The Iloilo Provincial Government, through its Education Core (EDCORE) team, recently conducted a post-assessment of reading competencies among Grade 3 learners in 20 municipalities as part of the implementation of the Proof of Concept (POC) initiative.
Over 1,200 learners from eleven experimental-group towns (where POC interventions are in place) and nine control-group towns undertook the post-assessment. A pre-assessment was conducted in September last year to provide baseline data to track improvements.
The results will determine the effectiveness of the province’s education strategies in addressing reading challenges among young learners.
The province previously recorded low reading competency outcomes among Grade 3 learners, with many performing below the national average. This was based on data from the Schools Division Office-Iloilo, which gathered results from the Philippine Informal Reading Inventory (Phil-IRI) reading proficiency test.
Addressing this problem, more than 100 elementary teachers from the 11 POC-pilot municipalities underwent specialized training last year to enhance reading instruction. Additionally, Grade 3 learners in these areas received workbooks to support their learning.
The Province of Iloilo serves as a pilot area for the POC under the guidance of Synergeia, Inc., an organization advocating for education reform.
The initiative has gained strong support from mayors of the participating municipalities, who have committed to prioritizing reading proficiency in their localities.
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