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Project Description

USAID is a development partner to the Government of Sindh and is currently supporting the Department of Education and Literacy with implementation of the Sindh Basic Education Program (SBEP) in Districts Sukkur, Khairpur, Larkana, Qambar-Shahdadkot, Jacobabad, Kashmore, Dadu and selected towns of Karachi city. The overarching goal of SBEP is “Increased and Sustained Student Enrollment in Primary, Middle and Secondary Schools in targeted geographical locations in Sindh.” The Sindh Reading Program (SRP) is a five-year initiative in the same geographic areas of the parent SBEP. SRP will support the SBEP goal based on lessons learned from USAID and the Government of Sindh’s legacy of early grade teaching and learning.

 Over the life of project, SRP aims to:

  • Improve teacher competencies for effective early grade reading instruction (Component1);
  • Improve early grade reading assessment practice (Component 2);
  • Improve student access to supplementary reading material (Component 3);
  • Enhance participation of parents and caregivers in support of early grade literacy for out of school children (Component 4).

Specific Tasks:

  During the course of this assignment, the consultant will:

  1.  Work closely with the SRP team to provide input and feedback into a lesson plan framework for Grade 2 (due: July 10)
  2. Create a draft scope-and-sequence for the introduction of vocabulary, high frequency words and reading concepts for Grade 2 (Urdu) and work with SRP’s Sindhi-speaking Literacy and Learning Advisor (or other Sindhi-speaking experts) to align the scope and sequence for Grade 2 Sindhi as well.
  3. Create outlines/drafts of up to 8 read-alouds (4 each for Grades 1 and 2) based on the Grade 1 and 2 scope-and-sequence and lesson plan frameworks.
  4. Create outlines/drafts of up to 16 levelled texts (8 each for Grades 1 and 2) based on the content covered in the read-alouds (as appropriate) and drawing from the Grade 1 and 2 scope and sequence.
  5. Conduct a 4-day workshop with a small team of writers and illustrators to finalize the read-alouds and levelled texts.  The read-alouds in particular may explore different themes (including cross-curricular concepts) and the illustrations should explore at least a couple of different styles altogether. The workshop will serve as the first step in cultivating a Materials Development Core Group that will continue to provide reading content (integrated with SRP’s scripted lesson plans and for use by students and teachers at the classroom-level). Another objective of the workshop will be to initiate the crafting of a ‘levelling guide’ for Urdu and Sindhi texts for Grades 1 and 2.
  6. Work with the SRP Materials Development Team Lead to create a plan and process that will help ensure that the read-alouds and levelled texts are reviewed (for quality), finalized and ready for distribution by Aug 3. SRP is not expecting to publish these texts in Aug via a formal process, but would like to print sufficient quantities for distribution to of these to up to 1,100 schools.
  7. Provide technical inputs and feedback to the SRP Materials Development Team towards the development of an ‘assessment’ rubric that can be used by SRP Teaching Learning Advisors (TLAs) to capture and tabulate student and teacher feedback about the read-alouds and leveled texts, during TLA’s on-the-job support/classroom visits.

 Qualifications

  • Advanced degree in a relevant field
  • At least ten years of demonstrated experience in training design, training implementation, and working in improving early grade reading and/or teacher professional development required
  • Prior experience working in the education sector in Pakistan or a country with a similar social, economic and cultural profile preferred
  • Demonstrated capacity to reflect critically on the theory and practice of teacher professional development and to embed this knowledge into innovative, streamlined professional development activities
  • Strong organizational abilities including ability to self-manage, ability to function with limited oversight and to deliver quality work in tight deadlines.
  • Demonstrated ability to function effectively in stressful contexts with restricted movements while maintaining a positive and team-oriented attitude.

 Application Instructions:

Please email a CV, letter of interest, and three references with contact information to [email protected] no later than July 15, 2015. Please write “STLM Development Advisor” in the subject line.

Chemonics is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in its selection and employment practices on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, or other non-merit factors. Qualified women are strongly encouraged to apply