This presentation outlines the development of a framework for assessing country readiness to scale effective early grade reading programs. It discusses defining scale-up and what interventions are being targeted. Draft elements of the framework include criteria for promising reading interventions and milestones/indicators to measure readiness in areas like evidence generation, policy support, and education system strengthening. Next steps involve refining the framework and testing it in select countries to improve delivery of reading instruction at scale.

1. Every day. In times of crisis. For our future.
Cecilia S. Ochoa, Basic Education Advisor
From Effective Programs
to Global Literacy:
Towards A Framework for Assessing
Country Readiness to Scale

2. Presentation Outline
• Background, premise,
process for framework
• What is scale-up, & what are
we trying to bring to scale?
• Draft elements of the
framework
• Insights from the initial work
on defining readiness to
scale framework
• Next steps
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3. Background, premise, process
• Desire to build on Literacy Boost’s
expanded global footprint, as well as
the evidence it has generated for key
literacy improvement principles
across countries & contexts
• Attempt to learn from another
initiative’s process (Saving Newborn
Lives) for scale-up within national
health systems
• Engaged a consultant to review scale-
up literature, and engage SC staff in
drafting a framework/process
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4. What is scale-up, & what are we
trying to bring to scale?
• Expanding, replicating, adapting, and sustaining successful
policies, programs, or projects in geographic space and over
time to reach a greater number of people (Cooley & Linn, 2014,
R4D and MSI)
• Deliberate efforts to increase the impact of … service
innovations successfully tested in pilot or experimental
projects so as to benefit more people and to foster policy and
programme development on a lasting basis (Save the Children -
Saving Newborn Lives, 2012)
– “No one-size fits all solutions. A context-specific, data driven process
is recommended.”
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5. What is scale-up, & what are we
trying to bring to scale?
• We seek to scale up the
systematic application of
literacy program
principles that our
experience and evidence (as
well as other actors’) have
shown to be effective for
children’s literacy and
learning
• Literacy Boost one of several
possible contributors to
scaling-up these principles
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6. • Mandated replication: government
adopts innovation
• Franchise replication: innovating NGO
shares with and closely supervises
other NGOs
• Staged replication: NGOs add more
NGOs in new locations over time
• Concept replication: new NGOs take
what they understand of the concept,
adapt it, implement independently
• Network replication: adaptation,
communication, & mutual learning
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R4D & MSI Jowett & Dyer (2012)
Approaches & methods to scaling up
Source: Cooley and Linn, 2014

7. Purpose & elements of the draft
framework on readiness to scale
• Purpose: Lay out a process for Save the Children country teams (and
potential partners) to organize efforts around bringing benefits of
effective literacy interventions to more children, via systems
strengthening and strategic partnerships
• Draft guide and tools suggest processes to:
– identify promising contexts where preconditions for scaling up exists
or could be realized
– identify promising partners
– identify one or more promising early literacy interventions
appropriate to target contexts and partners
– validate these interventions with country-level stakeholders
– establish milestones and indicators for scaling up
– identify and monitor pathways for scaling up one or more of these
interventions
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8. Draft elements: criteria for promising
early literacy interventions
• Low complexity and low cost
• Demonstrated more and quicker improvements in early reading than
other interventions in at least one context
• Some evidence that this intervention can work in more than one
context, covering large number of schools and children in one country
• Level of evidence rises to the third level or above in the following
rubric:
– I. Implementation organization excited about results on reading
– II. Government and/or donor excited about results on reading
– III. Internal research demonstrates better reading results
– IV. External research demonstrates better reading results
– V. Cost-effectiveness has been established
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9. Draft elements: Milestones & indicators to
assess readiness for scale
• 26 draft milestones/indicators covering
the following areas:
a. Generating evidence
b. Consensus building
c. Financial commitment (government, private
sector, NGOs, others)
d. Policies, standards & guidelines
e. Strengthening systems & program delivery
• Human Resources
• Supervision system & special needs referrals
system
• Monitoring
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At national level,
are plans and
resources in
place to roll out
programs?
Are the pieces in place to
deliver services and are
services being delivered?
Are teachers & families
able to implement
essential interventions for
EGR?
Are students in
ECE-G3s
receiving quality
EGR
instruction?
Are teachers &
parents
providing
appropriate
EGR support &
instruction?
Are EGR
comprehensi
on rates
improving?
Does district
management
have the ability
implement
programs?
Is infrastructure in place to support
effective implementation?
Effective
Coverage
Strength of
Implementation
Impact
National
Readiness
District
Capacity
Primary Education System
Infrastructure
Pathway to Effective Coverage and Impact at Scale
System

11. Insights from the initial work on a
readiness to scale framework
• Many current initiatives focus on tail-end of
early literacy interventions (Grades 1-3),
despite evidence that ECCD investments
will be critical to children’s learning success in
primary school: why? what must be done to
address this?
• Scaling up must be a multi-fold, multiple
stakeholder, networked effort given
urgency, scope and scale of need
• As with health systems strengthening, both
supply side (service delivery) and demand
side (public’s appreciation for & use of
service) must be addressed
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12. Next steps
• Continue to review and
revise draft framework
documents
• Learn from other
organizations’ efforts to
address the challenges and
demands of scale
• Identify country teams and
contexts where draft
guidance and processes can
be tested and refined
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13. Every day. In times of crisis. For our future.
Cecilia Ochoa / cochoa@savechildren.org
Thanks!

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