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Republic of the Marshall Islands Ministry of Education ANNUAL REPORT FISCAL YEAR 2004 “Katakin Ro Nejid, Vcgaj Jevsvxkjef” January 2005 MESSAGE FROM THE MINISTER OF EDUCATION It is my pleasure to present to you the Ministry of Education’s Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2004. In FY 2004, the Ministry made key strides toward the goal of making sure that all Marshallese children receive the quality education they deserve, but much work remains to be done. In implementing the new performance-based budgeting system during this fiscal year, the MOE has focused on five clear-cut objectives targeting improvement in different areas of education, from expanding kindergarten to boosting the quality of our teachers. As an example, with the opening of Kwajalein Atoll Public High School, and the continued growth of Laura High School, more students than ever before are enrolled in public secondary schools. While the Ministry still falls short of the recently passed mandate to provide secondary education to all, with the current level of resources, facilities and personnel, this is a remarkable step. Another important step focused on early childhood education. During this fiscal year, the Ministry began planning for the implementation of the Supplemental Education Grant, a $6 million grant that replaces several of the existing federal grant programs from the United States. Freed from the constraints of the old grants, the Ministry will now be able to serve more students and provide them with greater opportunities. For example, under the current system of Head Start, hundreds of young students are barred from crucial early education opportunities because the grant imposed an artificial limit of 1260 students in the program. Under the new system of kindergarten, which will be implemented next year, all of our youngest students will have the opportunity to start first grade with a solid foundation. When the Ministry implements the grant in fiscal year 2005, the hard work and planning over the past year will pay off. The Ministry has also made remarkable strides in improving the curriculum for elementary school students and dramatically overhauling the teacher training programs through the Teacher Quality Enhancement Grant. These two projects may not show dramatic results immediately, but will result in better educations for the students of the Marshall Islands in the years to come. Still, much work remains to be done -- education in the Marshall Islands is still in need of vast improvement. The Ministry, the schools, the principals and teachers will all keep working to improve toward a day when we can offer all of our children an education of which we can all be proud. To reach this goal requires the active support of the national and local governments, community leaders, churches, parents and the private sector. As stated in our theme, together we can work to raise our children and raise our standards. ________________________ Hon. Wilfred I. Kendall Minister of Education EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In FY04, the Ministry of Education has made several key accomplishments in its efforts to improve education services and delivery to the young people of the Marshall Islands. In brief, some of the key accomplishments are as follows: Began the implementation of the US Federal Grant entitled Teacher Quality Enhancement Grant to assist the Ministry of Education to improve and expand its teacher training programs at the College of the Marshall Islands, Brigham Young University, and San Diego State University; and expansion and improvement of the Ministry of Education’s teacher performance monitoring (Teacher Mentoring) program Establishment of the new Kwajalein High School on Ebeye, increasing public secondary school enrollment for School Year 2004-05 Major construction and maintenance works on Majuro and outer island elementary and secondary schools under the newly established Infrastructure and Maintenance Development Program Establishment of the National Vocational Training Institute at the Marshall Island High School, with facilities for skills training at Jaluit and Northern Islands High Schools funded by the Asian Development Bank Skills Loan Project Development and establishment of the Teacher Testing Program to ensure high performance standards of teachers throughout the Marshall Islands Completion of elementary level national curriculum and benchmarks and alignment with national achievement tests (Marshall Islands Standardized Achievement Test and High School Entrance Test) Institutionalization and implementation of the Performance-Based Budget system and successful submission of required quarterly reports to the Joint Economic Management and Fiscal Accountability Committee Improved efforts to disseminate information to the public about education programs and issues to include parents and community members in the decision- making processes of the Ministry of Education Establishment of a national kindergarten program, which will be fully implemented in FY05 The Ministry of Education, despite numerous constraints, has been able to address the issue of improving the quality of education in the Marshall Islands. However, the results of such efforts will take some time to realize in terms of student achievement. Spanning from Head Start to the College of the Marshall Islands, education improvement is a long- term commitment, requiring effort and investment on the part of the Ministry of Education, the national and local governments, parents and other community members. Education is our shared responsibility. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page I. Introduction A. Ministry of Education Today 5 II. Departments A. Administration and Logistics Bureau 6 B. Property Management 7 C. School Improvement Bureau (SIB) – Elementary Education 9 D. Secondary and Vocational Education Bureau 13 E. Policy and Planning 14 F. Grants Office 16 G. Staff Development Office 20 H. Special Education 21 I. Scholarship Office 23 III. Affiliated Programs A. Head Start 26 B. 21st Century After-School Recreation and Education Program 27 C. WorldTeach 28 D. Dartmouth Volunteer Program 30 E. Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteer Program 30 F. National Training Council 31 G. ADB: Skills Training & Vocational Educational Loan Project 33 H. National Vocational Training Institute 35 I. Workforce Investment Act 35 J. Pacific Resources for Education and Learning 36 IV. Education Data and Statistical Abstract A. Student Enrollment and Performance Data 38 B. Teacher Qualifications 43 C. Tertiary Education 44 V. Fiscal Year 2004 Annual Budget A. Budget Profile 45 VI. 2004 and Onwards A. Constraints 48 B. Plan of Action 49 Ministry of Education Annual Report FY 04 I. INTRODUCTION A. Ministry of Education Today Since its establishment in 1986, the Ministry of Education (MOE) has made significant improvements in the development and delivery of education services, including in recent years, the establishment of the following: 1) comprehensive teacher training programs (pre- and in- service) at CMI, Brigham Young University-Hawaii and San Diego State University, and 2) student and teacher monitoring and performance testing programs and initiatives such as the Marshall Islands Student Achievement Test, the High School Entrance Test, and the Teacher Mentoring Program. In early 2004, the Nitijela passed a new law making education mandatory for children ages 4-18. In FY 2005, it is planned that the current Head Start centers will be converted to kindergarten classrooms catering to the 5-year-old population. Furthermore, the MOE is in the finalizing the new elementary school curriculum and benchmarks, which includes curriculum and benchmarks for the new kindergarten classes. A new curriculum for secondary school is now under review. In addition, the MOE is expanding its education service delivery mechanisms to include the establishment of a National Vocational Training Institute located at the Marshall Islands High School, with facilities constructed at Northern Islands High School and Jaluit High School. The establishment of an art and music program is also being planned. In terms of the budget, 2004 proved to be a transitional year for the MOE. Starting in January, the MOE was the first ministry to fully implement and institutionalize the newly mandated Performance-Based Budget System under the Compact of Free Association II as amended. This new budget reporting system required that the MOE revise its budget submission and maintain a performance monitoring system and integrated into one system. As such, each MOE cost output and budget item is linked to the goals and objectives of the MOE. Each quarter, the MOE submits reports on the progress of meeting the stated objectives, and reports how much was expended to meet each of the planned objectives for that quarter. The Performance-Based Budget System has been integral in ensuring that the MOE has a system to monitor and accurately report on budget and program accountability and transparency. In addition, as further stipulated by the Compact, extensive planning for the new Supplemental Education Grant (SEG) was carried out. The SEG is replacing former U.S. federal grant programs previously administered by the various MOE programs and agencies. This resulted in previously U.S. federally funded programs such as Head Start, Workforce Investment Act, and Pacific Vocational Education and Improvement Project to be included in the institutional framework of the MOE. This has required a concerted effort by the MOE to revise its institutional and administrative framework to effectively incorporate these programs. Finally, the MOE is working to build greater participation and input by community members and parents in the education process. Through the assistance of the Pacific Resources for Educational Learning (PREL) based in Honolulu, and the MOE Teacher Mentoring Program, much effort has been made to establish and maintain Parent Teacher Cluster groups and Parent Teacher Associations. In addition, the MOE is currently developing guides to assist parents in understanding their role in helping their children excel in school. Also, individual MOE 5 Ministry of Education Annual Report FY 04 programs, such as Special Education, have included parents in their teacher training sessions to ensure that they understand the roles and responsibilities of teachers. Overall, the MOE has made significant progress in addressing the problems of low student achievement and skills attainment. However, this is a time-consuming process, and many of the benefits of today’s programs and initiatives will be realized five to ten years from now. It becomes important that consistent effort be made to continue strong support for current MOE initiatives and programs to ensure these benefits will come to fruition in the near future. In order for the MOE to reach its objectives, strong national and local support for education is imperative. DEPARTMENTS A. Administration and Logistics Bureau The Administration and Logistics Bureau (ALB) continues its efforts to coordinate and conduct the general administrative activities of the MOE. It provides administrative and logistical support to the other bureaus in the areas relating to budget preparation, financial record management, personnel and payroll services, procurement, distribution and storage of school supplies, allocation and disbursement of the Aid-To-Private School funding, and technical assistance as needed. In addition, it records and maintains the Ministry’s financial ledgers, conducts inventory of school supplies and materials, and provides updates on the Ministry’s plan of action through the weekly radio program done by the Support Service and the Media Center. I. Budget and Procurement The ALB records all MOE financial transactions. The networking system, which connects the MOE to the Ministry of Finance (MOF), has been set up. This networking system enables the MOE to monitor all financial accounts on a daily basis. II. Aid to Private School The Ministry of Education continues to view itself as a provider of the collective RMI educational system, as opposed to just running a system of public schools. Support was given to students attending the non-government schools through the Aid to Private Schools Program in FY 2004. There were 25 elementary schools and 13 high schools receiving funding, which serves 4,211 students (2,820 elementary and 1,391 secondary). The total appropriation for fiscal year 2004 was $342,600. The fund was allocated based on the Ministry’s established criteria including student population; student performance and school accreditation. The distribution is as follows: Student Student School Population Performance Accreditation Aid to Private Schools 81% 17% 2% Elementary $194,254 Secondary $83,252 Total $277,506 $58,242 $6,852 The student population allocation of $277,506 results in $65.63 distributed per elementary student and $59.85 per high school student. 6 Ministry of Education Annual Report FY 04 The schools that ranked in the top ten, as a result of the High School Test and the CMI Placement Test received additional funds based on good performance. The total distribution of the $58,242.00 was based on the number of students in the top ten schools. During FY 04, three schools remained accredited (Assumption Elementary School, Assumption High School, and Majuro COOP School). A total of $6,852 was allotted and distributed equally to these three schools, as incentive for striving for excellence. III. Personnel During the 2003-2004 School Year, a total of 52 new teaching and administrative posts were established and filled. The new hires have all been assigned to their respective duty stations. Included in the Elementary positions were eight Special Education teachers and one driver. The following chart shows the distribution of the new positions for FY 2004. Employees hired in SY 2003-2004 Location Elementary Secondary Administration Outer-Islands 14 6 0 Majuro 9 7 7 Kwajalein 4 3 2 TOTAL 27 16 9 The PSC classification and pay alignment of MOE personnel was completed in FY 2004. IV. Constraints The following are concerns that need to be addressed to ensure improved performance by the ALB: • The procurement process requires approval from numerous MOE, Supply, and Finance personnel, creating inefficiency. As a result, extreme delays or in some cases unfilled orders have occurred in the procurement process. • Poor planning has resulted in urgent reprogramming or transferring of funds, which results in a reallocation of the budget that causes funding deficits in other programs. For example, the level of funding to cover the costs food stuff for both JHS and NIHS was inadequate, only covering one quarter. This necessitated in substantial reprogramming of funds. B. Property Management I. Maintenance Office The Maintenance Office has completed several projects for the schools. These ranged from major renovation and repair, to new construction and making school and classroom furniture. The following is a table of completed projects. 7 Ministry of Education Annual Report FY 04 (i) Completed Requests for Student Chair-Desk Units School Name Amount Expended Jabor Elementary School $7,188.40 Jabenwoden Elementary School $1,082.51 Imroj Elementary School $1,271.78 Narmej Elementary School $2,879.68 Bikarej Elementary School $2,299.80 Longar Elementary School $1,611.27 Ulien Elementary School $3,252.73 Tutu Elementary School $1,273.82 Majkin Elementary School $5,369.35 Rita Elementary School $8,653.10 Airok Elementary School $2,360.00 Tobal Elementary School $1,903.35 Laura Elementary School $6,203.15 Uliga Elementary School $2,546.40 Loen Elementary School $1,623.75 Mae Elementary School $2,080.20 Namu Elementary School $2,848.45 TOTAL $54,447.74 (ii) School Repair and Minor Renovation and Construction To date, repairs and minor renovation and construction were completed at the following schools and facilities: School Name Description of Work Rita Elementary School Repair of classroom fixtures, electrical lines, plumbing and installation of air-conditioning units / relocation of cross-walk Delap Elementary School Repair of classroom fixtures and air-conditioning units / installation of air- conditioning units Rairok Elementary School Provision of equipment to clean school grounds Laura Elementary School Repair of classroom fixtures Majuro Middle School Repair of classroom fixtures Kilange Elementary School Construction of classroom furniture Lukoj Elementary School Construction of classroom furniture Arno Elementary School Construction of classroom furniture Majkin Elementary School Construction of concrete base and installation of water catchment Loen Elementary School Construction of concrete base and installation of water catchment Mae Elementary School Construction of concrete base and installation of water catchment Namu Elementary School Construction of concrete base and installation of water catchment Likiep Elementary School Provision of roofing tin for roof repair Kaven Elementary School Construction of classroom furniture MOE Repair of air-conditioning units / Repair of room fixtures / Installation of mounting bookcases / Repair of toilet facilities MIHS Repair of roof damage / Repair of toilet facilities / Cleaning of school grounds / Repair of air-conditioning units LHS Repair of air-conditioning units and supporting structures/ Inspection of building roofs / Construction of partition walls in toilet facilities NIHS Provision of mattresses, washing machines, refrigerators and stove for teacher housing facilities 8 Ministry of Education Annual Report FY 04 II. Infrastructure Development and Maintenance Plan The following is a brief summary of the projects completed and/or planned to date under the Infrastructure Development and Maintenance Plan (IDMP) under the new Compact. BECA, a New Zealand-based engineering firm, was contracted by the RMI government to manage and implement the IDMP in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Works. For the first three years of the Compact, MOE will be recipient of over $30 million in IDMP funds. In FY04, many of the large works planned are still in the design and bidding process. The chart is a breakdown of the FY 04 construction and maintenance. Project Name Construction Accepted Bid Savings Budget or Estimate NEW WORKS Rita Elementary School $1,043,478 $1,028,254 $15,224 Laura High School $ 660,978 $ 567,672 $93,306 New Works Total $1,704,456 $1,595,926 $108,530 MAINTENANCE Comments Laura Elementary School $ 88,472 $ 208,000 Awarded Jaluit High School-Kitchen $ 35,000 $ 135,000 Full Upgrade Rita Elementary School $ 33,014 $ 35,000 Reinstated Delap Elementary School-Kindergarten $ 39,880 $ 25,000 Kindergarten to Laura Ejit Elementary School $ 7,498 $ 10,000 Small Increase Ajeltake Elementary School $ 6,303 $ 10,000 Small Increase Woja (Majuro) Elementary School $ 24,734 $ 30,000 Small Increase Uliga Elementary School $ 6,758 $ 10,000 Small Increase MIHS $ 20,000 $ 30,000 Small Increase Majuro Middle School $ 35,000 $ 45,000 Small Increase MOE Administration Building $ 39,800 $ 45,000 Small Increase Ailuk Elementary School $ 135,200 -0- Moved to FY05 Maintenance Total $ 486,956 $ 583,000 Tallies with budget Add New Works Savings $ 108,530 Revised FY04 Maintenance Funds $ 595,486 Less $583,000 $15,000+varience balance is available for furniture C. School Improvement Bureau (SIB) – Elementary Education The School Improvement Bureau is responsible for elementary education, including curriculum development, teacher and principal mentoring, school scheduling, and teacher assignments. In addition, the School Improvement Bureau is responsible for addressing the supply and material needs of outer islands schools. I. Mentors, Teachers, and Principal Training On January 3rd, Teacher Mentors attended a Reading Success Network (RSN) training workshop in Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands. Upon their return, two Teacher Mentors conducted RSN training workshops with the remaining eight Teacher Mentors and Curriculum Specialists. Rita, Woja, Rairok, and Ebeye elementary schools are now participating in the RSN program, which is being sponsored by the PREL office in Honolulu. From June to August, the MOE School Improvement Bureau (SIB) conducted a series of Reading, Math, Science, Health, and Marshallese Language Arts instructional workshops for all 9 Ministry of Education Annual Report FY 04 elementary and secondary teachers, which included 581 regular education and 101 special education teachers. In addition, 78 Principals and Head Teachers participated in the workshops. During these workshops, the revised curriculum for the individual subject areas was distributed to all the teachers, principals, and head teachers. Teachers were trained on implementing the new curriculum, monitoring and evaluating student progress, and identifying alternate strategies for meeting the new curriculum benchmarks. Sample lesson plans were also distributed and discussed to assist teachers on managing and implementing classroom instructional strategies. In addition, there were several seminars conducted on increasing the English reading and comprehension levels of the teachers. In January, the Special Education Office and the SIB jointly organized and funded the MOE’s Annual Principal’s Institute. All the school Principals/Head Teachers were brought to Majuro to undergo a week-long training workshop. The main topics covered were: 1) development and implementation of School Improvement Plans (SIPs), 2) submission of Request for Proposals to fund SIPs, 3) school health information including discussions concerning HIV/AIDS and STDs, 4) curriculum benchmarks, and 5) new fiscal procedures for completing purchase requisitions and price quotes. In July, T&FASEGP funded the travel of seven Principals/Head Teachers and two grants officers to attend the Pacific Education Conference (PEC) in Rota, Northern Mariana Islands. The seven Principals/Head Teachers attended the education strategy and school improvement workshops. II. Teacher Mentor Program From December 2003 to September 2004, the T&FASEGP grant covered the travel costs of six Teacher Mentors, Curriculum Specialists, and related MOE educational staff to visit 26 rural, outer island schools on Aur, Ailuk, Namdrik, Jabat, Jaluit, Kwajelein, Ujae, Lae, Likiep, Kili and Wotje elementary schools. This accounted for 35% of the total public elementary schools. The purpose of these visits was to evaluate and monitor teacher and student / school performance, and to provide curriculum support services to teachers. The total student enrollment for the schools visited was 2,636, or 32% of the total student population. There are still a significant number of schools that need to be monitored by the Teacher Mentors. It has proven to be a difficult task to visit all the schools in one school year due to several factors. First, there are only eleven Teacher Mentors for 75 public elementary schools, thereby requiring that each Teacher Mentor be responsible for an average of six to seven schools each, spanning three to four atolls/islands each. Logistically, this load has proven difficult for many of the Teacher Mentors because of the remoteness of the islands and limited transportation. The Teacher Mentors also conducted PTA meetings and information sessions during their site visits to the 26 schools. In these sessions, Teacher Mentors met with parents and teachers to discuss issues pertaining to the new curriculum, new teacher training initiatives, student testing, and MOE policies and procedures. These community/PTA/teacher sessions have proven vital to ensure both school accountability and community participation. The MOE’s involvement in the PTA and community discussion process has provided communities with incentives and motivation to work with the teachers to improve education outcomes within their schools. These sessions have also proven important as specific needs of each school are communicated to the MOE. 10 Ministry of Education Annual Report FY 04 (i) Strategies for Improvement • Expand the Number of Curriculum Specialists/Mentors. Funding has been designated to hire an additional four Teacher Trainers/Mentors to provide support and training for the outer island schools. • Improve Communications. Increase the communication capacity of the rural, outer island schools. For outer island schools, with the exception of Ebeye, battery or solar-powered single sideband radios are the only means of communication. Approximately 30% of all the rural schools do not have access to radios, and have to depend on hand-delivered letters to convey their needs to the MOE. It is necessary that all schools have some form of communication with the mentors to ensure that teacher support and school monitoring takes place. The MOE Grants Office has been seeking funds to equip all outer-island schools with solar-powered single sideband radios. III. Curriculum A consultant, who has worked extensively with the RMI education system in curriculum and teacher development, was contracted to conduct a review and revision of the curriculum, and to align testing standards and mechanisms to match the new curriculum and benchmarks. The consultant conducted a series of curriculum and testing workshops with the Teacher Mentors and Curriculum Specialists. These workshops provided capacity building and continued skills development in the areas of testing and curriculum development for the MOE Teacher Mentors and Curriculum Specialists. At the conclusion of the testing alignment workshops, information sessions with teachers and principals/head teachers were conducted. (i) Achievements Scope and sequence documents based on the RMI Standards and Benchmarks for Learning were developed for Grades 1 through 8 in Kajin Majel, English, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, and Health. The RMI scope and sequence documents are intended to guide teacher planning and instructional activities throughout SY 2004-2005. The essential skills identified are also intended to become the focus of classroom assessment, and to help teachers and schools identify necessary classroom materials. The scope and sequence documents will also guide the Curriculum Specialists/Mentors as they continue to serve schools, teachers, students, and communities throughout the RMI. Before national distribution, Curriculum Specialists/Mentors conducted review sessions to gather teachers’, principals’, and head teachers’ feedback on the appropriateness of draft scope and sequences. During school visits, mentors met with parents to demonstrate learning activities and recommend ways to positively impact their child’s progress. Feedback and samples of student work will be gathered by Curriculum Specialists/Mentors throughout SY 2004-2005 and be used to strengthen and finalize RMI scope and sequences. 11 Ministry of Education Annual Report FY 04 The following is a summary status of the new curriculum. Subject Complete Under Review 1. Health Grades 1-6 and 8 Grade 7 2. Science All grades N/A 3. Math All grades N/A 4. Social Studies All grades N/A 5. Marshallese Language Arts All grades N/A 6. English All grades except sub-areas listed Grade 6 Speaking and under review Listening Grade 8 Reading IV. Assessment An international testing and assessment consultant came to the RMI in March of 2004. During the visit the consultant met with government and community leaders, the MOE leadership team, Teacher Mentors, Assessment/Testing staff, Classroom Teachers, and school leaders to provide insights into the lessons learned from national and state testing in the U.S. The consultant strongly recommended that any RMI national testing be focused on a small number of critical skills that are assessed well and in-depth. This prompted a MOE re-examination of the validity, reliability, and usefulness of existing national testing. Building on the insights gained, this year’s curriculum work helped identify a very limited set of Language Arts and Mathematics benchmarks intended to guide restructuring and improvement of the national MISAT I and II, administered to Grades 3 and 6. Aligning national tests and classroom assessments with core learning benchmarks from the RMI Learning Standards and scope and sequence will, over time, provide clear evidence of the achievement of RMI students. V. Community Involvement In March, the MOE conducted its Education Week activities, involving schools throughout the RMI. Education Week activities included intramural sports competitions, community awareness events, an Education Week parade, radio programs and announcements, speeches by government and traditional dignitaries, and a walk-a-thon. As a follow-up to the Education Week activities, the MOE also organized a Community Book Fair in April 2004. The Book Fair enabled students, parents, and teachers to select books from the thousands of used school textbooks, library books, and reference materials which were donated to the MOE by schools, libraries, and communities in Hawaii and other parts of the Asia-Pacific region. The staff of the 21st Century After School and Recreational Education federal grant program provided music, entertainment, and barbeque. MOE Community Book Fair The SIB also assisted the Special Education Office in conducting its Students with Disabilities Week activities in December to raise awareness of the Special Education Program. 12 Ministry of Education Annual Report FY 04 D. Secondary and Vocational Education Bureau The Secondary and Vocational Education Bureau (SVEB) was established in January 2004. The new division reflects a renewed effort by the MOE to improve secondary education in the public schools, including vocational and technical education. SVEB is responsible for five public secondary schools and one vocational institute, namely MIHS, JHS, NIHS, KAHS, LHS, and NVTI. In addition to its new responsibilities, the SVEB oversees and manages the implementation of the Pacific Vocational Education Improvement Project (PVEIP). I. Accomplishments of 2004 • June 18th marked the submission of the PVEIP Continuation Application for FY 2004 – 2005 to PREL, to continue funding vocational training activities at the high school level. • From August 5- 6th, the MOE held a retreat for the secondary school administrators and staff. The retreat brought together approximately 70 public and private high school principals and teachers. MOE leaders and Curriculum Specialists/Mentors also took part. There were two primary purposes of the retreat: 1) to share and learn from each others experiences, and 2) to come to a preliminary agreement on a Common Core of Learning for all high school students. • The completion of a new cafeteria for NIHS and two newly renovated classrooms for LHS. • The SY 2003-04 revealed a slight increase of 0.95% in total enrollment (shown in the table below). Kwajalein Atoll High School opened in the SY 2004-05 providing for the first time public secondary opportunities for Ebeye students. School 2002-03 2003-04 Marshall Islands High School (MIHS) 905 792 Jaluit High School (JHS) 327 360 Northern Islands High School (NIHS) 231 298 Laura High School (LHS) 60 146 Kwajalein High School (KAHS) N/A N/A • A Career Awareness Program was implemented at JHS and NIHS. In addition, JHS is continuing to develop its Aquaculture program. A Business Academy is in conceptual development. • During the school year, work-based training activities took place on high school campuses (see chart below). There has been a Teacher Academy at MIHS in place for several years and NIHS introduced a Teacher Academy in SY 2003-2004. Students in this academy spend part of their day observing and assisting in elementary school classrooms. MIHS has also added a Health Academy for students, which includes student observation at the hospital. 13 Ministry of Education Annual Report FY 04 School School Year Summer # of Students MIHS Senior Practicum 65 Teacher Academy 25 Health Academy 30 Construction Unavailable JHS Agriculture 3 Aquaculture 4 NIHS Agriculture 3 Construction 7 Note: PVEIP funds paid stipends for only those students who participated in the senior practicum training at MIHS and stipends for JHS and NIHS students. II. Program Constraints At the school level: • Inefficient tracking system of SVEB purchase requisitions. This contributes to an untimely receipt of requested supplies • Inadequate curriculum materials and textbooks • Longstanding personnel vacancies • Staff accommodations at JHS & NIHS are in a need of major repair • Lack of regular transport services for school supplies and vocational training materials to the schools • In-coming 9th graders continue to have poor academic preparation for the secondary school At the administrative level: • Lack of support staff at the Secondary & Vocational Education (SVEB) office to meet the needs and requests of the schools III. Future Plans At the school level: • JHS & NIHS plan to implement the Teacher’s Academy during SY 04-05 At the administrative level: • Plan /Organize and hire a consultant to facilitate and support the following: 1. Follow-up sessions/workshops to build on the initial Secondary School Retreat, including input from all public high school teachers in order to reach agreement on a Common Core of Learning for all secondary schools, and directly link the offerings of high school academies with the core knowledge and skills. 2. An assessment and evaluation workshop for secondary school teachers and counselors/school administrators. E. Policy and Planning I. Policy Review The Division of Policy & Planning oversees the activities of the Grants Office, Information Technology, Data Management, Testing, and Budget/Planning. The objective of the Policy and Planning Office is to ensure that planning and activities are carried out to support the goals of the Ministry. In 2004, the key priorities within the Office of Policy and Planning are as follows: 14 Ministry of Education Annual Report FY 04 (i) Performance Based Budgeting As of January 2004, the MOE officially instituted the Performance Based Budget. Since that time, the MOE has successfully submitted to JEMFAC all the quarterly reports required under the Compact II Fiscal Procedures Agreement (FPA) for FY04. JEMFAC’s main concern about the MOE was the lack of data and statistics to back up progress reports. In response to this concern, the MOE has planned to institute a management information system. In 2004, the primary goals and objectives of the MOE under the Performance Based Budget are as follows: Outcome 1 Increase numbers of early childhood enrollment 5% a Year from Year 2 to Year 5 Outcome 2 Establishment of quality primary education as the national standard for all citizens Outcome 3 Promotion of school attendance by all children between the ages of six to fourteen Outcome 4 Access to quality secondary education as the national standard for all citizens (includes vocational education) Outcome 5 Increased success rate among students entering college (includes vocational education) Each outcome (objective) has a specific set of outputs (activities) and performance indicators that are to be completed and measured each quarter to ensure that there is sufficient progress in meeting each of the stated outcomes. (ii) Establishment of a Kindergarten Taskforce As stated in the Strategic Plan and mandated by the cabinet, the Ministry is establishing a kindergarten program which will eventually provide all 5-year old children an opportunity to attend school. The Head Start program did not have the capacity to accommodate the total 5-year- old population. As a result, the Ministry has recognized an educational deficiency in many of the 6-year-old students entering first grade. The Head Start funding comes to an end in FY 2005, and the Ministry will take this opportunity to start a universal kindergarten program. The MOE Kindergarten program will focus on fundamental Mathematics and Language. The Ministry created a taskforce to oversee the transition from Head Start to the MOE kindergarten program. The taskforce is composed of eight members representing the Nitijela, Majuro Local Government, Marshall Islands National Commission for Non-Profit Organizations, Ministry of Health, Public Service Commission, Ministry of Education, Head Start Policy Council, and Head Start Program. The taskforce has met on numerous occasions to review the Ministry’s transition plan for the Head Start personnel. II. Statistics and Information Technology Office An IT Office been established in the Ministry to facilitate the institution of a Management Information System (MIS) and to ensure the maintenance and repair of the Ministry’s computer hardware and software. The MOE hired an Information Technology Director and an IT Assistant in FY 2004. The newly formed IT Office networked all computers in the Ministry of Education administration building; as a result all the administration computers have Internet access. III. Student Testing From April to May, the MOE conducted its annual High School Entrance Test. The purpose of this test is to determine which 8th grade students are eligible to enter one of the five public high 15 Ministry of Education Annual Report FY 04 schools. The T&FASEGP grant funded the travel of eleven Teacher Mentors, Curriculum Specialists, and MOE officials to conduct the test on the outer islands. Other funding was provided by through the Compact. In total, 1,276 8th grade students (public and private) took the exam. The overall results of the test were lower than last year’s scores, but the trend over the past fives years shows a slight increase in scores. As the average scores decreased proportionally across both the public and private schools, it can be assumed that the lower scores are related to changes in format and tighter administrative controls of the 03/04 test. The low test scores have made many MOE officials and administrators re-assess the MOE’s testing policies and criteria for entrance into the public high school. MOE officials are concerned about the significant number of students scoring below the 40% and have begun to increase capacity amongst public elementary school teachers. F. Grants Office The Grants Office is in its second year of operation. There are currently two staff members who operate this office; the Grants Director and Grants Assistant. The purpose of the Grants Office is to centralize grants management within the MOE. This enables the MOE to more effectively archive, document, manage, and monitor grant activities in order to comply with donor and RMI policies and regulations. The office addressed the following issues for FY 2004: • Monitored and evaluated US federal grant activities administered under the MOE to ensure compliance to US federal grant regulations • Collected data pertaining to all US federal and other foreign grant activities to establish a Grants Archives within the MOE • Disseminated information to schools about the availability of grants • Assisted schools in developing and writing project proposals • Wrote and submitted new grant proposals to support education activities and initiatives I. US Federal Grants Administered by the MOE The following table illustrates the grants received by the MOE since FY03. Added to the table are Head Start and the Workforce Investment Act, which are currently administered independent of the MOE, but will soon cash-out under the SEG and will be incorporated into the MOE’s overall budget in 2005. Grant FY 03 FY 04 FY 05 (est.) Activity Areas Territories and $ 841,300 $ 623,774 $ 623,774 • School Improvement Bureau Freely • School, teacher and student Associated performance monitoring and States Education evaluation Grants Program • Continuous curriculum (T&FASEGP) development • Community and parental awareness • At the end of FY05 cycle, T&FASEGP will be absorbed under the SEG Special $1,770,000 $1,678,202 $1,682,139 • Special Education Office Education • Special Education teacher 16 Ministry of Education Annual Report FY 04 Program for salaries, trainings and Pacific Island informational workshops Entities • Materials and supplies for the (SEPPIE) schools with special education programs • Assists in the development of MOE policies, procedures and strategic plans Individuals With $80,000 Roll-over Grant Ends • Special Education Office Disabilities Act • Provides supplemental support to Part B develop and implement Supplement Continuous Improvement and Monitoring Plan and Self- Assessment processes Teacher Quality N/A $1,114,350 $1,578,040 • Staff Development Office Enhancement • In-service teacher training, Grant (TQE) monitoring and evaluation • AA/AS, BA/BS and MA/MS degree programs established with CMI, Brigham Young University Hawaii (BYUH), and San Diego State University (SDSU) School Health $ 93,526 $ 93,500 $93,500 • School Improvement Bureau • Health education curriculum and materials development 4 Atoll Feeding $ 54,173 $ 54,173 $ 54,173 • Minister’s Office Program • Transports food to four nuclear- affected atolls America’s Deferred $ 97,147 On-hold • National Vocational Training Career Resource Institute and College of the Network Marshall Islands (ACRN) • Career awareness for secondary and tertiary levels Byrd Scholarship $ 61,500 $ 75,000 TBA • Scholarship Office • Scholarship support for qualifying honors students attending tertiary institutions Pacific $ 120,000 $ 140,000 $ 158,000/ • Secondary and Vocational Vocational Transition to Education Bureau Education and SEG • Provision of vocational skills Improvement training at secondary school level Project (PVEIP) • Transition to SEG in FY06 Head Start $3,162,945 $3,249,918 Transition to • Head Start Program SEG • Provision of early childhood education and related services Workforce $946,572 $749,744 $973,040/ • WIA Program Investment Act Transition to • Provision of skills training for (WIA) SEG youth and adults 1st Century $897,253 $ 897,253 Grant Ends • CARE Office After-School • Provision of after-school Recreational counseling, sports, technology Education and other programs and activities (CARE) for elementary school students TOTAL $8,027,269 $8,773,061 $5,159,966 17 Ministry of Education Annual Report FY 04 II. Foreign/Other Grants Name/Source FY 03 FY 04 FY 05 (est.) Description A. European Union N/A Deferred €175,000 Provides infrastructure 9th EDF Outer-Island (As of January development and maintenance School Development 11, 2005 support for 4 identified schools Project €1 = $1.31) Ailuk, Ujae, Lae, Enejit and Buoj B. Japan Assistance $0 1. $75,763 The following 1. Matolen Elementary School for Grassroots 2. $78,263 are requested 2. Tabal Elementary School Human Security 3. $32,452 amounts as of 3. Enekoin Elementary School Projects 4. $75,763 9/30/04 (not 4. Jah Elementary School (all the above awarded as yet) 5. Ajeltake Elementary School grants were 5. $80,000 6. Woja Elementary School received by 6. $80,000 7. Enewa Elementary School the individual 7. $80,000 8. Majkin Elementary School local 8. $80,000 9. Aur Elementary School governments 9. $80,000 10.Tokewa Elementary School and not by 10. $80,000 11. Laura Elementary School the MOE) 11. TBA (price quotes still pending) C. Republic of $0 $0 $1,000,000 Appropriation for CMI Capital Taiwan Improvement Project D. USDA $0 $ 21,209 TBA Computers for MIHS TOTAL $0 $272,241 $1,789,250 In addition, the MOE Grants Office is working with the JICA Office to review the renovation and construction of the MIHS gymnasium. III. Territories and Freely Associated States Education Grant Program (T&FASEG) Under the T&FASEGP grant administered by the Grants Office, the process for ordering school materials and supplies was revised for FY 03-04. In the past, bulk orders were made and then distributed to all the schools. Though cost-effective in some respects, many outer island instructors lodged complaints that their specific materials and supplies needs and requests were not being adequately recognized and met. To address this complaint, the Grants Office decided to revise the manner in which it processes materials and supplies requests from universal to school-based. This allowed stronger input from teachers and principals/head teachers on determining the varieties of instructional materials and supplies needed. This has slowed the processing of material and supply orders for the schools, but has greatly empowered teachers and principals/head teachers to take a more active role in revamping the way their schools operate. This year, 61 school-based instructional material and supply requests have been submitted to the MOF for processing, accounting for 57 out of 75 (76%) public elementary schools, and 4 out of 4 public high schools (100%). In August and May, requests were made for the printing and re-printing of Marshallese Language and Alphabet books developed jointly by the MOE Teacher Mentors and Marshallese Language Arts Specialists and PREL. Nearly 10,000 copies were ordered and are to be distributed to all the elementary and secondary schools. The Marshallese Language Arts (MLA) Section under the SIB is currently developing additional Marshallese Language grammar and spelling books for elementary-level students. 18 Ministry of Education Annual Report FY 04 The MOE Grants Office has made a much more concerted effort to address individual school needs and to support the implementation of school-based improvement plans (SIPs). Training was conducted in January at the Principal’s Institute on how to further develop and implement school SIPs and how to use and apply for Request for Proposal (RFP). To date, 37 RFPs (of a potential 115 awards) have been submitted to the MOE Grants Office, 25 have been approved and submitted to the MOF, and 21 have been approved and expended by the MOF. A majority of the RFP’s addressed the following SIP areas: infrastructure improvement of classrooms, purchase of additional materials and supplies, books for libraries, and equipment and tools to maintain the school grounds. IV. Marshall Islands National Commission for UNESCO The RMI National Commission for UNESCO was established at the MOE in 1999. (i) UNESCO Participation Program The Participation Program is a small grants program funded by UNESCO and managed through the main headquarters in Paris, France. Since 2000, the RMI has received a total of $251,000 for UNESCO projects. In the 2000-2001grant cycle, only one project remains incomplete. All projects in the 2002-2003 grant cycle are complete and have submitted financial and final reports to UNESCO Paris. Below are the projects/proposals for the last and current funding cycles: Grant Title / Implementing Agency 02/03 04/05 Status Marshallese Language “First-Place Reading” Phonics Kit / $ 26,000 Complete Mission Pacific Development of a Series of Children’s Books Entitled “Lands $ 20,000 Complete Skys Oceans” Based on Marshallese Oral Tradition / Aelon Kein Technical Assistance, Inc. Building Equipment and Video Production Capacity / MP $ 20,000 Complete Waan Aelon in Majel Traditional Canoe Building Segment of $ 26,000 Complete the Program to be Held at the WAM Canoe Building Center and in Ailinglaplap Atoll Waan Aelon in Majel Phase Three: Design and Engineering of $ 20,000 Complete Canoe Building Training Center / WAM Development of a Book Entitled “Youth and Culture in the Approved Marshall Islands” / Youth to Youth in Health, Inc. TBA Vocational Skills Training for At-Risk Youth / YTYIH, Inc. Approved TBA National Youth development Work Corps / Ministry of Internal Pending Affairs Re-Thinking Education in Micronesia Conference / Marshall $ 24,000 In-Progress Islands Council of NGOs Traditional Marshallese Music Preservation and Restoration Pending Project / Marshall Islands Music Society The IIJ Local Food and Nutrition Improvement Project / Iju in Pending Jelalokjen, Inc. Development of Workbooks and Training Manuals for Pending Woodworking, Carpentry and Canoe Building / WAM Waan Aelon in Majel Participation in the IX Festival of Arts to Not 19 Ministry of Education Annual Report FY 04 be Held in Palau, Micronesia Approved Participation In the IX Festival of Pacific Arts to be Held in Not Palau, Micronesia / Jobwe, Inc. Approved Participation of Youth to Youth in Health in the IX Pacific Not Festival of Arts Approved Fourth Conference of the National Youth Congress / MIA Pending Conference: Black Pearl Farming and Production, CMI Pending Conference: Regional Arts Educators Conference, MOE Pending TOTAL $ 112,000 $ 24,000 In addition to the UNESCO Participation Program, the RMI National Commission for UNESCO implemented the Education for All (EFA) and Pacific Resources in Developing Education (PRIDE). One of the major accomplishments of the RMI National Commission for UNESCO was the completion of the first working draft of the RMI Education For All (EFA) Action Plan. This Action Plan is closely linked to the MOE’s Strategic Plan. Two MOE representatives attended two meetings in Nadi, Fiji regarding the PRIDE grant program and obtained information about receiving funds under the PRIDE program. It has been tentatively planned that the PRIDE funding will be used to address arts education in the RMI curriculum. G. Staff Development Office The Staff Development Office (SDO) was established to monitor teacher and staff performance, as well as develop and implement teacher and staff training. The Teacher Quality Grant, which was awarded in October of 2003, drives a significant portion of the Staff Development Office’s activities and programs. Within the last twelve months, the following programs and initiatives have been continued: I. Brigham Young University-Hawaii Bachelors Program A total of 20 teachers and principals are well underway with their Bachelors program at BYUH. The bachelors program has been achieved through participants attending credit courses on both the BYUH campus and the CMI campus, as well as distance education. A total of 18 teachers and principals participated in the one-week bachelor’s program course in expository and report writing that was held on CMI campus. Participants for the BYUH Bachelors program are divided into two groups: the principals’ and teachers’ cohort. The principals’ cohort consisted of nine head teachers whose studies have been ongoing since 2002. These principals are now in their final preparations towards attaining their degrees and therefore additional funding will be available for the eleven teachers to focus on their credit courses. One of the teachers recently graduated with a Bachelors degree from BYUH. II. San Diego State University Masters Program There are 21 MOE administrators who are currently enrolled in the San Diego State University (SDSU) 20 Ministry of Education Annual Report FY 04 Masters program. These administrators are half way through the course in Educational Leadership. This initiative is part of the Ministry’s ongoing efforts to strengthen internal capacity, and build leadership for the long term. III. CMI Teacher In-Service Program Over 60 teachers will be participating at the CMI in-service program in the SY2004/2005. IV. Additional Staff Development Office Accomplishments • Notification to teachers that there are standards for development and requirements for maintaining their status as teachers. • On August 3rd 2004, more than 70 teachers and MOE administrators took the first ever English Language Proficiency Test for teachers. The pilot test enabled the test administrators to determine the RMI teachers’ English proficiency level as well as evaluate and analyze the test. The completion of the pilot test signaled the go ahead for the national test, which was administered to all RMI public teachers starting in September 2004. • Initiation of teacher certification and pay system revision. A taskforce committee consisting of representatives from Ministry of Finance, CMI, Chamber of Commerce, PSC, Teacher’s Union, Ministry of Education, and PREL, was established. The main goal of this committee is to identify appropriate criteria for teacher certification. The diverse representation of the committee is intended to create community support and ownership of the teacher certification and system. • Educational workshops focused on Language/Reading Instruction Improvement, English self- improvement, and Interactive and Engaging Speaking skills were conducted in the summer of 2004. Additional staff were added to the summer development program. • Plans to open an Internet café at CMI and Internet connections for Majuro Middle School and Delap, Uliga, Rairok, Woja, Ajeltake, and Laura elementary schools. The aim is to provide to in-service teachers Internet access. • A “train the trainer” model was initiated in September 2004 to train mentors in the new curriculum. The SDO will be working closely with the office of the Assistant Secretary for Elementary Education to fund the mentors traveling to the outer islands to carry out this “train the trainer” model H. Special Education Since 1992, the SEPPIE grant has been highly effective in providing services to young people who would otherwise have difficulty obtaining an education. With the exception of six administrative staff whose salaries are funded by the MOE, the Special Education (Sped) Program is fully supported by the U.S. Special Education for Pacific Island Entities (SEPPIE) federal grant. It is governed by legislation outlined under the Individuals With Disabilities Act (IDEA). The grant provides funding for the following areas; special education teacher salaries, teacher and staff training, conference attendance, materials and supplies for students with disabilities, sub-grant funds (Request for Proposals or RFPs) to support individual SIPs, contractual services, and provision of special education assessment, evaluation, education and related services and programs to students with disabilities. 21 Ministry of Education Annual Report FY 04 I. Objectives For FY04, the Sped Office had six main objectives: • To provide special education and related services to enable children and youth, ages 3-22, to enjoy free appropriate education (FAPE) Currently, there are 847 special education students enrolled in the public school system. This accounts for 9.8% of the total public school enrollment. Sped services are available on all 24 inhabited atolls at 72 of 78 public elementary schools, and four of the five public high schools. There are a total of 104 Sped teachers. These teachers are supported by five Sped Program Specialists and four related services staff. In FY04, 12 new positions were established to provide for special education early childhood and elementary teachers, a bus driver for Ebeye schools, and one Special Education Director. • To implement the comprehensive system of personnel development to improve the quality and quantity of special education and related services A total of 145 teachers, principals, sped staff and Special Education Advisory Council (SEAC) members participated in the following in-service training opportunities; Principal’s Institute, Regional PacRim Conference, deaf-blind workshops, Western Regional Resource Center (WRRC) Continuous Improve and Monitoring (CIMP) training, and SEAC/CIMP Steering Committee training. Currently, there are 21 sped teachers and staff enrolled in the AS degree program at CMI and the MA degree program with San Diego State University. There are four teachers who are participating in the BA degree program at Brigham Young University in Hawaii. In addition, there are three staff who are enrolled in the related Services Assistant (RSA) Certification Program through the University of Guam. During the summer, a series of workshops were conducted by the Special Education Specialists, the University of Guam, and the National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (NECTAC). These workshops were focused in the areas of early childhood education, alternate assessment of students with disabilities, development and implementation of Individual Education Plan’s, and dissemination of new Special Education policies and regulations. All 104 Sped teachers participated in these workshops, including over 52 regular education teachers, Head Start teachers, parents, community members (1 local mayor), and MOE Teacher Mentors. • To expand transition services and transition centers to better prepare students for independence and employment The establishment of a transition center in Ebeye is still in progress and awaiting approval and assignment of a transition coordinator to support transition planning and services for Kwajalein Atoll. Support for transition services in the outer-islands and high schools is being provided through the RFP process. RFP training was provided to all principals during the Principal’s Institute. 22 Ministry of Education Annual Report FY 04 • To incrementally expand the provision of early childhood special education and related services An interagency early childhood (birth to 6 years) special education plan was completed in February through the support of the NECTAC. NECTAC continued its technical assistance in the summer by developing the policies and procedures and conducting teacher training workshops (mentioned in Objective 2). Early childhood special education and related services continue to be provided under the Head Start program, established through an interagency agreement between Head Start and the Sped Office. • To increase parent training and involvement to promote partnerships and teamwork for children and youth Parent participation and partnerships have been vital to the success of the December 2003 Disabilities Awareness Week and Education Week activities. A concerted effort has been made to include parents in the overall planning and assessment process of the Sped Office and programs. In January, through collaboration with parents, teachers and former special education students, the Sped Office successfully completed its Self-Assessment Report required by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) at the US Department of Education. Parents also participated in the training workshops conducted during the summer and attended several conferences in Hawaii, Washington DC (OSEP Leadership Conference), and Guam. In April, the Sped Office conducted its first-ever community forum to inform the public about the special education program, the right to education for students with disabilities, IDEA and SEPPIE rules and regulations, individual Sped services, Sped funding sources, and its relationship to the MOE. Over 50 members of the community, including private school principals and teachers, attended the forum. In addition, the Special Education Director attended four Special Education Parent Association meetings to disseminate information about the program and address concerns raised by parents. • To improve program compliance, services and effectiveness to improve the quality of FAPE and student outcomes In 2004, 24 schools on Majuro, Kwajalein, Ailinglaplap, Lib and Mili Atolls were monitored and evaluated. Special education policies and procedures were reviewed during the Self-Assessment process in 2003-04. Procedures are still being revised to improve implementation and to maintain compliance with the Marshall Islands Eligibility Document approved by OSEP in February 2004. The Special Education Information Management System (SEIMS) was improved with the inclusion of pre-school data. It is currently planned that this system will be articulated with the MOE’s Database Collection System to insure appropriate integration of information. Support for school SIPs was initiated at the Principals Institute through RFP training mentioned in Objective 2. Finally, the first draft of the Sped Office CIMP Improvement Plan was completed by the SEAC/CIMP Steering Committee. The Sped Office is still awaiting a formal response by OSEP. I. Scholarship Office The Marshall Island Scholarship, Grant, and Loan Board (MISGLB), was established in 1979 by the Scholarship Assistance Act to provide and administer financial assistance for qualified Marshallese students who cannot afford to pursue higher education. The Scholarship Board consists of a Chairman, six voting members, and two non-voting members. The Scholarship 23 Ministry of Education Annual Report FY 04 Board oversees the National Scholarship Program and serves as the main decision making body to advise the National Scholarship Office on any matters pertaining to scholarships. Members of the Scholarship Board are appointed by the Cabinet. I. FY04 Budget Funds specifically earmarked for scholarship from the first Compact have been eliminated under the new Compact. Scholarship funds are now identified in the MOE’s annual budget. The Board’s annual budget for FY04 includes $700,000 in Compact Funds and a $100,000 Kwajalein Scholarship Fund, which was paid for by the Ebeye Special Needs Fund. In addition, the Board received funding from a variety of private foundations and entities, including $10,000 from the Koo’s Fishing Authority and $75,000 received from the Robert C. Byrd Honor Scholarship Total Scholarship Budget: $1,345,483 Program. The total Board’s annual budget for $700,000 from Compact Funding FY2004 was $1,345,483. $100,000 from Ebeye Special Needs $261,000 from the General Fund Operational costs of the National Scholarship $70,000 from Private Funding Office amounted to $153,062. The remaining Sources $546,938 was spent for scholarships, grants, and $199,483 Cash on hand loans for students attending CMI and various colleges/universities abroad. For SY 2003-04, the Scholarship Board expended $859,846 in scholarships for 134 students who met the Scholarship Board’s requirements and were qualified to receive scholarship assistance. II. Student Profiles The students who received scholarship assistance attended colleges and universities in the following locations: College/University Locations # Students CMI 30 South Pacific 20 US Mainland, Hawaii, Guam 84 Total 134 The recipients’ educational level varied as follows: Scholarship Levels # Students Incoming Freshman 45 Continuing Students 82 Post Graduate Level 7 Total 134 24 Ministry of Education Annual Report FY 04 At the end of the 2003-04 School Year, eighteen scholarship recipients completed their programs with the following degrees/certifications: SY 03/04 Scholarship Completions Doctoral Degree, 1 License/Certifi cation, 3 Bachelors Degree, 8 Associates Degree, 6 Four of the eight Bachelors degree recipients have returned to the RMI and are currently employed by government ministries and agencies; two others have continued to graduate school and two have remained in the US. The two students who remained in the U.S. highlight an issue of continued concern for the Board. Some graduates hesitate to return to the RMI after achieving their degrees, due to a lack of job opportunities and low starting salaries. The MOE has agreed to set up an Internship Program to help guarantee employment for returning graduates. The internship program will provide the opportunity for the graduates to work with the MOE for a year as required. In addition, the PSC has assisted in placing the graduates at posts related to their fields of study. III. Other Scholarships The Board and the Scholarship Office also handle and administer other scholarships offered to RMI students. This includes the Robert C. Byrd Honor Scholarship, the Gates Millennium Scholarship, NZAID Scholarship Program, AusAID Scholarship Program, Taiwan/ROC Pacific Islands Forum Scholarship Scheme, and the Japanese Monobusho Scholarship Program. These programs offer full scholarships annually to any qualified and eligible Marshallese students to pursue higher education at colleges/universities abroad. For the 2003-04 academic year, a total of thirteen students attended colleges and universities in the South Pacific Region under the New Zealand Aid Scholarship Program. Two students successfully completed their Bachelor degree requirements and returned to join the RMI workforce, while two others are expected back upon completion of their programs in December 2004. In addition, the Australian Government’s AusAID Scholarship Program made funds available for twelve students to enroll in institutions in Australia, New Zealand, the University of the South Pacific (USP) in Fiji, and the USP Emalus Campus in Port Villa. Four students attending school under this scholarship received their degrees at the end of the 2003-04 school year. Two recipients received their Masters degrees in International Economics/Finance and Development 25 Ministry of Education Annual Report FY 04 Administration, one received a Bachelors degree in Management and Public Administration and one received an Associates of Science in Information Technology. Overall, the number of students graduating and returning to join the RMI workforce is increasing, but the college dropout rate still continues to rise, which is one of the challenges the Board must address. More than half of the scholarship recipients drop out of school after the first or second year in college. Unsatisfactory academic achievement is the number one factor contributing to the high dropout rate. IV. Other Activities During the academic year, the Board reviewed and reevaluated its existing policies and procedures. The Board is considering raising the eligibility requirement from a GPA of 2.0 to 2.5. Raising the GPA requirement will not only help to identify those students who are working hard toward their goals but will also set a high standard for the Scholarship Program. This policy change will also help the Board to stay within the budget allocation, particularly with the increasing cost of post-secondary schools. The Board believes that if the standard is set at a higher level, students will work harder to achieve the higher GPA and commit more time to their course work. Staff from the board also visited eleven high schools within the RMI to disseminate information to the graduating seniors about the availability of scholarships. The workshops were mainly designed to help and encourage the graduating seniors to further their education by moving on to the college level. As a result of the workshops, the Scholarship Board has received an increasing number of scholarship applications. In addition, there has been an increased acceptance rate of applicants for post-secondary studies. The Board received an overwhelming number of scholarship requests this year raising concerns that current budget allocations may not be adequate to meet the rising demand. As a result of the yearly visits to the RMI high schools and the Board’s new website, which was set up to provide easy access for students’ abroad, more students are now aware of the scholarship funds. The Board believes that money allocations for scholarships must increase each year to meet the increasing number of scholarship applicants and also to meet the increased cost of tuition, fees, travel, food, and associated expenses. III. AFFILIATED PROGRAMS A. Head Start The Head Start program is a US federally funded program that serves children between the ages of 3 and 6, inclusive. Since 1991, the Head Start program has essentially been the only public provider of pre-school education in the RMI. The purpose of this program is to provide early childhood development activities and learning skills in preparation for the elementary education system. Since overall education outcomes are poor, the main idea behind the program is to provide young children with an early head start in the educational process. Recent skill-level tests conducted by PREL in Delap Elementary School indicate that students who had been through the Head Start program tend to have better early learning skills scores than their peers who had not been through the program. 26 Ministry of Education Annual Report FY 04 In terms of enrollment numbers, the number of students the program has accepted each year since its first year has been 1,200 students. As of 2003, this has increased to 1,260; 649 of which are males and 611 of which are females. This translates to approximately 29% of the total school age population of 3-5 year-olds in the RMI (based on 2003 3-5 year-old population projection numbers from the 1999 Census). Tuition is free, and enrollees are offered a meal program, along with basic medical check-ups and examinations. Extra programs are in place to offer parental support and counseling to parents who are having difficulties. I. Training and Development In March of 2004, the Ministry hired a PREL consultant to provide professional development training for Head Start teachers. The kindergarten summer school program was held in June and July and prepared teachers for the transition into the new Kindergarten Program, which will begin in SY 2005-2006. Twenty-five teachers taught 100 five-year-olds for three hours in the morning and then participated in related teacher education activities for three hours each afternoon. The summer school was held at Rita Elementary School on Majuro. An objective of the summer program was to introduce the Kindergarten Curriculum, which is focused on developing oral language and literacy skills. During summer school, teachers learned to use a Language Experience Approach (LEA). Teachers shared inquiry-based experiences with their children, shared the writing of the experience, and spent time helping the children learn how to read what had been written. Teachers used this integrated approach to develop the children’s language and cognitive skills in both Marshallese and English. Teachers were also instructed on assessment tools, classroom management, oral English, math and literacy centers, and interactive writing. B. 21st Century After-School Recreation and Education Program Under the US federally-funded 21st Century Community Learning Center Program, the 21st Century After-school Recreation and Education (CARE) project was established by the US Congress to provide after-school programs for high need rural and inner-city public schools that have demonstrated low academic achievement, high juvenile delinquency, and high rates of substance abuse. These after-school programs provide students with safe, healthy, and educational after-school activities and social services to assist the students in their personal and academic progress In 2003-04, the CARE Program provided after-school activities in eight schools on Majuro Atoll. These schools were Laura, Uliga, Rita, Rairok, Delap, Ajeltake, Woja Elementary Schools and Majuro Middle School. In total, over 600 students and 96 staff members participated in the program. Staff members were composed of teachers, teacher volunteers (JOCV, WorldTeach and Dartmouth), college students, parents, and other community members. The following activities and services were provided: 1) information and communication technology training and related activities, 2) counseling and academic tutorials, 3) music, 4) nutrition program, and 5) after- school sports activities. Other activities included a Majuro-wide spelling bee. Counseling activities concentrated on providing students with information on suicide, alcohol abuse, and life skills. In addition, the CARE program collaborated with the College of the Marshall Islands and the First Lady’s Read Aloud Program to provide additional after-school activities and events for the students. 27 Ministry of Education Annual Report FY 04 C. WorldTeach WorldTeach is a non-profit organization affiliated with Harvard University that sends volunteer teachers to countries throughout the world. Operating under a 3-year Memorandum of Understanding with the RMI government, the organization recruits, screens and trains volunteer teachers to work in schools throughout the RMI. WorldTeach oversees the management of the volunteers throughout the year working closely with the MOE to ensure that teachers provide quality instruction to RMI students. For the first two years of the program, WorldTeach was funded in part by a grant from the Republic of China (Taiwan). WorldTeach volunteer Emily Elstad practices a play with her students at Arno Elementary School. The WorldTeach program completed its second year of operation in the WorldTeach Volunteer Placements for SY 2003-04 RMI in June 2004. For the 2003-2004 1. MIHS 2. JHS 3. NVTI academic year, the program placed 25 4. Majuro Middle School 13. Rita Elementary School volunteer teachers in 21 schools on 5. Uliga Elementary School 14. Delap Elementary School Majuro and the outer islands (see 6. Rairok Elementary School 15. Ajeltake Elementary School chart). The program began its third 7. Woja (Maj.) Elementary School 16. Laura Elementary School year by welcoming 29 volunteers to 8. Arno Elementary School 17. Tobal Elementary School the RMI in July 2004, expanding to 9. Kaven Elementary School 18. Mejit Elementary School 10. Airok Elementary School 19. Jabwon Elementary School several new atolls. 11. Toka Elementary School 20. Jaluit Elementary School 12. Majkin Elementary School 21. Ujae Elementary School I. The 2003-04 School Year All 25 volunteers from the 2003-04 school year New WorldTeach Volunteer Placements for SY 2004-2005 completed their one-year contract of service. This represents a substantial improvement over the first year In addition to teaching at the same of the program when several volunteers terminated their schools as last year, the program has contracts early due to personal, professional, health, and expanded to include the following safety issues. Additionally, several volunteers from the schools: 2003-04 group have returned to the RMI or are planning 1. LHS on returning to the RMI to work in different capacities 2. Kwajalein High School for the government. Two volunteers have returned as 3. Namdrik Elementary School contracted MOE teachers, one volunteer has returned to 4. Utrik Elementary School work with the Environmental Protection Authority and 5. Ailuk Elementary School three others are scheduled to return to the MOE to work in grant and teacher training programs. III. Volunteer Contributions Outside of School WorldTeach volunteers have worked to have an impact in their communities that goes far beyond work in the classroom. Many WorldTeach volunteers have started adult education classes both on Majuro and the outer islands and helped prepare older residents to take the high school GED. 28 Ministry of Education Annual Report FY 04 In addition, volunteers have worked with other government agencies, such as the Environmental Protection Authority and the Ministry of Health, to help them reach students with their respective education programs. Volunteers have also helped bolster after-school and tutoring programs and started new extra-curricular classes in art, creative writing, debate, and other subjects that have fostered excitement about learning and education in high school students. Many volunteers found time to help coach or assist with school sports teams, encouraging the students to participate in these worthwhile activities. Several volunteers have also shown the initiative to start new programs. For example, three volunteers (from Ajeltake, Woja and Laura WorldTeach volunteer Sara Shahriari teaches students at Jabwon Elementary School a word game Elementary Schools) organized and planned a walk-a-thon from Laura to Rita to raise money for their schools to buy books for the students. IV. Assessing the WorldTeach Program Unfortunately, it is nearly impossible to provide an accurate numerical assessment of the benefits of the WorldTeach program. Currently, there are no tests utilized by MOE or WorldTeach to provide a picture of improvement in English skills among the students of the RMI. WorldTeach Principals/Head Teacher Survey WorldTeach conducted surveys among principals and head teachers of schools WorldTeach sent evaluations to all principals and head with volunteers during the 2003-2004 teachers at schools with a volunteer, seeking information school year to assess their feelings about about how much the volunteer helps the students, the program. Results of the evaluations whether they want another volunteer, and much more. suggest that volunteers are viewed as being indispensable additions to the teaching Respondents were asked to respond to each statement on a scale from 1 to 7, with a “7” indicating strong staffs at their schools. The principals and agreement, a “1” indicating strong disagreement and a head teachers (who get to view the students “4” being neutral. The results of the survey were and volunteer teachers on a daily basis) overwhelmingly positive. Selected questions and the believe that the volunteers have had a huge average results are listed below. impact on student learning (please see chart for summary of results). The volunteer is a strong addition to our school. Avg. Response: 6.93 out of 7.00 The WorldTeach program has had a great The volunteer is prepared for classes. impact on the students of the RMI in the Avg. Response: 7.00 out of 7.00 first two years of its operation, but like The volunteer is respected by the other teachers. Avg. Response: 7.00 out of 7.00 most investments in education, the true The volunteer assumes responsibilities beyond what results can only be seen in the long-term. he/she is assigned. Avg. Response: 6.93 out of 7.00 The original agreement between the RMI Our students who have a WorldTeach volunteer government and WorldTeach expires after learn English more quickly than those who do not. the 2004-2005 school year, meaning that Avg. Response: 6.93 out of 7.00 the MOE and WorldTeach staff will soon have to discuss the future of the program. 29 Ministry of Education Annual Report FY 04 D. Dartmouth Volunteer Program The Dartmouth Volunteer Program started in 2000. In SY 2004-2005, twenty-five Dartmouth College Volunteers worked in the RMI; eleven volunteers taught English at Kili, Ejit, Enewetak and Wotje Elementary schools. Twelve volunteers taught English, Math, and History at Northern Islands High School, Laura High School and Marshall Island High School. One volunteer taught sign language to deaf students and their parents. Dartmouth volunteers were involved in extra- curricular events including; play production, chess club, athletics, and arts. RMI sponsors the Dartmouth graduates teaching at MIHS, NIHS and LHS, providing them with airfare to and from their teaching sites, accommodations, health insurance and monthly stipends, at a cost $10,000 per volunteer. The local Bikini government sponsors the volunteers on Ejit and Kili islands. The field director is currently funded in part by Dartmouth grants and RMI funds. The undergraduate program is sponsored by the Education Department at Dartmouth College. Six undergraduate teaching interns taught at MIHS from January to mid March. In the past, the expense of the roundtrip airfare is borne by the undergraduate intern. This coming year, the undergraduate travel expenses will be covered by a grant awarded to the Education Department at Dartmouth College. The MOE provides the undergraduates and their advisor with accommodations in the CMI dormitory. I. Graduate/Year-Long Program This year DVTP recruited 12 Dartmouth graduates to work in the RMI for SY 2004-05: School Volunteers Subject Areas Northern Islands High School 2 English/History Laura High School 2 English/Science Marshall Islands High School 1 Government Kili Elementary School 4 English/Math/Science Ejit Elementary School 3 English/Math/Science E. Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteer Program The Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteer (JOCV) Program was established in the RMI in 1991. Since this time, over 100 volunteers from various fields have been employed in different sectors of the RMI, particularly in healthcare and education (public and private). In the field of education, JOCV has focused on Mathematics at the elementary level, and Mathematics and Science at the secondary level. The main purpose of the JOCV Volunteers is to teach and demonstrate teaching methodologies to Marshallese teachers, in order to build local capacity and skills. All JOCV teacher volunteers have prior experience as teachers and are mandated to work with Marshallese teachers to transfer 30 Ministry of Education Annual Report FY 04 their skills and knowledge. As such, the primary mission of the JOCV Program in the education system is teacher education. Currently, the JOCV Program is focusing on addressing the following areas in the RMI education system: 1) teacher qualifications, 2) textbooks, 3) English language, 4) curriculum development, 5) parental awareness and participation, 6) teaching aids, 7) outer-island schools, 8) Marshallese language, and 9) attendance at elementary school level. In the 2003-04, there were 22 JOCV teacher volunteers in 12 public schools and 2 private schools. One JOCV Volunteer is working at the MOE as a counterpart to the Mathematics Curriculum Specialist and Teacher Mentor, and as a Teacher Mentor to some of the schools in the outer-islands. School Name # of JOCV Volunteer(s) Topic Area(s) Ajeltake Elementary School 1 Math Marshall Christian High School 2 Math/PE NIHS 2 Math/Agriculture Woja Elementary School 1 Math MIHS 3 Japanese Language/Science/PE Laura Elementary School 1 Math Assumption High School 2 Math/Music Rairok Elementary School 1 Math Kili Elementary School 1 Music Mili Elementary School 1 Math Jaluit High School 2 Math/Science Uliga Elementary School 1 Math College of the Marshall Islands 2 Japanese Language/Computer Rita Elementary School 1 Math MOE 1 Math Specialist and Teacher Mentor F. National Training Council NTC Council Members Chairperson…………...Mrs. Biram Stege, Secretary of Education Vice-Chairperson……..Mr. Billy Roberts, General Manager of Marshalls Energy Company Member…………..…...Mrs. Luanne Bing, G & L Enterprises Member……………….Mr. Daniel Hone, Ministry of Health Member……………….Mr. Fredrick Muller, Secretary of R&D Member……………….Mr. James Myazoe, Manager, Trust Company Member……………….Mrs. Mona Levi Strauss, Momotaro Corporation The NTC was established in the early 1990s to address the growing need for skilled Marshallese labor in the public and private sectors, to lessen RMI dependency on foreign labor, and to address the growing unemployment rate of unskilled Marshallese. The NTC is a government organization under the jurisdiction of the MOE, and is mandated to oversee all vocational training providers in the RMI. The NTC is staffed with three full-time Marshallese employees: a Director, a Fiscal Officer, and a Senior Trade Testing Officer. The Director manages and directs the activities of the NTC approved by the Council. The Fiscal Officer’s roles and responsibilities include administering all functions of the administration, overseeing the budget of NTC, and working closely with the Director to help move the activities of the NTC. The Senior Trade Testing Officer has been transferred to Assistant Secretary of Property at the MOE. 31 Ministry of Education Annual Report FY 04 I. NTC Activities The NTC is very active in funding skills training in the RMI and financially assisting RMI citizens for vocational training. To date, the NTC has funded the following training activities: Description NTC Contribution CMI – Tourism and Hospitality $ 22,000.00 Tuition / Kenneth Heine / Anderson Aviation School $ 6,547.00 Tuition / Bill Labija / USP Majuro Center $ 308.00 Tuition / Wilbur Heine / Department of Internal Health $ 11,777.25 Waan Aelon in Majol Project $ 16,395.00 Registration / Rondio Jomuly / APIPA Conference $ 175.00 PIALA Conference / 5 Library Participants $ 6,980.00 Dentistry Training Grant / Phillip Lajar $ 735.00 Pacific Education Conference / 2 participants $ 4,283.00 TOTAL $ 69,200.25 II. Certification Program Under the NTC Certification Program, a management course was sponsored. The participants were individuals who already held managerial positions in the public sector. Three sessions were conducted with twelve participants from each of the ministries attending. All 36 participants were awarded a Certificate of Completion in the Essentials of Management. The Waan Aelon in Majol Project requested NTC certification of their Woodworking and Carpentry Training Program (woodworking, boat building, basic carpentry, Basic English and Mathematics). NTC is mandated to certify all training programs in the RMI. In addition, the Tourism and Hospitality Training Program, a jointly funded project under WIA and NTC, has been given a certification approval. III. Constraints There are several key constraints for the program: The NTC is the recipient of the alien workers fee collection. This is the fund that has been allocated to train Marshallese citizens in developing their skills in their respective workplaces, since its establishment in 1991. The collection has been inadequately collected for a number of reasons including lack of collaboration among involved parties. These parties include; the Foreign Ministry Labor Division, which is where registration and monitoring of alien workers is done, the Ministry of Finance, which is the collector and cashier of the fund, and the National Training Council, which is the beneficiary of the fund. Because of this constraint, each year, there are insufficient funds collected to meet the demand of training in the public and the private sector. New plans to enhance the capabilities of the NTC make it essential to hire new staff. An Executive Secretary of the Administration Assistant Director and a Research and Information Officer is needed to ensure appropriate implementation of NTC mandates. 32 Ministry of Education Annual Report FY 04 G. ADB: Skills Training & Vocational Educational Loan Project The loan for the project was approved by ADB in November of 2000 for SDR 5,276,000 (US$ 6.8 million equivalent) and became effective on January 29, 2001. The Loan closing date of the Project is June 30, 2005. Total contracts awarded to date amount to $4.3 million with total disbursements of $4.0 million (disbursements include the $0.3 million imprest account). To date the Project Implementation Unit (PIU) has submitted withdrawal applications that have been fully paid by ADB. RMI’s share paid out to date is $0.8 million. . Though there were early delays in the civil works component, due to inappropriate bids, all of the civil works endeavors have been completed with the exception of the renovation of the MIHS cafeteria. The cafeteria will be completed in FY 2005. I. Developing a Career Awareness Program A career awareness program has been partially instituted in the public high schools. JHS has fully implemented the program with partial implementation at NIHS and MIHS. The program will be implemented at LHS in the 2004-05 school year. Career counseling offices and classrooms have been completed at NIHS and JHS at a cost of $650,000. These buildings have been furnished with supplies and equipment at a cost of $96,600 and were shipped in August 2004. Teacher training for career awareness was completed and equipment, books and materials were supplied by the project at a cost of $96,500. II. Improving Skills Training (i) One-Stop and Skills Training Centers The One-Stop Centers on Majuro, Wotje and Jaluit have been completed at a cost of $415,000. Furniture was purchased at a cost of $124,000 and shipped to all the centers. All equipment has been purchased and delivered. MOU’s with guidelines for the use of the Centers have been produced and signed between the MOE, NIHS, and JHS. A boat building training facility was completed by the Project in Majuro at a cost of $187,000. The building was supplied with tools and equipment at a cost of $33,000. The component has already completed several hybrid fiberglass/wood traditional canoes for the elementary schools. These boats were constructed by boat building trainees. The five-classroom building on the MIHS campus has been completed. Furniture, books, equipment and materials have been purchased and delivered. The first entering class began in January 2004. Total cost for construction of the five-classroom building was $367,800. An additional $109,304 was spent for furniture and equipment. (ii) Skills Training Program Monitoring teams continued to travel to the outer islands to assess training needs. These trips were partially financed by the Project for the amount of $71,000. An aquaculture pilot project has been instituted at JHS. Teachers previously trained in aquaculture under the project, have instructed the students in the propagation of aquarium grade clams, pearl oysters and aquarium grade coral. The total cost of the training, equipment and follow up visits by trainers JHS Aquaculture students goi 33ng out to work on their clam farm Ministry of Education Annual Report FY 04 was $99,500. JHS students spent the 2003-04 school year setting up the aquaculture project and tending the clams, oysters and coral. So far, the Project has been deemed a great success and further pilot projects are planned for NIHS and MIHS. (iii) Curriculum Development A curriculum for students unable to enter high school has been completed by the curriculum consultants from PREL at a cost of $141,000. This primarily includes computer-assisted learning in numeracy and literacy. Classes for these students began in January 2004 with an enrollment of 94 students. The classes were held under the auspices of the newly established NVTI under the MOE. Funding of $58,000 for teachers in the program was supplied by WIA. A second year of WIA funding for the teachers was applied for and approved in June of 2004. A member of the WorldTeach Program was utilized as a computer instructor for the initial school year. A new WorldTeach member has been appointed computer instructor for the 2004-05 school year. A curriculum development consultant has been recruited to develop curricula for a high school dropout program. This consultant will begin work in September 2004. The diploma equivalency program will begin at the completion of the curriculum. III. Special Training Program for Women and Youth (i) Community Outreach Program Facilities for outreach training programs have been completed on Jaluit, Ebeye, and Wotje at a cost of $157,000. The buildings have been furnished with equipment supplies and materials at a cost of $128,000 and which were delivered in September 2004. Further outreach programs for women and youth on other outer islands will be developed once the consultants are on board. The aquaculture program mentioned previously under Section II, has elements of the community outreach program imbedded in its design. Women and unemployed youth will be targeted to take part in aquaculture workshops and training programs to be held in the outer islands. (ii) Training Units for Women and Youth Special training units have been constructed on Wotje, Jaluit and Ebeye and are included in the outreach training facilities listed above in Part G.II.(i). In addition, four staff houses have been constructed and furnished on Ebeye and Wotje for a cost of $376,000. (iii) Women’s Training and Marketing Information Center Construction of the WTMIC has been completed at a cost of $157,000. An MOU has been signed between the MOE and the MIA. MIA will manage and staff the building with personnel coming from the Women’s Division of MIA. The project engaged a gender specialist to work with the MIA’s Women’s Division on marketing and handicraft production in September 2004. IV. Institutional Capacity (i) Monitoring System Data collection for the computer based monitoring system for the project is ongoing. The project manager has submitted quarterly reports on a regular basis since December 2002. 34 Ministry of Education Annual Report FY 04 (ii) Staff Development As mentioned under the Staff Development section, the San Diego State University Master’s Program is 50% complete. Presently there are 21 MOE staff members enrolled and working towards a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership. The Master’s candidates traveled to San Diego in the summer of 2004 to complete the on campus portion of the program. Total cost of the contract is $300,000. H. National Vocational Training Institute The National Vocational Training Institute (NVTI) is still in a development stage. With the assistance of the ADB/Education Loan Project, the Work Investment Act (WIA), and the National Training Council (NTC), the Institute is a three tiered system aimed at vocational and skills training in the RMI. The first tier is directed towards those students that for whatever reason were not admitted to high school. The emphasis on this training is Math and English skills along with basic computer training. The ADB/Education Loan Project has completed a five classroom building on the MIHS campus as well as completing the Tier I curriculum. Equipment, books, and supplies were also purchased using ADB Project funds. WIA provided funds for four instructors and one WorldTeach volunteer was selected to teach computer skills. Classes began in January of 2004 with 94 students enrolled. In June 2004, WIA provided an additional year’s salaries for four teachers. The second tier is for students who completed the first tier and those who have attended, but not completed high school, and are not eligible for reentry. The emphasis will be on English and Math with advanced computer training. The ADB Project has provided funds for the renovation of the MIHS cafeteria, which will be completed in early FY 2005 and used for Teir II students. The ADB Project also engaged a Tier II curriculum development consultant in September 2004. The object of the program is to award a GED to graduating students. The third tier is for high school or GED graduates. This program is multi-faceted, aimed at training students in specific skills or vocations. Included will be skills and vocational programs offered by CMI, USP, overseas colleges and schools, local non-traditional organizations, and local apprenticeship programs. All programs under the third tier must by certified and monitored by NTC. Programs chosen for this tier will be based on the NTC Labor Survey Report results. Tier I and Tier II are aimed at training students to be trainable. Actual applied vocational and skills studies will take place in Tier III. I. Workforce Investment Act WIA is a US federally funded program, which provides funding for skills training projects and labor-oriented initiatives developed and managed by various local government and non- government agencies and community organizations. A complete 2004 narrative will be provided under separate cover by the WIA organization. 35 Ministry of Education Annual Report FY 04 J. Pacific Resources for Education and Learning (PREL) The U.S. based, Pacific Resources for Education and Learning (PREL) is an independent organization that provides education services to the RMI. It works in collaboration with the MOE to develop and enhance local education initiatives and programs. The following are on-going PREL-supported Math and Science activities: Activity Person Outcome Responsible 1. Science University of 1. Trained elementary school teachers during the summer on Summer Institutes Hawaii Lab standards-based teaching strategies and standards-based to enable the School Trainers curriculum-support materials in science. Implementation of +MOE Science 2. Project started during the summer of 2001. Each summer, for the RMI Science Specialist + two weeks teachers attend a science institutes to learn Standards – RMI Science Training activities/lessons that will help them implement the science DASH Training Cadre Members curriculum standards. 3. Summer 2004: 4 instructors from UH conducted four institutes simultaneously. Around 120 teachers, mostly from outer islands participated this summer. A total of around 300 elementary teachers have been trained. All trained teachers are given science manuals to teach in their classrooms. 4. Limited amount of learning materials (papers, markers, measuring tools, etc) have been purchased by PREL and distributed to teachers to help carry out the learning activities 2. Training of UH instructors Trainers – Science To help build local capacity, PREL has been supporting the and Math Training Juanita Rilometo training of chosen teachers (teachers who have the potential to Cadre (coordinator) become teacher trainers) to attend off-island intensive training in Hawaii. The objective is to develop a group (M/S Training Cadre) of teachers to help train/coach other teachers to become more effective math and science teachers. To date, 14 teachers have participated in these off-island institutes (6 from Majuro Middle School, 6 from Ajeltake Elementary School, 1 from Uliga Elementary School, and 1 from Rita Elementary School). During the 2003 Summer Institutes three of the Cadre members from Majuro Middle School acted as training assistants to the UH instructors Summer 2004: 4 Cadre members assisted, led by Winne Benjamin 3. Math/Science Principal 1. Ajeltake Elementary is in the second year of being a Intensive Site Math/Science Intensive Site for school year 2003-2005, where the Planning Science following will be done: Specialist a. Review of School Improvement Plan for math and science will be carried out on August 24, 2004. M/S Training b. Activities for school year will be planned out on the same day. Cadre 2. Majuro Middle School completed its term of being the first intensive site for math and science activities last school year. 3. $2,500 was donated by PREL’s Math and Science Consortium to purchase math and science teaching and learning materials. Orders were made and materials received by Middle School in July 2004. 4. Math Bedinin Joseph, 1. The Math Mentoring Project assist in training new teachers on Mentoring Project (Coordinator) math content knowledge and standards-based teaching and assessment strategies in mathematics. Started in 2002, the Project Lucy Castano completed the second cycle of training last May 2004. The third 36 Ministry of Education Annual Report FY 04 (CMI Rep.) cycle will begin the first Saturday in September. 2. To accommodate teachers (and mentors) a Math Institute is held Harold Rilometo for one week during the summer with succeeding institutes held (CMI Rep.) on a Saturday, each month for the whole school year. 3. Project as of date are: Rubon Jacklik - 12 novice teachers trained and coached by the mentors during (Teacher Rep.) school year 2002-2003 from Ajeltake, DES, UES, and RES. (These were the schools that expressed interest in having their new Juanita Rilometo teachers trained in Math skills and content knowledge). (M/S Liaison) 4. 13 more new teachers were added during the school year 2003- 2004, bringing the total number up to 25 teachers. 5. Another group (up to 20) will be added on during this school year. Majuro Middle School and Rairok Elementary School are being added as mentoring schools during 2004-2005. 6. Two professional development institutes for the mentors, themselves, were carried during last school year, one in Hawaii and one in American Samoa. The next Institutes for mentors are scheduled for next May 2005, in Yap State, FSM. 5. Outer Islands Juanita Rilometo 1. During January 2004, one week of training was carried out in Professional Wojte for all the teachers of Wotje Atoll. Focus of the training Development of Harold Rilometo included: teachers - Math and Science Standards - Standards-based teaching strategies - Classroom observations - Teaching demonstrations - Classroom assessment 2. Follow-up training (Phase 2 training) was held for another week during the Spring Break; March 2004. Focus included: - Further observations and coaching of teachers - Monitoring of curriculum standards implementation - Curriculum mapping and alignment of lessons and resources with the standards - Follow-up training on standards implementation 6. Outer Islands Juanita Sessions were carried out for parents during SY 2003-2004, at Parental and Rilometo, Wotje, Wodmej, Kili, Ebeye, and Ebon elementary schools to help Community Science increase involvement of parents in their children’s education. Involvement Specialist Topics covered were: 1. Discussion of roles and responsibilities of parents Evelyn Joseph, 2. Awareness Session of the curriculum standards and PREL Service expectations with parents and community members Center 3. Assessment methods and how parents can help their children Coordinator perform better in school. 4. Discussion of Teacher Substitute Program. 5. Monitoring of Teacher Absenteeism. 6. Set up the Cluster PTA Concept (Wotje, Kili, Ebeye, and Ebon) 7. Updates of latest development at the Ministry 8. Principal training for the new schools 9. Provide technical assistance to the Majuro schools 10. Provide professional development to teacher clusters 11. Continued training for teachers on the RMI standards 12. Pacific child work at Delap Elementary continued 7. Reading Nature Juanita Three sessions of ‘Reading Nature’ were conducted during this Mini Project Rilometo, school year. Two were carried out in Wotje, one at Ajeltake Science Elementary School, and one at the WUTMI Conference in Ebeye. Specialist Purpose of the sessions include: 37 Ministry of Education Annual Report FY 04 - Developing understanding and appreciation of how Marshallese traditionally ‘read’ or acquire and interpret knowledge of their surroundings - Connecting traditional science with ‘modern’ science - Making connections between traditional story-telling and motivation of reading interest in children - Trying to bring back traditional knowledge that is becoming to be lost In addition, the PREL program has supported the MOE in the following areas: • Reviewed current federal grant programs to be cashed-out under the SEG and provided recommendations for the integration of the programs • Reviewed and provided training on early childhood education and curriculum development • Implemented PIRC federal grant to support the development of parent cluster groups for the schools • Provided consultancies in the development of Marshallese History Book and other Marshallese Language Arts materials and resources • Provided consultancies in the review and development of secondary education (focus on Ebeye Public High School) IV. EDUCATION DATA AND STATISTICAL ABSTRACT A. Student Enrollment and Performance Data (i) School Enrollment Table 1 illustrates the general enrollment in public and private schools, as well as Head Start programs. Table 1: Head Start, Primary and Secondary School Enrollment – SY 2003-2004 Number Schools Schools Teachers Boys Girls Total ST Ratio Head Start Centers 49 129 649 611 1,260 9.8 Public Elementary & Secondary 79 693 5,350 4,779 10,129 14.6 Private Elementary & Secondary 39 313 2,201 2,311 4,512 14.4 Total 167 1,135 8,200 7,701 15,901 14.0 In the RMI, there are 1,135 teachers teaching 15,901 students. A majority of these students and teachers are spread throughout the 75 public elementary schools and four public secondary schools. 38 Ministry of Education Annual Report FY 04 Table 2 illustrates the trends in enrollment over the last five school years. Elementary and secondary enrollment (not including Head Start) has increased since SY 1999-2000. Though enrollment dipped in SY 2001-2002, numbers are now increasing. The enrollment for 2003/2004 is higher than has been in the past five years. Table 2: Elementary and Secondary School Enrollment Trends– SY 1998-99 to 2003-04 School 99/00 00/01 01/02 02/03 03/04 Elementary Public 8,719 8,449 8,016 8,221 8,677 Private 2,976 3,001 3,004 2,782 2,783 Total 11,695 11,450 11,020 11,003 11,460 Secondary Public 1,118 1,380 1,408 1,445 1,452 Private 1,357 1,473 1,450 1,686 1,729 Total 2,475 2,853 2,858 3,131 3,181 All Levels Public 9,837 9,829 9,424 9,666 10,129 Private 4,333 4,474 4,454 4,468 4,512 Total 14,170 14,303 13,878 14,134 14,641 The overall increase for this 5-year period can be attributed to the increase in secondary students. Secondary student enrollment has increased by an overall 28% since SY 1999-2000. This increase is due a 334 student increase in public schools and a 436 student increase in private schools. Charts 1 and 2 illustrate the shares of the elementary and secondary enrollments by public and private schools. Public education accounts for about three-quarters of the elementary level enrollment, while the public secondary education provides less than half of the total secondary enrollment. Charts 1 and 2: Enrollments SY 2003-04 Chart 1 Chart 2 Secondary Enrollm ent - School Year 03/04 Elem entary Enrollm ent - School Year 03/04 Secondary Enrollm ent - School Year 03/04 2 ,78 3 1,452 Public 1,452 Private 1,729 Pub lic Public Privat e Private 1,729 8 ,6 77 39 Ministry of Education Annual Report FY 04 Table 3 presents the trend in the number of teachers over the last five school years. The significant increase from the prior year in public school elementary teachers is due to the increased focus on filling vacant positions, especially in the outer islands. Table 3: Elementary and Secondary Teacher Trends SY 1999-00 to 2003-04 School 99/00 00/01 01/02 02/03 03/04 Elementary Public 436 459 447 506 558 Private 194 205 209 192 189 Total 630 664 656 698 747 Secondary Public 81 66 81 87 87 Private 116 95 110 120 124 Total 197 161 191 207 211 All Levels Public 517 525 528 593 645 Private 310 300 319 312 313 Total 827 825 847 905 958 Chart 3 and 4 indicate in graphic form the numbers of teachers working in the public and private sectors, for elementary and secondary education. Charts 3 and 4: Teacher Numbers SY 2003-04 Chart 3 Chart 4 Elementary Teachers School Year - 03/04 Secondary Teachers S chool Y ear - 03/04 A detailed analysis of the gender profile of the data over the last five school years is shown in the charts below. Charts 5, 6, and 189 7 illustrate the percentage of enrollment that 87 Public is made up of female students. Given that Public Private slightly more males than females are born Private on average, an equal distribution of access to 124 558 education would have females participating at about 48.5% (based on the 1999 census). Across all grades and school types, the The percentage of students that are females in the RMI is 48.5%, about what equal participation would expect. In public schools across all grades, 47.2% of the students are female, a slightly lower rate than equal access would require. Chart 5: Enrollment Profile by Gender SY 99/00 – 03/04 Pe r ce n tag e o f En r o llm e n t - Fe m ale 52 51 50 e 49 t a g 48 e r cen P 47 46 45 99/00 00/01 01/02 02/03 03/04 Sch o o l Ye ar Public Students Priv ate Students A l Students 40 Ministry of Education Annual Report FY 04 The percentage of female enrollment in elementary grades only (Chart 6) is 47.8%. The private school female enrollment of 49.8% brings up the average, while the public school female enrollment of 46.8%, makes the total average under the norm. This lower than equal participation rate amongst public elementary schools, has been consistently below 48% in the past three years. Chart 6: Elementary Enrollment Profile by Gender SY 99/00 – 03/04 Percentage of Enrollm ent Fem ale- Elem entary 52 51 50 e 49 t a g 48 e r cen 47 P 46 45 44 99/00 00/01 01/02 02/03 03/04 School Year Public Students Private Students Al Students Though the overall percentage of secondary females has decreased when compared to the prior year (chart 7), the average is still hovering above 50%. In the SY 2003-2004, there was a slight increase of females in the private schools, while there was more significant decrease of females in the public schools. With secondary education generally above the 50% mark for female enrollment, it can be implied that the female students are participating slightly above their expected rate. Chart 7: Elementary Enrollment Profile by Gender SY 99/00 – 03/04 Percentage of Enrollment Fem ale- Secondary 52.50 52.00 51.50 51.00 e 50.50 t a g 50.00 e r cen P 49.50 49.00 48.50 48.00 99/00 00/01 01/02 02/03 03/04 School Year Public Students Private Students Al Students Patterns in gender enrollment by grade are shown in Table 4 below. In the case of the elementary schools, the female enrollment percentage for each specific grade is less than the expected rate of 41 Ministry of Education Annual Report FY 04 48.5%. The female enrollment for the secondary schools shows the opposite results, with each specific grade enrollment greater than the 48.5% norm. Table 4: Percentage Female Enrollment Year 99/00 00/01 ½ 02/03 03/04 Pre/Special 52.8% 54.2% 50.3% 45.0% 49.4% Grade 1 47.4% 50.3% 47.4% 47.3% 46.9% Grade 2 47.9% 49.3% 48.2% 49.3% 46.7% Grade 3 45.6% 48.5% 48.5% 51.3% 50.4% Grade 4 48.5% 43.7% 47.9% 47.8% 47.9% Grade 5 47.2% 50.8% 43.0% 47.1% 45.8% Grade 6 49.0% 46.8% 50.7% 45.8% 48.3% Grade 7 49.6% 48.9% 46.5% 49.8% 46.2% Grade 8 50.9% 51.0% 50.2% 50.7% 51.2% Grade 9 52.2% 52.5% 50.1% 50.1% 49.9% Grade 10 51.5% 48.5% 50.4% 49.5% 49.4% Grade 11 48.6% 51.0% 51.6% 53.2% 51.6% Grade 12 47.4% 49.3% 48.1% 52.3% 52.8% Total Elementary 48.4% 48.8% 47.9% 48.5% 47.8% Total Secondary 50.5% 50.5% 50.2% 51.0% 50.7% Grand Total 48.8% 49.2% 48.4% 49.1% 48.4% (ii) High School Entrance Test Exam Results Chart 10: High School Entrance Test 1994 to 2004 Average Weighted Scores: 1994-2004 50 45 r e s c o 40 S 35 t ed h 30 e i g 25 Chart 10: High School Entrance Test 1994 to 2004 e W 20 v e r ag 15 A 10 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 All Public Private Chart 10 above illustrates the trend in the High School Entrance Test results over time. The pass rate for the exam is adjusted to meet the number of places available in public secondary schools. The test results over time are difficult to compare as the tests’ level of difficulty varies each year. For some years, where an identical test was used, the results are more comparable. The years that have used identical tests are as follows: • 1998 and 2001 • 1999, 2000, and 2002 42 Ministry of Education Annual Report FY 04 The test for SY 2003-04 was a new test but based on a similar design as prior tests. As depicted in Chart 10, the SY 2003-2004 average test scores decreased in both the public and private schools. As the average scores decreased proportionally across schools, it can be assumed that the lower scores are correlated to the increased difficulty of the 03/04 test. As assessment experts have not been employed, the usage of the High School Entrance Test can not be deemed as an accurate reflection of academic progress, yet should be used only as a means of student categorization. In order to utilize the test as an achievement indicator, assessment experts from PREL will be contracted for the SY 2005-2006 to create, grade, and analyze the high school entrance test. Chart 11: High School Entrance Test by Subject Average % Correct Scores 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.1 0.0 h th se al Ma alth Tot Englis tudies alle Science He l S rsh cia Ma So % Correct Scores Public Schools Non-Public Schools All Chart 11 depicts the break-down of High School Entrance Test results by subject. The test results show a clear discrepancy between the public and private schools when it comes to Language Arts. The public schools scored higher than the private schools in Marshallese Language. Yet, the inverse is true for the English Language, as the private schools scored much higher than the public schools. The differing language of instruction between the public and private schools explains these contrary Language Arts scores. In the other areas of instruction such as Math, Science, Social Studies, and Health, there is very little discrepancy between the public and private schools. B. Teacher Qualifications Chart 12: Qualifications of Public School Teachers SY 2003-04 Qualification of Teacher-Public Schools - SY 03/04 est h i g 60 r h ei 50 n o 40 Elementary 30 i s as th Secondary i f i cati al 20 th Total i t h Qu 10 t w 0 a e r cen aster 4Yr 2Yr P M Certificate Qual not resolved High School Diplom Award 43 Ministry of Education Annual Report FY 04 Only 50% of public elementary teachers have more than a high school diploma. The chart above (Chart 12) provides a clear indication of the lack of qualified teachers in the RMI public schools. The statistics in the chart represent a high proportion of 4-year degree holders who are expatriates, thereby skewing the overall picture of local teacher capacity. C. Tertiary Education The USP center and CMI are the only local providers of post-secondary education in the RMI. Like CMI, USP provides some vocational certificates and foundation programs, in addition to diploma and full-degree programs. Most of its full degree programs are accessed via the USPNET. As of 2004, total enrollment for the USP Project is 72 (preliminary and foundation courses only). Of these 72 students, 34 are males and 38 are females. For the USP Center (degree/certificate/diploma courses only), total enrollment is 53, with 21 males and 32 females. The following charts illustrate CMI’s enrollment profile for SY 2003-04: Chart 13: CMI Enrollment Profile by Course Level Enrollment Numbers by Course Level SY 2003-2004 450 400 s 350 nt 300 t ude Fall 250 S Spring 200 r of e b Summer 150 m u 100 N 50 0 Degree Developmental Course Level Looking at the total enrollment figures for Chart 13 above, it is clear a larger proportion of the student population is taking credit-level courses. For the fall Semester, the percentage of incoming and continuing students taking developmental level courses is approximately 36%. Though it is a slight increase from 2002-2003, it is a dramatic drop from former year’s enrollment figures, which often indicated that, on average, nearly 70% of all CMI students were enrolled in developmental level courses. Chart 14: CMI Enrollment Profile by Degree CMI Enrollment Profile by Degree SY 2003-2004 250 t s 200 en d t u 150 Fal f S Spring 100 e r o Summer b m 50 Nu 0 Education Nursing Liberal Arts Business Other Studies Course Level 44 Ministry of Education Annual Report FY 04 As depicted in Chart 14, Business Studies and Liberal Arts are the most popular degree choices. For the mainstream student population (fall and spring term), Education is the third most popular choice. In the summer, when teachers return for training, Education yields the highest enrollment. The fourth degree choice is Nursing, followed by the Other category, which is comprised of six vocational related degrees. Chart 15: CMI Enrollment Profile by Gender Enrollment by Gender SY 2003-04 Female, 632 Male Female Male, 852 With 57% of the enrollment, males constitute a majority of CMI’s enrollment profile. When comparing the 43% of female participation at CMI with the 50% of female participation at the secondary level, there is a noticeable drop of females going on to the college level. V. FISCAL YEAR 2004 ANNUAL BUDGET A. Budget Profile Table 1: MOE Spending FY 2004 Compact and General Fund Spending Breakdown FY 04 Education Sector General % Compact % Total % Elementary $ 579,098 20% $4,632,893 47% $ 5,211,991 41% Secondary $ 30,020 1% $1,653,757 17% $ 1,683,777 13% Tertiary $ 664,226 23% $1,567,593 16% $ 2,231,819 17% Administration $1,577,998 55% $2,102,948 21% $ 3,680,947 29% Total $2,851,342 100% $9,957,191 100% $12,808,534 100% General Fund allocation for elementary education includes 84% of WorldTeach allocation. General Fund allocation for secondary education includes 16% of WorldTeach allocation. Tertiary education is inclusive of CMI and vocational education. Administration is composed of direct administrative costs, scholarship, Aid to Private Schools and curriculum. Source: MOE 45 Ministry of Education Annual Report FY 04 Chart 1: General Fund Spending General Fund Percentage Breakdown by Education Sector FY04 Elementary 20% Administration Secondary 56% 1% Tertiary 23% Chart 2: Compact Spending Compact Fund Percentage Breakdown by Education Sector FY04 Administration 21% Elementary 46% Tertiary 16% Secondary 17% (Does not include IDMP) 46 Ministry of Education Annual Report FY 04 Chart 3: General Fund and Compact Spending Percentage Bre akdown of All Fund Sources for E ducation FY04 General Fund Federal 13% Grants 41% Compact Fund 46% (Does not include IDMP) Chart 4: Total Spending Percentage Breakdown of All Fund Sources for Education FY04 General Fund Federal 13% Grants 41% Compact Fund 46% (Does not include IDMP) In FY04, 87% of the MOE’s administrative and affiliated programs budget were composed of Compact and US federal grant funds (IDMP funds are not included into the calculations). 47 Ministry of Education Annual Report FY 04 Chart 5: Global Budget vs. Education Sector Global Budget vs. Education Sector Budget FY04 Education Budget 26% Global Budet 74% Education budget includes IDMP allocation to MOE ($10 million, not actual IDMP expenditure in FY04. Please refer to the IDMP section in Section II Part E) VI. 2005 AND ONWARDS A. Constraints The MOE continues to face similar constraints as it had in the past. The main constraints are as follows: • Lack of qualified management and administrative staff to efficiently and effectively manage education programs and initiatives • Lack of qualified and/or certified teachers and school administrators • Lack of classroom space and school facilities to expand enrollment and improve education outcomes • Lack of adequate funding for instructional materials and supplies • Lack of Marshallese Language Arts instructional materials to support curriculum subject areas • Low participation of parents, communities, and local governments in the education process • Immediate hiring of needed staff and dismissal of under-performing employees has been problematic. It is clear that the institutional framework of the MOE has to be reviewed in order to identify weaknesses in the management. Other areas in need of review are project implementation, performance monitoring, and MOE’s budget and programs. Continued poor academic performance from both the elementary and high school students indicates that there are weaknesses in the way in which the MOE monitors and evaluates teacher performance. 48 Ministry of Education Annual Report FY 04 B. Plan of Action The Ministry is implementing a revised curriculum for elementary education, with the accompanying student assessment tools, which are based on benchmarks drawn up by the curriculum development staff. The introduction of a universal kindergarten program will enhance the quality of elementary education. In addition, the Ministry is embarking on a revised Secondary curriculum with the necessary assessment tools. With the support of the new Compact and the Supplemental Education Grant, the Ministry envisions an enhanced quality of education in both the elementary and secondary levels. The introduction of teacher testing will enable the Ministry to identify those teachers who need further training English writing and reading skills. The MOE has developed and instituted the Teacher Orientation Program for newly hired teachers. This program is aimed at explaining to teachers their roles and responsibilities, and the rules and regulations concerning issues such as teacher absenteeism, teacher qualifications, curriculum benchmarks, etc. This is the first time the MOE has instituted such a program. It is hoped that programs of this nature will ensure that teaching staff are fully aware of the MOE’s expectations of their performance. With the introduction of NVTI, the Ministry will provide an alternative education program for those eighth grade graduates who are not attending high school. The institute will additionally address to vocational and skills training needs of the country. The MOE has been making much more of an effort to include parents and the community in the decision-making processes of the MOE, particularly in its support of school PTAs and information dissemination sessions to the public. The MOE now has a weekly radio program managed by the MOE Media Program, broadcasted through the national radio station, V7AB, sharing information to the public about various educational issues and MOE programs. Compact II capital funding will provide the Ministry, especially the schools, with much needed infrastructure improvement. In the first three years these funds will be used to build new classrooms on all Majuro elementary school campuses and public high school campuses. The infrastructure improvement will be focused on upgrading outer island elementary schools are being made. This will result in enhanced the learning environment As a result of the Ministry being required by the terms of Compact II to submit a quarterly Performance Budget report, there will be greater clarity of responsibility and management. In conclusion, it can be stated that the MOE is making a concerted effort to improve education outcomes in the RMI, and to address the constraints mentioned above. The MOE is now moving in the right direction. However, it must further be stated that drastic improvements in national education outcomes will not be readily seen in the next couple of years, but rather in the next five to ten years. Education improvement takes time and must be a collaborative effort by the national and local governments, parents and traditional leaders. As such, the government and community members must take a more pro-active role in supporting the MOE and the schools in all their activities and programs. 49 Document Outline
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