INTEGRATED SAFEGUARDS DATA SHEET APPRAISAL STAGE Report No.: ISDSA15795 Public Disclosure Copy Date ISDS Prepared/Updated: 03-Dec-2015 Date ISDS Approved/Disclosed: 09-Dec-2015 I. BASIC INFORMATION 1. Basic Project Data Country: Kazakhstan Project ID: P153496 Project Name: Education Modernization Project (P153496) Task Team Dingyong Hou Leader(s): Estimated 15-Dec-2015 Estimated 30-Mar-2016 Appraisal Date: Board Date: Managing Unit: GED03 Lending Investment Project Financing Instrument: Sector(s): Primary education (50%), Secondary education (50%) Theme(s): Education for all (95%), Gender (5%) Is this project processed under OP 8.50 (Emergency Recovery) or OP No 8.00 (Rapid Response to Crises and Emergencies)? Financing (In USD Million) Total Project Cost: 100.00 Total Bank Financing: 100.00 Public Disclosure Copy Financing Gap: 0.00 Financing Source Amount Borrower 0.00 International Bank for Reconstruction and Development 100.00 Total 100.00 Environmental C - Not Required Category: Is this a No Repeater project? 2. Project Development Objective(s) The project development objective (PDO) is to support the GoK's program to improve the quality and equity in primary and secondary education, in particular in underperforming and disadvantaged schools 3. Project Description The project will contribute to the higher-level, national goal of producing a modern productive Page 1 of 6 workforce and skilled human capital for a diversifying economy that is innovative and competitive. The project supports system-wide reforms, targeted assistance to underperforming schools, enhanced monitoring and evaluation of reforms, and civic engagement and participation. The project will be Public Disclosure Copy implemented over five years through a phased approach with sequencing to allow the piloting, evaluation, refinement, and scaling up of select key reforms. The project will have three components: Component One: Supporting system-wide reform The objective of this component is to improve curricular standards, policies, and programs. The subcomponents include a set of related initiatives necessary to introduce the new curriculum that will be piloted and evaluated and subsequently scaled up using existing national systems and resources. Subcomponent 1.1: Curriculum modernization This subcomponent will support the modernization of the curricular standards, plans, and programs for primary and secondary education, including the year before grade 1. The project will support the National Academy of Education to adapt, pilot, and finalize the curriculum for use in all mainstream public schools. Project support will include technical assistance to adapt the curriculum, design and deliver the pilot, and incorporate pilot findings; development and supply of training and pedagogical materials to support piloting teachers; and creation of a network to facilitate support to and monitoring of schools introducing the revised curriculum. The project will also provide technical assistance to strengthen the quality assurance mechanism for textbooks’ approval. Subcomponent 1.2: Aligning assessment systems with the new curriculum This subcomponent will support the alignment of the various student assessments with the new curriculum. The project will finance technical assistance to build the capacities of National Testing Center staff and specialists to design tests that measure new curricular content and skills and to ensure that the revised instruments are in line with curriculum revisions. It will finance technical Public Disclosure Copy assistance to help design new standards in test administration and build capacities in their implementation. It will also support the design and testing of a new technological platform for the External Assessment of Learning Achievements that will improve administration efficiency and integrity. Finally, technical assistance will be provided to Orleu to design and integrate a module on formative assessment into the in-service training for teachers being delivered as part of the curriculum roll out. Subcomponent 1.3: Enabling teachers to deliver the new curriculum This subcomponent will support the teacher training system to better enable teachers to deliver the new curriculum. At the pre-service level, the project will finance technical assistance to design a ‘3 +1’ teacher training model and facilitate its trial at one pedagogical institute. At the in-service level, the project will finance technical assistance to develop/adapt training modules and build capacities for their delivery to all primary and secondary teachers and school directors, who cover new curriculum content and cognitive skills; teach in a multi-grade environment; teach science at grades 10 and 11 in English; or are pedagogical leaders. Subcomponent 1.4: Enhanced accountability for education system management and financing This sub-component would support the development of reforms to make education financing more efficient and equitable, and to improve education system management. The project would finance technical assistance to refine and pilot the per-capita financing formula; and to analyze options for Page 2 of 6 reforming the financing of small, rural schools. It would finance technical assistance to review and revise the legal-regulatory framework pertaining to school management, and to build the capacities of Akimat officials and Schools Boards of Trustees. The project would also support community Public Disclosure Copy awareness-raising on the benefits of education; the rights, roles and responsibilities of parents and students in enabling quality education services; and the national strategy and targets to improve education. Further, the project would build capacities to create participatory school development plans linked to the budgeting process, and to foster local debate on school performance relative to other schools and national targets. Technical assistance would be provided to develop a concept and roadmap for an Educational Management Information System. Component Two: Raising results in underperforming schools The objective of this component will be to improve student learning outcomes in selected poor- performing schools, as measured by improved access to learning materials, enhanced teacher capacity and incremental student learning results. Subcomponent 2.1: Resources for learning This subcomponent will finance the supply of a package of essential teaching-learning resources for poor-performing schools. The package will support the delivery of the revised curriculum, fill priority gaps in the availability of essential resources, enable access to digital learning resources, and provide more practice to master new content and skills. Subcomponent 2.2: Enhanced teacher capacities This subcomponent will finance the design and delivery of an enhanced package of in-service teacher training and pedagogical support. The package will increase the number of hours of in-service training teachers receive to deliver the revised curriculum, provide teachers with an opportunity to receive tailored instructions based on their classroom experience, and target issues particularly affecting poor-performing schools. It will also strengthen pedagogical support networks, including through the capacity building of methodologists, providing teachers with self-learning opportunities, Public Disclosure Copy and the strengthening of pilot resource centers including for multi-grade schools. Component Three: Supporting citizen engagement, monitoring and evaluation, and implementation The objective of this component will be to engage and support stakeholder and citizen participation, monitor and evaluate project implementation and results, and support project implementation. Subcomponent 3.1: This subcomponent will support stakeholder participation and awareness raising through consultation and communications, including the establishment of a grievance redress system and a third-party evaluation of project results. The project will support annual public forums designed to create transparency on the intent and progress of the reform, and encourage feedback from interested members of civil society. Subcomponent 3.2: Monitoring and evaluation of reform initiatives This subcomponent will finance the design and execution of the monitoring and evaluation of reform initiatives supported by the project. This will include the design and conduct of the observation of teaching-learning practices to measure the effectiveness of in-service trainings and pedagogical support; and the evaluations of the new quality assurance mechanism for textbooks, the ‘3+1’ model of pre-service teacher training, using English as the language of instruction in one science subject, the PCF pilot, the multi-grade School resource centers, the learning impacts achieved in poor- Page 3 of 6 performing schools as a result of project support, and the rollout of the new curriculum. The project will also finance the technical assistance to support the MOES to draft new standards based on lessons learned from the evaluations. The project will finance periodic international advisory support Public Disclosure Copy to promote the maintenance of satisfactory standards as the curriculum is adapted for and rolled out to mainstream schools Subcomponent 3.3: Project implementation This subcomponent will finance project operating costs, including translation, interpretation, equipment, supervision costs, Project Implementation Unit (PIU) staff salaries, and incremental operating costs at the MOES. 4. Project location and salient physical characteristics relevant to the safeguard analysis (if known) N/A 5. Environmental and Social Safeguards Specialists Ekaterina Romanova (GSURR) 6. Safeguard Policies Triggered? Explanation (Optional) Environmental No Assessment OP/BP 4.01 Natural Habitats OP/BP No 4.04 Forests OP/BP 4.36 No Pest Management OP 4.09 No Physical Cultural No Public Disclosure Copy Resources OP/BP 4.11 Indigenous Peoples OP/ No BP 4.10 Involuntary Resettlement No OP/BP 4.12 Safety of Dams OP/BP No 4.37 Projects on International No Waterways OP/BP 7.50 Projects in Disputed No Areas OP/BP 7.60 II. Key Safeguard Policy Issues and Their Management A. Summary of Key Safeguard Issues 1. Describe any safeguard issues and impacts associated with the proposed project. Identify and describe any potential large scale, significant and/or irreversible impacts: The project will not finance any works or rehabilitation of school buildings and thus will not have any environmental impact or require resettlement or land acquisition. The scope of activities will Page 4 of 6 not have any impact on disputed land or waterways, physical cultural resources or indigenous people. Therefore none of the safeguards policies are triggered. 2. Describe any potential indirect and/or long term impacts due to anticipated future activities Public Disclosure Copy in the project area: N/A 3. Describe any project alternatives (if relevant) considered to help avoid or minimize adverse impacts. N/A 4. Describe measures taken by the borrower to address safeguard policy issues. Provide an assessment of borrower capacity to plan and implement the measures described. N/A 5. Identify the key stakeholders and describe the mechanisms for consultation and disclosure on safeguard policies, with an emphasis on potentially affected people. N/A B. Disclosure Requirements If the project triggers the Pest Management and/or Physical Cultural Resources policies, the respective issues are to be addressed and disclosed as part of the Environmental Assessment/ Audit/or EMP. If in-country disclosure of any of the above documents is not expected, please explain why: N/A C. Compliance Monitoring Indicators at the Corporate Level The World Bank Policy on Disclosure of Information Have relevant safeguard policies documents been sent to the Yes [ ] No [ ] NA [ ] World Bank's Infoshop? Public Disclosure Copy Have relevant documents been disclosed in-country in a public Yes [ ] No [ ] NA [ ] place in a form and language that are understandable and accessible to project-affected groups and local NGOs? All Safeguard Policies Have satisfactory calendar, budget and clear institutional Yes [ ] No [ ] NA [ ] responsibilities been prepared for the implementation of measures related to safeguard policies? Have costs related to safeguard policy measures been included Yes [ ] No [ ] NA [ ] in the project cost? Does the Monitoring and Evaluation system of the project Yes [ ] No [ ] NA [ ] include the monitoring of safeguard impacts and measures related to safeguard policies? Have satisfactory implementation arrangements been agreed Yes [ ] No [ ] NA [ ] with the borrower and the same been adequately reflected in the project legal documents? III. APPROVALS Task Team Leader(s): Name: Dingyong Hou Page 5 of 6 Approved By Practice Manager/ Name: Andrea C. Guedes (PMGR) Date: 09-Dec-2015 Public Disclosure Copy Manager: Public Disclosure Copy Page 6 of 6