2018 Zimbabwe Early Learning Assessment (ZELA) Cycle Evaluation Report – now available

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The  Zimbabwe Early Learning Assessment (ZELA) project is aimed at improving Zimbabwe’s system of pupil learning assessment after Grade 2 specifically in Mathematics, English and indigenous languages. Mathematics and English are mandatory.

The ZELA is sample based assessment under the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, with the Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (ZIMSEC) giving technical support to the project. The key measure is the extent of improvement in learning outcomes. The extent of this improvement is measured in scores on tests of language and Mathematics in the early years of schooling.

This ZELA 2018 monitoring cycle focussed on the following major research questions for that include:

1. How do the Zimbabwe learners perform in the language and Mathematics tests? Is there a noticeable pattern of change over time?

2. What are the relationships of the following groups of variables with performance on tests of languages and Mathematics at the beginning of Grade three in Zimbabwe? a) Learner background characteristics b) Teachers and teaching resources c) School funding and facilities

3. To what extent can improvement in test performance be attributed to the Education Development Fund?