Measuring Early Learning and Development of Children in Bogotá, Colombia

Los Andes University was commissioned by the Education Secretariat of Bogotá to oversee the technical design and the analysis of a pilot study to test the current tool used by the city to assess children’s development, the System for the Evaluation of Early Childhood Development (SVDI). As part of this project, the University will be doing a concurrent validity study using IDELA as an alternative measurement tool. From July to November, 2017, IDELA will be used to collect data in nearly 60 schools in 110 locations, from total of 2300 children.

As part of its partnership with Los Andes University, Save the Children delivered a four-day long IDELA training to 12 assessors in June, 2017. The training was composed of two days of classroom sessions and two pilot days in the field. The classroom sessions covered the background behind IDELA, it’s adaptation to the Bogotá context, and how to administer the tool in tablets using KoBo. The sessions contained lectures as well as group and practice exercises.

On the pilot days, the facilitator and team of assessors visited two preschools, Jardín El Carmen and Jardín Funtalentos, to apply what they had learned. Each day, assessors practiced the tool with three to four children with ages ranging from three to six years old. The training concluded with a team reflection, asking questions and getting answers about their practical experience using IDELA in the preschools.