ERIC ED361059: Diagnostic Evaluation of Numeracy and Literacy Skills in UNRWA Schools: Position Paper.

12 Pages·1992·0.25 MB·English

by  ERIC

DOCUMENT RESUME
ED 361 059
PS 021 184
AUTHOR
Retamal, Gonzalo
TITLE
Diagnostic Evaluation of Numeracy and Literacy Skills
in UNRWA Schools: Position Paper.
INSTITUTION
United Nations Relief and Works Agency, Amman
(Jordan).
PUB DATE
92
NOTE
13p.
PUB TYPE
Guides
Non-Classroom Use (055)
Viewpoints
(Opinion/Position Papers, Essays, etc.)
(120)
EDRS PRICE
MF01/PC01 Plus Postage.
DESCRIPTORS
*Developing Nations; *Diagnostic Tests; Early
Intervention; *Educational Diagnosis; Educational
Quality; Elementary Education; Elementary School
Students; Foreign Countries; *Literacy; Literacy
Education; Mathematics Skills; Minimum Competencies;
*Numeracy; *Student Evaluation
IDENTIFIERS
Gaza Strip; Jordan; Lebanon; United Nations Relief
and Works Agency; West Bank
ABSTRACT
This position paper describes a concrete strategy to
establish early warning systems or diagnostic instruments
at the
lower elementary school level in United Nations Relief and Works
Agency (UNRWA) schools. fhe strategy described is designed to
assess
the quality of literacy and numeracy skills and to provide criteria
for a realistic minimum threshold of schooling which
would guarantee
permanent retention of these skills. A conceptual framework for
educational quality is provided, and a strategy for assessing quality
is described for the following areas: literacy and
numeracy skills;
psychomotor skills and physical fitness in elementary schools;
and
the impact of organized violence in UNRWA school children in
the
Occupied Territories and Lebanon. The
paper also briefly describes
the instrument currently being developed at the School Education
Division of UNRWA in Amman, Jordan. The
paper concludes by
highlighting the need for team effort, givers the technical
complexity
of building diagnostic instruments and the lack of systematic
experience in Arab-speaking countries. (MM)
***********************************************************************
Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that
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from the original document.
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EDUCATION
°Ince of Educational Flmearch and Improvement
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CENTER (ERIC)
Wrhitt documant has Mtn reproduced *a
ecrevd from the porson Or agenizalion
°roosting it.
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Points of nee or opinions statod indult docu-
merit do oot oacIauftly npfeaent official
Posihon or policy
DERI
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POSITION PAPER
DIAGNOSTIC EVALUATION
:
OF NUMERACY AND
LITERACY SKILLS
IN
I
UNRWA
SCHOOLS
..::-
,
"PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS
MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY
coc,z.ta-ko
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TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)"
;
$ 1
,
11
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BEST COPY AVAILABLE
2
POSITION PAPER
DIAGNOSTIC EVALUATION
:
OF NUMERACY AND LITERACY
SKILLS IN
UNRWA
SCHOOLS
Prepared by
:
DR. GONZALO RETAMAL
CHIEF SCHOOL EDUCATION DIVISION
UNRWA / HEADQUARTERS BRANCH
AMMAN
3
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This position paper takes as its main focus a concrete strategy
diagnostic
'early
warning
establish
or
recommends
to
that
systems'
instruments at the lower elementary level in order to
:
assess the quality of literacy and numeracy skills
acquired by
(i)
children in UNRWA schools;
and
minimum threshold
of
criteria
for realistic
provide
a
(ii)
to
schooling that will guarantee permanent retention of literacy
numeracy
skills children
graduating
dropping-out
and
in
ot
(paras 2-3 ).
UNRWA schools
from
made
Brief
reference
the
need
to
action
based
on
for remedial
is
diagnostic testing
(para 4).
framework for educational
A conceptual
provided and
quality is
a
diversified strategy for assessing quality as part of SED activities is
briefly described for these main areas of test development.
Literacy and numeracy skills in L.E. education.
(a)
Psicomotor skills and physical fitness in elementary scnools.
(b)
Impact of organized violence in UNRWA school
children in the
(c)
Occupied Territories and Lebanon,
(pares 5 and 6).
The paper concentrates also,
on the first aspect of literacy
skills by defining a conceptual basis for the elaboration of diagnostic
testing. (para 7)
and describes briefly the instrument at present being
developed at SED which consists of
:
sequence
of
systematic
skills
Mathematics
Arabic
for
and
(a)
a
"map" of skills),
Language (or
test modules, and
(b)
follow-up instruments.
(para 8 and Fig 1).
(c)
It is expected that this instrument will help to
:
provide individualized identification of underachievers,
(i)
and
globally assess weaknesses in the teaching-learning process of
(ii)
basic and literacy skills
(para 8).
2
the paper highlights the need for team effort given
Finally,
the technical complexity of building diagnostic instruments and the lack
Outside
Arab
countries.
speaking
experience
the
systematic
of
in
NGO's
with specialized sister
collaboration
agencies,
and
expertise
(paras 9 & 10).
among others is highly recommended
PAPER
POSITION
DIAGNOSTIC EVALUATION FOR LITERACY AND NUMERACY SKILLS
ITUNRWA-01-66La
Two basic documents have been prepared by CSED in order to
1.
delineate a strategy visavis the problem of literacy and numeracy in
These papers were presented to the consideration
the UNRWA schools (1).
of the Director of Education during the FEDO's Conference in Vienna in
In these papers 2 main recommendation were put forward so
October 1991.
as to
:
"early warning
or other
Establish system" words,
to
in
2.
develop and introduce diagnostic tests at the lower elementary level
in
order to monitor the quality of literacy and numeracy skills acquired by
childrer during the first grade of primary education.
By developing
instruments SED
expects
establish
these
to
a
rather standarized and objective measure of educational quality based on
of maturity and development of the child in the L.E.
the level
zycle,
rather than to link evaluation only to a normative criteria determined by
the official syllabus.
The second aspect concerning diagnostic testing on the basic
3.
literacy and numeracy skills is related to the problem of retention of
basic skills in children that leave UNRWA schools at an early stage via
incorporate to productive activities.
dropout and/or graduation and
CSED,'Literacy in UNRWA schools
A preliminary review of evidence'.
(1)
:
(Paper presented to the FEDO's Conference,
UNRWA Department
Vienna,
October1991) internal document.
of Education,
Development of diagnostic testing and
CSED,'Working Paper
:
remedial structures at the Lower Primary Level in the Field'.
(Paper presented to the FEDO's Conference,
UNRWA Department of
October 1991) internal document.
Education, Vienna,
6
4
On this aspect the problem of providing a minimum threshold of
schooling which is required to guarantee permanent retention of literacy
and numeracy skills needs to be addressed and monitored. (2)
Diagnostic
instruments
numeracy,
literacy
adapted
and
for
standardized
on
and
children
SED
define
ages
help
realistic
more
to to
will
10
a
6
assessment according to the diversity of UNRWA schools.
In other words,
an absolute norm
(i.e end of 4th grade)
for a minimum threshold of
education and literacy,
applied across the board to all UNRWA schools
not be possible or realistic,
the factors involved in
unless all
will
such as individual or collective need,
literacy retention,
and
social
stability
political affecting
availability
schools,
reading
or
type of instruCion provided,
materials,
language being learned, or the
quality of teaching, etc
could be held constant (3).
This aspect seems relevant at the light of preliminary research
in West Bank and the results of Brevet examinations in Lebanon,
showing
that at the end of the basic education cycle,
an important number of
from UNRWA schools have not acquired
students
numeracy and
functional
literacy skills.
measures
Remedial
The second consideration in the strategy defined by SED was to
4.
establish on the basis of diagnostic ev--luation some effective remedial
Two specific proposals have been put forward
action.
Lebanon and
in
Syria as pilot experiences on the basis of which improvement of literacy
and numeracy and basic skills can be insured.
Hamadathe, Ali et al., Theory and Practice of Literacy Work :
(2)
Policies, strategies and examples.
UNESCO/CODE
(Paris,
p.14.
1986)
ICAE, The World of Literacy
Policy, research and action.
(3)
:
International Council for Adult Education
(Ottawa, 1979) p.8.
5
The introduction of techniques for remedial
education at the
L.E. in Lebanon and at the initial stages of preparatory schools in Syria
attrition
order
drop-out
to be
and expected
reduce
rates
are
to
in
The measures proposed to the FEDO's and the DUA's
developed during 1992.
of Lebanon and Syria are delineated more extensively in separated field
The needed resources for the initation of those pilot
visit reports.
experiences are assessed in these reports
(4).
Present and Future Devel3pments in SED.
Developing Diagnostic Testing
:
In order to evaluate auality of education in UNRWA schools SED
5.
is setting up an important priority:
the preparation and development of
reliable
assessment
evaluation.
for
tools and
aspect of
This the
strategy calls, as suggested by UNESCO,
for diversified research
:
Current
What debate
"quality"
mostly
points
the
to
is
?
measured
cognitive
knowledge
domain, terms
of and
in
intellectual abilities
those
such
analysis
of
and
as
This is not surprising,
since measurable criteria
synthesis.
some
extent,
least
are,
reliable
more
at to
than
interpretations of observation.
On the other hand,
it is felt
"quality in education"
cannot be totally restricted to
that
One has
the cognitive level.
to cross frontiers within homo
sapiens and examine the wide
range of non-cognitive areas,
"affective
bearing
names
such
development",
"social
as
"moral education"
learning"
and
(5).
CSED, Field Visit Report
'Drop-out and efficiency in preparatory
(4)
schools in the UNRWA / SAR Field', Dept. of Education / SED
29-30 December, 1991.
Field Visit Report to Lebanon:UNRWA Department of Education
18-20 December, 1991.
UNESCO, 'Education for All'
International Yearbook of Education.
(5)
Vol. 36 (1984), p 38.
working in
Following the above SED Specialists are at present
6.
I
along three basic areas
the development of diagnostic instruments
:
level
elementary
the
skills
numeracy
in
and
literacy
basic
(a)
(Cognitive level);
school
elementary
fitness
of
physical
and
skills
psychomotor
(b)
children; and
1:
in Lebanon,
impact of school children victims of organized violence
(c)
IIGaza and West Bank.
help to assess the quality of
This diversified strategy will
first
the
education
primary
in
of
stages
first
the
education
in
it is expected that these instruments could be
but later on,
IIinstance,
levels.
developed to assess the upper grades of primary and preparatory
that apart from the purely cognitive capacities,
is expected also
It
the affective aspects concerning
well
as
as
the psychomotor abilities
school children will be diagnozed.
II
Preparation and implementation of diagnostic instruments for assessing
basic numeracy and literacy skills in SED
The goal of the diagnostic test being prepared at SED for UNRWA
7.
a group of
to identify the specific problems a student or
schools
is
literacy skills
that
the numeracy and
vis-a-vis
having
students
is
they are
suppose
to
of age
maturity,
and
their
level
according
to
acquire and master.
much
particular
in
sub-skill
evaluates
a
test
diagnostic
A
which must
possible for an achievement test,
greater detail
than
is
Diagnostic tests are not limited to
cover many general areas broadly.
They can
skills and abilities.
in pre-requisite
identifying weakness
also be used for diagnosis well into the school year to try to determine
"Since a diagnostic
....
the cause of repeated learning difficulties
below
test is designed to categorize weaknesses among students who are
those instruments have a greater proportion of
average on a sub-skill,
which are designed measure the
easy items than do achievement tests,
!I
(6).
entire range of attainment"
11
Along those basic methodological guidelines a team constituded
from
Language Specialists
Mathematic
and
Education,
the
Special
by
Jordan and
:lave been taking stock of existent-experiences in Gaza,
SED,
first
order
draft
produce
Operations
to
in
of
a
other
Fields
the
diagnostic test.
Bloom, B et al., Evaluation to Improve Learning (New York, 1981)
(6)
p. 140.
7
first
be
instrument
this
will
that
expected
is
It
Barajneh Camp in Lebanon by mid-March.
experimentally applied in Burj Al
of
purpose
double
have
and
analized
the
will
The
results
be
will
diagnose
test
the
the
to
of
as well as
reliability
improving
the
weaknesses in learning of literacy and numeracy of children in the fourth
grade of primary education.
of
need
children
of
results
this
the
Also
basis
on
in
corrective work will
be
class
referred
to
special remedial
be
to
a
initiated as a Pilot experience in the same area - (Yarmouk School)
Structure of the instrument and problems encountered
(Fig 1)
Three basic components of the diagnostic instrument are being
8.
developed by the team.
of skills and sub-skills sequenced according to
A detailed
"map"
(a)
the age and/or materity of the child in the area of mathematics and
language covering the contents from the first to
the third
level
This instrument has been build on the basis of
primary education.
the existent curricula in the five fields of operation and also as
the result of the specialists previous experiences in the analysis
of achievement tests in their specializations.
items for testing have been written and
On the basis of the
"map"
(b)
,
taking stock from existent standarized
developed by specialists,
diagnostic tests and from achievement tests prepared in different
especially Gaza and Jordan.
fields,
validation of each item is being done on the basis
On this aspect,
UNICEF West Bank
of exchange of expertise from local universities,
and UNRWA supervisors.
a follow-up instrument for
Following the experience of UNRWA Gaza,
(c)
individual and group assessment is in the process of being adapted
and prepared.
This instrument is most important given that it serves as
a basic
tool for identifying individual and.group weaknesses in the process
the basis of
of literacy and numeracy skills learning.
Thus,
on
this instrument it is possible to
:
10