ISSN: 2782-893X
eISSN: 2799-0664
ISSN: 2782- 893X
—— Persistent literacy deficits plague adolescents in underserved Philippine communities, especially rural areas like Siocon. This study evaluated a locally adapted 10-session Reading Reinforcement Program (RREP) targeting 27 identified struggling Grade 7 readers. Delivered over 20 hours, RREP utilized the Division Diagnostic Reading Test provided by the Department of Education Region IX, issued in 2019, to bolster decoding, fluency, and comprehension. Using a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design, reading levels were measured via the attached scoring rubrics in the said Diagnostic Test materials. Results indicated statistically significant gains in oral reading accuracy (+7.76%, p<0.001) and comprehension (+11.00%, p=0.004). However, fluency improvement (+2.96 WPM) was not statistically significant (p=0.203). Crucially, 59.3% of participants remained at the frustration level post-intervention. Individual trajectories diverged sharply: while some improved, 33% saw comprehension scores drop, and significant accuracy gains for others coincided with substantial reading rate decreases, pointing to a fluency-accuracy trade-off. High attrition (49.1%) further limited program impact. While RREP showed potential, its short duration (20 hours) proved insufficient to overcome deep-seated literacy gaps. Meaningful, lasting progress demands interventions extending beyond 20 weeks, incorporating structured skill building, and tackling systemic inequities in educational access and support. Keywords: Reading difficulties, reading remediation, literacy program, reading comprehension, reading fluency