The Second Congressional Commission (EDCOM 2) commended the improved literacy rate among learners under the Department of Education’s Literacy Remediation Program (LRP) held last summer. The findings highlight the LRP’s significant impact on enhancing foundational literacy skills among Grade 3 learners.
According to a DepEd report, the LRP’s primary goal was to equip Grade 3 students categorized as “Low Emergent Readers” with the foundational literacy skills necessary for a successful transition to Grade 4, where English serves as the primary medium of instruction. These learners totaled 60,000 nationwide, out of over 1.7 million Grade 3 students assessed at the end of SY 2024-2025 in March. These students had not yet mastered phonics skills – understanding the relationships between written words and their sounds – and struggled with simple words at a Grade 1 level.
Following the 18-day intervention, the program demonstrated remarkable success in elevating reading proficiency. Partial post-test results showed remarkable gains, with only 1,827 learners remaining at the lowest reading level out of the 49,957 learners.
Notably, a substantial 8,300 learners reached Grade 3 reading level and are now ready to transition to Grade 4. During the program, as many as 49,446 learners mastered letter sounds, and more than 50% of learners were able to read and fully understand short passages.
“We thank DepEd for finally rolling out a well-targeted literacy remediation program focusing specifically on Key Stage 1— the most critical period during which our students develop foundational skills,” EDCOM 2 Executive Director Dr. Karol Mark Yee said. “It targets precisely what EDCOM 2 has long fought for: fixing the foundations of our education system, especially literacy and numeracy in Key Stage 1”.
The LRP employed an intensive English literacy intervention based on research-driven methodologies, including utilizing small group sessions. Classes were organized with 1 to12 learners per group, enabling teachers to provide individualized support. The Department also implemented a daily, consistent schedule, with routines designed to keep learners engaged for two hours per day, Monday through Thursday, over four weeks.
A crucial aspect of the LRP was its commitment to building and strengthening teacher and school leader capacity through focused training on evidence-based remediation strategies and diagnostic literacy assessments.
During the EDCOM consultations, teachers shared how they were able to support their learners better during the summer because of smaller class sizes (maximum of 1:12), and because of the allotment of sufficient time for mastery of skills— conditions that they are unable to replicate during the school year due to congested classrooms and the previous design of the Grades 1 to 3 curriculum. However the DepEd has also begun implementing the decongested MATATAG curriculum for Kinder to Grade 3 this June 2025.
“The LRP initiative boosts our confidence that while we face a learning crisis, there are indeed tried and tested solutions that could help guide our efforts. This shows us that every child can read, as long as we give them support to do so,” said Executive Director Yee. “We hope that the success of LRP is sustained in the DepEd’s implementation of the ARAL Program not just during the Summer, but throughout the school year, to ensure that learners master the foundations.”
EDCOM 2 reiterates its commitment to supporting programs that demonstrably improve educational outcomes and commends the dedication of all teachers, principals, and stakeholders involved in the LRP’s success.
The public may also access the results of the LRP through this link: https://lookerstudio.google.com/reporting/bc695503-2adb-47b9-a89d-9cb63a552e65/page/p_rqe2j6ezrd
