Call for Proposal Organization/Firm Assessment Partner for Administering Learning Assessment (Literacy and Numeracy Skills)

Under the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) Education Sector Program Implementation Grant (ESPIG), UNESCO has secured funding to implement activities towards the attainment of the undermentioned three (3) outcome areas.
A.
Outcome 1:Ensuring safe and equitable access to learning for children and youth in Myanmar;
B.
Outcome 2: Ensuring quality teaching and learning for children and youth in Myanmar by strengthening the capacities of education staff and fostering context-responsive, equity-focused learning resources and modalities adapted to the evolving situation; and
C.
Outcome3: Ensuring systems strengthening, management, coordination, and monitoring.
These outcomes contribute to the long-term goal of ESPIG which is ensuring that children and youth in Myanmar can re-engage in quality, meaningful, inclusive and gender-responsive learning in safe, protective environments, with a particular focus on the most vulnerable learners. Under ESPIG, UNESCO along with other Grant Agents will conduct two (2) Learning Assessments over the implementation period 2024 – 2026 using the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER)Survey. At a minimum, the GAs will ensure a baseline and endline survey is delivered over the three-year period of the ESPIG. Each GA will administer the ASER survey in a coordinated, but independent manner. In the case of UNESCO, a third party will be contracted to administer the learning assessment. The results will feed into Outcome 2 reporting of the joint results framework for the indicator “number of girls, boys, and youth (ages 3-18) with improved literacy and numeracy skills”, noting that the assessment will focus on children ages 6-15 years old.
The first learning assessment, expected to commence at the start of the 2024/25 academic term (June 2024) will establish a baseline of data to enable GAs to monitor children’s progress throughout the project duration and measure their impact on children’s learning in the
subsequent learning assessment. The results of the ASER Survey will provide the GAs and their
partners with an understanding of the literacy and numeracy levels of children, so that teaching
methods and materials can be adapted to enable them to start from their current level and build
towards the learning levels appropriate for their age and grade.
II. Objectives
A. Adapt the current ASER tool, aligning it with the Myanmar context and ASER learning
assessment framework.
B. Administer one (1) learning assessment measuring basic literacy and numeracy skills to
students (ages 6 -15) in non-government schools using the Annual Status of Education
Report (ASER)1 survey.
C. Analyze the data from the learning assessment to inform planning and decision making.
D. Ensure inclusivity by representing girls, boys, children with disabilities, and various
geographical areas in the sample population.
III. Work Assignment:
The Contractor will perform the tasks under the overall authority of the Director of UNESCO
Regional Office in Bangkok, the direct supervision of the Head of Office, UNESCO Project Office
in Yangon, and in close collaboration with the ESPIG programme team. The Contractor is
expected to support UNESCO in administering the learning assessment and analyzing the data.
Activities include but are not necessarily limited to the following tasks:
• Meet with the UNESCO Yangon team to understand the approach and scope of the work,
agree on methodology and objectives of the analytical tasks.
• Design a work plan and produce an inception report for the administration of the learning
assessment which includes the objectives, the data collection process, and the
approaches to analysis.
• Adapt ASER survey assessment tools based on the recommendations of UNESCO and
other Grant Agents of the ESPIG programme.
• Analysis report of ASER Survey findings, highlighting literacy and numeracy levels of
children, disaggregated by gender, age, disability, and geographic location, along with the
recommendations for program adaptation and improvement based on assessment
results. Participate in joint meetings with ESPIG Grant Agents on implementation of
learning assessment to ensure a coordinated approach, if required.
• Communicate with UNESCO on a regular basis to update on the progress of the
assignment and any challenges that may be encountered.
• Train relevant focal points at non-government schools/learning centers on the ASER
survey, methodology, data collection tools, assessment, and reporting.
1 ASER Centre, Annual Status of Education Report, https://asercentre.org/aser-survey/ accessed 19th March 2024
• Lead the learning assessment implementation and oversee data collection and entry, with
coordination support from UNESCO. This may involve travel to UNESCO’s partners
(dependent on safety and security of the identified area).
• Conduct a result validation workshop to analyze findings, learnings, and
recommendations
• Produce final report of key findings (including data visualizations) based on the data
collected and analyzed (no more than 25 pages), along with accompanying PowerPoint
Slides.
• Prior to submission, the Contractor ensures that proper copyediting and proofreading
should have been carried out for all deliverables and the relevant templates and formats
should have been closely followed. The Contractor may be requested by UNESCO to revise
the deliverables if they are determined by UNESCO to be unsatisfactory and/or
incomplete against the required standard of quality. No additional payment will be made
for any correction of the deliverables;
IV. Methodology
ESPIG GAs agreed that each GA will administer the ASER Survey in a coordinated, but
independent manner, with the modality to be determined by each GA. In the case of UNESCO, a
third party will be contracted to support the administering of the learning assessment. The ASER
Survey, which is also available in Myanmar language, has already been tested in the country by
different partners (including PiN, SCI and others) and by UNICEF, SCI, and others globally in
different contexts. Based on the previous successful experiences with this tool in Myanmar and
its widespread international recognition as an effective measure of learning assessment in
emergency settings, GAs agreed to adopt this tool for the learning assessment exercises planned
under the ESPIG
The purpose of ASER is two-fold: (i) to obtain reliable estimates of the status of children’s
schooling and foundational learning (reading and math ability); and (ii) to measure the change in
these basic learning and school statistics over time.
The ASER Survey in Myanmar will be used to assess the basic literacy and numeracy skills of
children (6-15 years old) who have participated in at least one year of an ESPIG-funded education
programme managed by any of the three GAs.
A. The Survey tests basic literacy skills through a simple reading tool with four tasks:
1) Letters: Set of commonly used letters.
2) Words: Common, familiar words with 2 letters and 1 or 2 vowels.
3) Standard I level text: Set of 4 simple linked sentences, each having no more than 6 words.
4) Standard II level text: A short story with 7-10 sentences. Sentence construction is
straightforward, words are common, and the context is familiar to children.
B. Similarly, the arithmetic tool consists of the following four tasks:
1) Number recognition 1 to 9.
2) Number recognition 11 to 99.
3) Subtraction: 2-digit numerical subtraction problems with borrowing.
4) Division: 3-digit by 1-digit numerical division problems with remainder.
A tentative sample of 3,000 students ages 6 – 15 will be targeted by UNESCO across Sagaing,
Mandalay, Yangon, Bago. The exact states/regions are subject to change depending on the
security situation in country. The sampling strategy used in ASER is designed to generate a
representative picture of the States/Regions and Townships benefiting from the ESPIG. The
selection of children to be tested will likewise ensure a representative and credible sample size,
to be finalized at the time of the assessment, and will include 50 per cent girls and a percentage
of children with disabilities proportional to overall enrolment figures.
V. Technical Considerations for Content Production
The Contractor may choose the application most suitable for the production of the analytical
products. However, all products should be fully editable on standard Windows MS Office tools,
without need for purchasing other licenses. It is recommended the Contractor utilize applications
requiring minimal calibration and interface mastery, especially in terms of repeated editing
during the later stages of development and future reuse.
VI. Deliverables and Timeline
The Contractor shall submit to UNESCO the following deliverables in English and in editable
format such as MS Word and/or MS Excel:
Deliverables Deadline
Detailed Work Plan and Inception Report 10th June 2024
Report on ASER survey capacity building training held
with non-government schools/learning centers
1st July 2024
First draft of learning assessment report, outlining key
findings with relevant data visualizations, along with
accompanying PowerPoint Slides
20th September 2024
Report from learning assessment results validation
workshop and accompanying PowerPoint Slides
14th October 2024
Final draft of learning assessment report outlining key
findings with relevant data visualizations, along with
accompanying PowerPoint Slides (taking into
consideration UNESCO’s feedback and comments from
the validation workshop).
30th October 2024
Comprehensive database of all data collected by
UNESCO’s partners during the administering of the
learning assessment.
8th November 2024

VII. Eligibility, Qualifications, Experience and Competencies
Organization
Required Qualifications
• At least 4years of relevant experience in data analysis, including the use of assessment
tools.
• Strong understanding of evaluation and assessment methodologies, including
standardized testing, surveys, and interviews.
• Demonstrated competency with developing and producing quantitative and qualitative
analysis for policy level requirements, preferably in development and/or education
context.
Desirable Qualifications
• Experience working with CSO and /or other UN agencies and INGOs.
• Experience administering the ASER survey.
• Familiarity with Myanmar education and/or development context.
Personnel/Staff who will lead the implementation of the activities
Required Qualifications
• Bachelor’s degree in psychology, data analysis, statistics, education, economics or any
other related discipline.
• 3- 4years relevant work experience.
• Strong planning and organization skills.
• Strong critical thinking and analytical skills.
• Ability to utilize and apply assessment tools and evaluation methodologies.
• Ability to provide visualizations which are comprehensible, attractive and which
demonstrate analytical insights from data.
• Ability to write analytical policy reports based on data analysis findings.
Desirable Qualifications
• Master’s degree in psychology, data analysis, statistics, education, economics, or any
other related discipline.
• Experience working with CSO and /or other UN agencies and INGOs.
• Specialized training/certification in administering learning assessments.