Reform Case: Project R.E.A.

D (Read, Enjoy and Discover)

Presenter: Marlon B. Custodio
Subject: GED 108 Patterns of Reform in Education
Professor: Dr. Edizon Angeles Fermin

Good day! I’m Marlon an educator and reformist from the class of GED 108 Patterns of Reform
in Education under the leadership of Dr. Edizon Angeles Fermin.

Back when I was in high school, I can still recall that annually every English teacher determines
the reading ability and level of every learner using a material known as Philippine-Informal
Reading Inventory commonly known as the Phil-IRI. I was very fortunate whenever our teacher
is conducting this reading inventory because my result is always favorable to me which means
that I belong to the advance reader group. In fact, my former English teachers always asked me
to help them conduct Phil-IRI to other classes. For me it was a very fun activity knowing the you
know how to read and be able to understand what you are reading. However, this reading
activity is a horrible experience for others most specially to those who are struggling reading
English selections.

DepEd in its quest to continuously improve and uplift the educational performance in terms of
access, quality and governance continuously implement Phil-IRI. The Philippine-Informal
Reading Inventory (Phil-IRI) materials were used in assessing the level of reading proficiency of
students. The data from the inventory were statistically analyzed using frequency, mean,
standard deviation, t-test for paired sample and analysis of variance. Majority of the results of
this inventory revealed that majority of the students belonged to frustration level of reading
proficiency in silent reading while in instructional level for the oral reading.

Despite knowing the fact that there are learners who belong to the frustration level as identified
by the reading inventory not all schools and community learning centers are doing intervention
program to mitigate the growing number of students who can’t read and understand what they
are reading. If ever schools are implementing an intervention program for reading, most of them
are not that effective because the way it is conducted is still in the traditional manner.

At the 43rd Cabinet Meeting, DepEd Secretary Briones gave a presentation entitled “Addressing
the Challenge of Quality in Basic Education.” She sought the President’s and Cabinet’s support
for a national effort for quality basic education and several specific actions. The biggest challenge
of basic education in the country now is quality, particularly in the learning outcomes of our
students. The budget for year 2020 will be consistent and supportive of our objectives which is
shifting our focus to addressing the challenge of upgrading the quality of education, thus DepEd
launched its new reform program “Sulong EduKALIDAD, sama sama sa pagsulong ng
Edukalidad o Edukasyong may Kalidad.

As an agent of change one of the reforms anchored in the new battle cry of the department that I
really wanted to introduce in a school in order to improve the dimension of the learning outcomes
is a reading program named as Project R.E.A.D (Read, Enjoy and Discover). This program is
designed to equip struggling readers achieve greater success through a reading club member.
Each “RCM” is paired with one or more struggling readers who are expected to tutor, motivate
and encourage their clients.

The primary target of these worthwhile reform program are the learners under the frustration
level. The main task is to provide the learners under the program a massive reading intervention
and enhancement that is purely based on the learners’ suggestions on how they will learn in their
most convenient, yet comprehensive way as specified in the voice of the customers. Thus, the
success of the program is determined on the number of independent readers after the
implementation of the reading project.

Every reading advocate must work hand in hand to realize the objectives of this endeavor and
that is to decrease in the number of learners in the Frustration Level, inspire additional reform
program within the school, learners developing a love for reading, improve academic
performance among other subjects where English is the medium of instruction and students
specifically the Reading Warriors/Volunteers honing their leadership skills.

Project READ is beneficial for both the clients and RCM in strengthening their skills, gaining
strong leadership, developing coaching skills, enhancing their communication competency and
prowess and imbibing confidence.

The success of the Project READ if this will be implemented rests not only to the efforts of the
teachers but of the Reading Warriors/Volunteers who will devote time to help fellow students
and of the stakeholders and LGU who will give continuous support to the program.

Let me end this presentation with a very simple quotation that says, “Once you learn how to read,
you will be forever free”. And so, let us free ourselves from ignorance and let us advocate reading
through Project R.E.A.D (Read, Enjoy and Discover). Thank you very much!