Benchmarking Reading Proficiency: Evaluating Reading Levels Among Grade 6 Pupils of Pagbilao Central Elementary School

This study assessed the reading proficiency levels of 190 Grade 6 pupils at Pagbilao Central Elementary School using the Philippine Informal Reading Inventory (Phil-IRI) to determine their comprehension performance and identify areas needing intervention. The assessment results revealed that the majority of the pupils lacked proficiency in reading comprehension. Based on Phil-IRI standards, the average reading level was 3, corresponding to the frustration level, indicating that most learners struggled to decode, understand, and interpret grade-level texts. Out of 190 respondents, 155 pupils (82%) were classified under the frustration level, while only a small number reached the instructional level, and none attained the independent level. One pupil scored zero, reflecting extreme difficulty in both word recognition and comprehension. Further analysis of comprehension components showed that literal and inferential questions received the lowest mean scores. These results indicate that pupils experienced challenges in identifying explicitly stated details and in making logical inferences from the text. The mean score and standard deviation further confirmed a consistent pattern of weak performance across these comprehension areas. The descriptive statistics revealed limited reading fluency, while inferential statistics (t-values and p-values) supported a significant difference between pupils’ current reading level and the expected grade-level proficiency, highlighting the need for focused intervention. The findings underscore a critical deficiency in reading comprehension among Grade 6 pupils, emphasizing the necessity for a structured and contextualized reading intervention. These results serve as the empirical foundation for implementing Project INSPIRE (Innovative, Nurturing Strategies and Practices in Reading Enhancement), an initiative designed to improve learners’ reading comprehension through guided reading sessions, interactive comprehension exercises, and localized learning materials aimed at helping pupils progress from the frustration to the instructional and independent levels.