Literacy and Numeracy Boost: Bangladesh Baseline Report 2013

This report examines the results of a learner background survey, reading assessment, and math assessment conducted in March-April 2013. The survey and assessment covered 1531 grade 2 learners throughout 86 schools in the Meherpur district of Bangladesh. The 86 schools were randomly divided into 36 primary schools designated to receive Save the Children’s Numeracy Boost program, 18 primary schools designated to receive a mixed intervention of both Numeracy Boost and Literacy Boost, and 32 comparison primary schools receiving no intervention.

The Literacy Boost program includes teacher training, community reading activities, and age-appropriate local language material creation to support emergent literacy skills among early-grade children. The Numeracy Boost program addresses math learning both inside and outside the classroom through a three-pronged approach: students are assessed to gauge how much math the know, teachers are trained in math content and pedagogy, and families are show how they can support math learning in the home.