BAGUIO CITY (PIA) — Most learners in the Cordillera region are still classified as “nearly proficient” in national achievement test, with reading gaps remaining a critical challenge for Grade 3 pupils.
Department of Education-Cordillera (DepEd-CAR) Regional Director Estela L. Carino said that based on the results of the 2024-2025 National Achievement Test (NAT) for Grade 6, the average scores across five subjects were in the “nearly proficient” range (60-74), with Araling Panlipunan falling to “low proficient” (below 60).
The target “proficient” range is 75-89.
In the Grade 12 NAT which covers eight subjects, learners performed “nearly proficient” only in Philosophy and Social Studies, with all other areas including Math, Science, and English, rated as “low proficient.”
A total of 30,394 senior high school learners took the test.
The region also faces significant reading challenges, according to the Comprehensive Rapid Literacy Assessment for Grade 3. Only 25.9 percent of learners can read at their grade level in English, while just 10.89 percent meet the grade-level standard in Filipino. Most students read one to two grades below their current level.
“This is why we launched the ARAL Program, in line with the ARAL Law,” Carino said. “We need everyone’s help—parents, volunteers, stakeholders—because teachers can’t do it alone, and some parents don’t have the patience to teach their children to read in their free time.”
The ARAL law, or Republic Act No. 12028, also popularly known as the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program Act, establishes a national intervention program to address learning losses from the pandemic and improve basic education outcomes.
Carino added that external factors like calamities are worsening performance: Benguet has already recorded 20.5 class suspensions this year while Baguio City listed 17.5 disruptions that “directly impact learning time and retention.”
Amid the challenges, Carino noted slight progress in Grade 3 reading skills.
She emphasized during the 2025 Education Week culmination held December 5, 2025, that DepEd-CAR is committed to strengthening interventions, including training teachers on literacy strategies and partnering with local groups to support at-risk learners. **JDP/MAWC-PIA CAR
