Language and Literacy Skills Assessment Among Grade One Learners

Abstract

This study assessed the language and literacy skills of Grade One learners at Paknaan Elementary School to inform an evidence-based instructional intervention. It aimed to determine the level of receptive and expressive language, the level of early literacy (letter sounds, rhyming words, letter names), and the relationship between language and literacy domains, and then to propose a Literacy Skills Enhancement Plan. A descriptive-correlational design was employed in a school-based environment. Using purposive sampling, Grade One teachers evaluated sixty-five (65) pupils. Data were gathered through a teacher survey adapted from the DepEd ECCD Checklist and complementary rapid literacy tasks. Statistical treatments included frequency counts, weighted means, simple percentages, and Pearson correlation. Results indicated that receptive language tended to be stronger than expressive language (particularly in sequencing and tense use). Learners generally consolidated letter-sound knowledge, displayed emerging phonological awareness with rhyming, and showed satisfactory yet uneven letter-name recognition. Analysis also indicated a positive association between language and literacy domains, such that stronger oral language aligned with better performance in selected early literacy indicators. Based on these findings, the study concluded that targeted, short-daily, cumulative routines were warranted, coupled with systematic progress monitoring and a tightened home–school partnership. It recommended a comprehensive Literacy Skills Enhancement Plan emphasizing letter- sound automaticity, playful rhyming practice, guided retellings to strengthen expressive language, maintenance of letter-name fluency, fortnightly ECCD-aligned checks, and structured parent supports (kits, prompts, and micro-workshops) to sustain at-home practice.