Latest news with #FLN
Hans India
2 days ago
- General
- Hans India
Training held for 1.12L teachers across State
Hyderabad: In a bid to enhance educational quality and empower educators, around 1,12,882 teachers were trained by the Education Department, Telangana. The initiative covered a total of 25,356 government, local body, TREIS, Model Schools, KGBVs, and URS institutions. To ensure optimal participation and coverage, the training was organised in three phases in a cascade mode, each spanning five days. A total of 1,12,882 teachers and Headmasters out of 1,16,084 completed the training. According to officials, the training programme was spearheaded by 5,605 resource persons and focused on key areas such as: Enhancing student learning outcomes- Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) for primary classes (1-5) and Learning Improvement Program (LIP) for secondary classes (6-9) innovative teaching-learning methodologies, assessment practices, digital literacy (AI, ICT, IFPs) departmental initiatives, creating a drug-free school environment and adolescent safety and empowerment.
The Hindu
3 days ago
- General
- The Hindu
Over 1.12 lakh teachers trained ahead of new academic year in State
The Department of School Education under its teacher training programme has completed training for teachers and headmasters covering 25,356 various government, local body, urban residential and model schools ahead of the beginning of the 2025-26 academic year. The programme was conducted in three five-day spells from May 13 to 31. Over 5,600 trainers of teachers led the sessions for 1,12,882 teachers. A total of 1,165 teachers who would retire in July 2025 were exempted from the training, and another 3,202 teachers were availing various leaves and they would be trained in the mop-up programme. In all, about 97.24% of the teachers completed the training modules. According to Director, School Education, E.V. Narasimha Reddy, trainings were organised strategically — high school teachers at the district level and primary school teachers were trained at the mandal level. Their daily attendance was tracked with the Telangana School Education mobile app. The pre- and post-training tests for the teachers were conducted using the mobile application, which also generated individual training certificates. The training programme was essential and was aimed at improving Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) for primary classes and Learning Improvement Program (LIP) for secondary classes. The five-day modules familiarised and tested the teachers on innovative teaching-learning methodologies, digital literacy and tools such as Artificial Intelligence, Information Communication Technology and IFPs, departmental initiatives, creating drug-free school environment, adolescent safety and empowerment, and assessment practices.
Time of India
3 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Nipun Maharashtra Mission: Lakhs of mothers turn teachers to prepare tiny tots for school
1 2 3 4 5 6 Nashik: In Maharashtra , lakhs of mothers transformed into educators for young children, helping prepare them for their academic journey. More than 11 lakh women with a minimum qualification of Standard X received training to assist children in their neighbourhoods develop essential school-readiness skills. With formal education starting in Standard I from June, many children, particularly in tribal, rural and remote regions, lack fundamental skills in literacy, numeracy and communication. These women received training through the school education department using State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) materials, employing enjoyable learning methods to ease children's transition into schooling. Many women, themselves young mothers, found joy in teaching basic concepts to children this May. "It was like a vacation camp for the children. We made it fun, as most sessions were conducted at home and without any formalities. Most of the children know us because they live nearby and they are friends with our children. It made the entire exercise rewarding," said Aarti Lokhande, a resident of Satana taluka. This initiative stemmed from the March 2022 state govt decision to enhance Foundation Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) for children up to 8 years. The programme, conducted in May during summer holidays, focused on children in Standards I to III. It forms part of the Nipun Maharashtra Mission, implemented with NGO Pratham's support. Sangeeta Bhusare from Trimbakeshwar taluka, Nashik, explained that volunteer mothers formed small groups of five to 10 members. Her daughter currently attends Standard II at a zilla parishad school. "We were given study material and also taught how to make the children understand the concepts. Depending on the locality, each one of us in the group had one to five children to teach. We shared the teaching resources and duties as per our convenience," she said. The sessions, held in participants' homes, concentrated on reading, dictation and basic mathematics. Across Maharashtra, 11.09 lakh mothers participated, with Nashik division recording the highest involvement of 2.05 lakh mothers. SCERT director Rahul Rekhawar said, "Efforts are being made for parental engagement and this is one of the exercises being conducted to ensure their involvement in foundational literacy and numeracy. This will help build children's future." A Foundational Literacy and Numeracy report released in 2024 positioned Maharashtra second among nine large Indian states. State govt conducts yearly assessments of Standard III students to evaluate FLN progress. "My children and those in the neighbourhood would come home every day to learn something. I even had children coming to their grandparents' home for vacation coming over. Children enjoyed singing songs, doing simple mathematics, and reading stories," said Vinita Gavit, a mother from Igatpuri taluka. "Parents' involvement in the studies and building the career of a child is important. While there is awareness in the urban areas, efforts are being made to engage parents in the rural areas for the same. Nipun Maharashtra is one such step, and it is building up. The exercise carried out across the state saw huge involvement of mother,s and this is bound to help improve the children's future," said Sachindra Pratap Singh, the education commissioner. Nashik: In Maharashtra, lakhs of mothers transformed into educators for young children, helping prepare them for their academic journey. More than 11 lakh women with a minimum qualification of Standard X received training to assist children in their neighbourhoods develop essential school-readiness skills. With formal education starting in Standard I from June, many children, particularly in tribal, rural and remote regions, lack fundamental skills in literacy, numeracy and communication. These women received training through the school education department using State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) materials, employing enjoyable learning methods to ease children's transition into schooling. Many women, themselves young mothers, found joy in teaching basic concepts to children this May. "It was like a vacation camp for the children. We made it fun, as most sessions were conducted at home and without any formalities. Most of the children know us because they live nearby and they are friends with our children. It made the entire exercise rewarding," said Aarti Lokhande, a resident of Satana taluka. This initiative stemmed from the March 2022 state govt decision to enhance Foundation Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) for children up to 8 years. The programme, conducted in May during summer holidays, focused on children in Standards I to III. It forms part of the Nipun Maharashtra Mission, implemented with NGO Pratham's support. Sangeeta Bhusare from Trimbakeshwar taluka, Nashik, explained that volunteer mothers formed small groups of five to 10 members. Her daughter currently attends Standard II at a zilla parishad school. "We were given study material and also taught how to make the children understand the concepts. Depending on the locality, each one of us in the group had one to five children to teach. We shared the teaching resources and duties as per our convenience," she said. The sessions, held in participants' homes, concentrated on reading, dictation and basic mathematics. Across Maharashtra, 11.09 lakh mothers participated, with Nashik division recording the highest involvement of 2.05 lakh mothers. SCERT director Rahul Rekhawar said, "Efforts are being made for parental engagement and this is one of the exercises being conducted to ensure their involvement in foundational literacy and numeracy. This will help build children's future." A Foundational Literacy and Numeracy report released in 2024 positioned Maharashtra second among nine large Indian states. State govt conducts yearly assessments of Standard III students to evaluate FLN progress. "My children and those in the neighbourhood would come home every day to learn something. I even had children coming to their grandparents' home for vacation coming over. Children enjoyed singing songs, doing simple mathematics, and reading stories," said Vinita Gavit, a mother from Igatpuri taluka. "Parents' involvement in the studies and building the career of a child is important. While there is awareness in the urban areas, efforts are being made to engage parents in the rural areas for the same. Nipun Maharashtra is one such step, and it is building up. The exercise carried out across the state saw huge involvement of mother,s and this is bound to help improve the children's future," said Sachindra Pratap Singh, the education commissioner.
The Hindu
6 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
As philanthropy backs use of edtech in boosting FLN, critics ask for evidence of efficacy, warn of dangers
With foundational literacy and numeracy programs gaining momentum through the NIPUN-Bharat mission, philanthropy-backed non-profits are exploring edtech integration into primary education and home learning. Among these efforts, Delhi-based Centre Square Foundation launched the LiftEd Edtech Accelerator, a philanthropically funded initiative supporting eight edtech solutions working across 20 States to improve FLN outcomes through funding, mentorship, and capacity-building. While these solutions leverage India's growing smartphone penetration to supplement school learning, educationists warn of three concerns: data privacy risks, persistent digital inequity, and poor understanding of children's learning processes. Abhimanyu Maheshwari, CSF's Senior Project Lead for the accelerator, cites a gap that emerged during the post-COVID edtech boom as the reason for launching the program. 'Most of the edtech solutions catered to the affluent users, with very few providing high-quality digital education to underserved students,' he said. Another trend was that most solutions focused on secondary education, while hardly any innovations addressed FLN learning outcomes, noted Mr. Maheshwari. The accelerator has reached over 5.5 million students, claiming improvements in learning outcomes based on qualitative studies, led by Prof Tarun Jain, Associate Professor of Economics, IIM Ahmedabad, and the Reserve Bank of India Chair in Finance and Economics. A quantitative study is slated for release in October. An internal 2022 CSF study suggests 70% of students spend at least 30 minutes daily on smartphones for entertainment, time that the team believed could be converted into learning hours. 'In government schools, especially, we see minimal practice happening—largely because children get no work to do at home. The accelerator's goal was to introduce structured practice, self-learning, and doubt resolution as an additive to school learning. For example, if a child learns two-digit addition in class, our solutions reinforce it through home practice,' says Gouri Gupta, Project Director for Edtech at CSF. Ms. Gupta notes the accelerator's unique focus on home learning avoids edtech's common criticism of encroaching on school teaching time. Edtech solution models at play Ms Gupta explained that the accelerator includes multiple models, including B2C and government-led partnerships. One B2C example is Top Parent, a free playstore application. 'Digital marketing drives downloads,' said Ms. Gupta. After installation, a diagnostic test assesses the child's level, then recommends learning packages with videos and interactive activities. These help master concepts like fractions through practice, with incentives to sustain engagement. 'In most government schools, every class has a WhatsApp group that includes teachers. We add the Rocket Learning bot to these groups,' she explains, citing the Rocket Learning Bot as a government partnership model. The bot shares content and activities, like asking children to watch a counting video and then count red objects at home while parents share videos of the activity. 'This model incentivises participation and builds community engagement,' she notes, adding that the bot also shares worksheets for annotation. Pramod Kumar, a primary school teacher in Ghaziabad's Bhatjan, described how Chimple, a solution that's a part of the accelerator, aided classroom learning. He observed how the play-based activities built curiosity among the students. 'The app made homework so much fun, students began asking why we weren't assigning it,' he said. 'We made sure to involve parents, oriented them about the application and how students can use it. Parents also discussed how data recharge can be a hindrance in accessing the app.' Mr. Kumar also explained how Chimple's interactive audio feature works, 'For alphabet learning, the feature asks the students to identify letters. The student listens to the question and chooses the right option.' An associate professor from Delhi University's Faculty of Education, on condition of anonymity, said that we must be wary of how edtech solutions vary in promoting meaningful learning. She cited the Tara app, used in KV schools for FLN programs, 'It assesses fluency based on reading speed—passages are thrown at students, who are evaluated on words per minute. This risks reducing reading to a performative, isolated skill, with no measure of whether children understand the content.' Educationist Anita Rampal, former Dean of Delhi University's Faculty of Education, also urges caution. She argues that even with customised learning, technology integration falls short in practice, especially in early education. 'We saw the myth of digital learning during COVID, exacerbated by the digital inequity.' Ms. Rampal also warns of the risks in the platformisation of education. She cites her work for an International Mathematics Handbook that examines algorithmic bias in global edtech platforms, often designed by male Global North developers who have limited understanding of how children learn. The analysis found that these platforms encourage consumerism among young children. Curriculum alignment Mr. Maheshwari emphasised that for ecosystem-level impact and to encourage government adoptions, the solutions align with NCERT guidelines or are mapped to the state content framework and vetted by SCERT bodies. 'Content goes through feedback loops and A/B testing,' he added. The solutions also prioritise cultural relevance. 'We offer content in eight regional languages — including Hindi, Urdu, Odia, and Kannada — each adapted to regional living experiences,' he said. Ms. Rampal, however, suggests that edtech solutions could work better by addressing not just curricula but how language is learned. She critiqued the National Curriculum Framework's understanding of how children learn language. Contrary to language learning theories and research that suggest that language learning is an emergent process, the NCF and FLN policies follow a more traditional and simplistic teaching approach that often boxes children's learning development. Responsible ways for edtech to supplement FLN programs would be to understand the emergent nature of language learning and to work with school teachers who understand the learning processes and diverse children, because all children are not the same, she said. Understanding the emergent nature of language learning means making connections to the language a child speaks and the script they are introduced to. For example, spoken Hindi differs from the written. Ms. Rampal points to Kerala's textbook adaptations when they realised the differences between languages spoken in North and South Kerala as critical. Multilingualism must be embraced without imposing one 'correct' version or linguistic authority. We must avoid preconceived notions and acknowledge the many linguistic contexts that exist, she added. How is the learning data being collected Mr. Maheshwari explained that while each solution supported by the accelerator has its monitoring system, the accelerator itself tracks broader user journey, engagement, and retention metrics. He noted the accelerator ran three cohorts addressing distinct challenges: scale, engagement, and product contextualisation. The qualitative studies by Prof. Jain and the research organisation Sambodhi assessed the accelerator's effectiveness and user experience. Findings confirm that well-designed digital tools can support FLN in low-income settings, with localised content, interactive features, and learning agents driving engagement. Persistent challenges include uneven digital access, socioeconomic constraints, and inconsistent implementation, as detailed in the user experience study. The study stresses aligning edtech with local contexts, ensuring strong training/support systems, and incorporating continuous stakeholder feedback to refine strategies. Efforts to protect data privacy When asked about data privacy, Abhimanyu replied that all accelerator solutions comply with India's data privacy laws and remove personally identifiable tags. Collected data is aggregated, and the CSF team also conducted extensive workshops on data privacy laws, ethics and child digital safety, he added. Ms Rampal, though, highlighted persisting data privacy concerns of how student data from the Global South gets mined and sold to third parties. Structural reforms and challenges When asked about the accelerator's plans, Ms. Gupta said the team is building robust evidence to answer whether edtech solutions do improve learning outcomes, a process that will take time. 'The Indian education landscape does have a learning outcome problem. The real question is whether edtech can solve this while also catering to the country's diversity and scale.' Mr. Maheshwari spoke about the need to acknowledge home learning at a policy level. 'With rising smartphone penetration and emerging evidence of edtech's potential to bridge learning gaps, we want home learning recognised as a key pillar of Nipun Bharat,' he said. Budget allocations for primary-grade digital learning would help sustain these solutions through government adoption, he added. Currently, ICT policies under the Samagra Shiksha scheme mostly fund computer labs for secondary grades. Sustainability remains a challenge, with most solutions relying on CSR and philanthropic funds. 'We're calculating per-child costs while maintaining quality.' 'For now, grants will fund these evidence-backed solutions, aiming to spur government policy and budget reforms,' he said. Point taken, say edtech experts 'It's easier for governments to say that they've developed good technologies than to say they've developed good curricula or textbooks.' Ms. Rampal stressed that learning is a social process and that it's essential to create effective learning environments for students. 'If we deliberately ignore this, it's difficult to claim learning is happening.' 'Technology can be culturally alienating', she adds. 'When access is limited, like three children sharing one parent's device, learning becomes restricted and difficult.' 'With the right learning environment, children are happy to learn and work hard', Ms. Gupta acknowledged the scepticism towards edtech. 'It's fair to question whether a solution is just flashy tech or actually improves learning.' To address this, she stressed pedagogy-first design over technology. CSF has partnered with IIT Bombay and Delhi to create EdTech Tulna—a global benchmarking tool assessing content, UI/UX, and other aspects to rigorously evaluate solutions. 'This rubric has guided our accelerator,' she added. Tulna is now part of government RFPs for edtech procurement. Ms. Gupta reiterated, 'Tech augments education; it doesn't replace it.'
The Hindu
22-05-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Bridging the learning gap: Why parental and community involvement is key to India's FLN mission
In Lalakhedi village, located in the Sehore district of Madhya Pradesh, Ramprasad, a daily wage labourer, is a father of three school-going children, Anshu, Vidhya, and Gauri, who study in Classes 1, 3, and 4, at a government school, Madhyamik Vidyalaya, Lalakhedi. When asked about his involvement in their education, whether he motivates his children to attend school regularly or complete their homework, or knows what syllabus is being taught in school, he said, 'Yes, but they do it themselves.' Ramprasad says his children return home after school and complete their schoolwork on their own. 'They don't get any homework these days,' he added. Both he and his wife, who is also a daily wage worker, are often away from home during the day, leaving little room for academic support to their children. When asked if his wife gets involved in the children's studies, Ramprasad said, 'She has not studied much, so she is often unable to help.' He added that he has studied till Class 8. Expressing a common belief among many parents, he said, 'There's nothing much to study in Class 1 and Class 2 in any case,' suggesting that early-grade learning is easy and can be the school's responsibility. As schools work toward basic reading and arithmetic, families and communities outside school also play a major part, say educationists, adding without their participation, classroom efforts alone may fall short. However, a significant proportion of India's schoolchildren are not very different from Ramprasad's children. Their parents and the extended community around them are not in a position to play that role. The importance of active parental involvement becomes even more pronounced in the context of the National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy (NIPUN) Bharat Mission, which aims to ensure that all children acquire Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) skills by the end of Class 3 by the year 2026-27. FLN levels at this age are important for future studies and skills, and then employability. The school's FLN efforts include ensuring the child's ability to read age-appropriate texts with comprehension and carry out basic mathematical tasks like addition, subtraction, and multiplication. To support and assess the progress of children under the NIPUN Bharat mission, the government has introduced PARAKH (Performance Assessment, Review, and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development), a national assessment centre under NCERT which aims to establish a framework for assessing learning outcomes across States and ensure that FLN goals are being met effectively. PARAKH helps schools and policymakers identify gaps early and make informed interventions. The success of these goals and programmes hinges not only on what happens within the classroom. There is a need for more community-level campaigns and support mechanisms that can bridge the gap between school, home and studies. The problem is not just access or infrastructure, but a lack of interconnectedness—between parents and teachers, between policy and practice, and between the child's world inside and outside school. Filling this void requires a coordinated, community-powered movement, not just classroom-based reform. Root causes Jayant Joshi, a retired government school principal who is now involved in developing FLN workbooks (Abhyas Pustika), is engaged in creating training modules for teachers under the FLN programme in Bhopal. He shares the challenges he has observed at the ground level while working closely with families and communities. He noted that children often miss school during harvest or the 'katai' seasons, as they are expected to help their families. Many children are tasked with looking after younger siblings when their parents are away at work, which further affects their attendance and learning consistency. He observed that teacher training does not translate into actual ground work due to differences in teaching methods, lack of understanding and, sometimes, just inertia. Mr. Joshi says that while the special FLN workbooks are designed for students to carry home and revise what they've learned in school, parental involvement remains minimal. Many families, particularly in rural and tribal areas of Madhya Pradesh, come from farming backgrounds or belong to Adivasi communities, where the parents themselves often haven't received formal education. 'They believe that whatever little their children manage to learn in school is enough. Most parents only check whether their child has passed or failed,' he added. Abdul Qayom Khan, principal of a government school in Kupwama, Kashmir said that students in his school are from different language backgrounds. Not all understand Hindi, Urdu or English, thus teaching class 3 the basic concepts of addition-subtraction in their native language poses obstacles for teachers and for students both. They are also first generation learners so 'the school does not expect parental support….students showing up to the class is the most ambitious expectation we hold,' Mr. Khan added. While in Kashmir, the political disturbances can take a toll on students' learning, elsewhere in India, other external factors such as transport connectivity, lack of infrastructure, harsh weather, irregular availability or unwillingness of teachers to work in remote locations, and seasonal agricultural work often takes priority over education. A non-profit intervention Avinash Verma, who works as a Programme Officer in Patra, Dhar (Madhya Pradesh) with the SRF Foundation, shared that a CSR programme of the company in partnership with the government has adopted several government schools with the aim of transforming them into model schools. The SRF Foundation is the social responsibility arm of SRF Ltd., working to improve the quality of education in government schools across India. 'Our first priority is to develop or repair the school's infrastructure then we move toward strengthening the academic structure,' Mr. Verma said. Their efforts include teacher training, setting up computer labs, digital classrooms, Science labs, and creating subject-specific reading corners. They also ensure the availability of equipment and stationery needed for academic activities. 'It is equally important to build teachers' capabilities to make full use of these facilities, and that's why we focus on teacher training and hold regular competitions. The recognition and involvement motivate teachers,' he added. He further explained that SRF volunteers hold regular meetings with the village sarpanch, Anganwadi workers, teachers, and parents to assess the school's needs and align efforts accordingly. These community meetings have helped in regular interactions between parents and teachers, as well as the attendance count of every student. 'Some parents argue that teachers aren't teaching, and so they stop sending their children to school. These kinds of doubts often come up and are openly addressed in the meetings,' he said. Mr. Verma talks about a common issue observed on the ground: 'Sometimes students lie to teachers, saying their parents asked them to come home early, and then tell their parents that the teachers weren't present. These situations lead to misunderstandings, but regular communication helps us tackle them.' He noted that hygiene, clean bathrooms, water availability, internet availability, and quality of mid-day meal keep the parents enthusiastic about sending their children to school. 'We take time to explain to parents that the teachers in government schools are well-qualified and have cleared competitive exams, unlike many in private schools,' he said. 'To build trust, we even invite them to join the children for a mid-day meal at school so they can see the quality of food being served.' The role of School Management Committees Sometimes, a pro-active School Management Committee (SMC) can turn things around such as in the Corporation Elementary School in Mogappair, Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Ms Krishnaveni, Headmaster of the school, shared that the SMC associated with her school comprises 25 members, including educationists, volunteer parents, and community volunteers. The school runs classes from kindergarten to Grade 5 and currently includes 25 children with special needs, including students with autism. 'Interested parents join the committee as volunteers and that way they help their child and other children too through the daily tasks of reading and writing,' Ms. Krishnaveni said. What sets this school apart is the everyday involvement of at least six to seven parents who come in to assist students with reading and writing. The school also conducts special coaching classes for both children with special needs and others in core subjects like Maths, English, and Tamil, for two and a half hours daily. Supported by the Tamil Nadu government, the school has been provided with workbooks and learning materials - the SMC enhances this further by creating laminated grammar and Math activity sheets, promoting newspaper reading, and sharing library books to improve students' reading habits. They also engage students in practicing tongue twisters in Tamil and English to help develop vocabulary and improve speech, especially for students with special needs. Ms Krishnaveni said that the government conducted the FLN assessment in November 2024 for Classes 3 and 5. From Class 3, 20 students were selected through a government lottery system to take the test. The results of the assessment are yet to be announced. However, Ms. Krishnaveni went a step further. Once the selected 20 students completed the assessment, she conducted the same test for the rest of the class as well, comprising 40 students. 'This was to understand where each student stands and to identify who needs additional attention.' She noted that among the 40 students in Class 3, three have autism and five are on the dyslexia spectrum. Despite these challenges, she said the majority of students performed well. 'About 90% of them did well, though 10% struggled with English. For those students, we're currently holding special English support classes after school,' she added. She also pointed out that 20 students have shown advanced writing skills. Ms. Krishnaveni mentioned the importance of community involvement in a child's learning journey. 'It's not just the teachers. We have coaching volunteers, parents, and even school staff like sweepers stepping in to help. One of our sweepers conducts drawing classes to keep the students engaged and reduce boredom,' she shared. 'I strongly believe that one teacher alone can't make a difference. We need a group, a community, that supports students daily, helping them achieve the basics,' Ms. Krishnaveni said. Statewide FLN missions The Central Square Foundation (CSF), a non-profit dedicated to enhancing students' learning outcomes through its system-level interventions and State partnerships, works with 11 State governments as a technical support partner to design and implement statewide FLN missions. Ms Shaveta Sharma-Kukreja, CEO & MD, says these collaborations support States in creating roadmaps, developing content, strengthening teacher capacity, and building monitoring systems to ensure the effectiveness of FLN efforts on the ground. CSF also advocates for a community-led approach to improving learning outcomes, aligning closely with the goals of the NIPUN Bharat Mission. Ms. Shaveta noted that CFS is developing easy-to-understand communication materials, supporting States in conducting FLN-focused SMC orientation sessions, conducting training for headmasters and mentors, as well as supporting the State in organising parent-teachers meetings. 'The success of the NIPUN Bharat Mission is not just a government priority, but to achieve its objectives, it needs to follow a whole-of-society approach and be energised by members of the community,' she said. Ms. Shaveta further notes, 'By equipping SMCs with the right knowledge and tools, and empowering parents, we aim to make them true partners in ensuring that every child in Grades 1-3 can read with understanding and solve basic Math problems.'
