PILOT READING REMEDIATION FINAL REPORT – FHP

I. INTRODUCTION

Quality education is proven to be one of the most effective avenues for sustainable
development, and there has been great progress in achieving universal primary
education targets (Sustainable Development Goal or SDG 4.1) worldwide. In the
Philippines, however, poor reading proficiency among students is still a perennial problem
(Alayon, 2014; Habagat & Rizon, 2012; Lalunio, 1994; Miguel, 2007; Montalban, 2010;
Umali, 2016). International education assessments have highlighted this gap. The latest
Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), released by the Organization for
Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in December 2019 shows that the
Philippines had the lowest scores in reading comprehension among the 79 countries
assessed. The PISA adds that the largest percentage of low-reading performers come
from economically marginalized communities.

COVID-19 continues to widen the disparities in education. Quarantines and other

pandemic restrictions have led to extended class suspensions and halted face-to-face
learning, placing social-economically disadvantaged youth further behind in reading
and other learning outcomes. They can also not access school-based services, such as
immunization, school feeding, clean water, healthcare, psychosocial support, and peer
interaction. Despite the shift to online or blended learning strategies, students from
geographically isolated areas lack internet connectivity and devices. Hence, reading
and literacy instruction continues to be the top priority in all Philippine curricula. Umali
(2016) labels that reading instruction in the Philippines can be distinguished into two
facets: (1) the regular reading class which is embedded in the standard curriculum, and
(2) the remedial reading class which is a separate subject given to those students who
need help in correcting and improving their reading difficulties. Remedial reading classes
in the Philippines are often conducted as pull-out classes since it is not integrated into the
regular reading class of the students (Gatcho and Bautista, n.d).

Remediation is defined as the ongoing effort to support students in catching up on lost

learning through a variety of means, including additional teaching time, focused
content, and specific pedagogy (e.g., compressed learning, accelerated learning)
(UNESCO n.d).

In accordance with Department of Education (DepEd) Order (DO) No. 012, s. 2020,
“Adoption of the Basic Education Learning Continuity Plan (BE-LCP) for School Year 2020-
2021 in the light of the COVID -19 Public Health Emergency,” DepEd shall employ multiple
learning modalities to ensure the continued provision of learning opportunities to its
learners while protecting the health and safety of both its personnel and learners. This
can be done through blended learning, distance learning, and homeschooling.
Implementing the BE-LCP demands a holistic approach and stronger participation and
partnership among schools, households, and communities. As the teachers and DepEd
personnel tackle the additional tasks, challenges, and new expectations in the new
normal, the BE-LCP necessitates the complementary and broader roles of parents,
guardians, other household partners, and members of the community to support the
learning process of the students at home. As such, the need for Learning Support Aides
(LSAs) becomes imperative to ensure Grade 2 & 3 frustrated or non-readers receive
adequate support.

Goal: Contribute to grade-level reading proficiency through remedial support,

advocacy to safe learning environment, and values formation towards holistic well-
being of children.

Purpose: Increase the number of Grade 2 & 3 learners in FH partner communities

who can read at Level 2 and apply skills towards values formation development.

Output/s:

1) Output 1.1 Inception meeting conducted for learners of Grade 2 & 3 who cannot
read at level 2 proficiency;
2) Output 1.2 Children attend remedial sessions and supported by Learning Support
Aides (LSAs) to meet in reading proficiency;
3) Output 1.3 Equipment and material support to Community Learning Hubs (CLHs)
in communities;
4) Output 1.4 Provision of learning kits for the students in the remedial program;

II. SUMMARY OF READING REMEDIAL RESULT

a. Overview of the Project

In February 2022, FH/Philippines launched the pilot Reading Remedial project, its flagship
basic education activity to support the Philippines’ goal of improving the reading
proficiency among Grade 2 & 3 non-and frustrated readers in identified FH Philippines
partner communities across its Tagalog, Bicol, and La Paz area programs. A total of 613
students participated in the reading remediation pilot.

The reading remedial learning sessions were conducted three times a week (3x/week)
with a minimum of 1-hour session for six months. Learning support aides were employed
to conduct the learning sessions and monitor the pupil's school engagement -
attendance in tutoring activities, including their progress and achievements. Each
Learning Support Aide (LSAs) was required to handle a minimum of 6 pupils (1 LSA:6 pupil).
The pupils were selected using the baseline result of DepEd's assessment tool (CRLA or
EGRA). Using the tools, these pupils were identified as having learning difficulties and no
family members, to assist them in understanding their school learning modules. Project
Letra and Marungko's approach was the primary instructional material during the
reading remedial project. The school and church facilities were used as the venue for the
sessions.

Why focus on Early ages or Grades 2 - 3?

The ability to read and understand a simple text is one of the most fundamental skills a
child can learn. Without basic literacy, there is little chance that a child can escape the
intergenerational cycle of poverty. Yet in many countries, including the Philippines, pupils
enrolled in school for as long as 6 years cannot read and understand a simple text.
Recent evidence indicates that learning to read and comprehend early and at a
sufficient rate is essential for learning to read well. Acquiring literacy becomes more
difficult as pupils grow older; children who do not learn to read in the first few grades are
more likely to repeat and eventually drop out.

A. Number of enrolled pupils per area program

Figure 1. Percent Enrolled Children per Area Program1 disaggregated into grade levels

Out of the 613 pupils enrolled in the program, most of them came from AP Bicol which
comprises 35%, followed by AP Tagalog 1 at 30%, then AP La Paz at 22% and lastly,
Tagalog 2 at 13%. The number of enrolled pupils per area was proportionate with the
area coverage of each Area Program. In addition, when these participants are classified

1
AP Tag 1 is comprised of Malabon and Navotas sub-area program, while AP Tag 2 is Bulacan sub-area program only.
per Grade level, the total percentage for Grade 2 equates to 55% and the remaining
45% for the Grade 3 pupils. Target pupils are Grades 2 and 3 but there were a few coming
from Grades 3 to 5 as replacements for those who dropped out of the activity.

b. Overview of the Assessment Tools

In the end line evaluation of the reading remedial project, FHP tracked and measured
changes in student reading performance. The evaluation was conducted with the
support of the DepEd School Division Office and partner schools. To measure changes in
the reading skills associated with the pilot reading remediation and its practicability, FHP
with DepEd used mixed method research using qualitative (FGD for parents, teachers,
and church partners, KII for children), and quantitative (CRLA and EGRA) data collection.

The partner school divisions for this pilot are not familiar with or trained on the same tools
for assessment. Whilst AP Tagalog 2 chose to use EGRA, the other 3 partner school
divisions used the CRLA tool.

During the course of the reading remediation, the 613 learners received reading
instructions in 3 languages/dialects. While other students were supported in 1 or more
languages, the tools only focused on analyzing the data gathered from the Filipino
reading assessment only.

Comprehensive Rapid Literacy Assessment (CRLA)

The Comprehensive Rapid Literacy Assessment (CRLA) is a 10-minute reading assessment

tool designed to help teachers quickly determine the reading profiles of G1-G3 learners,
and develop appropriate reading instructional strategies. The main goal of the tool is to
identify children who need additional support in reading. The CRLA was developed in
response to the extended break that learners experienced over the summer of 2020 due
to the pandemic. After 32 weeks of no class, teachers needed a rapid, easy-to-use tool,
to determine what level of readiness and support the returning children needed.

The CRLA uses 4 categories to determine the pupils’ mastery of the previous grade-level
reading concepts and skills with a focus on alphabet knowledge and decoding, and
their readiness to learn new reading concepts and skills for their current grade level. These
4 reading profiles are as follows:

a. Full Refresher - The pupil needs to be retaught the previous grade level reading
concepts and skills
b. Moderate - The pupil has a grasp of previous grade-level reading concepts and
skills, but needs a lot of practice and guidance
c. Light - pupil has a firm grasp of previous grade level reading concepts and skills,
but needs practice for accuracy
d. Grade Ready - The pupil has mastered the previous grade-level reading
concepts and skills. They are ready to learn current reading concepts and skills
Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA)

Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) is a simple instrument developed by RTI

International that enables assessors to report on the foundation levels of pupil learning by
assessing all of the basic skills required to be a successful reader. The objective of EGRA
is to help low-development index countries begin the process of measuring, in a
systematic way, how well children in the early grades of primary school are acquiring
reading skills. It also aims to identify any gaps in their skills, and ultimately to provide more
effective efforts to improve performance in reading literacy.

EGRA measures eight (8) Key Components of Early Reading which are:

Components Early reading skill Skill demonstrated by pupils’ ability to:

1. Letter name knowledge Letter recognition Provide the name of upper- and lowercase
letters in random order

2. Phonemic awareness Phonemic awareness Segment words into phonemes

Identify the initial sounds in different words

3. Letter sound knowledge Phonics Provide the sound of upper- and lowercase
letters distributed in random order

4. Familiar word reading Word reading Read simple and common one- and two-syllable
words

5. Unfamiliar non-word reading Alphabetic principle Make grapheme-phoneme correspondences

(GPCs) through the reading of simple nonsense
words

6. Oral reading fluency with Oral reading fluency Read a text with accuracy, with little effort, and
comprehension at a sufficient rate

Reading comprehension Respond correctly to different types of questions,

including literal and inferential questions about
the text they have read

7. Listening comprehension Listening comprehension Respond correctly to different types of questions

including literal and inferential questions about
the text the enumerator reads to them

8. Dictation Alphabetic principle Write, spell, and use grammar properly through a
dictation exercise

Learning competencies in Grade 2 - The learner demonstrates communication skills in

talking about a variety of topics using developing vocabulary and simple phrases and
sentences, simple to complex spoken language using both verbal and non-verbal cues,
understands vocabulary and language structures, appreciates and understand the
cultural aspects of the language and the writing system used, and reads and writes
simple and short literary and informational texts.

Learning competencies in Grade 3 - The learner demonstrates communication skills in

talking about a variety of topics using expanding vocabulary and phrases, shows an
understanding of spoken language in different contexts using both verbal and non-
verbal cues, vocabulary and language structures, cultural aspects of the language,
reads and writes literary and informational texts.

III. Demographic Profile of Assessment Participants

The table below summarizes the participants to the assessment per AP and per Grade
level:

Area Program Assessment Tool Grade 2 Grade 3 Total

AP Tagalog 1 CRLA 85 94 181*

AP Tagalog 2 EGRA 39 37 76

AP Bicol CRLA 128 59 187

AP La Paz CRLA 65 68 133

EGRA ** ** **

Total 577

*AP Tagalog 1- outlier of two (2) Grade 4 &5 students who replaced dropped out students from the project
** Same participants with the CRLA tool

CRLA assessments were implemented at baseline and end-line among 501 Grades 2 and
3 pupils, while 209 were assessed using EGRA in the same grade level. Both Grade 1 and
2 learners were assessed in Filipino. Results were analyzed by grade level and region,
given the different languages used in the assessment. Focus group discussions with
learners and interviews with teachers were also conducted.

Figure 2. Demographic Summary of Children in all Area Programs disaggregated by gender and age
Out of the 613 children, only 577 participated in the post-assessment in Filipino due to:

1) the unavailability of the pupil when the post-assessment was conducted;

2) the analysis only included the results on Filipino reading proficiency; however,
3) 23 students in Grade 3 from AP Bicol reported to have attained Filipino proficiency
already, so with the FHP facilitated CRLA, the learners took the English reading
proficiency test, instead; and scored 6 “Full Refresher”, 13 “Moderate Refresher”,
2 “Light Refresher” and 2 “Grade Ready”.
4) the remaining 13 students from Timoteo Policarpio Elementary School (AP Tagalog
2) reported inconclusive results, and thus the data set was not included in the final
analysis.

Among the 577 pupils, 181 are from AP Tagalog 1, 76 from AP Tagalog 2, 187 from AP
Bicol and 133 from La Paz. Out of the 577 participants, 59% are female and 41% are male.
And when categorized per age group, the majority or 54% are from ages 6-8, followed
by 45% aged 9-11 and only 1% for ages 12 and above.

A. Attendance Rate during the Remediation of Enrolled Pupils vis-a-vis

Reading Proficiency Status at the end of the Pilot

Figure 3. Attendance Rate and Reading assessment of enrolled pupils across Grades 2-3 in all Area
Programs

The figure shows the relation of attendance rate of the enrolled pupils and their
assessment result in CRLA. Each full bar represents the total number of pupils that were
assessed as Grade Ready, Light Refresher, Moderate Refresher and Full Refresher. It
presents that the majority of the pupils across the four classifications have successfully
gained an attendance rate above 95%. Seventy-three percent (73%) of the grade ready
had gained more than 95% of attendance. Eighteen percent (18%) of the grade-ready
pupils gained 85-95% attendance rate while the remaining 9% gained below 85%
attendance rate.

The light, moderate and full refresher have a higher percentage of pupils with an
attendance rate above 95% compared to the Grade ready at 95%, 91% and 92%,
respectively. Only a small percentage of the light, moderate and full refresher gained an
attendance rate of less than 95%. More analysis and additional data may provide
information in order to conclude whether a higher attendance rate guarantees
improved reading comprehension. However, FHP still strongly encourages the enrolled
pupils to attend as much as possible to ensure maximum potential for learning.

Other factors that could be attributed to this could be the following:

1. Time spent practicing reading after classes
2. Availability of a mentor/ coach that could provide guidance to the pupils, apart
from the LSA
3. Availability to and access to reading materials in school and outside of school
4. The willingness of the children to learn and read

The above factors could be continued in the succeeding programs to help FHP
implement supplementary interventions.

B. Reading Status of Grade 2 and 3 pupils assessed in Filipino using the

Comprehensive Rapid Literacy Assessment (CRLA)

To measure the improvement of the pupils enrolled in the project, the Comprehensive
Rapid Literacy Assessment (CRLA) tool was used. This tool is a one-on-one teacher-
administered assessment; it comprises two reading tasks with items that align the with
standards of the previous grade level. During the assessment, the child is asked to read
the sentences in Task 1 (set of 2 sentences), then the number of words read correctly are
counted. If the child scores within seven (7) to 10, proceed to SENTENCES (Task 2). If the
child scores within zero (0) to six (6), proceed to WORDS (Task 2).
Figure 4. Overall Comparative data of Grades 2-3 learners per Area Program

The figure above shows the pre-reading assessment in Filipino using CRLA among Grade
2 and Grade 3 learners. Across all area programs, most of the enrolled pupils were
categorized in the full refresher or pupils who need to be retaught the previous grade
level reading and concept skills. The pre-assessment was done by the partner schools
using CRLA through the initially discussed four (4) classifications.

Due to the pandemic, the AP Tagalog 1 schools were unable to carry out regular
assessments on the learners, leading to categorize 100% of the students as Full refresher.

Overall, across the area programs, the pre-reading assessment of the majority of the
enrolled pupils is at the Full refresher classification and very little to none were classified
as grade ready. It can be summed up that the reading ability and reading
comprehension of the enrolled pupils ages 6 and above are behind their learning
capabilities and are therefore in need of intervention as such this reading remedial
program.

The figure above also shows the post-reading assessment in Filipino using CRLA among
Grade 2 and 3 learners. AP Tagalog has the highest percentage of pupils classified as
grade ready at 61% then a tie for both AP Bicol and AP La Paz at 49% each. The
percentage of enrolled pupils in need of full refresher is 13% in AP Tagalog, 10% in AP
Bicol, and two percent (2%) in La Paz. Pupils who were classified as moderate and light
are predominantly seen in the AP La Paz at 22% and 28% respectively followed by AP
Bicol at 16% as moderate and 25% as light Lastly, AP Tagalog was at 10% as moderate
and 16% as light
In a quick glance, it can be easily observed from the figure above that there is a
remarkable improvement in the percentage of children who were assessed as grade
ready. In AP Tagalog alone which initially has no grade-ready pupils, they now have the
highest percentage across all Area Programs at 61%. And the rest of the learners have
gradually advanced into light and moderate thus, the percentage of pupils classified as
needing full refresher. AP Tagalog pupils in need of full refresher are now only at 13%, AP
Bicol at 10% and lastly AP La Paz at 2%.

Although not all have fully advanced their level of reading and comprehension in Filipino,
there is still a significant improvement among the enrolled pupils. Further implementation
and monitoring of this activity can help fully transform all the initially enrolled pupils.

C. Reading Status of Grade 2 and 3 pupils assessed in Filipino using the Early
Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) - AP Tagalog 2 (Bulacan)

Figure 5. Overall Comparative data of Grades 2-3 assessed in Filipino for AP Tagalog 2
(Bulacan)

The figure above shows the pre- and post-assessment in Filipino of Grade 2 and 3 pupils
in AP Tagalog 2 (Bulacan). The percentage of non-reader post-assessment has slightly
decreased by 9% (from 30% to only 21%). In contrast, the percentage of slow readers
increased from 39% to 41%. For the average reader, the percentage significantly
decreased by almost half (from 21% to 12%) while the fast reader has significantly
increased from 9% to 26%. It can be deduced that those learners who were already
“Average Reader” during the pilot, were able to improve to be “Fast Reader”; whilst
those who were “Non-reader” or “Slow Reader” at the beginning of the pilot only showed
relatively minimal progress compare to those learners in AP Tagalog 1. However, it is
important to remember that AP Tagalog 1 used CLRA whilst AP Tagalog 2 made the
assessment using EGRA.
To look further at the improvement of the pupils in terms of reading and comprehension,
the data was disaggregated by classification.

Figure 6. Disaggregated pre and post-assessment data of Grade 2 and 3 pupils classified as Non-reader in
AP Tagalog 2

Figure 6 shows that among the 76 pupils in Grade 2 and 3 in AP Tagalog 2, twenty-three
(23) are identified as non-readers (defined as pupils who could not read a single word in
a passage), a small percentage (4%) has advanced as a Fast reader while 65% are
classified as slow readers and 30% were still on the same classification as a non-reader.
Compared with Figure 5, it can be observed that despite the decrease in the overall
percentage of non-readers, some pupils still remained in the same classification.

Figure 7. Disaggregated pre and post-assessment data of Grade 2 and 3 pupils classified as Slow Reader
Out of the 30 pupils identified as slow readers, half (53.3%) have progressed as average
readers or pupils who can read 20-50 words per minute and answer 82% of the
comprehension questions correctly. 16.7% of the pupils moved two levels from slow
reader to fast reader.

Figure 8. Disaggregated pre and post assessment data of Grade 2 and 3 pupils classified as Average reader

Figure 8 shows the comparison between the pre and post-assessment data of grade 2
and 3 pupils classified as Average readers, among the 16 pupils, 87.5% has progressed to
fast readers and only 12.5% remained in the same classification.

Figure 9. Disaggregated pre and post-assessment data of Grade 2 and 3 pupils classified as Fast reader

Figure 9 shows the pre- and post-assessment of pupils identified as fast readers or pupils
who can read more than 50 words per minute and can correctly answer 91% of the
comprehension questions. Among the seven pupils identified as fast readers during the
pre-assessment, 86% remained in the same classification. Looking further into the scores,
an increase can be observed in the overall score with a mean of 339.7 (pre-assessment)
and 373.7 on the post-assessment. The 14% shift from Fast reader to Average reader shows
a regression that may be explained by any of the following:
● The baseline/ initial assessment of 7 “Fast Reader” was incorrect;
● There is a regression caused by the school closure and other factors caused by
the pandemic.

Overall, the reading remedial project has been successful in helping the pupils improve
their reading ability and competency. A follow-through intervention is suggested to
further bring down to zero the small population still at the non-reader and slow-reader
and advance them to average or fast readers.

D. Reading Comprehension of enrolled pupils

Comprehension is a fundamental part of reading. In this assessment, comprehension is

measured by asking pupils five questions about the text after being given 60 seconds to
read a grade-level passage. Filipino reading comprehension questions were
administered in two rounds. The first round of administration followed the standard EGRA
administration procedures. Learners were not allowed to look back at the text to help
them answer questions. The second round immediately followed the first round. During
the second round, assessors gave the text back to the pupils and allowed them to finish
reading the passage, and then asked them comprehension questions without taking the
text away from the pupils.

Figure 10. Comparative data of pre and post-assessment of Reading Comprehension score of Grade 2 and
3 pupils when asked 5 questions in Filipino
The figure above shows the pre-assessment reading comprehension results of Grade 2
and 3 pupils in Filipino. Twenty-eight percent (28%) of pupils during pre-assessment were
unable to answer a single Filipino reading comprehension question despite the fact that
Tagalog/Filipino is the commonly spoken language in the area. Looking at the data, a
higher percentage (41%) of pupils were only able to answer 2 to 3 questions. While a third
(37%) demonstrated reading comprehension that could answer four or more questions.

Figure 10 also shows the post-assessment result of Filipino reading comprehension. It can
be noted that the percentage of pupils with zero scores significantly decreased by 16%
(from 28% to 12%). The percentage of pupils able to answer three questions has
significantly increased from 16% to 21%. For both grade levels, the total number of
reading comprehension correct ranged from zero to five, with a mean of 2.9 questions
answered correctly during post-assessment. Overall, analysis shows that learners in both
Grades 2 and 3, on average, demonstrated relatively low performance in Filipino reading
comprehension despite it being the primary language spoken at home. Several factors
may have contributed to this incongruity:
● Saturation of media (print, digital, etc.) content in English ( comparatively higher
than Tagalog and other Filipino dialects;
● Cultural preference by caregivers to have children learn English than Filipino

IV. READING PERCEPTION SURVEY RESULT

A Learner’s Reading Perception Survey was administered last January 2022 to assess what
the selected pupils perceive of reading. The survey also aimed to gather information with
regard to the impact of the three identified main influencers (caregiver, teacher or
school, and community) on the development of a child. The results of the survey for AP
Bicol and AP Tagalog are presented in this report.

A. Respondents’ Profile

One hundred seventy-four (174) respondents were selected from 16 communities in the
Bicol Area Program while 273 respondents came from 16 different elementary schools in
the Tagalog Area Program. Thus, a total of 447 pupils from 32 communities were reached
for this assessment. Target respondents are Grades 2 and 3 but there were a few coming
from Grades 3 to 5 as replacements for those who dropped out of the activity.

Figure 11. Number of children in Grades 2 and 3 per Area Program disaggregated by gender

Looking closer into the composition of the study group, most of the respondents are male
for both Area Programs and Grade level.

Tagalog AP Grades 2-3 consist of 134 children for each grade level. Grade 2 consists of
51% female and 49% male while Grade 3 consists mostly of male pupils at 65% and female
at 35%. Grades 2 and 3 were the original target population for this activity. However,
since all the children who are experiencing difficulties in reading are already accounted
for (specifically in Malabon), several children coming from Grades 4 and 5 have been
added to complete the target population for this activity. But the table above
represented only the target population.

As for the Bicol AP, there are a total of 174 respondents. Ninety-five (95) or 54.6% are
Grade 2 pupils while seventy-nine (79) or 45.4% are Grade 3 pupils. From the Grade 2
pupils, 55 (57.9%) are male while 40 (42.1%) are female. Grade 3 pupils consist of 51
(64.6%) male and 28 (35.4%) female.

39.0%
61.0%

AP Tagalog 1 & 2 AP Bicol

Figure 12. Percentage of Respondents from different Area Programs
 A. SUMMARY OF RESULTS

i. Caregiver’s Influence on Reading Perception of Child

One of the factors that affect the reading perception of a child is the support given
by the family or the caregiver. Most often than not, children learn to read first in their
own homes before they enroll in their schools. However, this does not apply to all
children. Below is the result of the survey done among children. For this section, ten
(10) questions were administered as a basis for knowing how well-supported the
children in the community are in terms of reading.

Figure 13. Responses on questions related to caregiver’s influence on the reading

perception of children

In the data above, 7 out of the 10 statements were strongly agreed upon by the children;
3 out of 10 responded Agree only. Majority or 46. 76% strongly agreed that they enjoy
reading at home. This is supported by the following statement “I believe that reading
should start in the family” which children strongly agreed with. It can also be noted that
while the majority have responded to agree with the first and second statements, there
are still a few who do not agree that they enjoy reading. 3.8% disagreed, which could be
attributed to the home environment of the children which is not conducive to reading.
In terms of the inclusion of reading materials in the household budget, most of the pupils
agree – strongly agree that it should be. However, there is a notably high I do not agree,
and I do not know response at 7.83% and 14.54%, respectively. Those who responded
that they do not know if it should or should not be included could possibly be due to the
unfamiliarity with household budgeting.

On the inclusion of parents in the learning of children as stated in the 4th statement, most
pupils responded Strongly Agree – Agree, at 41.61% and 36.02% respectively. There are
also some who responded that they do not agree- don’t know. Those who responded
that parents should not devote time to reading could have learned to read on their own
without their parents’ help.

Most of the children responded that they strongly agree - agree a little that they read to
learn things that interest them but at least 14% do not agree. Those who do not agree
could prefer other modes of learning or could be more inclined to use technology and
the internet in learning about topics that interest them. Most of the children also
responded Strongly agree-agree that reading should be cultivated as early as possible.
This means that children understand the importance of being able to read and
understand at an early age.

Responses to the statement “I enjoy reading books more than comics and magazines”
are mostly strongly agree to agree and agree a little. Only a small percentage at
approximately seven and nine percent (7% and 9%) responded that they do not agree
and do not know, respectively. One of the factors that can be attributed to this is the
availability of reading materials in their household and their schools.

Approximately 95% responded strongly agree to agree a little that they believe reading
can make them a better person. Only a small percentage of the respondents answered
otherwise. This result is in line with their responses on the next statements that they prefer
choosing their own books to read and reading on their own instead of listening to others
read. Most of them responded strongly agree - agree a little. This could be possibly
attributed to the availability of another person to read for them, that they resort to
reading on their own. Another possibility is that they understand the material or focus
better when they read on their own.

Cross analysis

● Although most of the children said that they enjoy reading, there is a notable
percentage who do not agree and aren’t sure if it should be included in the
household budget. A factor that may have influenced this is the child’s perception
of their family’s financial capacity. Those who are aware of their family’s financial
capability may have opted to not include it. Although most of the pupils shared
that they believe that parents should devote time reading stories for them, a large
 percentage still insists that it is better for them to read than to listen to others read
for them.

● Majority of the children shared that they read to learn things that interest them,
and this is backed by their agreement with the statement that they would rather
pick their own books to read. This could reflect that the children have their own
preferences with their reading materials, and this is not necessarily children’s
comics/ magazines; in alignment with their response of wanting to read a book. It
is also noted that some might prefer other modes of learning aside from reading.
This is brought about by the availability of informational video resources.

● It can be concluded that most children have a positive perception of reading as

they believe in its importance at a young age and the belief that reading will
make them a better person.

ii. School and Teachers’ Influence on Reading Perception of Child

Other factors that influence the reading perception of children are the support from the
learning institutions, educators’ devotion to teaching, and the availability of resources.
Below is the average of the responses from both AP Tagalog and AP Bicol.

Figure 14. Responses on questions related to school and teacher’s influence on reading
perception of children
Majority of the pupils at 95.97%, strongly agree – agree a little and responded that they
enjoyed reading at school. There was a very low percentage who answered that they
disagree with the statement.

In testing the initiative of the children to read through the second statement, there are
31.1% who disagree that they read only because it is required by teachers. Approximately
62% responded that they would read regardless if it was required by the teacher. It is
observed from the data from Bicol AP alone that 48.1% of the male pupils agree that they
only read as required by the teachers, as compared to 41.1% of the total female pupils
with the same answer. In this regard, more male pupils only read as required by teachers
as compared to female pupils.

Most of the pupils or 81.66% strongly agree to agree a little that they prefer to read alone
as they believe it makes them understand the reading selection better. Only 12.3% of the
pupils disagreed. They prefer to be assisted during reading activities.

More than half or 53.47% of the pupils disagree that reading is boring, while 36.02%
strongly agree – agree a little that reading is boring. This may be attributed to the short
attention span of children as required readings in school can be long and tedious to
read, making reading boring for them. There is an inconsistency between those reporting
“I enjoy reading at school” and “Reading is boring” as the two similar questions present
opposing responses from the interviewed children. For the time it takes to finish a reading
material, the majority or 85.01% strongly agree-agree a little that it takes longer time for
them to do so. This could be attributed to the fact that all the pupils are struggling readers
prior to joining the reading remediation program and due to their preference for the
topics that they want to read.

The majority of the pupils at 83% prefer to have other people select books for them to
read. About 10.07 % of the pupils do not agree, possibly preferring their own selection of
books or reading materials.

Cross analysis

There is an opposing result in the responses of the children in relation to reading at

home and in school. While both had high responses of having enjoyed reading, it is
however difficult for children to read the materials given in school and feel that reading
is boring. Additional questions to find out the reasons for this difference in perception
based on venue should be explored. However, it is also possible that the types of
books, level of difficulty, and topics are not appropriate to the interests and reading
level of the children.
iii. Community’s Influence on Reading Perception of a Child

Figure 15. Responses on questions related to the community’s influence on the reading perception
of children

Majority of the pupils strongly agree to agree a little, that they enjoy going to the library.
However, 14.32% of the pupils answered with “I do not know” and the remaining 5.15%
did not agree.

In relation to the availability of reading centers, majority or 82. 78% of the pupils strongly
agree-agree that there should be reading centers in their barangays. This may be
attributed to the availability of a library in their school or community. A small percentage
of respondents at 8.72%, responded that they do not know. This may be because they
are not familiar yet with reading centers.

And lastly, the majority or 65.32% of the pupils disagree that reading is only for the rich.
The children believe that everyone, regardless of their social status, has the right to read.
Sadly, though, 20.8% agree that only the rich should be able to read.

Cross Analysis

● While a large percentage of the children responded that they enjoy going to the
library, it is important to note that there are still 14.32 % who responded that they
do not know. This could possibly infer that those who answered have no access to
a library.
 ● The children that signified that they enjoy going to the library believe that reading
centers should be present in their community. This supports the statement above
that there is limited/no access to libraries and/or reading centers.

● Majority of children realize that reading should be accessible regardless of their

social status, but it is disheartening to see that there are still a few who believe
otherwise.

V. FACILITATING FACTORS
1. Process/Methods
● For AP La Paz, parents had the opportunity to observe some sessions of the
LSAs. They appreciate the step-by-step teaching process that the LSAs
employed.
● Through the Marungko approach, the children were able to identify and
read letters better through sounds.
● Giving take-home reading assignments, practice sessions through reading
and writing, and reviewing the previous lesson to check if the children still
remember and understood
● The use of periodic assessments and evaluation through summative tests
helped the LSAs gauge the learning progress of the children.
● The use of technology such as laptops and phones and visual materials
increased the interest of children during the discussions.
● Providing short breaks and doing physical exercises kept the children
physically active during sessions and kept the children interested in the
lessons.
● The conduct of regular meetings helped inform the parents of the status of
their children.

2. Linkages to schools
● The training provided for the LSAs of both AP Tagalog and Bicol effectively
equipped them to facilitate the reading remedial sessions.
● Strong partnerships with DepEd were created through MOA signing, which
facilitated the support and participation of schools and teachers in the
program.
● LSAs did regular consultations with school advisers for guidance in their
lesson plans, seek advice on lesson delivery, and updated the school
adviser on the child’s progress.
● The linkages/partnerships with schools greatly supported the
implementation of the program. Principal and school advisers have
provided support through providing classrooms/venues, review of lesson
plans, and advice on what teaching materials to use.
● FHP staff conducted meetings with the school principals regarding the
reading remedial program and visited the school twice a month to monitor
the program’s progress.
● Some schools prepared the food for the children if the parents could not
 commit to prepare the food (AP Bicol)
● Schools monitored and adjusted the schedules of the children so the
regular classes and the reading remediation will be done and balanced
(AP Bicol).
● Schools provided narrative reports and assessments (CRLA) as requested,
which helped in monitoring the progress of the program.
● DepEd has imposed policies to let teachers focus on the learning recovery
curriculum, by reducing their paperwork and other extra requirements
aside from teaching. This has contributed to teachers providing more focus
on teaching methods and the learning development of the students.

3. Tools
● AP Tagalog successfully utilized Lunday/Mahinay and Marungko. Project
LETRA was also well appreciated.
● According to the LSA’s, the Marungko approach was an effective tool in
teaching because it starts with the basics which is phonics, or teaching the
child to learn the sound of the letter first before proceeding to Morpheme
(words) and so on. They observed that the children better understood the
lesson using this style of teaching.
● The Daily Tracker template provided by the FH staff of AP Bicol was a good
tool in updating the accomplishments of LSAs.
● Some LSAs observed that CLA was a good assessment tool along with the
CRLA of DepEd.

4. Logistics
● Provision of snacks and feeding has been a good component of the
program. It became an incentive for the children to attend the classes.
● Trainings were great help for the LSAs, especially for those who are not
education graduates
● Regular monitoring of the FH staff has been helpful not only in knowing the
progress of the project but also in providing guidance for the LSAs.
● Storybooks and learning kits provided were used well by the students

5. Training
● The LSAs appreciate the training as they felt fully equipped before program
implementation. The support of the Technical Specialist for Education also
helped them in areas that they need to improve

6. Monitoring
● Regular monitoring was followed and FH staff were very supportive
● AP Bicol employed daily trackers and child diaries to document their
progress
VI. CHALLENGES ENCOUNTERED:
Across all Area Programs
● Conflict in schedules of the parents’ work with the remedial classes and parents’
meetings, thus failing to take their children to classes and participate in the
meetings.
● Due to bad weather conditions experienced in Bulacan, and the island
community in AP Bicol, there were cancellations of sessions to consider the safety
of both children and LSAs. However, make-up sessions were scheduled.
● Availability of a venue conducive to learning. By design, the venue should be at
school classrooms, but due to pandemic restrictions, and the gradual return of
face-to-face regular classes, this option became unavailable for some LSAs. Thus,
LSAs had to seek alternatives, such as the Barangay Hall, and church, and
conduct home visits. As these are shared spaces, excessive noise and distractions
from other activities within the area may have affected the learning of the
children.
● Across all area programs, there were identified financial concerns of some of the
child’s families. There are cases of children, especially those who are a bit far from
the venue, lack of the family’s budget to take the children to remedial classes was
a concern. For AP Bicol, a BLGU provided their government vehicle to support the
children.
● There are children that incurred absences, but the LSAs compensated by
conducting make-up classes. For AP Bicol and AP La Paz, parents sometimes do
not permit their kids to attend the sessions or support in their take-home
assignments as the learner will have to do chores or take care of their young
brothers and sister when the parents are occupied with other matters.

AP Tagalog
● During the final weeks of the implementation, some of the children in Bulacan
moved out of the community and transferred to other provinces. This was resolved
by conducting an online class instead of a face-to-face one.
● Since Malabon sub-AP was not able to conduct face-to-face classes at the start
of the project, they opted to conduct the sessions online. However, one of the
challenges they encountered was poor internet connection and a lack of
accessible devices for the children. Most of them only use mobile phones owned
by their parents.
● In Bulacan, security threats like kidnapping exist. This adds to the concerns of
parents and most resort to accompany their children to the remedial sessions.
● Decreasing interest/ motivation of the parents in making the effort to continue
teaching their children and sending them to the remedial sessions.
● LSAs were not informed in advance or there was no lead time on some data or
reports that were requested of them.
● Some LSAs were not provided with guidance by the teachers/school on how to
proceed with lessons. Some schools were not active in monitoring their progress in
the program.
● FHP Staff experienced difficulty in terms of the program’s venue. The school did
 not allow the conduct of the program because of the pandemic. Constant
changing of venues made it hard for them to disseminate the official location of
the program to the children.
● FHP Staff observed that the production of activity sheets cost a lot of money and
it affected the allotted fund for the meals of the children.
● FHP Staff relayed that some LSAs were not sufficiently competent to deliver quality
learning experiences.

AP Bicol
● Conflict in schedules of the reading remedial program and the regular classes
(SubAP Bulacan, AP Bicol). For AP Bicol, there was a resolution of adjustment of
schedules with the sudden return of face-to-face classes by March 2022. However,
this also resulted in challenges with the use of venues for the remedial classes as
classrooms became unavailable for use.
● Confusion with the schedule of the sessions of children leading to idle time. Parents
need to keep track of their child’s schedules to avoid this. Changes in the
schedule may result from the unavailability of venues.
● There are some schools that were not able to monitor the children through the
LSA. The advisers are not consistent in monitoring the children, possibly due to the
busy schedule as face-to-face classes are returning.
● The parents should be the lead in preparing the meals as per program design, but
this was not followed as most parents are busy and cannot give time to prepare
meals.
● The LSAs hoped for a much longer training with a chance for a practicum
demonstration.
● Some BLGUs are not so active in monitoring and participating in the project.
● For the island community in AP Bicol, there was a shortcoming with the BLGU
counterpart in lending the FH Boat to take the LSAs to and from Sula. Thus there
were instances that LSAs would have to spend more to take another boat to the
island or reschedule some of the classes.
● At the onset, some of the FHP Staff were confused about their roles and
responsibilities for the implementation of the program.
● The quality of meals served do not match the budget allotted. SFOs/FOs became
vigilant in monitoring the meals being provided through spot checks and
reviewing receipts.

AP La Paz
● Absenteeism of some learners due to the lukewarm participation of parents.
Parents would rather have the children do chores around the house or care for
their siblings instead of encouraging them to attend the sessions.
● Some of the intended recipients of the program were unvaccinated and were not
allowed to join the classes for safety. There were also children who were unable to
attend classes due to lack of money for transportation.
● For Grade 2, the school supplies that were distributed were not appropriate for the
grade level. Students were provided with composition notebooks instead of
writing notebooks.
 ● During the early part of implementation, parents observed that some LSAs would
sometimes leave the children unsupervised to attend to other matters such as
getting snacks from the FH office or coming late to classes. FH staff called the
attention of the LSAs concerned to prioritize teaching and looking after the children.
● School focals observed that some LSA do not inform the teacher or adviser of the
changes in their schedule.
● Parents lack support and cooperation with the teachers and LSA.

VII. OBSERVATIONS FOR REFLECTION

1. Program related:
● There were changes in assessment tools used from Phil-IRI to CRLA. The
representative from Malabon SDO said that they used Phil-IRI as the
baseline assessment tool to qualify children based on their proficiency,
however, at the end of the project, CRLA was used instead. With this, they
are suggesting to identify the assessment tool prior to the start of the
project. Each regional office of DepEd has the prerogative to choose the
tool of assessment. FHP may propose one for the purpose of consistency in
the final assessment, subject to the school's agreement.
● Some parents were unable to send their children to school for the remedial
sessions due to busy schedules. However, this was resolved by agreeing that
another guardian could accompany the child during the sessions.
● The school focal emphasized that the students have different learning styles
thus there is no “one size fits all” approach. Therefore, the clustering of
children into groups should be considered. The use of assessment tools such
as CRLA, CLA, and short interviews with school advisers may be employed
to get initial information on the learning curve of each student.
● The use of daily trackers and students’ diaries should be continued since
this helped in tracking the progress of the children throughout the project.
● The LSAs learned to be flexible, resourceful, and creative in teaching the
students because they realized that each student has strengths in different
areas and learns at their own unique pace.
● Maintain good and open communication – update class advisers on the
situations or status of the learners

2. Reported change in perception amongst parents:

● Some parents tried to emulate what the LSAs and teachers were doing.
● The parents in La Paz learned to recycle or reuse some school supplies so
that their children would have something to use during classes.
● Some parents realize that the venue need not be lavish, as long as it is
comfortable for the children to learn in.
 ● Parents appreciated the take-home exercises as they believed they
helped in their children’s learning.
● Most parents agree that they should use their time wisely and dedicate it
to teaching their children and participating in school-related meetings.
They have to maximize their time with teachers and learn more about how
they can help their children’s learning. They should be more active in
checking their children’s activities and progress for the day.
● The parents believe that their cooperation and support help their children
to perform better in school.
● The majority of parents believe that being well-fed with nutritious food helps
their children learn well and participate better in classes.
● There are changes in perception towards reading and education in
general for most of the parents and children that participated in the
program. Most parents reported becoming more involved in the studies of
their children, and are appreciative of what the program has
accomplished. For the children, there are observed changes in their
behavior such as improved hygiene and increased interest in studying. The
children also learned how to pray and took interest in biblical stories that
the program has provided to them.
● LSAs also observed that aside from the teaching experience, they have
realized that patience in teaching and bonding with children helps in
improving the learning outcomes.

VIII. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ACTION

A. Training
● Although there was training provided to the LSAs prior to the conduct of
the project, more comprehensive training on the materials to be used
(Project Letra and Marungko) and other learning strategies will also be
beneficial. (Tagalog and La Paz)
● Continue the use of CRLA and CLA in the evaluation.
● Some suggested continuing the use of CRLA and CLA. However, the school
focal in Bicol recommended using PHIL-IRI to evaluate the proficiency of
children before and after the project.
● Retain the provision of teaching materials and learning materials/story
books for the children.

B. Venue
 ○ Available venues and proper alternatives should be identified prior to the
start of the project, which all should be conducive to learning.
○ It is recommended that a second option is also readied in case of a conflict
of schedule, changes in Covid-19 restrictions, and/or inclement weather.

C. Program related:
● Include numeracy in the project extension.
● Ensure school heads are able to provide guidance to the LSAs in the
preparation of guided lesson plans. Finalized and guided lesson plans for
LSAs should be provided.
● Screening of the children who will join the program must be more stringent
to avoid accepting children that have learning disabilities. The LSAs believe
that there should be a specialized curriculum and teacher for these
children. Emphasized the roles and responsibilities of parents and other
stakeholders (BLGU and school) in the project.
● Consider having the production of activity sheets as a counterpart of the
schools, so the budget allocated to this may be used for more nutritious
snacks/meals for the learners.
● LSAs from AP Tagalog suggest starting the reading remedial sessions at the
same time as the regular school year. Also, AP Bicol suggests considering
the programming once all students are required to do a full face-to-face
session.
● Continue the provision of meals/snacks
● FH staff recommends increased participation of church partners in the
conduct of values formation for the children and parents.
● FH staff should also observe the level of interest/motivation of parents to
keep on sending their children to the remediation. If motivation seems to
be waning, seek out the reason for this decline in interest and propose
appropriate interventions.
● Recommendation for the LSA to be selected should be Education
graduates. Although this was an ideal pre-requisite, some LSAs that were
hired for the pilot were not Education graduates due to non-availability.
● Implement the use of an improved and standardized monitoring tool that
can capture the performance quality of the LSAs (e.g. satisfaction by
learners, satisfaction by parents, attendance, direct observation of FH staff,
etc.)
● Use a single assessment tool to assess the children enrolled in the reading
remedial project (EGRA or CRLA), this is necessary to ensure ease in
comparison and valid results. Then the assessment results from their
respective schools or data from DepEdwill be used to validate FH findings.
D. Next steps

● Livelihood programs for parents for additional income to provide for the
educational needs of their child.
● Improve participation of BLGU in the program
● Continue the conduct of Values formation for parents, using the Education
Cascade Group Modules 1 & 2 and other lessons identified as needed
● Get LSAs residing within the same communities as the students, if possible.
● FHP needs to continue monitoring the status of its 613 pilot reading remedial
participants. Things to consider:

a) Develop and good use of a Monitoring Tool during the conduct of

the remediation and the follow-up status monitoring of the student
participants;
b) Successful transition of Grade 2 learners to Grade 3; then the
eventual rating of Grade Ready;
c) Grade 3 students transition to Grade 4, and so on for the eventual
completion of Grade 6 (elementary schooling);
d) With the above, monitor and document progress of each child to
create the first data set of children supported by the remediation
intervention at the most critical period of reading proficiency
acquisition.
e) Create a database for the Reading Remediation Pilot (Batch1) and
maintain data on reading literacy status until this cohort graduates
elementary - this is the way to measure the actual impact stemming
from this project. Use cohort 1 as a control group that can be used
to compare the next batches of interventions, with varying degrees
of adaptation/ improvements in implementation.