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Teach Primary
What it is
Teach Primary is a free classroom observation tool from the World Bank for collecting information about teaching in grades 1–6 and supporting efforts to improve teaching quality. Observers record time spent on learning with three 1–10 second snapshots, then score teaching practices during two 15-minute lesson observations. The framework covers Classroom Culture, Instruction, and Socioemotional Skills through nine elements and 28 behaviors. It also emphasizes inclusive, responsive teaching and whole-child development. Teams can adapt the modular tool by adding locally relevant elements or removing unsuitable ones, and use local video for observer training. Suggested uses include education-system diagnostics, monitoring and evaluating policies or programs, and identifying teacher strengths and support needs. Companion materials cover consultation, training, field collection, analysis, and reporting. Data collection can use SurveyCTO on phones, tablets, or computers, or paper forms entered into Excel. Stata programs support data preparation and analysis. The package includes a five-day training manual and reliability exam. It is not intended for high-stakes teacher evaluation or decisions.
For and against
For
- Free tool with complementary resource toolkit
- Measures teaching and learning-environment factors
- Modular rubrics support local adaptation
- Digital or paper data collection options
- Materials available in several languages
Against
- Not developed for high-stakes teacher evaluation
- Requires trained observers and implementation staff
- Reliability protocols and training are recommended
The verdict
Teach Primary combines a defined observation framework with materials for training, collection, analysis, and reporting. Its free access and adaptable structure fit system-level studies, but users must plan for implementation roles and avoid high-stakes use.
Who it suits
Teach Primary suits education systems and organizations conducting structured observations in grades 1–6. It is intended for teams that can provide observer training, protocols, trainers, and implementation staff.
Plans and prices
Teach Primary
Free tool and complementary resource toolkit
Read 9 Oct 2026 · worldbank.org
On the record
- Adaptability
- The modular tool lets users add locally relevant elements or exclude irrelevant ones, and uses local video footage to contextualize observer training.worldbank.org · read 9 Oct 2026
- Analysis tools
- The toolkit includes pre-written Stata programs to label, clean, and analyze collected data and generate descriptive statistics and graphs.thedocs.worldbank.org · read 9 Oct 2026
- Data collection
- The resources describe digital data collection through SurveyCTO on computers or tablets and phones, as well as paper collection with manual entry into Excel.thedocs.worldbank.org · read 9 Oct 2026
- Data collection options
- The resources describe digital data collection with SurveyCTO on phones, tablets, or computers, as well as pen-and-paper collection with later Excel entry.thedocs.worldbank.org · read 9 Oct 2026
- Implementation resources
- Complementary materials cover stakeholder consultation, video sourcing, training, field data collection, data analysis, and reporting.thedocs.worldbank.org · read 9 Oct 2026
- Inclusion
- The tool has a cross-cutting focus on inclusive, responsive teaching and whole-child development.worldbank.org · read 9 Oct 2026
- Intended use limit
- The Observer Manual says Teach Primary was not developed for high-stakes teacher evaluation or decision-making.documents1.worldbank.org · read 9 Oct 2026
- Languages
- The World Bank page links the tool and Observer Manual in English, French, Portuguese, Spanish, and Swahili, with Arabic and Russian also listed.worldbank.org · read 9 Oct 2026
- Languages and access
- The World Bank page links tool and observer manual materials in English, French, Portuguese, Spanish, and Swahili, with some other listed language versions.worldbank.org · read 9 Oct 2026
- Limits and requirements
- The World Bank recommends protocols and training to support reliable classroom observations; implementation resources identify trainers and implementors as necessary hires and some other roles as optional.worldbank.org · read 9 Oct 2026
- Maker
- The World Bank page identifies the Teach team and provides [email protected] for contact.worldbank.org · read 9 Oct 2026
- Observation format
- The framework uses three 1–10 second snapshots for time on task and two 15-minute lesson observations to score teaching practices.worldbank.org · read 9 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Teach Primary is a classroom observation tool designed to help countries collect data on teaching practices in grades 1–6 and improve teaching quality.worldbank.org · read 9 Oct 2026
- Reliability
- The World Bank page reports that more than 92 percent of trained enumerators passed the certification exam and that less than 6.2 percent of score variation was due to enumerator effects.worldbank.org · read 9 Oct 2026
- Reliability evidence
- The World Bank reports that more than 92 percent of trained enumerators passed certification and less than 6.2 percent of score variation was due to enumerator effects.worldbank.org · read 9 Oct 2026
- Resources
- Complementary resources support implementation, observer training, field data collection, data cleaning and analysis, and reporting results.thedocs.worldbank.org · read 9 Oct 2026
- Support
- The Teach team lists [email protected] as its contact email for questions and resource issues.worldbank.org · read 9 Oct 2026
- Teaching framework
- Its quality-of-teaching framework covers Classroom Culture, Instruction, and Socioemotional Skills, organized into nine elements and 28 behaviors.worldbank.org · read 9 Oct 2026
