Impact evaluation: How an accelerated learning program affected over-age early childhood education students’ learning outcomes in Liberia

Rising Academy Network (RAN) is developing an accelerated reading program, FasterReading (FR), to support primary-grade students on foundational reading. During the 2021-22 school year, RAN implemented the FR program in Early Childhood Education (ECE), Grade 3, 4, 5, and 6 primary classes in their schools in Liberia for the first time since the first part of program development was completed. This study focuses on the ECE sections of these schools and specifically over-age children in those classes, who are at particular risk of dropping out.

Key findings

• The FR program likely led to modest positive effects on reading proficiency, though the precise impact is unclear due to incomplete implementation in half of the treatment schools and partial implementation in a quarter of control schools. We estimate that an over-age ECE student exposed to the full FR program would gain 0.12 more FR reading levels than a student who received none of the FR program (p = 0.10). Given low growth in reading proficiency in the control group, this modest effect represents a relatively more impressive 0.28 SD or 36% improvement over the status quo.
• The FR program did not have any adverse effect on students’ math proficiency. The program also did not have significant effects on students’ enjoyment of school or reading.
• The FR program had a positive impact on school attendance. Students exposed to the full FR program were 11.4 percentage points more likely to be present for attendance checks by School Performance Managers (SPMs) than students in the control group.
• FR students were less likely to practise reading at home. Students exposed to the full FR program were 12.1 percentage points less likely to report practising reading at home compared to students who received none of the program (p 0.05.