READ TRUST FUND

WHEN CHILDREN LEARN, NATIONS PROSPER

The funds for the READ Trust Fund are provided by the Russian Government. The Trust Fund program is overseen by the READ Council, which was made up of Russian and World Bank leaders. The Council sets strategic directions for the program. In each country the program is implemented by World Bank education specialists and operations officers who work closely with country officials and staff. READ Trust Fund is operating at 2 levels, global level and country level.

At the global level, the primary goals of the program are to contribute to the overall global knowledge of countries in the field of educational assessment to improve quality. Specifically, in form of tools, analytical reports, and case studies on ideal assessment practices and strategy.

At the country level, countries will benefit from hands-on technical assistance of the World Bank. These activities are directed at improving key gaps in assessment capacities in the selected countries. Each country specific issues are identified in the action plans developed in-country reports and varied as countries are in different stages along the continuum of assessment development.

The READ Trust Fund’s main objective is to help low-income countries improve their student learning outcomes through the design, implementation, and use of robust systems for student assessment. It supports analytical work and technical assistance to help countries:

  • Strengthen the capacity of key stakeholders to use assessment data to improve teaching and learning

  • Strengthen or reform high-stakes examinations programs that make decisions about student promotion, graduation, or admission to the next level of the education system in order to ensure that they are technically solid and fair;

  • Strengthen existing programs or pilot new programs for training and professional development of teachers in the use of classroom assessment practices to support teaching and learning.

Under the guidance of the READ Council, a group comprised of key Russian and World Bank officials, the READ Trust Fund supports work at both the global and country levels.

GOALS

READ I

In READ I program at the global level, the focus was on generating and sharing knowledge and good practices in the form of tools, analytical reports, and case studies. At the country level (in Angola, Armenia, Ethiopia, the Kyrgyz Republic, Mozambique, Tajikistan, Vietnam, and Zambia), World Bank teams and country stakeholders worked together to implement a set of READ Trust Fund–supported activities that addressed gaps in the country’s existing learning assessment system.

READ II

The goal of the READ 2 Trust Fund is to continue to strengthen educational assessment capacity in developing countries, and to help countries improve their capacity to monitor and support student learning through the design, implementation, and use of robust assessment systems.