EdData II: Data for Education Research and Programming (derp) in Africa

consolidating the results of recent early grade reading or other learning 
assessments
can be helpful in understanding the effects of current language policies, plans, and 
practices (for example, gaps in achievement corresponding to languages spoken in different 
geographic areas), as well as opening discussions with officials in the Ministry of Education 
about the need to develop or modify an existing approach to using language for education 
provision.
As noted earlier in this report, understanding the language context and the linguistic composition 
of communities and schools is a key step to language plan development and implementation. As 
such, USAID can assist countries to 
conduct a language mapping exercise 
to gather reliable 

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and up-to-date information about what languages are spoken in the country, in which geographic 
areas, and at what level of proficiency. Support for school-based language mapping in particular 
can help to identify which languages learners speak and understand well in order to identify 
which languages can and should be used as LOI in specific areas and schools. As part of a 
school-mapping exercise, a survey of the languages teachers speak—and their levels of 
fluency—can also be conducted to identify whether there is a discrepancy between the languages 
of pupils and their teachers, as well as to identify training and support that may be needed.
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Furthermore, the exercise can help to document whether 
official language policies are being implemented, and to 
identify the languages that are or could be used more 
effectively at the school level, providing a starting point 
for updating or creating a plan for LOI at the national and 
local level. A school language mapping exercise, coupled 
with language mapping that includes out-of-school 
populations, may be particularly beneficial in identifying 
underperforming regions and communities, and in 
engaging parents and other stakeholders in the 
“groundwork” needed to develop an effective plan for 
language use in education to improve both access to and 
equity in education. For example, school mapping data 
can be gathered by asking families which language(s) their 
children speak best, as well as by asking teachers. Schools can also orally test incoming students. 
Teaching and learning can then be organized around learners’ strongest languages. 
While government officials should ideally play a prominent role in a language mapping exercise, 
the data gathered can also be used as a tool to open dialogue regarding the need for instruction in 
languages children understand and to bring stakeholders “on board” to support a particular 
approach or plan. In Mali, for example, USAID supported a language mapping exercise in 2011 
to obtain accurate information on languages spoken by teachers and students to identify which 
languages to use for instruction in specific schools (see text box). The results provided updated 
information that helped dispel some concerns about the complexity of providing L1-based 
instruction in the area (Rhodes, 2012; USAID/Mali, 2011).