The Teaching at the Right Level approach: A paradigm shift to accelerate Moroccan pupil’s learning

Oumaima Akdi and Mahmoud Belamhitou

African Educational Research Journal
Published: September 26 2024
Volume 12, Issue 3
Pages 238-254
DOI: https://doi.org/10.30918/AERJ.123.24.048

Abstract

For the first time, a comprehensive, multidisciplinary remedial system has been introduced in Moroccan schools designed to fill gaps in students' fundamental knowledge. The system is based on the Teaching at The Right Level (TARL) method, the principle of which is to relearn fundamentals according to the student's actual level through interactive, effective, and fun activities. This paper presents a summary of TARL's initial impact after 8 weeks of remediation. Initial analyses of 63,000 pupils show a highly promising effect of teachers in pioneering schools on fundamental knowledge in all three subjects and for all grades. Prior to the project's commencement, a placement test was conducted in September in all pioneer schools involving 300,000 pupils. The results confirmed a deep crisis in learning: almost 80% of pupils had not mastered the fundamental skills taught in the previous year. The vast majority of pupils were more than a year behind, making them highly vulnerable to the risk of failure throughout their school careers. Within this framework, an "After-TARL" test was conducted to measure the initial effects of remediation on fundamental knowledge. An initial evaluation period ran from November 1 to 3, during which all pupils in the schools were tested. Mastery rates of assessed skills multiplied by 4 in mathematics, by 3 in French, and by 2 in Arabic. These initial achievements will need to be consolidated throughout the year to become ingrained in pupils' long-term memory. We conducted an experimental investigation from November 7 to 10 with a pre-selected sample of 1400 students in 76 pioneer schools to confirm the validity of the "After-TARL" test findings in pioneer schools. The same students evaluated by instructors during the initial assessment session from November 1 to 3 were retested by us, the verifiers.

Keywords: TARL, pioneering schools, remediation, fundamental knowledge, impact.

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