Exploring the Struggles of English Teachers in the Administration of Comprehensive Rapid Literacy Assessment (CRLA) Tool and Development of District learning Framework

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the implementation of the CRLA Tool in District of Rajah Buayan in Division of Maguindanao del Sur. The researcher used the qualitative research design specifically the narrative approach to determine the struggles encountered by English Teachers in the implementation of CRLA Tool. To analyze the data, the researcher applied thematic analysist by Creswell (2023) & Moustakas (1994). The participants of the study are teacher’s implementer in the District to answer level of confidence and competence of English Teachers, challenges encountered in implementation of CRLA Tool, effectiveness of the tool in assessing diverse lingual, and strategies used by the teachers. Based on the thematic analysis of the researcher revealed the emerging themes “mixed levels of confidence and competence”. The teacher expressed positive feedback on CRLA tool in assessment of reading ability of the learners. The challenges encountered by English Teachers in implementing the CRLA Tool in classrooms with learners enrolled in traditional Madrasah, showed the emerging theme linguistic diversity challenges. This is limited time for administration; lack of materials; unequal access to resources. The CRLA is an effective diagnostic tool, because it gives accurate identification of literacy levels, diagnostic usefulness, and progress tracking. The theme inclusivity and cultural responsiveness were culturally meaningful assessment; multilingual consideration; and inclusive evaluation were significantly effective tools in assessing diverse language. The mother tongue and multilingual approach, in this theme culturally responsive instruction and material adaptation classified into culturally relevant materials; inclusive texts; contextualized learning, and respect for diversity. Finally, concluded that CRLA Tool is effective assessment tool to identify learners’ strength and weaknesses in reading literacy, however more training and professional development is needed. Keywords: Maguindanao del Sur, Comprehensive Reading Literacy Assessment Tool, Implementation