A visit to the Iacy Vaz Fagundes school in Salvador, Brazil, highlights the educational challenges faced by vulnerable students. In one classroom, a learner from the City Council's Learning Support Program (PAAP) was working with two girls who struggled with basic reading skills. In another room, four boys discussed artificial intelligence and human rights as part of the "Chegando Junto" program. This initiative groups students who are behind their grade level to better address their learning needs.
The "Chegando Junto" program aims to reduce age-grade distortion in Salvador's public schools and encourage continued education by providing a certificate of completion for primary school. The results of this program are pending but expected to significantly lower age-grade distortion.
Both PAAP and "Chegando Junto" aim to align education with students' learning levels and are supported by the Salvador Social Project, managed by the city government with World Bank support. Since its approval in December 2017, this project has sought to improve education quality while investing in health and social assistance.
Principal Michele Checucci noted that progress could have been greater without the COVID-19 pandemic disruptions. The proportion of students with adequate literacy and arithmetic levels increased from 26.32% in 2017 to 49% in December 2023.
The Salvador Assessment Program (PROSA), created in 2013, helps measure educational outcomes by providing performance data on students from first through ninth grade annually since 2022. Rafael Salles from the Salvador Municipal Education Department explained that PROSA assessments help identify learning gaps and track student progress.
In fifth grade, PROSA data showed that half of the students performed below expectations in Portuguese, while 77% of ninth graders had knowledge below standard for their grade level. Efforts are underway to reduce non-readers among fifth graders to 7%.
At Criança Feliz municipal school, another monitoring system called Indique involves teachers, principals, and families in self-assessment for early childhood education improvement. Carine Gonçalves and Paulo Victor Souza praised Indique for giving them a voice regarding their child's needs.
Lídice Vilas Boas Rodrigues emphasized Indique's importance for evaluation and feedback at Criança Feliz school. World Bank education specialist Louisee Cruz commented on Salvador's initiatives focusing on developing student potential through identification or addressing learning gaps.
Salvador now has data-driven programs supporting specific goals aimed at helping each student reach their potential.