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Pacific Early Reading Assessments Series
How well are Ni-Vanuatu
children learning to read
in English?
Around the world more children have
equal access to basic education.
However, while many more children are
now enrolled in school than ever before,
evidence from developing countries
suggest increases in enrollment are not
being accompanied by improvements in
learning outcomes. In the case of Vanuatu,
results from the 2007 and 2009 VANSTA
assessments of literacy and numeracy
revealed that a large share of students in
Grade 4 and 6 are failing to reach the reading
comprehension and writing outcomes expected
at their grade level.
Growing evidence suggest that the goal
of ensuring all children read fluently with
comprehension after 3 years of primary education, is not the ability to distinguish the sounds of letters in the context
only possible but feasible, even in low-literacy contexts. of a word. A poor understanding of how letters and sounds
As a first step towards this goal, countries around the go together to make words, appears to be one of the main
world have started to assess children in the first grades reasons why beginning readers in Anglophone schools in
of primary education to identify instructional gaps and Vanuatu struggle to read fluently with comprehension.
reading deficits. A Vanuatu early grade reading assessment
In particular, VANEGRA English results suggest that:
(VANEGRA) was conducted in November, 2009 to measure
how well children in Anglophone schools are learning to • There are low levels of even basic knowledge. After
read in the English language in the early grades of primary three years of schooling, more than 30% of the students
education. The aim of VANEGRA English was to help are unable to provide a single correct answer in a sub-
educators develop local knowledge about the specific skills test measuring their ability to identify sounds in letters
students are struggling with and the factors that appear and to match letters and sounds to create words.
to contribute to reading development in the Anglophone
• Most students could not read fluently for
stream of the education system.
comprehension. Despite increases in oral reading
The VANEGRA English assessment consisted of eight fluency across grades, only 2 in 10 Grade 3 students
modules covering basic reading skills such as the sounds were able to read fluently to understand most of the
of letters, word reading, listening comprehension and text they read. Achieving fluency in reading is crucial to
reading comprehension of two independent short stories improve reading comprehension among students: fluent
about several experiences typical to Ni-Vanuatu children. readers achieved an average comprehension of 83% of
VANEGRA English results suggest that while students the text compared to the less-than-fluent for whom the
develop some basic foundational skills, most of them lack average comprehension was only 13%.
Pacific Early Reading Assessments Series
• More girls are fluent readers than boys. Whereas 7% the country. Teachers working in the early grades need to
of the boys in the sample were able to read fluently at the understand the essential components of reading instruction
country-defined reference standard of 45 correct words and be able to put into practice effective teaching and
per minute, 11% of the girls achieved the same fluency assessment of each component. Classroom instruction that
level. Though there are no differences among students in makes regular use of assessment to inform teachers and
Grade 1, girls in Grades 2 and 3 move faster into reading that makes use of reference reading standards could help
fluency and outperform boys in five of the eight sub-tests teachers monitor reading development in their students to
in VANEGRA English. determine whether or not they need to adjust instruction
accordingly. Additionally, more grade-appropriate reading
• Teachers that know how to promote reading regularly
books and other reading materials should be made available
in their classroom are helping develop essential
for children to read at school and at home to ensure they
basic reading skills for Ni-Vanuatu students. Teachers
have enough texts to practice and master reading. Support
that read aloud to students, assigned students to read
from families and the community to ensure children practice
on their own, asked students to retell the stories they
reading outside school will be crucial. Only when Ni-Vanuatu
read, have a reading corner in their classrooms, and
students in Anglophone primary schools have learned to
who made use of the recommended school texts had a
read can they begin to read to learn.
positive effect on the reading of both boys and girls.
This note summarizes selected results from the 2010 Vanuatu
• Family literacy plays an important role on the reading
Early Grade Reading Assessment (English) Survey carried
outcomes of Ni-Vanuatu students. Students who have
out with technical assistance from the World Bank and
a literate mother or sibling, have books at home, attended
financial support from the Global Partnership for Education,
kindergarten, and speak English at home demonstrated
the Australian Program for International Aid (AusAID) and
better reading outcomes. In particular, students who
the New Zealand Aid Program (NZAP). Currently, the World
reported having a literate family member that reads with
Bank, in partnership with AusAID, assists Pacific island
them at home showed better outcomes in most sub-
countries administer, analyze and disseminate early grade
tests of VANEGRA.
reading and mathematics assessments under the scope
Moving forward of the Pacific Early Education Advisory Services Program
(PEEAS). The purpose of PEEAS is to provide countries with
VANEGRA English results call for immediate attention to evidence on the state of policies and programs promoting
the way reading instruction takes place in Vanuatu. Given school readiness and instructional deficits in foundational
that only 2 in 10 students are able to read fluently with reading and mathematics. The evidence collected is aimed
comprehension by the end of Grade 3, it is unlikely that the to help governments and development organizations design
majority of students will be able to cope with an increasingly and implement the most appropriate and effective policies in
difficult curriculum in later grades. ECE/ECD and basic reading and mathematics.
In order to improve reading outcomes in the first grades
For more information about PEEAS,
of primary education, it is recommended that educators contact Kris McDonall (kmcdonall@worldbank.org) or
and policymakers in Vanuatu re-examine the way reading Sarah Harrison (sharrison@worldbank.org).
The Pacific Early Reading series is produced with the generous
instruction is implemented in most classrooms around support of the Global Partnership for Education.