By Emiko Naka and Cirenia Chávez
It was a hot, sweltering day in the musty heat of Tapachula City in Chiapas, Mexico, where the temperature soared above 30 degrees Celsius, and the humidity made it hard to focus. Children surrounded us, their little bursts of energy engaging in both play and structured learning at a multi-purpose center run by the local government. We were there to oversee Save the Children’s administration of their Holistic Assessment of Learning and Development Outcomes (HALDO) on the Move, a tool that measures foundational learning among forcibly displaced children in Latin America.1
This mission, part of a Porticus-funded project on the “Learning Assessment of Refugee Children,” took us to Mexico’s northern and southern borders. Our goal was to address gaps in learning acquisition for forcibly displaced children and assess how best to support their educational needs. The initiative provided valuable feedback and lessons for refining the tool’s use across contexts of forced displacement and ensuring accurate data collection on the quality of learning for these children.
Adapting HALDO for Latin America
HALDO on the Move has been recently adapted for the Latin American context, with slight modifications from the traditional HALDO tool, used in our assessment in Mauritania. While the traditional HALDO is designed for children aged 4 to 12,2 HALDO on the Move covers a wider age range of 5 to 18.3 In the adapted version, the first literacy task requires children to identify 20 letters from the alphabet correctly to move forward in the literacy assessment. In contrast, the traditional HALDO starts with the identification of the 5 most commonly used letters, making it simpler.
Field insights from Tapachula and Tijuana
Our visits to Tapachula and Tijuana, two border cities with high numbers of refugees and asylum seekers, highlighted the complexity of measuring learning outcomes for children affected by forced displacement. Despite Mexico’s inclusive legal framework for refugees, which facilitates access to public services, including education, significant practical challenges remain for displaced families. We heard from families who reported administrative hurdles or reticent school directors, preventing their children’s enrolment. Upper secondary school enrolment can become especially difficult – we met a 17-year-old from El Salvador who hadn’t been able to attend school for over a year.
A lack of information is also a significant barrier. Some parents, unaware of their rights, mistakenly believed public schools were only for Mexican children. School-related costs also pose a major hurdle. Even though education is free on paper, parents are often expected to contribute to school management committees, and school supplies and uniforms are also prohibitively expensive for some families. To address these barriers, UNHCR is implementing Cash-Based Interventions (CBI) to help families cover these expenses and with Save the Children, raising awareness among parents about their right to enroll and how to do so.
The HALDO on the Move assessment targets approximately 400 refugee and asylum seeker children who have been out of school for more than 6 months, are behind in their learning, or have only recently enrolled. The assessment was conducted in various settings, including home visits, refugee registration centers, daycare centers, and shelters. The children were identified through Save the Children’s programme network.
Key recommendations for assessment
Based on our observations of the administration of HALDO on the Move assessments in Tapachula and Tijuana, we identified several recommendations that would help ensure more effective and sensitive assessment practices and content:
- Create a quiet environment: To the extent possible, assessments should be conducted in quiet, distraction-free spaces. While this may be challenging in locations like multi-purpose centers or schools, efforts made to minimize disruptions will create a more supportive experience.
- Manage parental involvement: Some parents wanted to supervise the assessments. We recommend placing them where they can be present without overhearing or intervening. We observed instances where parents either prompted their children (“You know this! – si te lo sabes!”) or apologized for their child’s performance (“My child isn’t very bright – es bien burro, mi hijo”). A sensitive but firm approach can help ensure children are not negatively influenced during the assessment.
- Address language barriers thoughtfully: Some refugee children, especially new arrivals from non-Spanish-speaking countries like Haiti, may feel intimidated or lack confidence during the assessment. It is essential to foster a comfortable environment and provide translation when needed. Administrators should be attentive to non-verbal cues and check in with children showing signs of discomfort or fatigue, asking if they feel like continuing.
- Communicate with schools and parents early: When assessments are conducted in schools, it is important to inform teachers and staff about the purpose of the assessment in advance. They can then communicate with parents, making it clear that the assessment will not affect their school enrolment.
- Tailor content for age groups: We recommend reassessing some of the content in HALDO on the Move to ensure it is appropriate for the varied age range. For example, 5-year-old children may find it difficult to identify all 20 letters in the literacy assessment, while the social-emotional learning cartoon images may not resonate with older children. Adapting the tool to different developmental stages will enhance its effectiveness.
A strong understanding of the unique context and learning needs of refugee children is essential to providing the right support for their success in school. Insights from HALDO on the Move can enhance learning assessments in other settings, and in doing so, guide the development of programmes that address these needs. Effective partnerships—among host governments, humanitarian and development actors, and donors—are integral to ensuring refugee children access quality education and the necessary support systems for meaningful learning outcomes.
1 In Mexico, HALDO on the Move is being administered in 3 locations – Monterrey, Tapachula, and Tijuana.
2 Holistic Assessment of Learning and Development Outcomes (HALDO) Administration and Adaptation Guidance, Save the Children, November 2018.
3 Save the Children. (2024). Holistic Assessment of Learning and Development Outcomes for Children in Transit (HALDO), Administration and Application Guide. This tool has been adapted and supplemented for use in the transit mobility context within the framework of the “Educational Route” initiative.