Displaying items by tag: SEAPLM 2024

The Technical Standards serve as the guiding principles for survey activities within the Southeast Asia Primary Learning Metrics (SEA-PLM) assessment, 2024 cycle, aimed at generating a high-quality regional dataset. These standards establish a reference point for assessing the compliance of data quality and project implementation procedures by participating countries and technical organisations involved in SEA-PLM 2024, enabling effective monitoring.

The Technical Standards have been updated and approved by the SEA-PLM 2024 bodies drawing upon the SEA-PLM 2019 regional and national experiences, as well as the latest programme developments. The standards promote the need for consistency, precision and generalisability of the collected data, while also acknowledging the necessity of a certain level of variability inherent in a regional assessment of this nature.

Dili, Timor Leste | Anieluz Pastolero: Timor Leste has firmed up its plans and preparations for the administration of the Main Survey after embarking on the critical in-country planning workshop facilitated by the SEA-PLM Regional Secretariat, in collaboration with Timor Leste's National Team. Timor Leste is part of the second batch of countries to conduct the Main Survey beginning in August 2024.

Members of the National Technical Team from the Ministry of Education participating during the workshop discussions.

Over the course of the four-day workshop, the National Team, in close collaboration with the SEA-PLM Regional Secretariat, strategised and planned for the successful execution of the Main Survey. Together, they identified standard national activities and necessary resources essential for the seamless implementation of the Main Survey. Throughout the workshop, intensive discussions centred on understanding SEA-PLM 2024 technical standards, aiming to refine and tailor these standards into Timor Leste's unique context. Likewise, emphasis was placed on the effective allocation and utilisation of resources, ensuring that each component of the Main survey operations was meticulously planned and executed.

The SEA-PLM Regional Secretariat, National Team, and ACER during the culmination of the workshop sessions discussing the Field Trial psychometric results in reading.

In addition to the comprehensive planning sessions, discussions delving into Timor Leste's national psychometric report from the Field Trial were also conducted by the SEA-PLM Regional Secretariat alongside its technical collaborator, the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER). The session served as a capacity building opportunity for the National Team to unpack the results in reading and the implications of these results in terms of curriculum reform, teaching and learning enhancement, and classroom assessment strategy. 

The event garnered positive feedback from the National team highlighted by Mr Abraão Ribeiro Mendonca, the SEA-PLM National Project Manager, who conveyed the teams’ commitment in leveraging the acquired insights and information from the workshop. They aim to enhance the planning and execution of the Main Survey and extend these strategies for the refinement of their national learning assessments. 

Beyond the tactical planning, the workshop facilitated stimulating discussions and knowledge exchange sessions, fostering a deeper understanding of the intricacies involved in developing and managing international large-scale assessments. 

Siem Reap, Cambodia | Anieluz Pastolero: The SEA-PLM programme kicked off 2024 with the convening of its 14th SEA-PLM Regional Steering Committee meeting, engaging countries and partners in achieving milestones outlined in the SEA-PLM 5-year Strategic Plan. As the programme is poised to begin its second round of assessment, 2024 Main Survey, the meeting focused on the final stages of preparation.

Throughout the meeting, the national technical teams from the seven participating countries, namely, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Timor Leste, and Vietnam, along with the SEA-PLM technical collaborators, cApStAn LQC and ACER, shared insights from their Field Trial experiences and provided updates on their Main Survey preparations.

Moreover, the meeting also served as a platform for presenting the main findings and policy directions from SEA-PLM regional studies contributed by the UNICEF Innocenti—Global Office of Research and Foresight and De La Salle University. The research presentations showcased the depth of insights gleaned from SEA-PLM 2019 data, enriching the understanding of various equity factors affecting student learning.

Beyond the Main Survey, several dialogues with key partners and technical collaborators were facilitated by the SEA-PLM Regional Secretariat, aimed at sustaining and enhancing existing partnerships as the programme enters a critical phase in the implementation of its second cycle.

The conclusion of the 14th Regional Steering Committee meeting saw the SEA-PLM Regional Secretariat providing guidance and direction to participating countries regarding the schedule of activities for the upcoming year, emphasising commitments to the work plan designed to promptly deliver the results of the SEA-PLM 2024 assessment.

Notably, the steering committee meeting welcomed the esteemed presence of His Excellency Lee Jang-keun, Korean Ambassador to ASEAN, who reaffirmed the Mission’s continued support for SEA-PLM’s vital work in monitoring and enhancing the quality of learning across the region. His Excellency also lauded the strong partnership between the programme and Korean educational institutions, KEDI and KICE, which plays a crucial role in bolstering the region’s capacity to leverage evidence in improving basic education in Southeast Asia.

In addition, the meeting was honoured by the attendance of His Excellency Dr Hang Chuon Naron, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Youth, and Sport of Cambodia, who emphasised the significance of the SEA-PLM 2024 Main Survey. He shared insights into Cambodia’s policy reforms and efforts within the Ministry, guided by the SEA-PLM 2019 data and findings. These reforms encompassed enhancements in teacher training, curriculum development, textbook revision, expansion of pre-school facilities, and fostering parental involvement in schools.

The SEA-PLM Regional Secretariat with its co-chairs, SEAMEO Secretariat and UNICEF EAPRO, and funding partners, the ASEAN Republic of Korea Cooperation Fund and the ASEAN Secretariat

The 14th Regional Steering Committee Meeting also provided an opportunity for programme co-chairs, SEAMEO Secretariat and UNICEF EAPRO, to convene with the ASEAN Republic of Korea Cooperation Fund (AKCF) and the ASEAN Secretariat for the 4th SEA-PLM Project Steering Committee (PSC) Meeting.

In this PSC meeting, the SEA-PLM Regional Secretariat presented an overview of the progress made in fulfilling the SEA-PLM project workplan within the broader SEA-PLM programme regional workplan. As the culmination of the initial phase of the AKCF project draws near, deliberations centred on strategic planning and measures to seamlessly conclude the second cycle and transition to the third cycle, including the 3rd round of assessment, SEA-PLM 2028.

With the guidance of AKCF and ASEAN Secretariat, the SEA-PLM Regional Secretariat has indicated its readiness to manage forthcoming processes and protocols to ensure the continued commitment of SEA-PLM in monitoring and improving student learning outcomes in the region.

Among the distinguished participants of the regional steering committee meeting were representatives from the SEA-PLM Core Member countries of Cambodia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Timor Leste, and Vietnam. Additionally, Honorary Member countries of Brunei Darussalam and Thailand were in attendance, alongside delegates from the ASEAN Secretariat, ASEAN-Republic of Korea Cooperation Fund, ACER, cApStAn LQC, British Council, Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation, Korean Educational Development Institute, UNICEF, and UNESCO. The events took place from 21st to 22nd February 2024 in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Lao PDR, the Philippines, and Viet Nam | Anieluz Pastolero: Over 3000 students from 79 sample schools in Lao PDR, the Philippines, and Viet Nam recently took part in the SEA-PLM Field Trial assessment focusing on reading and mathematics domains. This collaborative initiative not only involved students but also actively engaged parents, who provided their insights through the completion of contextual parent questionnaires. By adopting this comprehensive approach, the SEA-PLM Field trial successfully collected data, marking a significant milestone for SEA-PLM 2024.

The smooth execution of testing operations was made possible by the efforts of nominated teachers and school principals from selected schools. Taking on the roles of test administrators and school coordinators respectively, they underwent rigorous training conducted by the SEA-PLM National teams. The training equipped them with a deeper understanding of the regional standards and protocols, ensuring their adherence throughout the Field Trials. 

Ensuring the integrity and compliance of the field trial activities, a host of observers and quality monitors were deployed in schools. Monitors included members of the SEA-PLM National Teams, representatives from the Ministries of Education, as well as provincial and district counterparts, along with delegates from the SEA-PLM Secretariat, SEAMEO Secretariat, and UNICEF EAPRO. Their presence and expertise provided invaluable guidance, guaranteeing strict compliance with regional technical standards.

The successful conduct of the Field Trials by the first batch of country teams represents the culmination of their commitment and collaborative efforts during the preparatory phase. This achievement serves as a promising precedent for the second cycle of the SEA-PLM programme and lays the groundwork for the upcoming Main Survey in 2024. The invaluable experiences and lessons learned from the Field Trials will inform the programme’s progress as it prepares for the participation of the 2nd batch of countries later this year.

Manila, Philippines | Anieluz Pastolero: The implementation of the second phase of the SEA-PLM project, SEA-PLM 2024, is timely and on track to achieve its objective across all project outputs within the three programme pillars, according to the SEA-PLM Project Manager Alejandro Sinon Ibanez.

During the 3rd Project Steering Committee held on 03 February 2023 at SEDA Hotel, Bonifacio Global City, Metro Manila, Mr. Ibanez said that based on the achievements and milestones of the project's first year of implementation, the progress of the different activities across the participating countries is very encouraging. He also mentioned that the project is at the crucial stage of its preparation for the second round of assessment, specifically on the Field Trial operations in 2023.

Present in the meeting, which was conducted in parallel with the 13th Regional Steering Committee Meeting, was Dr Ethel Agnes Pascua-Valenzuela, SEAMEO Secretariat Director, Mr Anggiet Ariefianto, Programme Manager of AKPMT, and Mr Alejandro Sinon Ibanez and Mr Antoine Marivin of the SEA-PLM Secretariat.

Dr. Valenzuela and Mr. Ariefianto emphasized the importance of the meeting as it ensures that the project is on track.

Mr. Ariefianto expressed support of the AKPMT in providing strategic guidance to ensure the smooth conduct of the project implementation. He also provided advice in strictly complying with the existing guidelines of AKCF and responding to any changes to adapt with the current situations and evolving realities given complexities of post-Covid 19.

The Committee also discussed potential challenges and strategic approaches to ensure the project’s success such as building new partnership agreements with current stakeholders, accommodating changes both at the regional and national level, and utilizing regional initiatives to create platforms for strong collaboration with participating countries and other key partners.

The next Steering Committee Meeting was proposed to be organised within the year.

Manila, Philippines | Anieluz Pastolero: The six countries that participated in the Southeast Asia Primary Learning Metrics or better known as the SEA-PLM affirmed their commitment to strengthening the tracking of student learning during the 13th Regional Steering Committee Meeting held on 02-03 February 2023 at SEDA Hotel, Bonifacio Global City, Metro Manila.

The High officials of the Ministries of Education from Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, the Philippines, Timor Leste and Vietnam, convened to report on the SEA-PLM progress and its perceived impact to education policies and practices at the national level, building on the gains of participating in SEA-PLM 2019.

As Co-Chairs of the SEA-PLM Secretariat, Dr Ethel Agnes Pascua-Valenzuela, Director, SEAMEO Secretariat, and Ms Mitsue Uemura, Regional Education Adviser for the East Asia and Pacific, UNICEF EAPRO, highlighted the significant contribution of the regional meeting as a valuable opportunity for all stakeholders to come together and share their experiences, and challenges in the implementation of SEA-PLM both at the regional and national level.

They emphasized the need to work together to achieve the breadth and rigor of a large-scale assessment while taking into account the unique needs and context of countries in Southeast Asia. They expressed confidence in the continued support and collaboration of partners and participating countries to ensure that, through the SEA-PLM programme, the achievement of equitable and meaningful education for all children in the region can be realized.

The SEA-PLM participating countries also reviewed the 2022-2023 work plan covering planning, monitoring, and organization of activities, including the preparation for SEA-PLM 2024. The regional agenda included technical discussions on preparations for the field trial operations, policy dialogues and exchanges on school-level policy and practice, and discussions relating to overall management of regional and national-level implementation of the SEA-PLM programme.

The event was organised in collaboration with the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) Secretariat and UNICEF Regional Office for East Asia and Pacific (UNICEF EAPRO), the co-chairs of the SEA-PLM Secretariat.

It was attended by 53 participants, composed of representatives from six SEA-PLM participating countries namely Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Philippines, Timor Leste, and Vietnam. Representatives from technical partners are also present such as the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), Korean Educational Development Institute (KEDI), Korea Institute of Curriculum Evaluation (KICE), UNICEF Office of Research and Innocenti, and cApStAn LQC. Delegates from partner organisations also participated in-person and online during the event, including the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), UNICEF Myanmar, UNICEF Philippines, Edtech Hub, University of Bath, UNESCO Bangkok, ASEAN Secretariat, and ASEAN-Republic of Korea Project Management Team (AKPMT).

Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam | Merina Cahya Anggraeni: The SEA-PLM 2nd Regional Technical Workshop was successfully organized from 14 to 18 November 2022 in La Vela Saigon Hotel, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam. As a follow-up from the 1st Regional Technical Workshop in August, the 2nd regional workshop intensified the advancement of preparations for the Field Trial in 2023. The facilitators of the workshop were the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) and cApStAn LQC. The workshop sessions also featured experts from the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation (KICE), the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), and the Ministry of Education, Thailand. 

The workshop focused on cognitive items, contextual questionnaire development,  translation and linguistic and quality control. National teams of Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Philippines, Timor Leste, and Viet Nam participated in the five-day workshop.

Dr Tim Friedman, Contextual Questionnaire Expert, presented the SEA-PLM contextual framework structure

The workshop began with discussions on contextual questionnaires and global citizenship facilitated by Dr Claire Scoular and Dr Tim Friedman from ACER. The participants and experts discussed new constructs relevant in the post-pandemic context to be considered in the next set of contextual questionnaires for SEA-PLM 2024.

Dr Megan Yucel and Ms Jennifer Halliday, Reading and Mathematics Domain Experts, provided inputs on cognitive test items

The workshop proceeded with sessions on item review and panelling of Mathematics and Reading items facilitated by Dr Megan Yucel and Ms Jennifer Halliday from ACER.

Ms Grace DeLee, cApStAn Project Manager, discussed the translation and linguistic quality control model

The technical expert, cApStAn LQC, represented by Ms Grace DeLee, led the discussions on translation and linguistic quality control, emphasizing participating countries’ key role in the quality of translation and local adaptation. 

Experts from KICE, CUHK, ACER, and MOE Thailand shared their expertise on data utilization and dissemination of findings from learning assessments

Bilateral consultations between the SEA-PLM Secretariat and participating countries took place to provide support and address the specific needs of each participating country. Along with these consultations, the SEA-PLM Secretariat organized learning sessions on approaches and experiences for developing models to disseminate and build the capacities of local educators to generate insights from learning assessments and evaluations in general. Dr Jimin Cho and Dr Insuk Kim (KICE), Dr Esther Sui-Chu Ho (CUHK), Dr Arisara Roengsumran (MOE Thailand), and Dr Kathryn Richardson (ACER) shared their insights. They guided the excellent discussions for this session.

SEAMEO Secretariat, SEA-PLM Secretariat, and National Team Members during the closing session of the workshop

During the session remarks, Co-chairs of the SEA-PLM Secretariat, Dr Ethel Agnes Pascua-Valenzuela, SEAMEO Secretariat Director, and Ms Mitsue Uemura, UNICEF EAPRO Regional Education Advisor, emphasized in their remarks that the SEA-PLM Secretariat will continue to support participating countries with technical and operational assistance as preparation heightens for the SEA-PLM Field Trial scheduled to start in March 2023.

Bangkok, Thailand | Merina Cahya Anggraeni: Cambodia has officially agreed to participate in SEA-PLM's second assessment cycle—SEA-PLM 2024—adding to a series of agreements successfully initiated by the SEAMEO Secretariat. Subsequently, Dr Ethel Agnes Pascua Valenzuela, SEAMEO Secretariat Director, and H E Dr Hang Chuon Naron, Minister of Education, Youth and Sport, Cambodia, signed a Letter of Engagement (LoE) to cement Cambodia's support for the programme. The endorsement was materialised during the Transforming Education Summit on 18 September 2022 in New York City.

Cambodia has been a steadfast supporter since the first round of assessment in 2019 by taking a proactive role in supporting the program implementation. Cambodia also actively participated in the Annual Regional Technical Workshop, held from 22 to 26 August 2022. The signing of the LoE will certainly provide an additional buttress for the smooth operation of the programme at the country level, mainly in uplifting the mobilisation within the national team.

Cambodia's Country Report can be found here to learn more about its performance in SEA-PLM 2019.

Bangkok, Thailand | Merina Cahya Anggraeni: The Southeast Asia Primary Learning Metrics (SEA-PLM) Programme was presented during the Thematic Solutions Forum on Accelerating the Learning Recovery and Transforming Education in Southeast Asia through Multi- stakeholder Partnerships (SDG 4) at the Global South-South Development (GSSD) Expo 2022. The annual global event organised by the United Nations for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) took place from 12-14 September in Bangkok. The member countries from the Global South addressed the development challenges and showcased national, regional, and global development solutions.

Mr Alejandro Sinon Ibanez, SEA-PLM Project Manager, spoke about the commitment among Southeast Asian countries to assess student learning, contributing to the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 through the SEA-PLM Programme. He highlighted that collaboration between SEA countries has successfully facilitated setting technical standards, capacity building, and conducting knowledge sharing and peer-to-peer learning to enable the overall national performance of participating countries.

The discussion also highlighted the transformation of learning recovery in Southeast Asia. Dr Ethel Agnes Pascua-Valenzuela, SEAMEO Secretariat Director, and Ms Mitsue Uemura, UNICEF EAPRO Regional Education Advisor, as moderators (both Co-Chairs of the SEA-PLM Secretariat) agreed to reinvigorate South-South cooperation towards achieving these meaningful objectives.

The partnership between SEAMEO Secretariat and UNICEF EAPRO has steered the SEA-PLM Programme to forge alliances with ASEAN Secretariat and ASEAN-Korea Cooperation Fund (AKCF) as our regional partners in advancing equitable and quality education for all children in the region.

Bangkok, Thailand | Merina Cahya Anggraeni: On 8 September, the Ministry of Education and Sports, Lao PDR, officially joined SEA-PLM 2024 through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the SEAMEO Secretariat. H E Dr Sisouk Vongvichith, Deputy Minister of Education and Sports, Lao PDR, and Dr Ethel Agnes Pascua-Valenzuela, Director of SEAMEO Secretariat, signed the MoU during the official ceremony held in Vientiane, Lao PDR.

The event, attended by distinguished officials from Lao PDR’s Ministry of Education and Sports, and UNICEF Lao PDR, indicates the wide-reaching impact of SEA-PLM in the country. Lao PDR’s participation in SEA-PLM 2019 has influenced specific education reforms in the country. Dr Sisouk Vongvichith corroborated SEA-PLM’s sphere of influence in assessing learning that has inspired dialogues among policy-makers to improve the learning quality of Laotian primary school students through evidence generated from SEA-PLM 2019.

In her speech, the SEAMES Director pointed out that cooperation was of utmost importance to achieving better learning outcomes —to guarantee the success of SEA-PLM 2024—and recover from the learning loss because of the pandemic shock.

During the first assessment cycle, Lao PDR received substantial assistance and capacity-building support from education policy and assessment experts. SEA-PLM 2024 will continue to provide more opportunities and support to participating countries through collaborative initiatives with regional and international partners to advance system and school-level policy and practices concerning basic education in Southeast Asia.