The USAID Kyrgyz Republic Basic Education–Time to Read project was a four-year early grade reading project that aims to improve reading outcomes for students in grades 1–4 in targeted schools in the Kyrgyz Republic. Time to Read worked to achieve improved reading outcomes through in-service training in reading instruction; capacity building in reading instruction; and the use of developmental reading tools, partnerships, and innovations that support enhanced literacy outcomes.
In collaboration with education stakeholders in the Kyrgyz Republic, STS adapted new EGRA tools for both Kyrgyz and Russian in grades 2 and 4 in 2017. STS piloted these tools with over 1,200 students and equated the tools to previous versions developed by another project. In April 2018, STS led the nationally-representative data collection, which assessed over 5,600 students at 289 schools in every region of the Kyrgyz Republic. STS analyzed and reported the results, which are available in the TTR EGRA Midline Report. STS also facilitated validation of the results with local stakeholders in the Kyrgyz Republic.
In addition to the EGRA, STS led the electronic data collection and analysis of classroom observations of teachers served by the project intervention. The classroom observation worked as an internal fidelity tool to capture teacher application of techniques promoted by Time to Read and identifies linkages between project interventions and EGRA outcomes.