One of the efforts to improve language competence carried out by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology (MoECRT) is to bring books closer to their readers through a mix-and-match between books and target readers according to the stage of their reading ability, or what is called levelling. This is because every child has different abilities in reading acquisition which is influenced by various factors, such as reading materials. By understanding the levels, teachers can determine which books are suitable for children with different abilities. Teachers can also take advantage of various levels and types of books to design activities to develop reading skills.
To support teachers and principals’ capacity strengthening in determining reading books suitable for students, INOVASI together with the East Sumba Education Office held training on book levelling and utilisation on 13 January 2023 at the Education Office Hall. The activity was attended by 24 early-grade and high-grade teachers as well as principals and supervisors from seven schools, and was facilitated by two district facilitators. The activity was opened by Act. Head of the East Sumba Education and Culture Office, Erwin Passande. In his remarks, Erwin emphasized the importance of teachers increasing their knowledge and skills in choosing books that suit the abilities of their students as all the books in the library have their own target audience.
During the training, participants discussed and practiced how to do book levelling in accordance with the Regulation of the Head of the Education Standards, Curriculum and Assessment Agency (BSKAP of MoECRT) Number 031/P/2022 concerning Guidelines for Book Levelling. In addition, participants were also introduced to the levelling model from Room to Read and the Indonesian Children’s Literacy Foundation (Yayasan Literasi Anak Indonesia, or YLAI). Participants also practiced designing differentiated learning and guided reading with books as the main medium.
As a follow-up plan, teachers and principals as well as librarians will do book levelling in the library and reading corners in classrooms. Meanwhile, district facilitators, supervisors and the Education Office will conduct field visits to monitor developments and progress in schools as a result of the training.
Similar training was also held in Southwest Sumba, West Sumba and Central Sumba in December 2022 as a follow-up to the book grant program for schools in the 3T areas (Frontier, Remote, Disadvantaged) by the Language Development Agency, MoECRT.