Literacy Assessment Package will help schools improve budgeting: Simo

Teachers at Vila North School heard recently that the Literacy Assessment Package the English-medium school received as its first prize for winning the first Spelling Bee Competition held in July this year can also assist school administrations with better budgeting.

The Deputy Principal, Primary of Central School in Port Vila, Presila Simo, told the teachers of Vila North at the handing over of the prize that as well as assisting teachers assess children’s literacy level, the reading assessment tool “can also assist school administrations plan better budgeting and better buying” of resources.

Presila Simo is the main resource person the Ministry of Justice and Community Services that organized the Spelling Bee Competition uses to train teachers in other schools keen to use the literacy assessment package. Since April this year, Mrs Simo has been running this training with teachers in five schools — Santo East Primary School (Santo); Tautu Primary School (Malekula); Loukaru Primary School (Tanna); Port Narvin Primary School (Erromango), and Vila North Primary School in Port Vila.

“In our partnership with Vila North, we discussed needs and found that literacy level was a concern. We found that Vila North came out loud in their willingness to use the tool kit. Teachers were cooperative and willing to learn,” she added.

“When we started we were shocked that the children’s literacy levels were so low. It was alarming,” trainer Simo said of the experience.

“With the class one and class two in all five schools we worked with, this is evident. It is clear that that if nothing is done for children at infant level, it will be difficult,” she warned.

She said teachers in these schools were also recognizing this issue and those in remote schools particularly needed help.

“One special thing we found out is that we lack reading material for lower classes 1 – 3. With this tool we can identify reading materials and administration can plan for better budgeting and better buying to help children.”

The Reading Assessment Package contains 30 booklets (reading books) and questions and tests called assessment sheets that teachers use to test and identify the comprehension or literacy level of a child.

Once a teacher knows the reading level of each child then this helps the teacher to plan more effective assessment to fairly assist all the children in a class.