winning entries will be promoted through a series of social media cards and compiled NRC Media Awards

digital resource.

B6b. Raise visibility of Soma Umenye activities

Document project activities for sharing. The Communications team will ensure all project activities are

documented for archive and sharing, including planned teacher and school leader training and the full cycle of

LEGRA inamas. A ceremonial handover of the tablets for school leaders will be organized and promoted via

social media and with Rwandan media.

Disseminate project information through social media. In Quarter 3, the Communications team will continue to

promote the project through its social media channels and will regularly update Twitter with literacy

advocacy as well as celebrations of International Days, including International Creativity and Innovation Day

and World Book Day.

The project will participate in the virtual conference of the Comparative International Education Society

(CIES) in April. Four presentations have been accepted, in partnership with government of Rwanda

counterparts. The project will document these presentations and promote key messaging through social

media channels.

Develop communications materials. Throughout Quarter 3, the Communications team will prepare short videos

to highlight the project technical activities, including training of teachers, school leaders, and LEGRA. A video

will be developed for use in the ceremonial handover of tablets for school leaders to REB, which focuses on

the impact the devices will have to improve early grade reading in schools.

Engage Rwandan media. Soma Umenye will engage local media to promote project activities, sharing press

releases for each training and the tablet handover and facilitating a media visit to the training of new teachers

planned in April. As the NRC Media Awards come to a close in Quarter 3, the project will continue to

encourage and monitor media promotion of literacy.


B6c. Support regular required reporting

Support required reporting of project activities and develop success stories. In Quarter 3, Soma Umenye will ensure

accurate reporting of project activities and pursue any possible channels for sharing project success.

B6d. Ensure appropriate branding and marking

Ensure appropriate branding and marking. The Communications team will continue to ensure all project

materials have appropriate branding and marking, including presentations for the CIES virtual conference.

Following the government of Rwanda’s re-branding of education institutions, the project will create new

promotional material designs.

B6d. Leverage communications to support Soma Umenye’s expected results

Support Soma Rwanda. In Quarter 3, Soma Umenye will support Soma Rwanda in the continued

implementation of the National Reading Campaign (see activity B6a).

B7. MEL

B7a. Conduct ongoing performance monitoring

Review data collection tools. Following the review and revision of school-based data collection tools in Quarter

2, Soma Umenye does not anticipate any activity in Quarter 3. However, should the project decide data

collection tools need further review, the MEL team will do so in collaboration with the technical and field

teams.

Collect and analyze data on Soma Umenye performance with respect to required indicators. Throughout Quarter 3,

the MEL team will monitor the quality of implementation of Soma Umenye activities against established

quality benchmarks.

Coordinate school monitoring and lessons observation activities to monitor the fidelity of Soma Umenye’s

implementation. During Quarter 3, Soma Umenye will facilitate an internal workshop to review the data from

the Quarter 2 school-based monitoring and the School-Based Orientation Program. Soma Umenye will

continue to conduct school-based monitoring in Quarter 3.

Coordinate remote monitoring of uptake of radio lessons and other remote learning tools. This activity was

completed in Quarter 2.

Produce summary reports of collected data on the internal dashboard. At the beginning of Quarter 3, Soma

Umenye will produce summary reports of the March school-level monitoring data on the project’s internal

dashboard for review and reflection.

B7b. Implement data quality assurance procedures

Carry out data quality assessments to verify data submitted for Soma Umenye indicators. Soma Umenye will

continue to conduct data quality assessments to verify data submitted for reporting all Soma Umenye

indicators, particularly training and distribution data.

B7c. Report Soma Umenye data as required


Submit quarterly performance data through Development Information Solutions portal. As required, Soma Umenye

will submit Development Information Solution Partner data.

Prepare and submit training participants’ cost data through TEAMS. In Quarter 3, Soma Umenye will prepare and

submit participants’ cost data for Term 1 LEGRA, Term 2 school leader, and newly qualified/re-deployed

teacher trainings to USAID through the TEAMS portal.

B7d. Conduct evaluation activities

See Activity B4e.

B7e. Conduct collaborating, learning, and adapting activities

External collaboration. In Quarter 3, Soma Umenye will continue to collaborate with stakeholders for

harmonization and effective delivery of all project activities. Soma Umenye will also participate actively in

technical working groups and prioritize collaboration through these established channels.

Support collaborative learning with counterparts. Following training activities in April, Soma Umenye will engage

NESA and REB staff, as well as stakeholder representatives to participate in debrief sessions to reflect on

progress made and challenges that require continued attention.

Soma Umenye will support four presentations accepted for the Comparative International Education

Society’s 2021 virtual conference from 25 April through 2 May 2021. These four presentations include:

1. Staying the Course: Sustaining Reading Reform in the time of COVID

2. Practical and scalable approaches of Universal Design for Learning with early grade students in

Rwanda and Ghana

3. Remote Learning in Rwanda in response to the pandemic. How did it work in practice and what

did we learn?

4. Local Early Grade Reading Assessment to Raise Reading Standards in Lower Primary classes in

Rwanda.

Soma Umenye will work with government of Rwanda counterparts to prepare and conduct each session,

creating space for reflection and learning as well as sharing Rwanda’s success stories in early grade reading

development. Enable internal learning across project teams, and adaptation as needed. Soma Umenye’s MEL team will organize

an internal reflection session to review and discuss school monitoring data. Additional Pause & Reflect

sessions will be planned around key project technical activities, particularly teacher training, in order to

consolidate feedback and identify possible adaptations needed for future activities. External Learning Agenda. In Quarter 3, Soma Umenye will continue discussions with MINEDUC, REB, and

NESA to plan learning events, including the national level reflection on LEGRA.

B8. TRANSITION

In Quarter 3, Soma Umenye will continue develop a technical transition roadmap to guide the handover of all

technical products and activities to REB. Soma Umenye will also discuss this plan with USAID/Rwanda in

Quarter 3.


Develop and deliver a Rwanda Early Grade Reading Toolkit for REB and MINEDUC. In Quarter 3, Soma Umenye

will review and finalize the Rwanda Early Grade Reading Toolkit.

B9. CLOSEOUT ACTIVITIES

In Quarter 3, Soma Umenye will continue planning for the project’s closeout. Key tasks that Soma Umenye

will focus on in Quarter 3include: (1) assessing and adjusting, as needed, staff phaseout and offboarding; (2)

preparation of the project’s closeout/demobilization plan for submission in Quarter 3; (3) formally closing any

subcontracts and agreements that have ended; and (4) preparing a project document review and audit.

Additionally, Soma Umenye will discuss with USAID/Rwanda options for the project’s final report and its

dissemination.


ANNEX A. REPORTING AGAINST

INDICATORS

Indicator

Number Indicator Name Frequency Target Actual

Objective: Improved literacy outcomes for children in early grades

1 Percent of P1-P3 students able to read grade-level text with fluency and comprehension (outcome,

RFTOP: Deliverables 5.7 and 5.8) Annual 22%

Not

measured4

1A Percent of learners with a disability targeted for USG assistance who attain a minimum grade-level

proficiency in reading at the end of Grade 2 (outcome, ES.1-47) Annual 5% Not measured

2 Number of children whose reading outcomes in Kinyarwanda are improved (outcome, RFTOP:

Deliverable 5.6) Annual 400,127 Not measured

2A Percent of learners targeted for USG assistance with an increase of at least one proficiency level in

reading at the end of grade 2 (Outcome, ES.1-48) Annual 10% Not measured

2B Percent of individuals with improved reading skills following participation in USG-assisted programs

Annual 20% Not

measured5

3 Number of learners in primary schools or equivalent non-school based settings reached with USG

education assistance (output, F indicator ES 1-3) Annual 1,812,4566 1,742,0397

S18 Percent of learners regularly participating in distance learning programming funded with USG

education assistance Monthly 60% 55%9

S2 Percent of P1-P3 students listening to radio lessons receiving support during USG supported remote

learning (context indicator) Monthly 99% 91%

4 Soma Umenye did not administer an EGRA in September 2020 due to the interruption to schooling caused by

COVID-19. As a result of the pandemic, Rwandan schools were closed since March 2020. Lower primary classes

resumed in January and February (for Kigali City) 2021. Soma Umenye will conduct an EGRA in August 2021. 5 This indicator was added in FY2020. 6 This was an estimate that included an expected additional 500,000 P1 students. 7 The data was updated by head teachers through Soma Umenye District Advisors in March 2021. 8 “S1” stands for supplementary indicator 1. 9 Data for Quarter 2 2021 was collected after schools had resumed, therefore explaining the reduction in radio

lesson participation (compared to 71% in Quarter 1).


Indicator


4 Number of public and private schools receiving USG assistance (Output, ES.1-50)10 Quarterly 2,573 3,172

5 Number of education administrators and officials who complete professional development activities

with USG assistance (output, F indicator ES 1-12) Quarterly 3,810 3,92411

Number of men 2,783 2,777

Number of women 1027 1,147

Bugesera 124 0

Burera 137 155

Gakenke 159 164

Gasabo 101 112

Gatsibo 128 140

Gicumbi 149 183

Gisagara 109 0

Huye 132 132

Kamonyi 131 147

Karongi 163 174

Kayonza 115 147

Kicukiro 74 66

Kirehe 103 144

Muhanga 149 155

Musanze 124 131

Ngoma 113 133

Ngororero 141 145

Nyabihu 132 136

Nyagatare 125 201

Nyamagabe 149 176

Nyamasheke 179 207

Nyanza 120 0

10 This indicator was added in 2019. 11 This number represents education administrators and officials who attended the Term 1 LEGRA training in

Quarter 1. As noted in the narrative, Soma Umenye did not conduct the training in 3 districts (Bugesera, Gisagara,

and Nyanza) as these districts were on lockdown due to an increase in COVID-19 cases.


Indicator


Nyarugenge 75 64

Nyaruguru 134 145

Rubavu 118 136

Ruhango 114 109

Rulindo 130 154

Rusizi 156 178

Rutsiro 135 161

Rwamagana 100 129

Dean of Studies/Deputy Head Teacher 945 820

District Education Official (DEO and DDE) 27 41

Headteacher 2,274 2,697

Sector Education Inspector 374 362

Soma Umenye trainers-(NRTT) 190 0

Other 0 412

Evidence-based reading instruction 3,810 3,924

Has disability 23 13

Does not have disability 3,787 3,911

5A Percent of head teachers successfully trained (output, custom: Deliverables 1.9, 2.8)

Quarterly 90% 85%

(2,697/3,172)

Number of men

1,661 82%

(1,914/2,345)

Number of women 613 95% (783/826)

Bugesera 90% 0%

Burera 90% 94%

Gakenke 90% 88%

Gasabo 90% 92%

Gatsibo 90% 94%

Gicumbi 90% 97%

Gisagara 90% 0%

Huye 90% 95%

12 This represents some SEI delegates


Indicator


Kamonyi 90% 89%

Karongi 90% 95%

Kayonza 90% 100%

Kicukiro 90% 97%

Kirehe 90% 92%

Muhanga 90% 98%

Musanze 90% 90%

Ngoma 90% 99%

Ngororero 90% 92%

Nyabihu 90% 98%

Nyagatare 90% 82%

Nyamagabe 90% 94%

Nyamasheke 90% 94%

Nyanza 90% 0%

Nyarugenge 90% 100%

Nyaruguru 90% 99%

Rubavu 90% 96%

Ruhango 90% 99%

Rulindo 90% 90%

Rusizi 90% 89%

Rutsiro 90% 98%

Rwamagana 90% 100%

IR 1: Classroom instruction in early- grade reading improved

6 Number of educators who complete professional development activities with USG assistance (output,

F indicator, indicator ES.1-6) Quarterly 6,46513 1,77214

13 This number may change in future reports as recruitments is ongoing. 14 During Quarter 2, Soma Umenye provided training to one lead teacher per school (sector-level LEGRA training)

and then all P1-P3 teachers through a one-day school-level LEGRA training (facilitated by head teachers). The

reason the Quarter 2 reported number is low is because head teachers and SEIs have faced delays in sending hard

copy attendance forms to Soma Umenye for verification. At the time of submission, only five districts had


Indicator


Number of men 1,357 281

Number of women 5,107 1,491

Bugesera 274 0

Burera 230 0

Gakenke 217 0

Gasabo 325 0

Gatsibo 187 0

Gicumbi 261 0

Gisagara 333 0

Huye 169 0

Kamonyi 147 0

Karongi 130 0

Kayonza 203 0

Kicukiro 123 0

Kirehe 353 0

Muhanga 132 392

Musanze 242 450

Ngoma 323 0

Ngororero 125 0

Nyabihu 232 0

Nyagatare 238 0

Nyamagabe 249 206

Nyamasheke 367 0

Nyanza 202 0

Nyarugenge 79 0

Nyaruguru 196 0

Rubavu 356 0

submitted complete data, which was verified by Soma Umenye. The project expects to collect the remaining data

and conduct verification in Quarter 3. Additionally, due to ongoing teacher recruitment and placement during

Quarter 1, as well as only a small window of opportunity to conduct face-to-face training, Soma Umenye will

conduct teacher training for new teachers in Quarter 3.


Indicator


Ruhango 146 0

Rulindo 166 0

Rusizi 207 0

Rutsiro 222 196

Rwamagana 31 528

P1 2,856 683

P2 1,817 444

P3 1,792 629

In-service 6,465 1,772

Pre-service 0 0

6A

Number of persons trained with USG assistance to advance outcomes consistent with gender equality

or female empowerment through their roles in public or private sector institutions or organizations

(output, F indicator, indicator GNDR 8)

Quarterly 6,465 015

Number of men 1,357 0

Number of women 5,107 0

6B Percent of early grade reading teachers successfully trained (output, RFTOP: Deliverables 1.8, 2.8, 3.8,

4.7) Quarterly 90%

11%

(1,772/16,794)

Number of men 90% 8%

Number of women 90% 11%

Bugesera 90% 0%

Burera 90% 0%

Gakenke 90% 0%

Gasabo 90% 0%

Gatsibo 90% 0%

Gicumbi 90% 0%

Gisagara 90% 0%

Huye 90% 0%

Kamonyi 90% 0%

Karongi 90% 0%

Kayonza 90% 0%

15 The module was only focused on LEGRA.


Indicator


Kicukiro 90% 0%

Kirehe 90% 0%

Muhanga 90% 83%

Musanze 90% 80%

Ngoma 90% 0%

Ngororero 90% 0%

Nyabihu 90% 0%

Nyagatare 90% 0%

Nyamagabe 90% 32%

Nyamasheke 90% 0%

Nyanza 90% 0%

Nyarugenge 90% 0%

Nyaruguru 90% 0%

Rubavu 90% 0%

Ruhango 90% 0%

Rulindo 90% 0%

Rusizi 90% 0%

Rutsiro 90% 31%

Rwamagana 90% 100%

P1 90% 10%

P2 90% 9%

P3 90% 13%

7 Number of USG-assisted organizations and/or service delivery systems that serve vulnerable persons

strengthened (output, F indicator ES.4-3) Annual 1 1

Sub-IR 1.1: Evidence-based, gender-sensitive early-grade reading materials available and used

8 Number of primary or secondary textbooks and other teaching and learning materials (TLMs) that are

inclusively representative provided with USG assistance (output, F indicator ES 1-49) Quarterly 1,972,98416 122,97617

16 The Quarter 2 distribution is in addition to TLMs distributed/remediation conducted in Quarter1(2,093,881). 17 This number includes 60 TG, 50 RA distributed in FY18 but not previously reported, 1,441 teacher guides, 1,438

Read Aloud books and 82,793 textbooks distributed to new schools in Quarter 2, and 37,194 decodables


Indicator


P1 1,873,473 81,944

P2 69,350 13,317

P3 30,160 27,715

Bugesera 87,418 5,449

Burera 78,595 4,899

Gakenke 55,226 3,442

Gasabo 67,409 4,202

Gatsibo 100,491 6,264

Gicumbi 66,768 4,162

Gisagara 65,492 4,082

Huye 53,662 3,345

Kamonyi 59,425 3,704

Karongi 61,166 3,812

Kayonza 72,146 4,497

Kicukiro 27,786 1,732

Kirehe 75,683 4,717

Muhanga 47,977 2,990

Musanze 66,409 4,139

Ngoma 62,403 3,890

Ngororero 62,076 3,869

Nyabihu 65,725 4,097

Nyagatare 94,742 5,905

Nyamagabe 71,100 4,432

Nyamasheke 81,216 5,062

Nyanza 51,573 3,215

Nyarugenge 32,675 2,037

Nyaruguru 59,080 3,682

distributed in Quarter 1 (FY21) but PoDs submitted in Quarter 2 (FY21). By the time of submission, Soma

Umenye was unable to verify all PoDs from distributions in Quarter 2 (including additional materials to new

schools and materials for new teachers in existing schools). The project expects to report these numbers,

following official verification and validation, in Quarter 3.


Indicator


Rubavu 82,694 5,154

Ruhango 65,839 4,104

Rulindo 49,021 3,055

Rusizi 78,705 4,906

Rutsiro 68,848 4,291

Rwamagana 61,632 3,842

Student textbook 0 82,793

Teacher guide 0 1,501

Read Aloud book 0 1,488

Decodable reader 1,865,276 37,194

Leveled reader 104,295 0

Sets of flash cards 553 0

Alphabet charts 2,322 0

Pocket Board 539 0

9 Percent of observed classrooms in which children are using project-provided books (outcome,

custom) Quarterly 55% 65%

P1 55% 52%

P2 55% 71%

P3 55% 73%

Bugesera 55% 92%

Burera 55% 80%

Gakenke 55% 40%

Gasabo 55% 56%

Gatsibo 55% 100%

Gicumbi 55% 58%

Gisagara 55% 47%

Huye 55% 61%

Kamonyi 55% 69%

Karongi 55% 81%

Kayonza 55% 50%

Kicukiro 55% 77%

Kirehe 55% 58%


Indicator


Muhanga 55% 51%

Musanze 55% 92%

Ngoma 55% 71%

Ngororero 55% 28%

Nyabihu 55% 92%

Nyagatare 55% 11%

Nyamagabe 55% 100%

Nyamasheke 55% 58%

Nyanza 55% 26%

Nyarugenge 55% 100%

Nyaruguru 55% 58%

Rubavu 55% 50%

Ruhango 55% 81%

Rulindo 55% 83%

Rusizi 55% 100%

Rutsiro 55% 31%

Rwamagana 55% 22%

Sub-IR 1.2: Teachers’ use of evidence-based, gender-sensitive instructional practices in early-grade reading increased

Number of primary or secondary school educators who complete professional development activities

(1) on implementing evidence-based reading instruction, (2) to advance outcomes consistent with

gender equality or female empowerment through their roles in public or private sector institutions or

organizations, or (3) teaching students with special educational needs

See indicator 6 above.

10 Percent of teachers demonstrating essential skills in the teaching of reading (outcome, custom) Annual 75% 83%

Sub-IR 1.3: Capacity of head and mentor teachers to coach and supervise early-grade reading instruction strengthened

11 Percent of P1-P3 Kinyarwanda teachers who report receiving adequate coaching for the

implementation of an evidence-based early grade reading approach (outcome, custom) Quarterly 41% 48%



P1 41% 50%

P2 41% 50%

P3 41% 44%

Bugesera 41% 67%


Indicator


Burera 41% 57%

Gakenke 41% 36%

Gasabo 41% 7%

Gatsibo 41% 40%

Gicumbi 41% 27%

Gisagara 41% 20%

Huye 41% 46%

Kamonyi 41% 57%

Karongi 41% 42%

Kayonza 41% 50%

Kicukiro 41% 0%

Kirehe 41% 63%

Muhanga 41% 75%

Musanze 41% 87%

Ngoma 41% 40%

Ngororero 41% 43%

Nyabihu 41% 46%

Nyagatare 41% 0%

Nyamagabe 41% 15%

Nyamasheke 41% 73%

Nyanza 41% 69%

Nyarugenge 41% 57%

Nyaruguru 41% 64%

Rubavu 41% 86%

Ruhango 41% 40%

Rulindo 41% 23%

Rusizi 41% 56%

Rutsiro 41% 86%

Rwamagana 41% 100%

12 Percent of head teachers demonstrating essential leadership skills in the support of early grade

Kinyarwanda literacy in their school (outcome, custom) Quarterly 35% 30%



Indicator



Bugesera 35% 60%

Burera 35% 0%

Gakenke 35% 0%

Gasabo 35% 0%

Gatsibo 35% 0%

Gicumbi 35% 0%

Gisagara 35% 20%

Huye 35% 25%

Kamonyi 35% 60%

Karongi 35% 0%

Kayonza 35% 25%

Kicukiro 35% 0%

Kirehe 35% 57%

Muhanga 35% 50%

Musanze 35% 60%

Ngoma 35% 75%

Ngororero 35% 33%

Nyabihu 35% 0%

Nyagatare 35% 0%

Nyamagabe 35% 0%

Nyamasheke 35% 33%

Nyanza 35% 50%

Nyarugenge 35% 40%

Nyaruguru 35% 50%

Rubavu 35% 33%

Ruhango 35% 60%

Rulindo 35% 20%

Rusizi 35% 50%

Rutsiro 35% 33%

Rwamagana 35% 0%

Sub-IR 1.4: Schools’ and teachers’ use of student assessment results improved


Indicator


- Percent of teachers demonstrating essential skills in the teaching of reading (outcome, custom) See indicator 10 above.

13 Percent of schools (1) sharing assessment results with SGACs and (2) helping SGACs use assessment

results to inform parents (outcome, custom) Quarterly 45% 48%

P1 45% 60%

P2 45% 60%

P3 45% 59%

Bugesera 45% 50%

Burera 45% 25%

Gakenke 45% 50%

Gasabo 45% 25%

Gatsibo 45% 0%

Gicumbi 45% 33%

Gisagara 45% 25%

Huye 45% 75%

Kamonyi 45% 40%

Karongi 45% 25%

Kayonza 45% 0%

Kicukiro 45% 75%

Kirehe 45% 100%

Muhanga 45% 50%

Musanze 45% 50%

Ngoma 45% 75%

Ngororero 45% 0%

Nyabihu 45% 0%

Nyagatare 45% 0%

Nyamagabe 45% 80%

Nyamasheke 45% 100%

Nyanza 45% 40%

Nyarugenge 45% 100%

Nyaruguru 45% 40%

Rubavu 45% 20%


Indicator


Ruhango 45% 100%

Rulindo 45% 50%

Rusizi 45% 25%

Rutsiro 45% 50%

Rwamagana 45% 25%

IR 1: Classroom instruction in early- grade reading improved

14 Number of laws, policies, regulations, or guidelines developed or modified to improve primary grade

reading programs (outcome, custom) Annual 2 1

Sub-IR 2.1: National advocacy mechanisms for early-grade reading interventions strengthened

15 Percent of annual activities in the transition plan, approved by MINEDUC and/or REB that are

completed (outcome, custom) Annual 50% 0

Sub-IR 2.2: Student and teacher performance standards and benchmarks for early-grade reading applied

16 Number of early grade reading performance standards approved by MINEDUC (output, custom) Annual 0 0

17 Number of early grade reading teacher performance standards approved by MINEDUC (outcome,

custom) Annual 0 0

Sub-IR 2.3: Research-based policies and curricula in support of early-grade reading instruction implemented

18 Number of scientific studies published, or conference presentations given as a result of USG

assistance for research programs (outcome, custom) Annual 2 0

Sub-IR 2.4: Early grade reading assessment systems strengthened

19 Number of times Soma Umenye-supported assessment data is cited by policymakers in official

documents, presentations, or media interviews. (outcome, custom) Quarterly 3 0

Newspaper - -

Radio - -

Official document - -

Presentation - -

S3 Number of times Soma Umenye-supported remote learning monitoring data is cited by government

officials at national and decentralized levels in official documents, presentations, or media interviews Monthly 3 0

Sub-IR 2.5: Capacity of TTCs to prepare effective early grade reading teachers improved

20 Number of host country tertiary education institutions receiving capacity development support with

USG assistance (output, F indicator ES.2-1) Annual 0 0


ANNEX B. SCHOOL-BASED ORIENTATION

FOR NEW P1-P3 KINYARWANDA TEACHERS

BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT

In 2020, the Ministry of Education (MINEDUC) and the Rwanda Basic Education Board (REB) embarked on

a process to recruit almost 18,000 new teachers to not only address the nationwide problem of teacher

shortage at the primary and secondary level but to also fill the gap stemming from the construction of more

than 22,000 new classrooms. Teacher recruitment and construction continued when schools across the

country were closed in March 2020 due to COVID-19. On January 18th, 2021, lower primary students

(except for those based in Kigali18) returned to school for the first time in nine months.

With approximately 7,000 new teachers for lower primary and COVID-19 guidelines preventing traditional

face-to-face mass training when schools re-opened, REB and schools faced the challenge of how to equip

these new teachers with the skills that they needed in order to effectively deliver the P1-P3 curriculum. As

poor internet connectivity and the lack of devices for teachers precluded the possibility of any formal

virtual training, it became clear that one of the only ways to immediately support new teachers would be at

the school-level using teachers and school leaders themselves.

Before finalizing the design of a program to support new teachers that could work in the COVID-19

operating environment, the project and REB first wanted to better understand how continuous professional

development (CPD) is taking place at the school-level since schools re-opened. In February 2021, less than

a month after lower primary students returned to school and started Term 1, USAID Soma Umenye

conducted a small and rapid survey to understand the extent to which CPD was taking place at the school-

level for P1-P3 Kinyarwanda teachers and to explore the feasibility of a five-week orientation program for

new (previously untrained) P1-P3 Kinyarwanda teachers. Four primary questions guided the survey,

including:

• Are schools currently organizing CPD sessions for primary teachers?

• How are schools organizing CPD sessions to support new teachers in primary schools?

• Currently, what external support do schools receive for CPD sessions?

• Are school leaders ready to support a peer learning program for new Kinyarwanda teachers in

lower primary?

USAID Soma Umenye randomly sampled 12 schools across six districts in all five provinces (Rulindo,

Nyaruguru, Muhanga, Kirehe, Ngororero, and Nyarugenge) and spoke directly to head teachers and Deans

of Studies about their experiences with CPD during the 2021 academic year. Results from the rapid survey

indicated that not only are schools taking the initiative to organize CPD sessions for teachers (even though

CPD is not a formal part of the school timetable) but schools are also receptive to the idea of, and

welcomed, targeted CPD support for new P1-P3 Kinyarwanda teachers. Of the 12 schools sampled, all of

them reported that they conducted at least one CPD session for primary-level teachers during the current

academic year. Further results of the rapid survey are highlighted in Exhibits B-1 through B-6.

18 Lower primary students at schools in Kigali returned to school in late February 2021


Exhibits B-1 – B-6. Results of the Rapid CPD Survey

3. Who leads CPD sessions at your school?

CPD Leaders/Facilitators Number

Head Teacher and Dean of Study co-lead 4

Dean of Study 3

School Subject Lead (SSL) 2

Head Teacher and School-Based Mentor (SBM) co-lead 2

SBM 1

TOTAL 12

2. When do CPD sessions take

place at your school?

11

1

Weekdays/on school timetable Weekends

1. How often does your school

organize CPD sessions?

72

3

Once a month Twice a month Once a week

4. If your school has a new P1-P3 teacher,

have you organized a CPD session for

those teachers this academic year?

11

1

Yes No

5. Briefly describe how you have organized

CPD sessions for new P1-P3 teachers.

• Existing trained teachers lead these

sessions (5 schools)

• Head teacher and/or Dean of Study

leads these sessions (4 schools)

• Sessions range from 30 minutes – 2.5

hours per week

• Most sessions happen during breaks

or free time. One school reported

conducting these sessions on

Saturdays


Following the rapid survey, USAID Soma Umenye and REB reflected on these findings and discussed some

overall takeaways which are highlighted in Exhibit B-7.

Exhibit B-7. Key Takeaways and Recommendations from the Rapid CPD Survey

Key Takeaways and Recommendations

• Many schools are already taking the initiative to provide support to new teachers. School leaders

emphasized the importance of providing support for new teachers now but that this should be

followed-up by face-to-face training as allowed.

• Individual schools are demonstrating creativity in planning and conducting CPD sessions, even

though time for CPD is not formally on the calendar. REB and USAID Soma Umenye have an

opportunity to share some of these ideas and solutions with other school leaders to encourage

CPD at the school-level.

• DEOs and SEIs can play an important role in allowing schools to create times on their calendars

for CPD sessions. Additionally, DEOs and SEIs should also hold schools accountable for

conducting CPD, which is something that USAID Soma Umenye can emphasize in upcoming

school leader trainings.

• Some school leaders expressed concern that certain new teachers will require general

pedagogical training (beyond Kinyarwanda teaching methodology) which is something that REB

and other stakeholders can consider when looking at future training.

OVERVIEW OF THE SCHOOL-BASED ORIENTATION PROGRAM

Following reflection on the results of the rapid survey, REB and USAID Soma Umenye designed a five-week

targeted program of school-based CPD for new P1-P3 Kinyarwanda teachers in all schools across the

country. The goal of the School-Based Orientation Program for New P1-P3 Kinyarwanda

Teachers was to provide new Kinyarwanda teachers with the core skills they needed to teach early grade

reading Term 1 content. USAID Soma Umenye worked closely with school leaders and sector officials to

select a “lead teacher” from each school who provided direct support to the new teachers. A lead teacher

was one who had previously received USAID Soma Umenye’s early grade Kinyarwanda reading training.

This program was designed to meet an immediate need. With approximately 7,000 new P1-P3 teachers and

COVID-19 guidelines preventing traditional face-to-face training, the program was an interim solution that

provided immediate support to new P1-P3 teachers with the intention of following-up and bolstering the

program’s goals through more formal face-to-face training when the operating environment permitted. An

6. If there was a targeted CPD program to specifically support new P1-P3 Kinyarwanda

teachers (utilizing previously-trained teachers, or “lead teachers”) how would you

arrange time for new teachers to meet lead teachers and what suggestions would you

provide to enable this program to happen?

• Most school leaders (8) reported that they would commit to scheduling time on the

school calendar for new teachers to meet with lead teachers for targeted CPD

• School leaders expressed commitment to (1) identifying/selecting lead teachers in their

school and (2) providing support to lead teachers and new teachers

• 1 (one) school leader suggested that he would use weekend sessions to support his new

teachers

• 1 (one) school leader suggested that he would have a “kick-off” meeting with the new

teachers and lead teacher from his school before the start to ensure that all individuals

commit to the program

• 1 (one) school leader committed to providing additional coaching support to the new

teacher and lead teacher


overview of how the program fits into the larger cycle of training and communities of practice is shown in

Exhibit B-8.

Exhibit B-8. Support for New P1-P3 Kinyarwanda Teachers During the 2021 School Year

The five-week orientation program was split into two phases: Week 1 and Weeks 2-5 (see Exhibit B-9 for

an overview). Week 1 focused on individual meetings (1-hour sessions throughout the week) between lead

teachers and new teachers to focus on five key skills that new teachers need in order to ensure successful

delivery of Term 1 content. The five key skills included:

• 5 core components of literacy (phonics, phonological awareness, fluency, vocabulary, reading

comprehension) plus writing

• Gradual release of responsibility: “I do, we do, you do”

• Core instructional materials (textbook and teacher’s guide)

• Supplementary instructional materials (decodables and supplementary readers)

• Weekly lesson structure for P1-P3 in the teacher’s guide

To support both lead teachers and new teachers with the Week 1 schedule, USAID Soma Umenye

provided them with an overview document that included content for each session and highlighted specific

areas of existing materials for them to reference. Examples of existing materials included the teacher’s

guide, student textbook, supplementary readers, previous training modules, and training videos. USAID

Soma Umenye loaded approximately 20 videos on tablets and laptops that were distributed to head

teachers, SEOs, and DEOs.

Weeks 2-5 focused on a cycle of practice, lesson observation, and reflection. During this time, lead and new

Kinyarwanda teachers had the opportunity to observe each other in the classroom. For new teachers, this


provided an opportunity to observe model lessons and receive feedback from the lead teacher on their

lessons. After each observation, lead and new teachers engaged in reflection sessions to review the lesson

they just observed, ask questions, and determine areas for improvement for future lessons. To support

teachers with the Week 2-5 schedule, USAID Soma Umenye provided brief lesson observation forms as

well as guidance to structure reflection sessions.

Supporting documents from Weeks 1-5 can be found in Annex B-1 and B-2.

A lead teacher and two new Kinyarwanda teachers at

EP Ngoma in Kamonyi District following training videos

on the head teacher’s tablet A lead teacher supporting a new teacher

through one-on-one coaching in Rulindo

District

Three new teachers observe the lead teacher in the classroom at PS

Muhororo in Rutsiro District.


Exhibit B-9. Overview of the Five-Week School-Based Orientation Program

Week 1: Orientation Weeks 2-5: Practice, Observation, Reflection

To provide an opportunity for new teachers to focus on 5 key skills that

they need to master (particularly focused on ensuring successful delivery

of Term 1 content):

1. 5 core components of literacy (phonics, phonological awareness,

fluency, vocabulary, reading comprehension) plus writing

2. Gradual release of responsibility: “I do, we do, you do”

3. Core instructional materials (textbook and teacher’s guide)

4. Supplementary instructional materials (decodable and supplementary

readers)

5. Weekly lesson structure for P1-P3 in the teacher’s guide

To provide an opportunity for new teachers to observe an experienced

teacher in the classroom and learn from that teacher. Additionally,

to provide an opportunity for new teachers to receive ongoing feedback

and support from lead teachers as they navigate Term 1 lessons and put

into practice the content from Week 1 of the program. Goal and

Overview

Suggested

Time

5 meetings or “structured coaching sessions” (1 hour each; each session

will cover one of the topics above) New teachers will observe lead teachers (2 Kinyarwanda lessons per

week)

Lead teachers will observe new teachers (at least 1 Kinyarwanda lesson

per week)

Lead teachers will organize discussion and reflection sessions with new

teachers to debrief on observations and support each other (1 session per

week; 1 hour)

Materials and

Resources

Overview document that guides lead teachers and new teachers through

the 5 sessions, signposting to specific pages in existing materials (e.g.:

teacher’s guide, previous training guides) and supported by training videos.

Materials disseminated through field team.

Classroom observation form (for both new teachers and lead teachers)

and prompts for reflection sessions.

Monitoring Communities

of Practice

Soma Umenye, through PAs and DAs

will monitor implementation in a

sample of schools and provide

targeted support as needed.

This process is designed to complement and

supplement the existing cycle of CoPs and coaching

at the school-level. This rapid support program will

prepare new teachers to actively participate in school

CoPs.


The program’s key stakeholders spanned individuals at the school, sector, and district level. At the school-

level, head teachers, lead teachers, and new teachers were instrumental in implementing the program

through arranging time each week for structured coaching sessions and lesson observations. At the sector-

level, SEIs worked closely with head teachers and USAID Soma Umenye District Advisors (DAs) to select

lead teachers and support schools with troubleshooting any issues that arose during program

implementation (sections below provide more information about common challenges and school-driven

solutions). At the district-level, DEOs played an important role in generating buy-in for the program at the

sector and school-level. DEOs also supported overall monitoring of the program. USAID Soma Umenye

communicated roles and responsibilities to each stakeholder in advance of the program through district-

level meetings. A detailed list of roles and responsibilities can be found in Exhibit B-10.

Exhibit B-10. Roles and Responsibilities for Program Stakeholders

Head Teacher/Dean of Study

• Identify lead teacher(s) and share their contacts with Soma Umenye District Advisor

• Share orientation materials with the lead teacher and new teachers

• Arrange one hour per day for the first week for a peer learning session between new teachers and

lead teachers. During this time lead teachers will support the new to cover the 5 core topics listed in

the guidelines: (1) 5 core components of literacy (phonics, phonological awareness, fluency, vocabulary,

reading comprehension) plus writing; (2) gradual release of responsibility: “I do, we do, you do”; (3)

core instructional materials (textbook and teacher’s guide); (4) supplementary instructional materials

(decodable and supplementary readers); and (5) weekly lesson structure for P1-P3 in the teacher’s

guide

• For the following four weeks of the program, support new teachers and lead teachers to organize

lesson observations

• Conduct lesson observations and provide coaching support to new teachers as part of the school

leader’s monthly coaching plan

• Invite new teachers to attend the school-level monthly CoP and request them to share their

experience to learn from their peers

Lead Teacher

• Before the first session, read through the guidance and signposting document to get familiar with the

content and collect all recommended materials (ex: teacher’s guide, textbooks, etc.)

• During Week 1: Meet all new teachers for one hour each day and support them to understand the

content scheduled for that day

• During Weeks 2 – 5:

Allow new teachers to observe the lead teacher teaching

Observe new teachers teaching

• Facilitate reflection and discussion sessions after lesson observations, focusing on providing positive

feedback and identifying areas for continued improvement

New Teacher

• During Week 1: Read the guidance document in advance of the meeting with the lead teacher and

prepare any questions. Attend one-hour session with the lead teacher every day for five days to review

the content

• During Weeks 2-5:

Observe lead teacher teaching lessons and use the observation form provided

Be observed by the lead teacher and/or school coach and be ready to receive feedback on how

to improve and continue to build teaching skills

District Education Officer (DEO)

• Raise awareness of the program with District Authorities and mobilize SEIs and head teachers to

embrace and implement the program


• Coordinate with the Soma Umenye District Advisor (DA) and SEIs to compile and approve the lists of

lead teachers

• Coordinate and monitor the timetabling of the program in all schools

• Working closely with DAs, facilitate and monitor the distribution of necessary materials and guidelines

to ensure all schools in the district have access to them

• Monitor, with the support of DAs and/or SEIs, the implementation of the program to identify areas for

additional support

• Include updates on the program at district-level CoPs

• Compile reports from sectors on the implementation of the program. Review reports with SEIs and

DAs and make necessary adaptations in response to findings

Sector Education Inspector (SEI)

• Through coordination with DAs, ensure that the all new teachers and lead teachers have the materials

they need to implement the program

• Collaborate with head teachers to monitor the implementation of the program and report to the DEO

or his/her designee (providing the DEO with updates, challenges, and proposed actions for mitigation)

• Collaborate with head teachers in the sector to ensure that, in all schools, there is one hour per day

for the first week for a peer learning session between new teachers and lead teachers

• Attend at least one reflection and discussion session between new teachers and lead teachers following

lesson observations. In order to do this, coordinate with head teachers and agree on an observation

schedule in advance.

• Ensure that schools are regularly organizing wider Kinyarwanda CoPs with all P1-P3 teachers, including

new teachers

• Conduct the sector-level CoP for all head teachers to discuss the implementation of school-based peer

learning support for Kinyarwanda teachers in lower primary

• Maintain a schedule of program implementation for all schools in the sector

Soma Umenye District Advisor (DA)

• Collect contact details for lead teachers from all schools in the district

• Share all program materials needed through existing WhatsApp groups with new teachers, lead

teachers, head teachers and through email for school leaders

• Collect information about how the I hour period (during week 1) is being implemented in schools

• During the first week, talk to all school head teachers and/or DoS to ensure that the program is being

implemented, ask challenges they may have faced, and respond to them. If there is a school who has

implemented a particularly creative solution to a common challenge, be proactive and share that

solution with other schools in the district.

• For Weeks 2-5, follow up as to whether the classroom observation practice is being done as planned

by both new teachers and the lead teacher

• Actively engage with SEIs and DEOs to update them on the implementation of the program, share

lessons learned, and request their support for ensuring that these activities take place as planned at the

school-level

• Work hand in hand with DEOs, SEIs and concerned head teachers to ensure that new teachers from

new schools without previously-trained teachers are supported as well

An integral part of the program design was the communications strategy for all stakeholders involved. With

a fast-moving five-week program, it was critical to ensure that new teachers, lead teachers, head teachers,

SEIs, and DEOs were aware of their various roles and knew about the different aspects of the program. To

support stakeholders on their journey with the School-Based Orientation Program, USAID Soma Umenye’s

DAs circulated targeted messages to each stakeholder during each week of the program. DAs utilized

existing WhatsApp groups and, in some cases, emails for school leaders. Targeted communication messages

can be found in Exhibit B-11.


Exhibit B-11. Targeted Communication Messages for the Program’s Stakeholders (Shared

via WhatsApp and Email)

Week 1 (February 22-26) Week 2 (March 1-5) Week 3 (March 8-12) Week 4 (March 15-19)

DEOs Day 1: REB and Soma Umenye are

supporting a school-based orientation

for new P1-P3 Kinyarwanda teachers.

This program will ensure new teachers

are well prepared to begin teaching

early grade reading in Kinyarwanda.

Your leadership as a DEO – through

supporting your SEIs and schools in

your district – is critical to ensuring

the success of this program.

The guidelines for this program are

below. Please review and ensure that

all SEIs and Headteachers in your

district have received and read the

guidelines and have everything they

need to begin implementation this

week. If you have any questions, please

share them in this WhatsApp group or

directly with the Soma Umenye DA.

Day 2: As you continue to support

the school-based orientation for new

Kinyarwanda teachers, check in with

SEIs and Headteachers to identify any

challenges they encounter and share

feedback to REB and Soma Umenye

DAs.

This week, all Lead Teachers should

be holding five 1-hour sessions with

new teachers to review methodology,

materials, and lesson plan guidance for

teaching Kinyarwanda.

Day 1: As you continue to support the

school-based orientation for new

Kinyarwanda teachers, check in with SEIs to

ensure schools are reminded to finish all of

the content from Week 1 and to begin

lesson observations.

New teachers need to observe lead

teachers using the competence-based

methods for early grade literacy in order to

become good teachers themselves.

Share any challenges or feedback to REB

and Soma Umenye DAs.




identify any challenges they are finding.

Monitoring from week 1 shows that more

than half of schools had started the

program! Where a school does not have

any trained teachers, SEIs can help arrange

for support between neighboring schools.






identify any challenges they are finding.



Kinyarwanda teachers, review the

program guidelines so you can follow up

with SEIs about supporting Week 3

planned activities.

Schools should be arranging for lesson

observations and reflections this week.

Some schools may struggle if they do not

have a trained teacher. Discuss with the

SEI how neighboring schools can support,

or how headteachers, DoS, and other

qualified teachers can help new teachers

observe quality teaching and learning in

the classroom.

Check in with SEIs to identify any

challenges they are finding and share

feedback to REB and Soma Umenye DAs.




monitoring data available from the Soma

Umenye DA to identify any best practices

that might help your schools support new

teachers better.

A key challenge has been for schools that

do not have Soma Umenye trained

teachers. However, other qualified

teachers can provide support to new

teachers through peer observations. The

As you continue to support the

school-based orientation for

new Kinyarwanda teachers,

discuss with SEIs and school

leaders how the program has

been beneficial to teachers.

Monitoring shows that 85% of

Lead Teachers have conducted

these school-based orientation

activities in the past week.

Professional development

should be a part of every

school and sector plan.

Coaching and Communities of

Practice are a good way to

share new information, to

discuss learning achievement,

and identify solutions to any

challenges at schools and

classrooms.

Continue to check in with SEIs

to identify any challenges they

are finding and share feedback

to REB and Soma Umenye DAs.


Day 3: REB and USAID Soma Umenye

thank you for your active participation

thus far in the REB School-Based

Orientation for New P1-P3

Kinyarwanda teachers.

As we come to the end of the week,

we ask you to reflect on the progress

that schools in your district have made

with this program. What successes

have you heard from SEIs? What

challenges still remain in implementing

this program and what is one action

that you will take next week to

support SEIs and head teachers in

ensuring that new P1-P3 Kinyarwanda

teachers are supported?

Week 2 monitoring shows that 84% of

surveyed schools conducted orientation

activities this week!

Schools should be organizing time for lesson

observations so that new teachers can see

good methods used in the classroom.

Schools should be encouraged to respect

learning time for students as they organize

these activities.



DoS, Headteacher, or SEI may also be

able to observe and coach new teachers

and organize Communities of Practice

with time for model and practice

teaching.

Ngororero district has mobilized Tutors

from TTC Muramba to support the

orientation of new teachers at schools. If

you have a nearby TTC, discuss whether

this can work in your district.

Continue to check in with SEIs to identify

any challenges they are finding and share




Kinyarwanda teachers, consider arranging

time to visit a school or sector

community of practice.

New teachers should ensure that

students are borrowing books to read at

home. Check with SEIs and school

leaders to know if this is happening and

help inform parents on the importance to

make time for reading, at least 15 minutes

each day.

Continue to check in with SEIs to identify



SEIs Day 1: REB and Soma Umenye are








Headteachers to ensure Lead Teachers are




program guidelines so you can follow up




discuss with school leaders


early grade reading in Kinyarwanda. As

an SEI, you have an important role to

plan in supporting head teachers to

implement this program.


below. Please review and ensure that

all Headteachers in your sector have

received and read the guidelines.

Throughout the program, you are

encouraged to check in with schools

and use CoPs to discuss the successes

and challenges in implementing this

program. If you have any questions,

please share them in this WhatsApp

group, or directly with your DEO and

Soma Umenye DA.

Day 2: As you continue to support



Headteachers to identify any

challenges they encounter and share

feedback to DEOs, REB and Soma

Umenye DAs.

This week, all Lead Teachers should

be holding five 1-hour sessions with

new teachers to review methodology,

materials, and lesson plan guidance for

teaching Kinyarwanda.






reminded to finish all of the content from

Week 1 and to begin lesson observations.




become good teachers themselves.

Share any challenges or feedback to DEO





Headteachers and provide support.


than half of schools had started the program

but had not been able to finish all of the

content. CPD can be conducted before

school, after school, during breaks, in free

periods, or on weekends – based on each

school’s decision.

Where a school does not have any trained

teachers, you can help arrange for support

between neighboring schools.






Headteachers and provide support.

with headteachers about their plans for

Week 3 activities.

Week 2 monitoring found that only 20%

of lead teachers had begun conducting

lesson observations. Encourage schools

to make a plan for when lesson

observations will happen this week. The

plan should ensure that class time for

learners is not disrupted.

If schools do not have a trained Lead

teacher, you can suggest support from

neighbor schools, headteachers, DoS, or

other qualified teachers in the school.

Check in with headteachers to identify


feedback to DEOs and Soma Umenye

DAs.




monitoring data available from the Soma

Umenye DA to identify any best practices

that might help your schools support new

teachers better.

A key challenge has been with schools

that do not have Soma Umenye trained

teachers. However, other qualified

teachers can provide support to new

teachers through peer observations. Also,

you, the Headteacher, or the DoS may be

able to observe and coach new teachers

and organize Communities of Practice

how the program has been

beneficial to teachers.



these school-based orientation

activities in the past week.

Professional development

should be a part of every

school and sector plan.

Coaching and Communities of

Practice are a good way to

share new information, to

discuss learning achievement,

and identify solutions to any

challenges at schools and

classrooms.

Continue to check in with

headteachers to identify any

challenges they are finding and

share feedback to DEOs and

Soma Umenye DAs.


Some of your schools may have

started the Week 1 content this week.

If that’s the case, what successes have

you heard from head teachers? What

challenges still remain in implementing

this program and what is one action

that you will take next week to

support head teachers in ensuring that

new P1-P3 Kinyarwanda teachers are

supported?

Some of your schools may be taking

the initiative to organize weekend

sessions for lead teachers and new

teachers. Remember to make a plan to

follow-up with these head teachers

early next week to hear about how

the weekend sessions went.




As schools begin to organize lesson

observations, remind headteachers to

ensure that class time for learners is not

disrupted.

Some schools continue to face difficulties

due to lack of trained teachers. Head

teachers and DoS can help, or arrangements

can be made with neighbor schools.

Another highly qualified teacher can also

provide support to new teachers.

Share any challenges or feedback to DEO


with time for model and practice

teaching.

Ngororero district has mobilized Tutors

from TTC Muramba to support the

orientation of new teachers at schools. If

you have a nearby TTC, discuss whether

this can work for your sector.

Continue to check in with headteachers

to identify any challenges they are finding

and share feedback to DEOs and Soma

Umenye DAs.



Kinyarwanda teachers, consider

organizing a community of practice for

headteachers to discuss the program and

other issues to improve school

management.

It is important that new teachers are

familiar with the classroom libraries and

allow students to borrow books to read

at home. Consider conducting classroom

library observations with headteachers

and supporting orientation of new

teachers on their role.

Continue to check in with headteachers


and share feedback to DEOs and Soma

Umenye DAs.

Head

Teachers

Day 1: REB and Soma Umenye are






Kinyarwanda teachers, check in with Lead

Teachers. Make sure they have finished







encourage Lead Teachers to





below. Please review the guidelines

and ensure that the Lead Teacher in

your school understands their role and

has time to sit together with new

teachers to conduct the orientation.

Ensure all new teachers in your school

have access to the Teachers Guide,

Textbooks, and videos for this

orientation. If you have any questions,

please share them in this WhatsApp

group, or directly with your SEI and

Soma Umenye DA.

Day 2: As you continue to implement


Kinyarwanda teachers, support Lead

Teachers to have enough time to meet

with the new teachers.

This week, there are five 1-hour

sessions planned, during which the

new teachers will review

methodology, materials, and lesson

plan guidance for teaching

Kinyarwanda. Remember that there

are lots of early grade reading

Kinyarwanda training videos on your

new tablet (provided by REB and

USAID Soma Umenye). We encourage

you to share these videos with lead

teachers and new teachers as they

work through Week 1 content.

reviewing all of the week 1 content with

new teachers. Help them plan when lesson

observations will take place.




become good teachers themselves. Lead

teachers will observe new teachers and then

provide feedback to help them improve.





Kinyarwanda teachers, review the program

guidelines and make sure your Lead Teacher

has read it as well.


than half of schools had started the program

but had not been able to finish all of the

content. CPD can be conducted before

school, after school, during breaks, in free

periods, or on weekends – based your

school’s decision.

If using time during the school day, make

sure that student class time is not

interrupted, because it is important that

children are learning.





program guidelines and discuss them with

the Lead Teacher in your school.

If you don’t have a Lead Teacher, identify

another qualified teacher, the DoS, or

yourself to help new teachers.

Week 2 monitoring found that only 20%

of lead teachers had begun conducting

lesson observations. Make sure that your

school has a plan for when lesson

observations will happen this week. The

plan should ensure that class time for


Check in with Lead teachers to identify


feedback to SEIs and Soma Umenye DAs.



Kinyarwanda teachers, ensure your Lead

Teacher is following the weekly plan

made for this program. New teachers

should be observing Lead teachers two

times this week and Lead Teachers

should observe new teachers one time.

After there should be reflection.

Monitoring has shown some great

solutions to the challenge of time or lack

of trained teachers. Some schools are

organizing Communities of Practice with

model and practice teaching time.

Weekend remedial classes are also being

used for model observation lessons. And

in Ngororeo, TTC Muramba is providing

their Tutors to help support new

make time to observe new

teachers in the classroom.

Lesson observations can also be

done by other teachers, the

Dean of Studies, and yourself.



school-based orientation

activities in the past week,

however only 15% of new

teachers report being observed

by anyone.

This week, focus should be put

on reviewing lesson planning

with attention to the weekly

lesson structures for early

grade Kinyarwanda that are in

the Teachers’ Guide.

Continue to check in with Lead

teachers to identify any

challenges they are finding and

share feedback to SEIs and

Soma Umenye DAs.







As you reflect on this week, how have

you supported lead teachers and new

teachers to work through Week 1

content? How have you helped to

celebrate their successes?

If your lead teachers and new teachers

are meeting this weekend, we

encourage you to check-in with them

early next week to hear about the

progress they have made.

Kinyarwanda teachers, check in with your

new and lead teachers to find out any

challenges or successes they report.




Lead and new teachers should be planning

to conduct lesson observations. Remind

teachers to ensure that class time for


If your school does not have any trained

teachers, consider identifying another highly

qualified teacher or you or the DoS can

provide support.

Share any challenges or feedback to -your

SEI and/or Soma Umenye DAs.

teachers. If you have a TTC nearby,

considering discussing if Tutors can

support for your new teachers.

Continue to check in with Lead teachers


and share feedback to SEIs and Soma

Umenye DAs.



Kinyarwanda teachers, try to join a

reflection session or community of

practice so you can motivate and support

the teachers.

As new teachers continue to arrive at

schools, it is important that they are

matched with a skilled teacher to receive

support. They should also be oriented on

the classroom library and encouraged to

allow children to borrow books. Students

should read for at least 15 minutes every

day.

Continue to check in with Lead teachers


and share feedback to SEIs and Soma

Umenye DAs.

Lead

Teachers







Thank you for serving as a lead

teacher in your school!

Day 1: Thank you for supporting new

teachers to become familiar with the

methods and materials that will support

quality teaching and learning for early grade

Kinyarwanda literacy.

Make sure that you have helped new

teachers review all of the content outlined

in the program guidelines for Week 1. Then

Day 1: Thank you for supporting the



Start your week by reviewing the

program guidelines and making a plan for

the week 3 activities. This plan should

include time for new teachers to observe

your teaching, as well as time for you to

Thank you for supporting the


new Kinyarwanda teachers.

Take time this week to observe

new teachers in their

classroom. Afterward, arrange

a debrief time to discuss

strengths and areas to improve.



below. Review the guidelines, read the

content for Week 1, gather your

textbook and Teachers Guide, and find

time to meet with the new teachers.

You have an important role to support

new teachers and build their

confidence.

Day 2: Thank you for supporting new

teachers to become familiar with the

methods and materials that will

support quality teaching and learning

for early grade Kinyarwanda literacy.

As you meet with new teachers this

week, help them become familiar with

all of the core materials, including the

Teachers Guide, the student

textbooks, Read Aloud books,

supplementary readers, and

decodables. This is your opportunity

to share best practice and your

lessons learned with new teachers.






If you have already started having

sessions with your new teacher, take a

moment now to reflect on how they

have been going. If you think there is

room for improvement, what is one

action that you will take to improve

your sessions next week?

decide on a timetable for lesson

observations. The new teacher will observe

you teaching so they can see good teaching

methods in practice. You will observe them

teaching and then meet with them to

discuss ways to improve.

Remember to encourage new teachers to

always use the Teachers Guide for planning

and teaching.



Kinyarwanda teachers. Lead teachers across

the country are helping new teachers

become familiar with the methods and

materials that will support quality teaching

and learning for early grade Kinyarwanda

literacy.

Activities are happening before school, after

school, during breaks and free periods, and

even on the weekend. If you conduct

activities during the school day, make sure

that student learning time is not

interrupted.



Kinyarwanda teachers. Week 2 monitoring shows that 86% of Lead

teachers in surveyed schools conducted

orientation activities this week! As you plan to conduct lesson observations

and discussion with your new teachers, try

observe new teachers. Arrange for a

discussion at the end of the week to

reflect on what the new teachers saw and

learned, as well as any questions.

This week, help new teachers become

familiar with all of the materials available

to support teaching and learning

Kinyarwanda literacy. These include the

Teacher Guide, Read Alouds, student

textbooks, supplementary readers,

decodables and more.




Continue implementing the Week 3 plan,

which calls for lesson observation and

reflection. This week, focus on new

methodology, such as “I do, we do, you

do”. Let new teachers see you use this

method and encourage them to use it in

their classroom.

Monitoring has shown some great

solutions to the challenge of limited time.

Some schools are organizing

Communities of Practice with model and

practice teaching time. Weekend

remedial classes are also being used for

model observation lessons. And in

Ngororero, TTC Muramba is providing

their Tutors to help support new

teachers.

This week, focus should be put

on reviewing lesson planning

with attention to the weekly

lesson structures for early

grade Kinyarwanda that are in

the Teachers’ Guide. Help new

teachers become familiar with

the different lesson structures

and how to implement them in

their classroom.


If you are meeting with your new

teacher this weekend, remember to

bring all of your materials and good

luck with the sessions!

to ensure that class time for learners is not

disrupted. When you find areas that new teachers are

struggling with, guide them to resources

that can help them, such as the Teachers

Guide, training videos, CBC resources, and

more.




Introduce new teachers to the classroom

libraries, including the guidelines for

library management and book register.

Explain the book levels and how teachers

can help a student select a book to read

that is the right level for them.

Remind new teachers that they should

allow students to borrow books to read

at home and show them how to use the

registers to check books out and back in.

Students should read at least 15 minutes

every day.

For teachers of Primary 1, it is important

to discuss the decodable readers, which

should begin going home with students

after studying the first consonant “r”.

New

Teachers







Find time to review the content

before you meet your Lead Teacher.

Day 2: Remember to find time to

meet with your lead teacher this week

to review the methods and materials

that will support you in teaching early

grade Kinyarwanda literacy.

Day 1: Remember to find time for lesson

observations with your lead teacher. This

will help you to learn new methods well and

practice them in your own classroom.

Always use the Teachers Guide when

planning and teaching lessons.

As you meet with your lead teacher, this is

your opportunity to ask questions and learn

best practice. Stay engaged and be willing to

learn!

Day 2: As you continue the orientation

program for new Kinyarwanda teachers, ask

your Lead teacher or headteacher for

resources or videos they have that can

support you.


program for new Kinyarwanda teachers,

visit your Lead teacher to observe them

teaching.

Pay attention to the different materials

that the Lead Teacher uses in the

classroom. These include the Teacher

Guide, Read Alouds, student textbooks,

supplementary readers, decodables and

more. Ask your lead teacher to explain

each of these materials for you and to

show you how they use them during class

time.

Stay engaged and be willing to learn!

As you continue the

orientation program for new

Kinyarwanda teachers, take

time to review the lesson plans

in the Teachers Guide.

Lesson planning is an important

part of teaching. When you

plan, you are more confident in

the classroom and able to adapt

to your students’ needs quickly.

Ask your Lead Teacher any

questions you have about

lesson plans and review some

plans together.


As you meet with your lead teacher,

this is your opportunity to ask

questions and learn best practice. Stay

engaged and be willing to learn!






As you continue to work through

Week 1 content, remember to put

into practice what you are learning in

your Kinyarwanda lessons.

What is one thing that you have

learned this week and what is one

question that you still have?

Remember to ask the question to

your lead teacher early next week!

Use the Teachers Guide during your lessons

and if you have any questions about the

methods, ask your Lead Teacher. Stay

engaged and be willing to learn!




teaching.

Lesson observations are an opportunity to

see new methods used in the classroom. In

a discussion session after, you can ask any

questions you have about how the lead

teacher supports students to gain early

grade literacy skills.

Consider what you have seen and learned as

you prepare your lesson plans for next

week. Make sure to follow the Teachers

Guide.

Stay engaged and be willing to learn!




teaching.

Practice using the “I do, we do, you do”

method in your classroom. This

technique scaffolds learning for students

to help them feel confident to try new

skills on their own.

Ask your Lead Teacher to show you

other good methods to try in the

classroom.



take time to become familiar with your

classroom library.

Students should be allowed to borrow

books and books should be recorded in

the book register every time they are

borrowed and returned. Encourage

students to practice reading at home for

at least 15 minutes every day.


LEARNING STRUCTURE

Soma Umenye embraces the Collaborate, Learn, and Adapt approach (CLA). This approach ensures that

activities are planned and implemented through strong collaboration with different stakeholders, including

REB, districts, sectors, and schools. Once implementation begins, the approach aims to ensure that

monitoring data is collected and shared in a manner that supports timely reflection and appropriate

adaptations, as warranted.

This CLA approach was applied to the School-Based

Orientation Program with a weekly cycle of data collection,

reporting, and reflection to inform adaptations in the following

week’s supported implementation at school level. This cycle

was implemented primarily at the project level, however,

reports and key results from the monitoring were also shared

by DAs directly to district, sector, and school leaders in order

to encourage a similar cycle of reflection and adaptation at

every level of implementation.

At the conclusion of the Orientation program activities at

school level, a final internal reflection meeting will be held to

review all data collected throughout the program and identify

key success factors and adaptations which should be applied to

future iterations of school-based support to new teachers.

MONITORING AND EVALUATION

In order to support informed decision-making throughout the program, a Monitoring and Evaluation

framework was established for the school-based orientation program. This framework called for weekly

monitoring through phone surveys conducted by the Soma Umenye District Advisors. The phone surveys

would target key program stakeholders, including Headteacher or Deans of Studies, Lead teachers, new

teachers, SEIs, and DEOs. In line with the commitment to continuous reflection and adaptation, a rapid MEL

process was established to ensure data was availed and put to use on a weekly basis. This process is

visualized in Exhibit B-12.

Exhibit B-12: Weekly MEL Process for the School-Based Orientation Program

Data Collection

Analysis & Reporting

Pause & Reflect

Adaptation

• DAs conduct Phone Surveys and submit data

Wednesday

• Data analysis and draft report developed

Thursday• Data shared and

discussed during Pause & Reflect session

Friday

• MEL reports shared to stakeholders & key learning shared via phone messages

Monday


Soma Umenye collected data through phone surveys to key program stakeholders, on Wednesday’s each

week. The survey sample targeted five schools per district (150 schools each week). For each school,

District Advisors conducted a survey with the Head teacher or Dean of Studies, one lead teacher involved

with implementing the program, and three new teachers (one per grade, P1 to P3). District Advisors also

conducted surveys each week with the District Director of Education or District Education Officer in

charge of Primary Education (30 total each week) and all Sector Education Inspectors (461 each week).

Exhibit B-13 below, outlines the MEL framework, including indicators and targets.

Exhibit B-13. Monitoring Framework for the School-Based Orientation Program

Indicators Data Source Tools and Sample Target/Focus

Number of schools

implementing the peer

learning activity

• Interview with

HTs/DOS, lead

teachers and new

teachers

• Record of notes,

process, pictures

Interview guide (content

based on activity guidelines,

administered through survey

CTO)

Sample: 5 schools per district,

every week for 5 weeks

(Total: 750 schools targeted)

Week 1:

Orientation on 5

core components

Weeks 2-5:

Lesson

observations,

feedback, etc.)

a) Percent of head

teachers/DOS

teachers who report

that they

organized/led a peer

learning/COP activity

the same week

• Interview with

HT/DOS

Record of notes,

process, pictures

Interview

1 (one) HT/DOS per school, 5

HTs/DOSs per district, every

week

50%

b) Percent of lead

teachers who report

that they conducted a

peer learning activity

with new teachers the

same week

• Interview with lead

teacher

Record of notes,

process, pictures

Interview

1 (one) lead teacher per

school, 5 per district, every

week

50%

c) Percent of P1-P3

sampled teachers who

report that they

participated in the/a

peer learning activity

the same week

• Interview with new

teachers

• Record of notes,

process, pictures

Interview, Survey CTO

3 teachers per school (will

depend on the number of

NQTs at the school, sample

to include one per grade, as

applicable)

5 schools per district

50%

d) Percent of

DDEs/DEOs who

report that their

districts organized a

learning/COP activity

the same week

Interview with

DDE/DEO

1 (one) DDE/DEO per district 100%

e) Percent of SEIs who

report that their

sectors organized a

Interview with SEI

SEIs 80%


learning/led COP

activity the same week

At the start of the program, Soma Umenye planned to update the data collection tool after Week 1, in

order to align with the Phase 2 activities. However, during the Pause & Reflect session at the end of Week

1, Provincial and District Advisors noted that many schools were still implementing Phase 1 and a

completely new monitoring tool might fail to capture the ongoing Phase 1 activities. Therefore, Soma

Umenye adjusted the tool only slightly based on discussions in the Pause & Reflect sessions. The full tools

are available in Annex B-3 of this report.

In Week 3, due to planned school-level monitoring (conducted by Soma Umenye), the project made the

decision to combine the two monitoring activities. However, with the focus on the school-level monitoring

activity, data for the Orientation in Week 3 was limited.

By Week 4, it was apparent that Term 1 examinations were impacting program implementation and rather

than continue with the existing monitoring tool, a revised tool was developed to collect some quantitative

data but also more qualitative perspectives from stakeholders on the program as a whole.

PAUSE & REFLECT

As part of the cycle of learning and adaptations, Soma Umenye planned Pause & Reflect sessions on a

weekly basis with a standard agenda that included rapid reports by each Province, a presentation of the

weekly monitoring data, an overview of the technical and communications plans for the following week, and

time for reflection and discussion among staff.

Soma Umenye focused the discussion on learning questions that were based on the activity goals and in line

with the monitoring framework. Exhibit B-14 provides an overview of the learning questions.

Exhibit B-14. Overview of the Pause & Reflect Learning Questions

Learning Questions

1. Are DEOs engaged in the implementation and monitoring of this program? What specific activities

have we seen them take? Which activities do we want to see them do more and how can we

support them to do so?

2. Are SEIs engaged in the implementation and monitoring of this program? What specific activities

have we seen them take? Which activities do we want to see them do more and how can we

support them to do so?

3. Are headteachers supporting the program by identifying lead teachers, finding time for the school-

based activities, and providing resources? If not, why and what can we do to support this to

happen? What best practices have we identified that can be promoted to other schools?

4. Are lead teachers finding time to meet with new teachers to review the outlined content? What

can we advise/promote based on the successful strategies we have seen? If it is not happening, what

can we do to improve the implementation?

5. Are lead teachers helping new teachers feel supported and prepared to begin using Soma Umenye

materials to teach early grade Kinyarwanda? If not, why not and what can we do to support new

teachers to use Soma Umenye materials?

6. Based on the monitoring feedback, we see that the first two content sessions were the most

covered in orientations. What can we do to ensure the remaining content is covered? Considering

the technical plans for week 2, are there any changes we need to consider?


7. Do we find that schools are accepting of this program as a method to support new teachers? If yes,

what benefits do they see this program providing? If not, why not and how can we support them to

find value in this program?

8. Does our data collection tool get at the information we need or are there updates we can make to

help capture sufficient data?

9. Does our communication strategy support the implementation of this program? Are there

adaptations we can make to better support District Advisors and schools?

Pause & Reflect sessions were attended by the full Senior Management team, Field, Technical, MEL, and

Communications teams. The high level of cross-project participation allowed for in-depth discussion on

challenges encountered and immediate decisions were taken on ways to adapt implementation. Some of the

key adaptations agreed during Pause & Reflect sessions are outlined in Exhibit B-15 below.

Exhibit B-15. Key Challenges and Adaptations Identified from Weekly Pause and Reflect

Sessions

Challenge Identified Adaptation Decided

MEL & Field reports revealed many schools

began the program late or had insufficient time

in week 1 to cover all 5 topics.

Schools to be encouraged to use Week 2 to

continue the 1:1 coaching sessions before beginning

lesson observations

Many schools were found to not have Lead

Teachers available to support new teachers.

HTs and SEIs to be encouraged to arrange cross-

school support as needed, or engage as lead

teachers themselves. Alternatively, identify qualified

teachers who may not have been trained by SU but

can still facilitate support to new teachers.

Report of some students left alone in class while

teachers engaged in the Orientation activities

Messaging developed to urge protection of student

learning time

Need to determine the engagement of sector

and district leaders. Need to understand how

issues of placement, construction, and

attendance are impacting schools.

Update monitoring with additional questions

targeting SEI/DEOs and to gather data on school

stability factors

Frequency of daily messages a challenge for DAs

to send and stakeholders may feel overwhelmed.

Reduction from daily to 2-3x weekly phone

messages to stakeholders

Some reports that conducting lesson

observations during the week had a negative

impact on student learning time and teachers’

schedules were difficult to align.

Share best practice of using weekends to conduct

CoPs with micro-teaching activities, or to utilize

weekend remediation lessons for observations

The activity ran into the start of term 1

examinations and LEGRA.

Program suspended after week 4 so as to not

conflict with school activities. Final monitoring to

be adapted to gather qualitative reflections on the

program overall.

Schools failed to complete all of Week 1 planned

sessions in favor of moving forward to lesson

observations before time ran out before

examinations.

Consider this challenge when planning future

iteration of the program, including possible follow

up in Term 2.

Soma Umenye compiled a report from each Pause & Reflect session, including agreed adaptations, and

shared within 48 hours in order to support prompt action by all staff. District Advisors were encouraged to

inform SEIs and school leaders of any recommended changes for school level implementation and, where


relevant, these adaptations and best practices were integrated into the regular communication messaging

shared via District Advisors.

A final Pause & Reflect will be held in May to reflect on the entire program and inform the way forward for

Term 2 and future sustainable school-based CPD activities.

VIRTUAL SITE VISIT

To facilitate collaborative learning about the program, the project planned a virtual site visit with

stakeholders (REB, NESA, USAID/Rwanda, as well as representatives from the school, sector, and district

level) on 30 March 2021 from 9:00am – 12:00pm. The virtual site visit combined video footage as well as

interactive sessions, allowing participants to engage in real-time with selected stakeholders to ask questions,

reflect, and learn more about the program.

To focus the meeting and provide time for participants to engage directly with stakeholders from the

school, sector, and district level, Soma Umenye selected three schools (covering two sectors in two

districts) to participate in the virtual site visit.

Exhibit B-16. School, Sector, and District Participation in the Virtual Site Visit

School District Sector Note

GS Kanyinya Nyarugenge Kanyinya This is an existing school with a previously-trained head

teacher/lead teacher and new teachers. Represents an urban

school.

EP Nyamweru Nyarugenge Kanyinya This is a new school with new teachers and a new head

teacher (not previously trained by Soma Umenye).

Represents an urban school.

GS Muramba

B

Ngororero Matyazo This school has demonstrated creativity in implementing the

school-based program by partnering with a nearby TTC (and

TTC tutors) to organize orientation sessions and lesson

observations. Represents a rural school.

Prior to the virtual site visit, Soma Umenye captured videos from the three sampled schools: GS Kanyinya,

EP Nyamweru, and GS Muramba B. These videos included lesson observations, lesson de-brief/reflection

sessions between lead teachers and new teachers, and communities of practice between head teachers,

lead teachers, and new teachers. Two days prior to the virtual site visit meeting, Soma Umenye shared a

full-length video with participants. During the meeting, the project played a shorter version of the video to

provide context for all participants.

Exhibit B-17. Virtual Site Visit Resources

Videos

1. Highlight video (11 minutes)

2. Longer video (55 minutes)

PowerPoint Presentation

3. Overview PowerPoint

Virtual Site Visit Recording

4. Recording of the virtual site visit meeting

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZSJlFXx4zY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChM25l9v-nY

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rzU2oexaB6w3t19Pi4v3VWEB7PniqrDe/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qOPARkw45xxlZJ-Jh7WCr80pDGxS8djd/view?usp=sharing


The site visit included two panel discussions, a school-level panel and a sector and district-level panel.

During each panel, representatives were given an opportunity to share their experience with the program,

including successes and challenges, before the floor was opened for questions.

The school-level panel included head teachers, lead teachers, and new teachers from the three selected

schools. Representatives were given an opportunity to share their experience with the program, including

successes and challenges which are summarized below.

Exhibit B-18: School-Level Panel

GS Kanyinya/EP Nyamweru

• The head teacher of GS Kanyinya appreciated and welcomed the initiative of supporting the new

Kinyarwanda teachers because they had 4 new teachers and their neighboring school, EP Nyamweru,

is a new school with several new teachers. Among their new teachers, some had not graduated from

TTCs.

• GS Kanyinya also oriented the head teacher from EP Nyamweru on how to lead community of

practice sessions to help new Kinyarwanda teachers with the support of lead teachers from GS

Kanyinya.

• The head teacher also mentioned that there was not enough time to fully support new Kinyarwanda

teachers and requested REB to include time for CPD on the school timetable.

• The lead teacher appreciated the program and suggested that something similar should be done for

the other subjects as well. She mentioned that the program gave her the opportunity to review what

she has previously received training on, which was useful as she started the new school year.

• Both the lead teacher and head teachers requested that the new Kinyarwanda teachers should be

given an in-depth face to face training to reinforce the skills gained during the school based

orientation program. USAID Soma Umenye shared that there is a planned four-day training for new

P1-P3 Kinyarwanda teachers in mid-April. The school leaders also requested additional copies of the

teacher’s guide.

GS Muramba B

• The head teacher appreciated the support received from sector and district officials during this

program.

• The lead teacher collaborated with the Kinyarwanda tutor from TTC Muramba to support new

teachers at three neighboring schools (GS Muramba B and two new schools, CS Gasovu in Hindiro

sector and CS Murago in Matyazo sector).

• The head teacher emphasized that the program was more important for new teachers who were not

trained as teachers (ex: those who did not graduate from TTCs).

• Mr. Noel Nahimana, a new teacher who did not graduate from a TTC echoed the head teacher’s

statement: “I am not a TTC graduate, but I can now teach confidently, I thank the school for giving me the

opportunity to learn new skills and I wish that we shall be given another training on teaching methodology.”

The sector and district-level panel included 1 (one) DEO, 1 (one) DDE, and 2 SEIs. Representatives were

given an opportunity to share their experience with the program, including successes and challenges which

are summarized below.

Exhibit B-19. Sector and District-Level Panel

DDE Ngororero

• The DDE of Ngororero thanked the SEI, TTC Muramba tutor, DoS, and lead teachers who

supported the program.


• He mentioned that new Kinyarwanda teachers benefitted from this program and noted that

approximately 72% of new Kinyarwanda teachers in Ngororero did not graduate from TTCs. As

such, the district requested the schools to partner with TTCs and neighboring schools with trained

teachers. For example, the district developed a plan to train 12 new schools and existing schools

with no lead teachers.

• The DDE mentioned that they are happy with progress made and want to continue the program at

the school-level but also requested a more in-depth face-to-face training for new teachers.

DEO Nyarugenge

• This school year, Nyarugenge received many new teachers and not all of them had a background in

teaching.

• The DEO also mentioned the challenge of high teacher turnover in the district. This motivated the

district to support this program because this model of school-based training allows for continuous

learning for teachers rather than waiting for a face-to-face training which is not always conducted at

the time you need it.

• The DEO echoed comments previously made and requested REB to ensure that CPD has a place on

the school timetable because it is difficult to ask teachers to sacrifice their breaks.

SEIs from Kanyinya and Matyazo

• Both SEIs appreciated the school-based orientation program for new Kinyarwanda teachers.

Specifically, they noted that the content was targeted to support delivery of Term 1 lessons.

• They mentioned that this program needed the joint coordination and communication between

schools, sectors, and district education leadership. Due to this collaboration, all new Kinyarwanda

teachers in Nyarugenge and Ngororero districts benefited from this program.

• The SEIs also mentioned that the CPD time is still a challenge and requested REB to provide this

time on the school timetable.

Following remarks from the school, sector, and district representatives, all participants had the opportunity

to ask questions. Notes from these questions are summarized below.

Question 1: USAID Soma Umenye is going to close soon. Some teachers have already received a 10-day

foundational training and refresher trainings. Is there any plan to conduct a face-to-face training for new

Kinyarwanda teachers?

Answer 1: Due to COVID-19, USAID Soma Umenye was not able to conduct a face-to-face training

before the start of Term 1; however, with the current COVID-19 preventative guidelines (which allow for

19 trainees in a room), USAID Soma Umenye, in collaboration with REB, is planning a 4-day training during

the Term 1 holidays for new Kinyarwanda teachers. Additionally, USAID Soma Umenye is also supporting

NESA to conduct a Term 1 LEGRA and will support REB to conduct a remediation training during the

Term 2 holidays.

Question 2: One of the biggest challenges appears to be time. How have head teachers been able to

mitigate/overcome this challenge in order to run this program smoothly? Are there any success stories that may be

helpful to other school leaders?

Answer 2: Participants noted that it was not easy to find enough lead teachers as schools received many

new teachers. However, the new teachers were eager to learn and lead teachers were highly motivated

because of their previous training. With this teacher motivation, schools used after class hours, breaks, and

in some cases weekends to ensure the successful implementation of the program.

Question 3: How does CPD affect motivation?

Answer 3: Multiple participants noted that schools and teachers have the will and capacity. In particular,

lead teachers felt the need to support their new colleagues. Participants noted that the program supported

teachers to fulfill their duty and helped new teachers integrate into the profession. As one participant

noted, “the motivation is that this is our duty.”


In the closing remarks, REB TDM representative Gerard Murasira thanked USAID Soma Umenye, lead

teachers, new teachers, SEOs, DEOs and DDEs: “I really give thanks to this program as when a teacher arrives

and has missed an induction, it is difficult from them to teach effectively, I found this to be a home grown solution. I

think this can be applied to other subjects. I strongly thank every stakeholder who plays a role to ensure the smooth

implementation of this school-based orientation program for new P1-P3 Kinyarwanda teachers.”

FINDINGS AND IMPACT

Note that the findings and reflections presented in this section are not considered final. Soma Umenye will

conduct a wider learning event with REB and stakeholders in Quarter 3. Exhibit B-20 provides an overview

of Soma Umenye’s data collection efforts. The full set of tools can be found in Annex B-3.

Exhibit B-20. Overview of Data Collection Periods

Program

Week Monitoring

Date

Sample

Reached

Comments

Week 1 25 February 2021 137

schools -

Week 2 03 March 2021 144

schools -

Week 3 11 March 2021 37 schools Note that this sample size was smaller because Soma

Umenye combined data collection efforts with the

school monitoring exercise in March.

Week 4 21 March 2021 - Note that Soma Umenye did not conduct monitoring

during this week due to other conflicting events with

teachers and schools (e.g.: District Advisors began the

TLM audit activity this week and the project facilitated

LEGRA trainings during this week). However, the

program still continued in schools.

Week 5 29 March 2021 78 schools Note that Soma Umenye used this week to ask general

wrap-up questions and specific questions about the

previous week (Week 4). In the narrative below,

references to “Week 4” refer to data collected in Week

5 but referencing Week 4 activities.

TIME

A key factor in the success of school-based CPD is time. REB provides guidance to schools to set at least

two-hours per week for teacher professional development; however, this can often be a challenge and

there is no set time on the calendar for CPD. The school-based orientation program for new teachers

acknowledged this challenge by providing structured recommendations on how to implement the program,

but encouraging schools to adapt implementation to their context. Monitoring findings reveal that most

schools were able to find time to at least partially implement the program.

The most popular time for delivering peer learning sessions was class time, however there was a shift to

using non-class time. Head teachers reporting to have used class time fell from 45% to 33% between the

second and fourth week of the program, with more headteachers making better use of time after school


and in free periods. For lead teachers, the use of class time fell from 62% in the second week to 42% in the

fourth week, with most then making use of lunch and free periods to conduct sessions.

Most schools conducted hour-long sessions (61% in the

second week and 57% in the fourth week), though sessions

in the third week were generally shorter in length with

more than a third (35%) lasting for just half an hour.

By the end of the program, lack of time to conduct sessions

was cited as the greatest challenge by headteachers. This

was reported by 71% of headteachers in week five,

compared to only 5% of headteachers citing this challenge

in week two of the program. At the start of the program,

the greatest challenge cited by headteachers was the lack of

trained lead teachers.

These findings demonstrate that schools can prioritize

school-based CPD within their schedule. Though having set

time for CPD on the timetable would likely make this

easier.

CONTENT

The school-based orientation program consisted of two phases, with five core content topics to be

discussed in training sessions, followed by lesson observations and debriefs. Monitoring and field reports

found that many schools adjusted delivery of the topics and the phasing based on their available time,

prioritization, and needs.

Most sessions covered the five core components of literacy,

though in week three, slightly more schools reported covering

gradual release of responsibility. In general, supplementary

lesson materials and weekly lesson structure were the least

covered topics and would benefit from additional time in Term

2.

The extent to which schools adapted implementation is a

positive indicator of school ownership of the program.

However, as some key content was not fully covered during

the four weeks of implementation, a continuation of the

program should consider how to encourage time on the

missed content.

ENGAGEMENT

School-based CPD requires ownership and engagement at all levels. The findings outlined below suggest

that everyone, from new teachers up to SEIs, were actively engaged in the successful implementation of the

program which resulted in a higher success rate.

A significant majority of new teachers reported spending time with lead teachers and having their lessons

observed by them. Though this declined slightly toward the end of the program, still 86% of new teachers

Spotlight: Continuous CPD

At GS Rubona in Gisagara, the Lead

Teacher arranged a refresher

orientation in her school for all P1-P3

teachers before breaking off to

provide targeted support to new

teachers. Many schools reported

using this opportunity to refresh all

teachers’ skills. This demonstrated for

new teachers that professional

development should continue

throughout your teaching career.

The lead teacher and new teachers at GS

Kivumu (Cyeza Sector, Muhanga District,

Southern Province) prepared a weekly timetable

for the School-Based Orientation.


said they had spent up to two hours with their lead teachers in the fourth week of the program and 76%

said they had been observed teaching by the lead teacher in that week.

Head teachers played a significant role in ensuring the successful organization of the school-based

orientation for new teachers, with 82% of head

teachers having organized sessions in the second week

of the program and 68% in the fourth week.

SEIs were able to overcome implementation challenges

by seeking support from school leaders, and

sometimes, nearby schools. In general, SEIs and head

teachers agreed there were implementation

challenges, especially the lack of trained lead teachers

and insufficient time. However, SEIs were able to help

coordinate support across neighboring schools to

provide extra support where needed.

Support from REB and Soma Umenye District

Advisors was also key to the program’s success,

including the provision of the program guidelines with

links to existing training materials, the tablets and video resources availed to schools by Soma Umenye, and

the regular phone messages which provided reminders about the program and shared best practices to

address common challenges.

PERCEPTIONS

There were exceptionally high levels of support for the school-based orientation model. By the final

reporting week, 92% of participants reported the approach was a successful model for CPD. However,

participants were almost evenly divided when asked if there was another, more effective model which could

be used. Soma Umenye plans to explore this further in Quarter 3.

Amongst SEIs, support for the program was slightly higher, with 95% considering the school-based

approach to be a successful model for CPD, particularly when school allocate time for it on the timetable.

This point was reinforced with more than two thirds of SEIs (69%) saying that there is no other model of

CPD that they consider more successful.

During de-brief surveys after the program ended, new

teachers noted that they benefitted from this model as

they could go to their lead teacher immediately and ask

for support or see clarification, when needed. New

teachers also noted that this program gave them a good

introduction to the teacher’s guide and the “I do, we do,

you do” scaffold instructional approach; however, many

also noted that would benefit from a more in-depth

training on these elements. Soma Umenye plans to

conduct a four-day face-to-face training for new teachers

in April to specifically cover these elements. Of the new

teachers surveyed at the end of the program, 71% stated

that they felt “confident” to support their students after

participating in the program and 13% felt “very confident.”

Spotlight: District Leadership

In both Nyamagabe and Huye Districts,

the Vice Mayors of Social Affairs took time

in the regular district staff meeting to

appreciate the program and advise that

SEIs arrange similar programs for new

teachers at all levels and in all subjects. In

the Western province, five district mayors

wrote letters to sectors and schools

encouraging effective implementation of

the program.

Spotlight: SEI Leadership

The SEI of Ngarama Sector (Gatsibo District,

Eastern Province) brought together all of the

new P1-P3 Kinyarwanda teachers in her sector

(15 in total) along with four lead teachers from

the sector and supervised weekly sessions

(covering the program’s content) on Saturdays

from 8:00am – 11:00am. While other schools

organized time during the week, the SEI of

Ngarama Sector wanted to provide more

hands-on support to both lead teachers and

new teachers.


14% felt “somewhat confident” and the responses they gave as to why they selected that answer all

centered around time: lack of time to fully engage with the lead teacher.

Lead teachers had quite positive perceptions of the program, noting that it also gave them an opportunity

to review key literacy skills and even improve themselves. Lead teachers also appreciated the flexibility built

into the program, noting that it was helpful for them to schedule time to meet with new teachers when it

worked best for them. However, lead teachers did note that they wished they could have had more time

available to support new teachers (note that this was also a sentiment echoed by head teachers during the

de-brief).

OVERALL REFLECTIONS AND NEXT STEPS

Soma Umenye designed and implemented the School-Based Orientation to fill an immediate need: provide

support to approximately 7,000 new P1-P3 Kinyarwanda teachers (some of whom have had no previous

training or qualifications) during a period where face-to-face trainings were not permitted (due to COVID-

19 restrictions). Initial findings were positive and indicated that a targeted school-based CPD program can

be an effective complement to more traditional face-to-face training programs. Of course, there were still

some challenges – representing larger structural challenges – that Soma Umenye will continue to reflect on

with REB. Exhibit B-21 highlights some key success factors and challenges with the program.

Exhibit B-21. Summary of Key Success Factors and Continued Challenges

Success Factors

Engagement of sector and district leadership raised the profile of the activity and, in some

locations, their involvement was key to the success of the program as they helped identify where schools

could support one another to fill gaps.

Engagement of school leadership (head teachers) who often demonstrated leadership and

creativity in supporting new teachers. Head teachers often stepped in to lead one-on-one sessions with

new teachers (if there were no lead teachers) of identified neighboring schools to partner with and

complete the program together.

The positive impact on lead teachers, who noted that this program has been a useful refresher for

them and an opportunity to support their colleagues.

The program aligned well with existing guidance from REB on how school-based CPD

should take place. Even though there is no official time for CPD on the calendar, REB clearly

Spotlight: TTC Engagement in the Western Province

In the Western Province, two TTCs – TTC Mururu in Rusizi District and TTC Murumba in

Ngororero District – stepped up to support new P1-P3 Kinyarwanda teachers in neighboring

schools. In several schools (mostly new schools) head teachers noted that they did not have any

lead teachers. With the support of SEIs and district leadership, these head teachers contacted TTC

tutors (who had previously received Soma Umenye training) and organized time for the tutors to

act as lead teachers. TTC tutors met with new teachers from neighboring schools and took them

through the content in Phase 1 of the program. They also conducted lesson observations and

provided new teachers with continuous coaching and feedback. This is an example of a district-led

and district-owned solution and it can serve as a useful case study for future discussions on how to

leverage TTC support for CPD.


emphasizes the importance of CPD. As a result, Soma Umenye found that this supported program

implementation and the program served as a model for effective implementation of school-based CPD.

From a project level, regular time to pause and reflect (including reviewing data and input

from the field), was instrumental to effective implementation as best practices were amplified across

the country and adaptations made to better support new teachers. Should this program extend into

Term 2, Soma Umenye will explore opportunities to bring REB, DEOs, and SEIs into more regular

reflection.

Regular phone messaging was determined to be a positive contribution, as the messages

regularly reminded stakeholders of their role, provided data from the monitoring reports, and shared

best practices from different schools.

The positive engagement with TTCs, which some schools leveraged, through partnering with TTC

tutors, when they had a shortage of lead teachers. This could serve as a model for future CPD practice.

School-based solutions meant that, even though the program was not implemented uniformly across

the country, schools were able to adjust delivery of the topics and their timing based on school-specific

needs and priorities.

Continued Challenges

Time was continuously referenced as a challenge. While there were many instances of teachers and

schools finding creative ways to schedule time for CPD, others noted that there is not enough time

during the school week to conduct thorough CPD.

Lack of materials in new schools made it difficult for some new teachers to fully engage with the

program. While Soma Umenye did distribute materials to new schools in February, it was not enough to

fully equip all P1-P3 classrooms in the 585 new schools.

Not all schools (particularly new schools) had previously-trained teachers who could serve

as lead teachers which made it difficult for all new teachers to feel supported. Some schools found

innovative and “home-grown” solutions (such as those described above) but other schools struggled to

support new teachers. In these schools, head teachers were preoccupied with other activities and there

may not have been a proactive SEI to step in to provide support.

Soma Umenye will continue to reflect on these findings with REB and local stakeholders. The project is

planning a larger learning event to not only celebrate the successes but to also further examine the

challenges. For example, one frequently reported challenge was the lack of time for CPD. While REB

currently advises schools to spend at least two-hours per week on CPD, it unfortunately does not have a

permanent place on the school timetable. This means that CPD either comes at the expense of another

school priority or vice versa. MINEDUC and REB are aware of this challenge and, in March, held a meeting

with stakeholders to examine strategies for formally placing CPD on the school timetable. Soma Umenye

will continue to participate in these meetings and, in the meantime, continue to support schools to ensure

that they make time for CPD in a way that works for those teachers.

Soma Umenye also plans to explore options for supporting schools to conduct a second round of the

program in Term 2. In Term 2, Soma Umenye expects that REB will have completed Phase IV of teacher

recruitment which will result in additional Kinyarwanda teachers placed in lower primary. Soma Umenye

will discuss with REB whether to do the same program for Phase IV teachers in Term 2 and/or continue

the program for all new teachers (but revising the content to focus on Term 2 delivery and emphasizing

some of the neglected content areas from Term 1 according to the monitoring data).


Annex B-1. Supplementary Materials for Week 1 of the Program

Insanganyamatsiko Ibirimo Ibikorwa bizakorwa Imfashanyigisho zizifashishwa

1 Inkingi 5 zo gusoma no

kwandika

(isaha 1)

• Itahuramajwi

• Ihuzamajwi

• Inyunguramagambo

• Gusoma udategwa

• Kumva umwandiko

• Kwandika

- Gusobanura buri nkingi

- Kuganira ku ntambwe zo kwigisha

buri nkingi

- Kureba videwo kuri buri nkingi

- Videwo zirimo inkingi 5 zo gusoma

no kwandika. Umwarimu azajya

azireba uko abonye umwanya kugira

ngo arusheho gusobanukirwa.

- Igitabo cy’amahugurwa cya 2021 ku

rupapapuro rwa 31-46

- Igitabo cy’umunyeshuri

- Igitabo cy’umwarimu

2 Uburyo bw’imyigire

n’imyigishirize bwa

“Ndatanga urugero,

Dukorane twese, Buri wese

akore”

(isaha 1)

- Kugaragaza ibikorwa muri Ndatanga

urugero, Dukorane twese, Buri wese

akore hihashishijwe ingero

- Videwo zirimo inkingi 5 zo gusoma

no kwandika. Umwarimu azajya

azireba uko abonye umwanya kugira

ngo arusheho gusobanukirwa.


rupapuro rwa 29


IMBONERAHAMWE IGARAGAZA INSANGANYAMATSIKO ZIZIBANDWAHO MURI GAHUNDA YIHUSE

YO KUMENYEREZA ABARIMU BASHYA B’IKINYARWANDA BO MU KICIRO CYA MBERE CY’AMASHURI

ABANZA


3 Ibitabo by’ibanze

bikoreshwa mu kwigisha

Ikinyarwanda mu kiciro

cya mbere cy’amashuri

abanza

(isaha 1)

1. Igitabo cy’umwarimu

kirimo inkuru zisomerwa

abanyeshuri

- Gusobanurira umwarimu igihe

gikoreshwa

- Kwereka umwarimu inkuru zirimo

n’ibizigize (amashusho-inkuru nyirizina

– Ibibazo byo kumva inkuru)

- Igitabo cy’umwarimu kirimo inkuru

zisomerwa abanyeshuri

- Igitabo cy’amahugurwa yo kwiyibutsa

cya 2020, ku rupapuro rwa 7 mu

mwaka wa mbere, urupapuro rwa 6-

12 mu mwaka wa 2 n’urupapuro rwa 6

mu gitabo cyo mu mwaka wa 3

-Igitabo cy’umwarimu

2. Igitabo cy’umunyeshuri - Gusobanurira umwarimu uko buri

nyuguti cyangwa igihekane biteguye mu

gitabo cy’umunyeshuri

- Kwereka umwarimu amabara

atandukanya ibikorwa biri mu gitabo

cy’umunyeshuri; ni ukuvuga:

• Igice k’isubiramo ritangira

umwaka

• Igice cyo kwigisha inyuguti

nshya cyangwa igihekane

• Igice k’imyitozo

• Igice k’isuzuma risoza umutwe


- Igitabo cy’amahugurwa cya 2021

urupapuro rwa 10-11



mwaka wa 1, n’urupapuro rwa 6-12

mu gitabo cyo mu mwaka wa 2


3. Igitabo cy’umwarimu - Gusobanurira umwarimu ibice

by’ingenzi bigize igitabo cy’umwarimu

- Kwereka umwarimu urugero rwa

buri somo riteguye mu masomo

y’icyumweru n’uburyo yayashaka

- Gufasha umwarimu uburyo ashobora

guhuza igitabo cy’umwarimu n’ibindi

bitabo

- Kwereka umwarimu uburyo

azifashisha igitabo cy’umwarimu muri

buri somo yigisha


- Igitabo cy’amahugurwa cya 2021

urupapuro rwa 12-26



mwaka wa 1, urupapuro rwa 6-12 mu

gitabo cyo mu mwaka wa 2 no ku

rupapuro rwa 8-16 mu gitabo cyo mu

mwaka wa 3.

4 Ibitabo by’inyongera

(isaha 1)

Udutabo tw’inkuru

abanyeshuri bisomera

turimo inyuguti cyangwa

igihekane bize tugenewe

abanyeshuri bo mu mwaka

wa mbere gusa

- Kwereka abarimu ingero z’utwo

dutabo n’aho tubikwa

- Gusobanurira abarimu umubare

w’utwo dutabo n’inkuru zirimo

-Gusobanurira abarimu igihe utwo

dutabo dukoreshwa

- Udutabo tw’inkuru zirimo inyuguti

cyangwa igihekane abanyeshuri bamaze

kwiga tugenewe abanyeshuri bo mu

mwaka wa mbere

- Udusanduku tubikwamo udutabo

tw’inkuru


rupapuro rwa 27-28



gitabo cyo mu mwaka wa mbere no ku

rupapuro rwa 13 mu gitabo cyo mu

mwaka wa kabiri

Udutabo tw’inkuru ziri ku

kigero cy’abanyeshuri

- Kwereka abarimu ingero z’utwo

dutabo n’aho tubikwa

- Udutabo tw’inkuru ziri ku kigero

cy’abanyeshuri

- Utubati tubikwamo ibitabo


- Gusobanurira imiterere cy’utwo

dutabo n’ibyiciro by’abanyeshuri

badukoresha

- Gusobanurira abarimu akamaro

k’utwo dutabo


rupapuro rwa 27-28

-Igitabo cy’amahugurwa yo kwiyibutsa


gitabo cyo mu mwaka wa mbere no ku

rupapuro rwa 13 mu gitabo cyo mu

mwaka wa kabiri

5 Amasomo agize

icyumweru

(Isaha 1)

1. Isomo ry’inkuru isomerwa

abanyeshuri

- Kwerekana aho iri somo riherereye

mu gitabo cy’umwarimu

- Gusobanura intambwe zikurikizwa

mu kwigisha inkuru isomerwa

abanyeshuri

- Gukora umwitozo wo kwigisha

isomo ry’ inkuru isomerwa

abanyeshuri

- Igitabo cy’umwarimu kirimo

inkuru zisomerwa abanyeshuri




mwaka wa 1 no ku rupapuro rwa 17

mu gitabo cyo mu mwaka wa 2.

2. Isomo ryo gutahura no

gusoma inyuguti cyangwa

igihekane gishya


mu gitabo cy’umunyeshuri




mu kuryigisha

- Gukora umwitozo wo kwigisha iryo

somo



-Igitabo cy’amahugurwa agenewe

abarimu b’Ikinyarwanda mu kiciro cya

mbere cy’amashuri abanza cya 2021,

urupapuro rwa 37-38


cya 2020, ku rupapuro 15-17 mu

mwaka wa1, urupapuro rwa 14-15 mu

mwaka wa 2 n’urupapuro rwa 17 mu

gitabo cyo mu mwaka wa 3

3. Isomo ry’inkuru cyangwa

umwandiko umunyeshuri

yisomera birimo inyuguti






cyangwa igihekane bamaze

kwiga

(uwo mwandiko uri mu gitabo

cy’umunyeshuri)


mu kuryigisha


somo



mbere cy’amashuri abanza cya 2021,

ku rupapuro rwa 40-42


cya 2020 ku rupapuro rwa18 -19 mu

gitabo cyo mu mwaka wa1, urupapuro

rwa 15-17 mu gitabo cyo mu mwaka

wa 2

4. Isomo ryo kwandika




mu kuryigisha


somo





mbere cy’amashuri abanza


cya 2020, ku rupapuro 21 mu mwaka

wa1, urupapuro rwa 17-19 mu gitabo

cyo mu mwaka wa 2 n’urupapuro rwa

18-19 mu gitabo cyo mu mwaka wa 3

5. Isomo ry’imyitozo




mu kuryigisha


somo





mbere cy’amashuri abanza



gitabo cyo mu mwaka wa 2.


Ikitonderwa: Imfashanyigisho zavuzwe haruguru mu mbonerahamwe zizaboneka ku buryo bukurikira:

• Ibitabo by’umwarimu n’ibitabo by’abanyeshuri biri ku mashuri.

• Udutabo tw’udukuru abanyeshuri bisomera tugenewe umwaka wa mbere n’udutabo tw’inkuru ziri ku kigero cy’abanyeshuri turi ku mashuri.

• Amavidewo y’inkingi 5 zo gusoma no kwandika ari kuri “flash disks/ tablets” abayobozi b’ibigo by’amashuri bafite.

• Ibitabo by’amahugurwa yo kwiyibutsa agenewe umwaka wa 1, 2 &3 yabaye muri 2020 abarimu bazamenyereza abandi barabifite; cyakora

bazabyohererezwa no kuri WhatsApp kugira ngo ababa barabibuze bazabone ibyo bifashisha.

• Ibitabo by’amahugurwa agenewe abarimu bashya byateguwe muri 2021, abarimu bazamenyereza abashya ndetse n’abayobozi b’ibigo

by’amashuri bazabihabwa binyuze kuri za “email na WhatsApp” zabo.


Annex B-2. Supplementary Materials for Weeks 2-5 (Lesson

Observations)

Intangiriro

Mu cyumweru cya 2 kugeza ku cya 5 cya gahunda yo gufasha abarimu bashya ku myigire n’imyigishirize yo gusoma no kwandika Ikinyarwanda mu

kiciro cya mbere cy’amashuri abanza, uzatangira kwitegereza imigendekere y’isomo unagutange ubujyanama ngarukirane.

• Abarimu bashya bazitegereza amasomo yigishwa n’umwarimu ushinzwe kubunganira

(amasomo 2 mu cyumweru)

• Abarimu bashinzwe kunganira abarimu bashya bazakurikirana imigendekere y’amasomo yigishwa n’abarimu bashya (Byibuza isomo

rimwe mu cyumweru)

• Abarimu bashinzwe kunganira abarimu bashya bazategura ikiganiro n’abarimu bashya kigamije kungurana ibitekerezo ku migendekere

y’amasomo bakurikiranye maze bafashanye mu kunoza amasomo ataha (inshuro 1 mu cyumweru).

Hari intego 2 zo gukurikirana (kwitegereza) imigendekere y’isomo:

1. Guha amahirwe abarimu bashya yo kwitegereza imigendekere y’amasomo yigishwa n’abarimu bafite ubunararibonye mu rwego rwo

kubigiraho.

2. Guha amahirwe abarimu bashya yo guhabwa ubujyanama ngarukirane buhoraho ku myigishirize yabo n’ubufasha bahabwa n’umwarimu

ushinzwe kubunganira uko bagenda bigisha amasomo agize igihembwe banashyira mu bikorwa ibyo bize mu cyumweru cya 1 k’iyi gahunda.

Amabwiriza

Koresha ifishi ikurikira ikuyobora mu gikorwa cyo gukurikirana imigendekere y’isomo no gutanga ubujyanama ngarukirane. Iyi fishi yateguriwe

by’umwihariko ku nyigisho zigize icyumweru cya mbere k’iyi gahunda. Ukurikirana imigendekere y’isomo (yaba umwarimu mushya cyangwa

ushinzwe kumwunganira) barashishikarizwa kuzuza amakuru asabwa mu gihe cyo gukurikirana isomo n’igihe cyo gutanga ubujyanama ngarukirane.

Ifishi y’ubwunganizi ikoreshwa n’umwarimu mushya n’umwarimu ushinzwe kunganira abarimu bashya


Ifishi yo gukurikirana imigendekere y’isomo

Izina ry’ukurikirana isomo: Izina ry’umwarimu wigisha isomo:

Itariki: Isomo rya:

Umwaka wa (1, 2, 3): Izina ry’ikigo k’ishuri :

Igipimo Uko wabibonye

1. Imfashanyigisho: Umwarimu yakoresheje

igitabo cy’umwarimu cyateguwe n’umushinga

USAID Soma Umenye kandi akurikiza

intambwe zose z’isomo. Umwarimu kandi

yakoresheje igitabo cy’umunyeshuri aho

bisabwa n’izindi mfashanyigisho (urugero:

Udutabo umunyeshuri yisomera nyuma yo kwiga

inyuguti runaka n’udutabo tw’inkuru ziri ku

kigero cy’abanyeshuri).

2. Uburyo bw’imyigishirize: Umwarimu

yakoresheje uburyo bwo kwigisha bwa

“Ndatanga urugero, Dukorane Twese, Buri

wese akore” mu bikorwa bitandukanye? Mu

gice cya “Dukorane Twese na Buri wese

akore” umwarimu yazengurutse mu ishuri

afasha abanyeshuri batandukanye.

3. Uruhare rw’abanyeshuri mu isomo:

Abanyeshuri bagize uruhare mu isomo.

(Urugero: Bari gusubiza ibibazo, bari gukurikira

mu bitabo byabo kandi bari kugira uruhare

rugaragara mu bikorwa binyuranye by’isomo.)


Ubujyanama ngarukirane

Ibibazo/ibisobanuro Uko wabibonye

1. Utekereza ko isomo ryagenze gute? Ni ibiki ubona byagenze

neza mu isomo? Ni ibiki ubona wazanoza mu masomo ataha?

(Nyuma y’uko umwarimu mushya asubije ibi bibazo, umwarimu wunganira abarimu

bashya agomba kumubwira icyo abitekerezaho. Umwarimu wunganira abarimu bashya

agomba kubanza kwibanda ku byagenze neza mu isomo akabona kugaruka ku byo

umwarimu agomba kunoza. Agomba kandi gutanga ingero zifatika mu gihe yerekana

ibigomba kunozwa. Aho kuvuga uti “ugomba kwibanda cyane kuri Buri wese akore

akagabanya umwanya amara kuri Ndatanga urugero”, Umwarimu wunganira abarimu

bashya agomba kuvuga ati “Reka tuvuge ku gikorwa k’inyunguramagambo mu isomo

wigishije uyu munsi. Ushobora kongera kuryigisha mu buryo butandukanye ubutaha aha

abanyeshuri amahirwe yo gukora imyitozo ku giti cyabo. Si byo se?)

2. Reka turebe isomo uzigisha ubutaha mu gitabo cy’umwarimu.

Ni ikihe kintu kimwe uzibandaho mu kunoza isomo ry’ubutaha?

(Umwarimu wunganira abarimu bashya agomba gusaba umwarimu mushya gufungura

igitabo cy’umwarimu ahateguye isomo rizigishwa ubutaha. Bombi bagomba gufatanya

mu gutegura iri somo bibanda kubikwiye kunozwa byagaragajwe mu kibazo cya mbere.)

3. Nyuma yo kungurana ibitekerezo ku migendekere y’isomo,

ibutsa umwarimu mushya imfashanyigisho z’inyongera ashobora

Nyuma yo gukirikirana imigendekere y’isomo, umwarimu wunganira abarimu bashya n’umwarimu mushya bagomba kwicara bakaganira ku

migendekere y’isomo rirangiye. Intego y’ubujyanama ngarukirane ni ukungurana ibitekerezo ku migendekere y’isomo no guha amahirwe

umwarimu mushya yo kubaza ibibazo, gutekereza ku myigishirize ye no kwigirira ikizere. Uwakurikiranye imigendekere y’isomo n’umwarimu

mushya wigishije bose bagomba kwitwaza igitabo cy’umwarimu mu gihe cyo gutanga ubujyanama ngarukirane kandi bakandika ibyo

bumvikanyeho.

Mu gihe ari umwarimu wunganira abarimu bashya ari gukurikirana imigendekere y’isomo, agomba kugendera ku bibazo

n’ibisobanuro bikurikira :


kwifashisha (videwo ku kwigisha inkingi 5 zo gusoma no kwandika,

ibitabo by’amahugurwa ...) mubaze niba hari ikindi kibazo yaba asigaranye.

Ibibazo/ibisobanuro Uko wabibonye

1. Wabonye isomo witegereje ryagenze gute?

2. Imfashanyigisho: Ni gute nakoresheje imfashanyigisho mu isomo (igitabo

cy’umunyeshuri, igitabo cy’umwarimu, igitabo cy’umwarimu kirimo inkuru

zisomerwa abanyeshuri, agatabo k’udukuru abanyeshuri bisomera n’izindi)?

3. Uburyo bw’imyigishirize: Ushobora kuvuga igikorwa kimwe mu isomo

nigishije maze ukagaragaza aho nakoresheje igice cya “Ndatanga urugero,

Dukorane Twese, Buri wese akore”?

4. Uruhare rw’abanyeshuri : Ni ubuhe buryo bw’imyigishirize nakoresheje

kugira ngo abanyeshuri bagire uruhare mu isomo ryose?

5. Ni ikihe kintu kimwe wungutse nyuma yo kwitegereza iri somo uzagerageza

gukurikiza mu isomo ryawe ry’Ikinyarwanda ritaha?

6. Hari ibindi bibazo cyangwa impungenge waba ugifite?

Mu gihe umwarimu mushya ari gukurikirana isomo riri kwigishwa n’umwarimu wunganira abandi, umwarimu wunganira abandi agomba kuyobora

ikiganiro cyo kungurana ibitekerezo ku migendekere y’isomo akoresha ibibazo n’ibisobanuro bikurikira:


Annex B-3. Weekly Monitoring Tool for the School-Based Orientation

Program

Note that the questions in blue were added in Week 2, following an internal Pause & Reflection session.

Head Teacher or

DoS

Lead Teacher New Teacher SEI DEO

1. Did you

conduct/do you

plan to conduct

the rapid

orientation of

new P1 -P3

Kinyarwanda

teachers in your

school this week?

(YES/NO)

If YES, please indicate

the date on which it

was held/is planned

(February 22, 23, 24,

25, 26,27,28, March

1,2,3,4,5)

If already conducted,

when did you

conduct the peer

learning sessions?

(Options: before

school start, after

school ends, during

breaks, lunch, free

period, weekend,

other)

1. Which grades do you

teach? P1, P2, P3 (check all

that apply to capture those

who teach multiple grades)

2. Did you organize a rapid

orientation session for the

new teachers in your

school this week? (Yes/

No).

If YES, please indicate the date

on which it was held/is planned

(February 22, 23, 24, 25,

26,27,28, March 1,2,3,4,5)

If YES, ask how many

sessions have been conducted

so far (1, 2,3…)

If YES, what was the duration

of each session? (1 hour, 2,

3…5).

Which areas/topics did you

cover?

1. 5 core components of

literacy

1- Which grades do you

teach? P1, P2, P3 (check

all that apply to capture

those who teach multiple

grades)

2- Did you participate in

the rapid orientation

program this week?

(YES/NO).

If YES, please indicate the

date on which it was held/is

planned (February 22, 23,

24, 25, 26,27,28, March

1,2,3,4,5)

How much time did you

spend with your lead

teacher this week? (less than

I hours,1 hour, 2, 3…)

3. Which support did you

receive from the lead

teacher?

1- 5 core components

of literacy

1. Did you provide any

support to the rapid

orientation of

Kinyarwanda teachers

in schools from your

sector this week?

(YES/NO)

If YES, what kind of

support did you provide?

The DA will listen and based

on the expected roles and

responsibilities as stated in

the implementation guidelines

(see below) check all that

apply.

• Through coordination

with Soma Umenye

district advisors,

ensure that the all

NQTs and lead

teachers have the

materials they need to

support peer learning

school-based peer

learning orientation for

new Kinyarwanda

1. Did you provide any

support to the rapid

orientation for new

Kinyarwanda

teachers in schools

from your district

this week? (YES/NO)

If YES, what kind of

support did you provide?

The DA will listen and

based on the expected

roles and responsibilities as

stated in the

implementation guidelines

(see below) check all that

apply.

1. Raise awareness of

the program to

District Authorities

and mobilize SEIs

and HTs to

embrace and

implement it with

maximum efficiency.

2. Coordinate with

the Soma Umenye


If YES, ask how

many sessions have

been conducted so

far (1, 2,3…)

If YES, what was the

duration of each

session?

(1 hour, 2, 3…5).

If NO, ask why

(options: There was

no time, the school

has no trained

teachers, the trained

teachers were not

available, I don’t

know about the

program, Other?).

Follow up: Have

you conducted any

form of orientation

for new P1-P3

Kinyarwanda

teachers? If yes, what

are the 3 main

areas/topics covered

in the orientation?

• Who

participated

in the

orientation?

(list)

2. Gradual release of

responsibility: “I do, we

do, you do”

3. Core instructional

materials

4. Supplementary

instructional materials

5. Weekly lesson

structure

6. Other (explain)

If NO, ask why (options: I

don’t know about program,

nobody asked for my help, I

don’t have time, other?)

Thank them and end interview.

1. Did you observe new

teachers this week?

YES/NO.

If NO, ask why (options: I did

not know that I had to, I did

not have time, other?)

If YES, did the teacher do the

following?

• Did the teacher use the

Soma Umenye

teacher’s guide?

(YES/NO)

2- Gradual release of

responsibility: “I do,

we do, you do”

3- Core instructional

materials

4- Supplementary

instructional

materials

5- Weekly lesson

structure

6- Other, explain

If NO, ask why (options: I

don’t know about the

program, there is no lead

teacher at my school, there

was no time, other?)

Thank them and end

interview.

1. Did you read any

teaching/learning

materials in preparation

for lessons? (YES/NO).

If YES, DA to check all

materials that apply. If NO,

ask why? (options: I don’t

have any, I did not have

time, I did not know I had

to, others, explain, DA to

check all that apply)

teachers in lower

primary.

• Collaborate with head

teachers to monitor

the implementation of

school-based peer

learning orientation for

new Kinyarwanda

teachers in lower

primary and report to

District Education

Officer or his designee

(providing the DEO

with updates,

challenges, and

proposed actions for

mitigation).

• Collaborate with

headteachers in sector

to ensure that in all

schools there is one

hour per day for the

first week for a peer

learning session

between NQTs and

lead teachers.

• Attend at least one

reflection and

discussion session

between NQTs and

Lead teacher after

lesson observations. In

order to do this,

coordinate with head

teachers and agree on

District Advisor

(DAs) and SEIs to

compile and

approve the lists of

lead teachers

3. Coordinate and

monitor the

timetabling of the

program in all

schools

4. Working closely

with DAs, facilitate

and monitor the

distribution of

necessary materials

and guidelines to

ensure all schools in

the district have

them.

5. Monitor, with the

support of DAs and

/or SEIs, the

implementation of

the program to

identify areas for

additional support

6. Add on the District

Level CoPs for

term, discussions

on the

implementation of

school-based peer

learning support for

Kinyarwanda


• What role

did they play

in the

orientation?

• What

materials

were used

during the

orientation?

If no form of

orientation, ask what

support they would

need?

Thank them and end

interview.

• Did the teacher follow

all steps in the lesson?

(YES/NO)

• Did the teacher use

additional materials

(such as the student

textbook and

supplementary

materials)? (YES/NO)

• Did the teacher follow

the ‘I do, we do, you

do” methodology?

(YES/NO)

• Did the teacher

provide support to

students who needed

it? (YES/NO)

• Did the students

actively participate in

the lesson? (Options:

they answered

questions, followed

along in their books,

engage in lesson

activities, other)

2. Did you organize

discussion and reflection

sessions with new teachers

to debrief on observations

and support each other this

week? YES/NO.

4. Did the lead teacher

observe your class this

week? (YES/NO).

If YES, the DA will check all

that apply:

• Lead teacher helped

me understand the

student materials


me understand the

“I do, we do, you

do” methodology

• Lead teacher

supported me with

methods to engage

students


me come up with

ways to improve my

next lesson

• Other

How was the support that

you received from the lead

teacher? (Options: very

good, good, not good)

an observation

schedule in advance.

• Ensure that schools are

regularly organizing

wider Kinyarwanda

CoPs with all P1-P3

teachers, including

NQTs.

• Conduct the Sector

Level CoP for all head

teachers to discuss the

implementation of

school-based peer

learning support for

Kinyarwanda teachers

in lower primary.

• Maintain a

If NO, ask why (Options: I

don’t know about the

program, I failed to get

time, other…).

Then ask what support

they need to

implement/support the

implementation of the

program.

Thank them and end

interview.

teachers in lower

primary.

7. Compile reports

from sectors on the

implementation of

the program.

Review reports

with SEIs and DAs

and make necessary

adaptations in

response to findings

in the reports.

If NO, ask why

(Options: I don’t know

about the program, I

failed to get time,

other…).

Thank them and end

interview.


ANNEX C. TERM-SPECIFIC CUTSCORES

AND BENCHMARKS FOR LEGRA SUB-

TASKS (P1-P3)

Following a request from REB/NESA at the beginning of Quarter 1, Soma Umenye drafted term-specific

benchmarks for each of the P1-P3 LEGRA sub-tasks in order to support teachers and parents to better

track students’ progress over the course of the year. The ones presented in this Annex represent the

NESA-approved term-specific benchmarks. Due to the timing of this request (at the beginning of Term 1

and with little time before the scheduled Term 1 LEGRA), Soma Umenye and NESA agreed to administer

these term-specific benchmarks at the same time as conducting the Term 1 and Term 2 LEGRA so that

proper validation of the benchmarks can be done with students who have covered the appropriate content.

Note: The same LEGRA sub-tests are used across the early primary grades, with increasing complexity of

content by grade. The exception, however, is Term 1 for P1 students where there is no oral reading

passage and so also no reading comprehension. Instead, in Term 1 for P1 students, there is more focus on

recognition and decoding skills.

PRIMARY 1 TERM 1

Table 1: Identifying letters read by teacher (out of 10)

Table 2: Identifying syllables read by teacher (out of 10)

Identifying letters/words

Grade Nonreader Does not

meet

expectation

Partially

meets

expectation

Meets

expectation

Benchmark

P1, T1 0 correct

(0%)

1-4 correct

(10%-40%)

5-7 correct

(50%-70%)

8-10 correct

(80%-100%)

80%

Table 3: Reading accuracy of letters/syllables and simple words (out of 10)



meet

expectation

Partially

meets

expectation

Meets

expectation

Benchmark

P1, T1 0 correct

(0%)

1-4 correct

(10%-40%)

5-7 correct

(50%-70%)

8-10 correct

(80%-100%)

80%



meet

expectation

Partially

meets

expectation

Meets

expectation

Benchmark

P1, T1 0 correct

(0%)

1-4 correct

(10%-40%)

5-7 correct

(50%-70%)

8-10 correct

(80%-100%)

80%


Table 4: Dictation: Writing letters and simple words dictated by teacher (out of 10)

Writing dictated letters and words


meet

expectation

Partially

meets

expectation

Meets

expectation

Benchmark

P1, T1 0 correct

(0%)

1-4 correct

(10%-40%)

5-7 correct

(50%-70%)

8-10 correct

(80%-100%)

80%

PRIMARY 1 TERM 2

Table 1: Oral Reading Fluency (cwpm = Correct words per minute)

Oral Reading Fluency


meet

expectation

Partially

meets

expectation

Meets

expectations

Benchmark

P1, T2 0 cwpm 1-3 cwpm 4-6 cwpm 7+ cwpm 7 cwpm

Table 2: Reading comprehension (out of 5)

Reading Comprehension


meet

expectation

Partially

meets

expectation

Meets

expectation

Benchmark

P1, T2 0% 20% 40% 60%-100% 60%

Table 3: Identifying letters/words read by teacher (out of 10)



meet

expectation

Partially

meets

expectation

Meets

expectation

Benchmark

P1, T2 0 correct

(0%)

1-4 correct

(10%-40%)

5-7 correct

(50%-70%)

8-10 correct

(80%-100%)

80%

Table 4: Dictation: Writing letters, words, sentences dictated by teacher (out of 10)



meet

expectation

Partially

meets

expectation

Meets

expectation

Benchmark

P1, T2 0 correct

(0%)

1-4 correct

(10%-40%)

5-7 correct

(50%-70%)

8-10 correct

(80%-100%)

80%


PRIMARY 1 TERM 3 (end of year)




meet

expectation

Partially

meets

expectation

Meets

expectations

Benchmark




Grade Nonreader

Does not

meet

expectation

Partially

meets

expectation

Meets

expectation Benchmark

P1, T3 0% 20% 40% 60%-100% 60%




meet

expectation

Partially

meets

expectation

Meets

expectation

Benchmark

P1, T3 0 correct

(0%)

1-4 correct

(10%-40%)

5-7 correct

(50%-70%)

8-10 correct

(80%-100%)

80%




meet

expectation

Partially

meets

expectation

Meets

expectation

Benchmark

P1, T3 0 correct

(0%)

1-4 correct

(10%-40%)

5-7 correct

(50%-70%)

8-10 correct

(80%-100%)

80%

PRIMARY 2 TERM 1




meet

expectation

Partially

meets

expectation

Meets

expectations

Benchmark





Grade Nonreader

Does not

meet

expectation

Partially

meets

expectation

Meets


P2, T1 0% 20% 40% 60%-100% 60%




meet

expectation

Partially

meets

expectation

Meets

expectation

Benchmark

P2, T1 0 correct

(0%)

1-4 correct

(10%-40%)

5-7 correct

(50%-70%)

8-10 correct

(80%-100%)

80%




meet

expectation

Partially

meets

expectation

Meets

expectation

Benchmark

P2, T1 0 correct

(0%)

1-4 correct

(10%-40%)

5-7 correct

(50%-70%)

8-10 correct

(80%-100%)

80%

PRIMARY 2 TERM 2




meet

expectation

Partially

meets

expectation

Meets

expectation

Benchmark




Grade Nonreader

Does not

meet

expectation

Partially

meets

expectation

Meets


P2, T2 0% 20% 40% 60%-100% 60%


Table 3: Identifying words read by teacher (out of 10)



meet

expectation

Partially

meets

expectation

Meets

expectation

Benchmark

P2, T2 0 correct

(0%)

1-4 correct

(10%-40%)

5-7 correct

(50%-70%)

8-10 correct

(80%-100%)

80%

Table 4: Dictation: Writing words, sentences dictated by teacher (out of 10)



meet

expectation

Partially

meets

expectation

Meets

expectation

Benchmark

P2, T2 0 correct

(0%)

1-4 correct

(10%-40%)

5-7 correct

(50%-70%)

8-10 correct

(80%-100%)

80%





meet

expectation

Partially

meets

expectation

Meets

expectations

Benchmark




Grade Nonreader

Does not

meet

expectation

Partially

meets

expectation

Meets


P2, T3 0% 20% 40% 60%-100% 60%




meet

expectation

Partially

meets

expectation

Meets

expectation

Benchmark

P2, T3 0 correct

(0%)

1-4 correct

(10%-40%)

5-7 correct

(50%-70%)

8-10 correct

(80%-100%)

80%


Table 4: Dictation: Writing words, sentences dictated by teacher (out of 10)



meet

expectation

Partially

meets

expectation

Meets

expectation

Benchmark

P2, T3 0 correct

(0%)

1-4 correct

(10%-40%)

5-7 correct

(50%-70%)

8-10 correct

(80%-100%)

80%

PRIMARY 3 TERM 1




meet

expectation

Partially

meets

expectation

Meets

expectations

Benchmark


Table 2: Reading comprehension benchmarks


Grade Below

expectation

Does not

meet

expectation

Partially

meets

expectation

Meets


P3, T1 0 20% 40%-60% 80%-100% 80%




meet

expectation

Partially

meets

expectation

Meets

expectation

Benchmark

P3, T1 0 correct

(0%)

1-4 correct

(10%-40%)

5-7 correct

(50%-70%)

8-10 correct

(80%-100%)

80%

Table 4: Dictation: Writing sentences dictated by teacher (out of 10)



meet

expectation

Partially

meets

expectation

Meets

expectation

Benchmark

P3, T1 0 correct

(0%)

1-4 correct

(10%-40%)

5-7 correct

(50%-70%)

8-10 correct

(80%-100%)

80%


PRIMARY 3 TERM 2




meet

expectation

Partially

meets

expectation

Meets

expectations

Benchmark




Grade Nonreader

Does not

meet

expectation

Partially

meets

expectation

Meets


P3, T2 0 20% 40%-60% 80%-100% 80%

Table 3: Grammatical correctness and language knowledge in sentences read by teacher (out of 10)



meet

expectation

Partially

meets

expectation

Meets

expectation

Benchmark

P3, T2 0 correct

(0%)

1-4 correct

(10%-40%)

5-7 correct

(50%-70%)

8-10 correct

(80%-100%)

80%




meet

expectation

Partially

meets

expectation

Meets

expectation

Benchmark

P3, T2 0 correct

(0%)

1-4 correct

(10%-40%)

5-7 correct

(50%-70%)

8-10 correct

(80%-100%)

80%





meet

expectation

Partially

meets

expectation

Meets

expectations

Benchmark





Grade Nonreader

Does not

meet

expectation

Partially

meets

expectation

Meets


P3, T3 0 20% 40%-60% 80%-100% 80%

Table 3: Grammatical correctness and language knowledge in sentences read by teacher (out of 10)



meet

expectation

Partially

meets

expectation

Meets

expectation

Benchmark

P3, T3 0 correct

(0%)

1-4 correct

(10%-40%)

5-7 correct

(50%-70%)

8-10 correct

(80%-100%)

80%




meet

expectation

Partially

meets

expectation

Meets

expectation

Benchmark

P3, T3 0 correct

(0%)

1-4 correct

(10%-40%)

5-7 correct

(50%-70%)

8-10 correct

(80%-100%)

80%


ANNEX D. MEMORANDUM OF

UNDERSTANDING FOR THE RSL

DICTIONARY

U.S. Agency for International Development

1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, D.C. 20523

Tel.: (202) 712-0000

Fax: (202) 216-3524

www.usaid.gov

quarterly program report

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