Step by Step is a comprehensive education reform
program for children birth through age ten, which
introduces child-centered, individualized teaching
methodologies and supports community and family
involvement in preschools and primary schools.
The program was initiated in 1994 by Open Society
Institute (NY), and designed jointly with Children's
Resources International (CRI), a non-profit organization
based in Washington, DC. Step by Step is currently
being implemented in 26 countries - practically
all post-communist countries of Easter and Central
Europe, former USSR and some other countries. CRI
has served as a partner as well as the international
technical assistance provider for Step by Step
program throughout its development.
In Moldova Step by Step started in 1994 as an
educational program for pre-school children,
age 3-5, in 5 kindergartens (12 classrooms). The
teachers were trained by international trainers;
the classrooms were equipped, with the help of
OSI and National Soros Foundation, and served as
demonstration sites. From the very first year the
program got a strong support from parents and teachers
and, in the second year, it had a considerable
expansion - 60 new classrooms. In the following
years, to meet the growing demands for continuity,
the program was extended to age 5-7 and; in 1997,
the 0 to 3 initiative was added. By the end of
2000 the pre-school program had a large geographical
coverage, comprising 518 urban and rural classrooms
- out of which 446 replication classrooms, with
practically no other OSI/NF support but training
- and 1.110 teachers serving 12.560 families and
children. Three kindergartens are model training
sites, offering, beside training, the possibility
to visit demonstration classrooms.
In 1996, in response to the popularity of the
program among parents and teachers, the primary component
was initiated in 20 (demonstrational) classrooms;
by the end of 2000, it comprised 394 classrooms
(300 replication classrooms), with a total of 9850
students from 154 schools; during that period about
600 teachers and school administrators were trained.
Three schools serve as model training sites.
The program classrooms provide services to many
minority - Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Jewish,
Gagauz and Roma - children and families, including
many disadvantaged families living in villages.
In 1996 the program launched a new component
- higher education - for pedagogical universities
and colleges to change the practices of training
pre-school and primary teachers. Actually about
50 faculty members from 9 institutions are involved
in this process and over 1500 student teachers
have been learning new methods based on child-centered
curriculum. By adding this component the program
addressed the whole cycle of pre-service and in-service
teacher training for early childhood.
The external evaluation of the Program was
made on numerous occasions by the Ministry of Education
and American experts. The SbS is officially recognized
by MOE as a good model of child-centered curriculum
and is recommended for wide implementation across
the country. The SbS re-training certificates are
valid for teachers' accreditation.
1999 MOE experts' evaluation included:
analysis of teachers' planning and documentation;
observing SbS classrooms; assessing the level of
psycho-physiological development of SbS kindergarten
children using special tests (e.g. sorting out
objects by 3 general notions; completing pictures
with missing parts, etc.); comparative analysis
of SbS primary school children's results in national
tests on math and language; interviews with teachers
and parents. The evaluation concluded that
SbS is a good model of child-centered, formative/developmental
education within the general stream of education
reform, which:
- allows children time to learn through exploring
their environment, while respecting various learning
styles, offering choices;
- teachers are supportive and do not stress the
final product, but rather the process of learning,
in which children can take the initiative;
MOE experts praised:
- non-formal ways of monitoring and evaluating
students' progress;
- the academic level of SbS students in all curriculum
areas, which were high compared to the national
average;
- the efficiency of teacher training system,
of the way teachers are selected for their openness
to change;
- the way the program team monitors the quality
of SbS on-site and seeks constant improvement
of program quality
In September 2000 the first generation of SbS
children went to middle school. To insure their
transition to a new level, the Program offered
middle school teachers training in individualized
learning, integrated curriculum, etc. After half
a year of schooling, middle school teachers state
in amazement that SbS students differ a lot from
their students in traditional classrooms by their
inquisitiveness, independence in setting learning
goals, creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving
and communication skills.
Step by Step Moldova is registered as an NGO
that supports reform at all levels of the systems
that prepare new teachers and re-train experienced
teachers, by training faculty members and introducing
new courses. SbS is devoted to protecting the quality
and availability of training programs, promoting
long-term professional development, advocating
for parent involvement and child-centered early
childhood education programs, and developing quality
programs for marginalized groups, such as minority
or disabled children.
Through its partnership with Social Investment
Fund Moldova - a World Bank project that
focuses on poverty alleviation and community
development in rural areas - the program got
its largest expansion. The MSIF-SbS joint initiative
addresses school projects - about 38% of 400
mini-projects (at $45.000 maximum each) that
MSIF plans for 2000-2005 - and aims physical
and moral renovation of schools in those villages
that succeed to find 15% local contribution to
the general project cost, thus promoting community
building.
Presently, SbS is seeking new partnerships for
its latest component - Creating inclusive classrooms -
that focuses on special needs children, on their
rights to quality education in a natural, caring
environment, among their peers. |
