Literacy Boost Bangladesh: Baseline Report 2011

In Bangladesh, reading is a competency expected to be mastered by primary school students in both Bangla and English. Curriculum expectations are that children should be fluent in reading both languages by the end of grade two, but Save the Children staff observe that fluency in Bangla reading with comprehension only occurs by grade 4 in Bangla and grade 5 or later for English.

To address this situation, Save the Children began the planning and implementation of Literacy Boost in Meherpur District of Bangladesh in 2011. This intervention works with teachers and communities to improve children’s reading skills. The Literacy Boost Assessment features a set of adaptable early grade assessments used to detail the skills present when Literacy Boost begins and chart progress throughout the intervention. Based on context and initial assessment results, the teacher training and community action components are implemented and follow up data used to investigate change.

This report details the reading skills and characteristics of the 616 grade 3 students in 18 randomly assigned Literacy Boost intervention and 14 control schools in June 2011. They span government primary school (GPS), registered non-government primary school (RNGPS), Madrasas as well as 5 unions and urban Meherpur.