Sierra Leone JSS and SSS National Assessment

Description

Mott MacDonald is inviting proposals from suitably qualified and experienced suppliers to design and conduct a national assessment of pupil learning in Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) and Senior Secondary Schools (SSS) in Sierra Leone.  
The purpose of the national assessment is to:
•	provide insights into pupil learning in secondary schools in Sierra Leone, highlighting areas of progress and challenges 
•	enable tracking of progress in pupil learning in secondary schools in Sierra Leone relative to the Global Proficiency Framework and the national curriculum
•	inform policy, planning and resource allocation decisions.
The key questions to be answered by the national assessment are as follows: 
1.	What are the English and Maths skills typically demonstrated by pupils in JSS1 and SSS1? Are these skills in line with what the national curriculum expects pupils to have achieved in these grades?
2.	To what extent are skills in line with minimum standards proficiency levels expected of pupils in JSS1 and SSS1 as described in the Global Proficiency Framework (GPF)?
3.	What topics or skills do pupils find more challenging? Are there any insights to support remediation efforts? 
4.	How large are the learning gaps by gender, wealth, disability, district and other pupil background characteristics? 
This large-scale, sample-based baseline assessment will be conducted using a paper-based test, administered to groups of pupils present in schools. The timing of the assessment will be finalised with the successful bidder. The sampling strategy will be designed to provide representative results at gender and district level. 
Interested bidders may find the following information useful:
•	The LASS study conducted in 2022 was based on a nationally representative sample of 1200 pupils (600 girls and 600 boys) drawn from 150 secondary schools.
•	The LASS study conducted in 2021 was based on a nationally representative sample that also allowed for regional comparisons of 2000 JSS3 and SSS3 drawn from 250 schools.
•	The sampling strategy in the recent Primary 4 National Learning Assessment was designed to provide representative results at gender and district level. 5548 pupils from 400 schools were tested. 
In addition to information about pupil learning, the assessment will collect and present descriptive (self-reported) statistics from pupils' and schools' characteristics at national and district levels to better understand contextual factors potentially associated with learning outcomes. The supplier is expected to use the Washington Group Questions to gather background data on disability.
Eligible proposals will be those proposals that:
•	provide all sections of the proposal as per the instructions 
Proposals should be submitted to [email protected] no later than 09:15am on the 27th February 2025.

Any clarification questions about the Term of Reference or submitting a proposal should be addressed to [email protected]  latest by 26th February 2025.