Capacity building on Learning Assessment Data Analysis

Contract

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UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, Quality Education

Consistent with the strive to making headway in SDG 4 and to track progress towards these targets, markedly the SDG4 target 4.1, systematically assessing student learning outcomes and ensuring availability of learning assessment data with the required quality has been deemed critical.

Consequently, MOE established the Assessment and National Examination Division within its Departments and instated a system to gauge the quality of education and measure the learning outcome of primary school children at Grades 3 and 5 called the Monitoring the Learning Achievement (MLA). The MLA assessment surveys focused on basic learning competencies in the domains of literacy and numeracy and currently. In May 2023, the firth round of MLA was launched - the first time since 2018. The data collection and data cleaning have been completed and the next phase is the process of data analysis, report writing and dissemination of the survey findings.

The findings of such large-scale sample-based learning assessment surveys inform policies and programming in improving the quality of education services and learning. The standardized national examination administered at the end of the basic education cycle (Grade 8) is also being analysed to serve multiple purposes, including appraisal of the quality of education services.

MOE recognizes the importance of improving research and data to bring together relevant information to support national and sub-national capacities to ensure equity focused planning, resource allocation, monitoring and oversight. This involves institutionalizing learning assessment surveys (MLA) with improved technical expertise to spearhead and administer national and sub-national level learning assessments, effectively handle assessment designs, develop quality of assessment tools and carry on data analysis and reporting to track children’s learning outcomes.

As a continuation of the training undertaken in Feb 2022, one of the recommendations to building a strong assessment system mainly comprise- lack of technical expertise for assessment design, administration and analysis owing to high attritions of skilled workforce coupled with limited availability of local institutions to provide capacity building trainings and lack of resources to bring about the required change, was to organize practical sessions on data analysis.

To this end, MOE with support from UNICEF strives to strengthen the Assessment and National Examination Division, Research and Statistics team and Curriculum Panellists on large-scale learning assessment and build a strong data system on children’s learning outcome.

How can you make a difference?

The overall objective of the consultancy is to to rebuild the capacity of the MLA team so that they will be able to support the development of a sound national assessment system that ensures timely and relevant learning data, including contextual and equity data, are regularly gathered, analyzed, and used to inform actions to improve learning, monitor trends in learning outcome of children and youth and ensure availability of data on learning to monitor progress on Sustainable Development Goal 4.

The consultant will be engaged in building the capacity of the MOE Assessment team through hands-on experiential learning on through 3 phases.

Phase 1: Online training

Remotely facilitate a 4-day training on data analysis with a particular focus on item and data analysis procedures and the introduction of the open-source statistical software R. Sample data from MLA-V will be used for the training.

Phase 2: In-country workshop

Facilitate a 5 day in-country workshop for the MLA assessment team providing support on the MLA-V data analysis using the statistical software R.

Phase 3: Remote technical support

Upon drafting of the MLA-V report by MOE review report and provide technical support for its finalization.

Specific Tasks, Deliverables and Timeline:

The consultant is expected to provide a comprehensive scope of technical support on data analysis to the MOE MLA assessment team including through on-line training, face to face workshop and remote technical support. The expected outcome of the technical support provided is a high-quality MLA-V report developed by MOE with a comprehensive set of data analysis unpacking the findings of Eritrean children’s learning outcomes.

• Undertake training on item and data analysis procedures using R software. Completed on-line training and a brief training report with recommended next steps for the MOE assessment team
• Facilitate on-site workshop for the MLA assessment team providing support on the MLA-V data analysis using the statistical software R. ensuring high quality in-depth analysis of the assessment data. Successfully completed workshop and brief workshop Report

• Provide remote technical support for MOE MLA team to finalise MLA-V data analysis and report. Finalised high quality data analysis and MLA-V report

  To qualify as an advo****c****ate for every child you will h****ave…

• Advanced Degree in Education planning, Research and Evaluation and psychometrics or any other related social science/humanities field or eight (8) years’ experience in lieu of a degree.

• At least 5 years of experience in the planning, designing, implementation, test item and tools development, data collection, data analysis and use of data to support data driven education system.
• Demonstrated experience in developing Manuals, guidance notes and providing Training in learning assessment and psychometry.
• Demonstrated experience of similar work with UNICEF or other UN agencies.
• Fluency in English is required.
• Communicates effectively through writing to varied audiences.
• Attention to detail is required.
• Any familiarity with the Eritrea context is an asset.
• Ability to perform duties and deliver the desired products while working outside Asmara.

How to apply

• Qualified candidates are requested to share their CVs, a proofread and copyedited sample (draft and revised version), references, brief note of how they envisage timely completion of the assignment in line with the outlined guidance and a financial proposal/quote to complete the terms of reference above.
• Rates must include all expenses related to the assignment (e.g. professional fee, subsistence allowance).

Applications submitted without a fee/rate will not be considered.

Shortlisted candidates will undergo an editing tests to determine final candidates. If you have not been contacted within 1 month of the closing date, please accept that your application was unsuccessful. Regret emails will be sent only to shortlisted/contacted candidates.

• For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Remarks:

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.