Effect of Project SALVAGE (Saving Learners who need major support through

Viable, Appropriate, and Graspable Exercises) on Numeracy level of SNHS

grade 7 students.

Introduction

Numeracy is a proficiency that involves the capacity to confidently apply a variety of

mathematical techniques and methods to problems encountered in daily life. It

involves more than just having a working knowledge of mathematical operations and

facts. The foundation of a child's education and their ability to acquire new things on

a continuous basis are their numeracy skills.

Knowing how crucial it is to guarantee that students develop this mathematical

literacy, this issue with mathematics remains in many nations. The Philippines had

the second-lowest average math score in the world—353—as reported in Matthew

(2019's news article), coming in at 489 for the world as a whole. Furthermore,

according to an article in Magsambol, the Philippines scored the worst in math

among 58 nations (2020).

The fight against innumeracy continues. But nothing is insurmountable when using a

variety of tested techniques to successfully increase students' numeracy. According

to Hannah Hawthorne (2019), once a need has been identified, effective

interventions can then be used to overcome any barriers in the child’s learning.

Further, in educational settings, interventions are often used to describe a focused

teaching session, which is a deviation away from existing teaching practice. Likewise

Results from a Catch Up Numeracy Program showed that teacher interventions have

a significant impact on students' "arithmetical challenges." Holes, W., and Dowker, A.

(2013).
Moreover, in an article (Brabeck et al.,2011) learning happens when information

from working memory is transferred to long-term memory that is, the information

is retained - and practice can help this process. Hence, to improve procedural

abilities, focused practice is required. This intervention program will then

concentrate on strengthening the procedural skills of performing the fundamental

operations through deliberate practice as procedural skill has been established to

be strongly associated in keeping information in long-term memory and this is

associated with retention which is the capacity to remember learned skills.

Recent surveys and studies just starting to trickle out, but the early indications

are that learning loss could be significant. One of the larger studies, carried out

by consulting firm McKinsey & Company, discovered that students could, on

average, be up to nine months behind in math. The results of the National High

School (Grade 7)'s assessment of students' numeracy skills using the ALNAT, which

was conducted last August 24, 2022, 63% of the 150 students who participated in

the assessment belonged to the needs major support level, meaning that more than

half of the respondents had difficulty acquiring the numeracy skills required for a

grade 7 student. For the previous few years, grade 7 students have received

numeracy interventions with the main goal of increasing the number of numerates at

the conclusion of the program. Although the aforementioned program has been

successful in achieving its objectives, a considerable portion of students still require

assistance in order to refine their numeracy abilities.

It is with this purpose that this research aims to conduct a numeracy intervention

program designed to advance the number of numerates. More so, the study
seeks to understand how students' numeracy and attitudes toward the

intervention program were impacted by Project SALVAGE.