Test administrators’ training for the ECCD longitudinal study

On 10-11 August 2015, SEAMEO INNOTECH facilitated a two-day training for the test administrators of the Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) longitudinal study. Principals from the division of Quezon City, Bulacan, and Quezon Province participated in the said training.

“There have been many studies all over the world about the importance of ECCD on the development and performance of children,” Dr. Ramon C. Bacani, SEAMEO INNOTECH Center Director, said. “But for the Philippines, this is probably the first time for such study,” he added.

ECCD is seen as an essential part of the K to 12 program as the child’s development is important in the succeeding stages of education. One of the major components of this study is to track the performance of children from Kinder to Grade 2. Dr. Bacani said that the results of this study will reinforce previous findings and will supplement the education reform that the Philippine Department of Education is currently undertaking.

In this four-year study, they will analyse the child’s holistic development and oral language skills, and identify the factors affecting child’s learning performance and socio-emotional development. They will also develop classroom assessment tools for the wider replication of this study in support of the K to 12 reform. Ms. Debbie Lacuesta, Senior Specialist of SEAMEO INNOTECH’s Solutions Development Unit, emphasized that the focus of this study is the child and not the school.

This training helps the test administrators familiarize with the tests and different instruments that they will use for the study, as well as how they will administer it. The training also tackles security protocols in administering the instruments, and guide on how they will establish in the field that this study is an assessment of the child’s development and not of the school and/or teachers.

This ECCD Longitudinal Study is funded by UNICEF and the Australian Government, in partnership with the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER).