SoW - Hiring a Technical Agency for conducting Learning Study on SERI’s Technical Assistance Efforts in six Indian States

Scope of Work for Hiring a Technical Agency for conducting Learning Study on SERI’s Technical Assistance Efforts in six Indian States

Summary

Room to Read-India is soliciting proposals from qualified research agencies to conduct a Learning Study on the technical assistance engagement with state governments under the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funded Scaling-Up Early Reading Intervention (SERI) project in six states of India: Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh.

Since 2015, the longstanding partnership between USAID and Room to Read under the SERI project has made efforts towards strengthening government education systems to deliver improved reading outcomes, reaching 3.5 million primary-grade students across six states. At the same time, the project has actively advocated towards increased relevance of foundational literacy at the policy level, both at the state and national levels. This involved clearly defining foundational literacy goals and targets, co-development of instructional materials for both students and teachers, enhancement of teaching practices through training teachers on specialized skills of ‘teaching to read’ and the establishment of conducive reading environments - with libraries and supplementary materials like storybooks, big books and reading cards. The SERI has garnered international acclaim, including being recognized as one of eight globally "effective at scale" literacy interventions in the world by the Center for Global Development (Read here).

The SERI project was initially implemented in the states of Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh in 2015 and subsequently expanded to Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh in 2017. In 2022, SERI has further extended its reach to two new states of Rajasthan and Telangana. Having initially provided school-level deep inputs in the 'I Do/Demonstration' phase, SERI progressed to partnering with block and district administration in the 'We-Do/Collaboration' phase - demonstrating the efficacy of the comprehensive literacy approach and improved student learning outcomes[1] in both phases. Since 2019, the project transitioned to the You-Do/Expansion phase in all states, where SERI teams contribute to the objectives of the NIPUN Bharat Mission by providing technical assistance and co-designing and managing critical Foundational Literacy initiatives at the state level. Nationally, SERI’s literacy approach and insights have been recognized as a contributor to NIPUN Bharat Mission Guidelines (2021) by the Ministry of Education-Government of India.  

The learning study is intended to bring forth lessons from the SERI Technical Assistance engagements in the six intervention states where the SERI project has been in the ‘You-Do/Expansion’ phase. The learning study will culminate in a comprehensive report that compiles overall findings, highlights state-specific insights and provides actionable recommendations. Additionally, a concise presentation will be prepared to succinctly summarize the key points. The study will include secondary document/framework review and primary research using a qualitative research methodology – including interviews and focus groups with government and SERI-Room to Read (RtR) staff members. The learning study will be conducted by a research agency, with a dedicated PI/study lead along with Research Associates/Consultants, Data Analysts and country-based data collectors/firms.                                                                                                                                 

We are seeking applications from research agencies to execute the learning study, in collaboration with the SERI-RtR team between July-December 2024.

Room to Read-India will provide a broad study design and provisional set of learning questions. The study approach, sampling strategy, tools for data collection and methods of analyses will be mutually aligned between RtR and the agency. The agency will lead the data collection, analysis and preparation of the learning study report and presentation.

Organizational Background

Founded in 2000 on the belief that World Change Starts with Educated Children®, Room to Read, a global education nonprofit, has been dedicated to forging an inclusive path toward ending global illiteracy for over two decades. Our mission is to transform the lives of millions of children through education, creating a world free from illiteracy and gender inequality. Room to Read works alongside communities and governments around the world to equip teachers and schools to significantly improve children’s literacy skills and instill a love for reading.  Room to Read India Trust has been instrumental in improving foundational literacy outcomes among students since 2003, reaching 15.5 million students.

SERI Project Background

In September 2015, Room to Read entered into an agreement with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for implementing a large-scale, innovative, early grade reading program, Scaling up Early Reading Intervention (SERI) with the twin objectives of: 

(1) Demonstrating an effective model towards improving literacy outcomes (in Grades 1 & 2) and

(2) Developing an innovative approach for scaling NGO-led interventions through system strengthening efforts.  

The SERI project follows through a scaffold approach of “I Do – We Do – You Do” in three phases: 

• I Do/Demonstration phase: when the model was directly implemented in a select number of government schools (phased out in 2019)
• We Do/Collaboration phase: when the intervention was scaled-up to all schools of a block/district in close partnership with local government systems (also phased out in 2019; currently active in TG)
• You Do/Expansion phase: where the state governments are steering the implementation of SERI initiatives, with SERI team playing a technical role in supporting the designing & providing delivery oversight (currently in all 6 states; initiated in TG and RJ in 2022)

 

Current reach of the project:

• Five States under the Expansion/You-do phase - Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh and most recently in Rajasthan
• One State under both Expansion/You-do and Collaboration/ We-do: Telangana with We-do in Asifabad , Adilabad, Mancherial, and Nirmal districts

Approx 3.5 million students in government primary schools in the six SERI states have been impacted so far. 46,881 Teachers impacted through continuous capacity building program in six SERI states directly. 11,456 educational administrators impacted through continuous professional development program in six SERI states. (Source: SERI program data)

Key system strengthening activities under SERI-You-Do:

• Instructional Materials (TLMs): Co-develop/strengthen relevant teacher support materials and engaging learning materials for children, with SCERT/DoE at the state-level, followed by printing/dissemination to the schools by the government
• Supplementary reading materials: Co-develop and ensure access and availability of quality children’s literature in the state that are age-appropriate and high-quality storybooks, story cards, posters, big books etc. in Hindi, other local languages.
• Training and Capacity Building: Support in developing training manuals/agenda, digital courses and training delivery to educators (DIET faculties, State Resource Groups, Master Trainers), cluster/block officials and teachers (pre-service, in-service) on areas of Foundational Literacy pedagogy, effective usage of library and storybooks in the schools and DIET libraries.
• Monitoring or Supportive supervision: Build capacity of the system officials to monitor FLN implementation by sharing monitoring tools/mechanisms and Action Research with DIETs.

• Other notable initiatives:
  • States: Children`s Literature Course co-developed with Doon university in Uttarakhand; FLN Assessment App - ‘Pragati’ in Uttarakhand; Exposure visits for cross-learning between states, Home as a learning space initiative, partnership with Khairagarh university for Children’s literature illustrations, Annual reading campaigns for mobilizing systems and communities; Digital courses, videos and public goods for continued professional development of teachers and educators;  IEC materials and videos to support the adoption of gender responsive teaching practices in classrooms
  • National: Advocacy efforts like Children’s Literature Award, annual Literacy Summit, annual reports on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) by the Institute for Competitiveness (IFC) and SERI-RtR.
  • Studies undertaken and in pipeline under SERI: Diagnostic study of teachers'’ classroom practices across states, Children literacy skills assessment in Telangana, Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (KAP) assessment of teachers, Study on demand and supply towards Children’s Literature, Assessment of Libraries under SERI and host of Learning Briefs on SERI initiatives across states.

Key outcomes in the You-Do phase of SERI intervention include:

• Improved access to appropriate teaching learning materials to children
• Enhanced capacity of teachers/educators to deliver foundational literacy
• Enhanced capacity of the educational administrators to provide supportive supervision to teachers to deliver foundational literacy

Room to Read can also call for any virtual / in person meetings as the need of the hour may be.

Pre-bid meeting

·        Date: 12 July 2024

·        Mode: online ( link) : https://zoom.us/j/95006210748   

·        Time: 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM

Point of Contact: Jiss Mary Thomas, Email: Jissmarythomas@roomtoread.org

HOW TO APPLY

Proposals are invited from the interested agency for the above assignment and the last date for receiving the proposal is 25 July 2024 at procurement.india@roomtoread.org [do not copy anyone from RtR]

Kindly submit two separate emails with following subject lines:

o EMAIL (1): TECHNICAL PROPOSAL – SERI Learning Study

o EMAIL (2): FINANCIAL PROPOSAL – SERI Learning Study

Submission terms:

• All applicants are advised to thoroughly review the SoW ToR before applying. Share queries before pre-bid or attend the pre-bid meeting as mentioned above for clarification.
• Technical and Financial proposals are to be shared in two different sealed envelopes separately and not in a single email (mandatory)
• Validity for the financial quotes would be 90 days .
• Incomplete applications or deviations from the prescribed process will result in automatic rejection.
• Proposals received after the prescribed deadline will not be considered.
• Only shortlisted agencies will be contacted and may be requested for face-to-face/online interaction/presentation.

To download the full ToR, click here

Tags Education and Education Technology (edtech)