Philippines: Department of Education’s 'Every Child a Reader Program'

The Department of Education (DepEd) supports the 'Every Child a Reader Program' with the aim of ensuring that all Filipino children achieve proficiency in reading and writing at their respective grade levels. This initiative is critical for foundational literacy development across the nation.

To advance the goals of the program, the Bureau of Learning Delivery-Teaching and Learning Division (BLD-TLD) will continue to administer the Revised Philippine Informal Reading Inventory (Phil-IRI) in all public elementary schools. This will commence from School Year 2018-2019 onward, providing a standardized assessment tool across the country.

The Phil-IRI serves as a classroom-based assessment tool designed to evaluate and describe learners' reading performance in both English and Filipino. It assesses oral reading, silent reading, and listening comprehension to identify independent, instructional, and frustration reading levels. The data collected from Phil-IRI is essential for teachers and schools to effectively plan and design reading instruction and programs, ultimately enhancing overall reading performance.