Learning Assessment and Evaluation Training Course

Duration 5 days 10 modules · 33 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Monitoring and Evaluation Officers, Education Programme Managers and others
Fee from USD 1,100 KSh 95,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 16 Nov 2026 Course code SD-ME-116

Before you join: Participants should have basic familiarity with education, development or humanitarian programmes and some exposure to results frameworks, monitoring data or project reporting.

Dates & prices

Two start dates a month in every city, and live online on weekdays or weekends. Fees are per participant; classroom fees include tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments, and the certificate.

Suggest a date or city

Showing the next six months. Later dates, other cities and private deliveries for your team are available on request.

Course overview

Education and humanitarian programmes are often judged by enrolment, materials distributed and teacher training completed, while decision-makers still lack credible evidence about whether learners gained reading, numeracy or socioemotional skills. Weak indicators, unsuitable assessment instruments, incomplete school records and unexamined subgroup differences can produce misleading claims. This course addresses the practical work of designing learning assessment and evaluation systems that show what changed, for whom, why and with what degree of confidence.

This intermediate course connects learner assessment with programme monitoring and evaluation. Participants build results chains, theories of change, indicator reference sheets, assessment frameworks and data collection protocols. They select appropriate formative, diagnostic and summative measures; plan representative samples; judge data quality; and interpret quantitative and qualitative evidence. The course also covers evaluation design choices, including theory-based, quasi-experimental and mixed-methods approaches, plus ethical data collection with children and other at-risk groups.

Instruction combines concise technical briefings with education-programme cases, facilitated group analysis, instrument review, data interpretation simulations and structured application planning. Cases reflect common work such as accelerated learning for displaced children, teacher professional development, school feeding and foundational literacy initiatives. Participants leave with a reusable Learning Assessment and Evaluation Plan containing an evaluation question set, results chain, indicator matrix, assessment and sampling approach, data quality controls, analysis plan and reporting route. The five-day instructor-led course is available in classrooms in more than 50 cities or live online. Each training day runs 08:30–16:30 and provides about 6.5 contact hours; successful participants receive a certificate of completion.

What you will be able to do

  • Construct a Theory of Change linking education activities to measurable learner outcomes
  • Develop indicator reference sheets with disaggregation, data sources, frequency and ownership
  • Select formative, diagnostic and summative assessment methods for defined learning decisions
  • Design sampling strategies and data collection instruments for education programme evaluations
  • Apply data quality assessment procedures to learner, school and implementation data
  • Choose evaluation designs appropriate to causal questions, ethics and available resources
  • Interpret quantitative and qualitative findings using triangulation and equity analysis
  • Produce an actionable Learning Assessment and Evaluation Plan for a current programme

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Design credible learning assessment plans for education programme proposals and implementation
  • Assess whether learner outcome claims are supported by valid evidence
  • Commission and manage evaluations with clearer terms of reference
  • Interpret learning data without overstating programme effects
  • Present evidence-based recommendations to donors, ministries and programme leaders

For your organisation

  • Stronger evidence on whether education investments improve learner outcomes
  • More consistent indicators and data collection across implementing partners
  • Earlier identification of attendance, retention and learning equity gaps
  • Better evaluation terms of reference and oversight of external evaluators
  • Decision-ready findings that support programme adaptation and donor reporting

Course modules

10 modules over 5 days

Participants can distinguish learner assessment, programme monitoring and evaluation purposes within an education results system.

  • Distinguishing learner assessment, programme monitoring, evaluation and research purposes
  • OECD DAC criteria interpreted for education and humanitarian learning interventions
  • Results chains connecting inputs, teaching quality, learner outcomes and impact
  • Equity lenses for gender, disability, language and displacement status
  • Stakeholder maps identifying learners, teachers, caregivers, ministries and donors
  • Evaluation questions aligned with decisions, accountability requirements and learning priorities

Participants can create a results framework that connects programme activities to assessable learning outcomes.

  • Theory of Change assumptions tested through evidence and contribution pathways
  • Logframe outputs, outcomes and impact statements written without activity substitution
  • Learning outcome taxonomies using Bloom's revised cognitive process dimensions
  • Assessment frameworks linking curriculum standards, constructs, tasks and scoring
  • Indicator reference sheets specifying definition, numerator, denominator, disaggregation and frequency
  • Baseline, target and milestone setting using historical performance and feasibility

Participants can select and specify learner assessment methods suited to programme decisions and target groups.

  • Direct assessment tasks matched to reading, numeracy, socioemotional and teaching outcomes
  • Rubric descriptors calibrated across performance levels and observable evidence
  • Formative, diagnostic and summative assessments selected for distinct decisions
  • EGRA and EGMA adaptations reviewed against language and curriculum requirements
  • Item difficulty, discrimination and distractor performance interpreted from pilot data
  • Assessment accommodations documented for learners with disabilities and multilingual classrooms

Participants can develop sampling and data collection approaches that produce credible education evidence.

  • Sampling frames constructed from enrolment registers, school lists and beneficiary databases
  • Probability sampling methods selected for representative school and learner estimates
  • Cluster, stratified and purposive samples matched to evaluation questions
  • Sample size assumptions covering precision, design effect, nonresponse and subgroup analysis
  • Survey questionnaires sequenced to reduce recall error and respondent burden
  • Observation protocols structured for classroom practice, materials use and learner participation
  • Focus group guides designed for safe discussion with children and caregivers

Participants can establish controls for accurate, ethical and secure learning assessment data.

  • Data quality assessments examine validity, reliability, completeness, timeliness and integrity
  • Inter-rater reliability checks applied to observations, rubrics and qualitative coding
  • Enumerator training protocols standardise consent, administration, probing and recording
  • Digital data collection controls use skip logic, range checks and timestamps
  • Child safeguarding procedures govern assent, consent, referral and data access
  • Data protection plans apply minimisation, retention schedules and role-based permissions
  • Fieldwork supervision plans specify back-checks, spot-checks and discrepancy resolution

Participants can design monitoring arrangements that convert evidence into programme management action.

  • Monitoring plans assign indicators, sources, frequency, owners and reporting routes
  • School-level dashboards track attendance, retention, teaching practice and assessment results
  • Disaggregated monitoring identifies gaps by sex, disability, location and displacement
  • Feedback loops convert monitoring findings into instructional and programme adjustments
  • Adaptive management logs document decisions, evidence, actions and follow-up dates
  • Partner reporting requirements reconciled with government education management information systems

Participants can select an evaluation design that fits the programme theory, decision need and operating constraints.

  • Evaluation designs compare experimental, quasi-experimental, theory-based and participatory approaches
  • Randomised controlled trial conditions assessed against ethics, scale and implementation feasibility
  • Difference-in-differences and matching methods selected for plausible counterfactuals
  • Contribution analysis tests causal claims where comparison groups are unsuitable
  • Process evaluations examine fidelity, reach, quality and contextual influences
  • Mixed-methods designs integrate learner data, implementation records and stakeholder accounts
  • Terms of reference specify scope, questions, methods, governance and deliverables

Participants can interpret education data and develop conclusions proportionate to the available evidence.

  • Data cleaning logs record duplicates, missing values, outliers and recoding decisions
  • Descriptive statistics summarise learning scores, attendance patterns and subgroup gaps
  • Cross-tabulations test differences by grade, sex, disability and programme exposure
  • Confidence intervals and statistical significance interpreted without overstating programme effects
  • Qualitative coding frameworks identify themes, deviant cases and explanatory mechanisms
  • Triangulation matrices compare findings across assessments, observations, interviews and records
  • Equity analysis separates average gains from distributional effects

Participants can communicate learning assessment and evaluation findings for accountable management decisions.

  • Findings matrices link evaluation questions, evidence sources, conclusions and recommendations
  • OECD DAC criteria structure relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability findings
  • Data visualisations select charts appropriate for learning scores and disaggregated trends
  • Recommendation criteria specify priority, owner, resources, deadline and verification evidence
  • Management response matrices track acceptance, actions, accountability and completion status
  • Learning briefs present decision-ready messages for ministries, donors and school leaders
  • Dissemination plans protect sensitive findings while reaching affected communities

Participants can prepare a practical plan for improving learning assessment and evaluation within their programme.

  • Evaluation budgets estimate assessor time, travel, translation, devices and analysis
  • Procurement specifications assess evaluator independence, technical competence and safeguarding capacity
  • Evaluation governance defines steering groups, decision rights, conflicts and quality assurance
  • Utilisation-focused evaluation planning identifies primary users and intended decisions
  • Personal application plans sequence programme assessment improvements, owners and milestones
  • Peer review criteria test feasibility, ethics, data quality and decision usefulness
  • Certificate completion requirements linked to attendance and applied course outputs

Exercises and examples are adapted to each cohort's sectors and roles.

What you take back to work

  1. Learning Assessment and Evaluation Plan template
  2. Theory of Change and results chain model
  3. Indicator reference sheet template
  4. Learner assessment framework and rubric checklist
  5. Education evaluation terms of reference template
  6. Data quality and safeguarding checklist

Who should attend

  • Monitoring and Evaluation Officers — responsible for evidence systems, indicators and reporting
  • Education Programme Managers — accountable for delivery quality and learner results
  • Learning Assessment Specialists — designing or reviewing tests, rubrics and scoring approaches
  • Education Advisors — advising ministries, donors or implementers on programme effectiveness
  • Research and Evaluation Officers — planning studies and interpreting education evidence
  • Humanitarian Education Coordinators — monitoring learning services for displaced and crisis-affected children

Skills and tools covered

Learning assessment designEducation indicator developmentSampling and data collectionEvaluation design selectionData quality assuranceEvidence use planning

Tools and standards

Theory of Change, OECD DAC evaluation criteria, Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA), Early Grade Mathematics Assessment (EGMA)

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short technical briefings, facilitated case work, group exercises, instrument review, data interpretation simulations and application planning. Participants work with education programme scenarios involving foundational literacy, teacher development, accelerated learning and school-level monitoring. Trainers demonstrate how assessment and evaluation decisions affect data quality, equity analysis and management action. Group discussions compare methods against real constraints such as limited budgets, dispersed schools, multilingual learners, safeguarding obligations and donor reporting requirements.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have basic familiarity with education, development or humanitarian programmes and some exposure to results frameworks, monitoring data or project reporting. Experience working with schools, teachers, learners, implementing partners or government education systems is useful. Participants should be comfortable reading simple tables and percentages. Prior experience with statistics software, psychometrics, randomised trials or formal evaluation commissioning is not required. The course explains technical concepts before applying them to learning assessment and programme evidence decisions.

A typical training day

08:30 – 10:30First session
10:30 – 10:45Refreshment break
10:45 – 12:30Second session
12:30 – 13:30Lunch and networking
13:30 – 15:00Third session
15:00 – 15:15Refreshment break
15:15 – 16:30Workshop and daily review

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in East Africa Time, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

  • Instruction by a practitioner facilitator
  • Full course workbook and materials
  • Exercise files, templates and case studies
  • Refreshments and lunch on classroom deliveries
  • Certificate of completion
  • Post-course application plan

Frequently asked questions

Participants should have basic familiarity with education, development or humanitarian programmes and some exposure to monitoring or reporting. Statistical software, psychometrics and formal evaluation experience are not required.

Participants should bring a current or recent education programme example, results framework, indicator list or assessment tool if available. A laptop is useful for reviewing templates and working with course materials, particularly for live online delivery.

The course is designed for M&E staff, education programme managers, advisors, researchers and humanitarian education coordinators. It is particularly relevant for staff responsible for measuring learner outcomes or managing education evaluations.

The course focuses on the technical issues specific to education programmes, including learner assessments, curriculum alignment, classroom observation, learning data and subgroup equity analysis. It also addresses ethical data collection with children and education system reporting requirements.

Participants leave with a structured plan that can be adapted to their own programme or proposal. The plan covers learning outcomes, indicators, assessment methods, sampling, data quality controls, analysis and reporting arrangements.

The five days progress from education results frameworks and learner assessment through sampling, data quality, evaluation design, analysis and evidence use. Each day runs from 08:30 to 16:30 and provides about 6.5 contact hours, combining briefings, case work, simulations and planning.

Questions about this course?

Ask about dates, fees, group bookings or running it for your team. Our training team replies by email.

Ask on WhatsApp info@skillsetdevelopment.com

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