Project Main (Monitoring Assessment of Instructional Needs): Maximizing Oral Communication Proficiency Through Needs–Driven Instruction

Oral communication performances of PNHS-Main Senior High School students obtained the lowest Mean Percentage Score (MPS) from the performative assessment administered by the Schools Division of Paranaque City. These results were alarming which needed to be intervened. The current study aimed at a two-fold objective, such as providing schools with accurate, data-driven insights into teaching practices through ongoing assessments and instructional monitoring; and improving classroom outcomes by linking assessment findings directly to instructional adjustments. The study employed a mixed-method research design which means to say that collected quantitative data will be supported with qualitative data. Applying this design would help the researchers find out a holistic approach to identify the effectiveness of contextualized assessments. Further, the investigation included 30 class sections comprised of 6 clusters, particularly involving 1,112 Grade 11 students as research participants. In particular, the said research participants came from four senior high school strands, namely: STEM, HUMMS, ABM, and TVL. Furthermore, the teacher-researchers were asked to develop ten assessment tools with 10 multiple-choice test items, aligning these with the Oral Communication in Context Curriculum Guide (CG) and Definitive Budget of Work (DBOW). To ensure the reliability and accuracy of the assessment tools, these were validated by an expert in the field of Language teaching. The teacher-researchers administered a weekly assessment aligned with the targeted competencies for the week with their respective oral communication classes. Moreover, the administration of the weekly assessment lasted for 10 weeks (two quarters or one semester) to be specific. Across 10 weeks the mean scores increased from 6.80 to 7.48, indicating steady improvement associated with weekly formative assessments. To check the assessment results, the data or the test scores were recorded by taking the mean, MPS (Mean Percentage Score), and SD (Standard Deviation) to determine the statistical average and dispersion of the recorded scores. Research findings implied a positive impact, rendering increasing line trends, seemingly proving that the academic interventions employed were effective and appropriately addressed the instructional needs for both teachers and students in Oral Communication in Context. Consequently, the results indicated that formative assessments are needed to assist teachers to adjust their instructions in order to address the needs of the students in the said subject area. Pedagogical implications and recommendations were provided for future research directions.