Improving Reading Achievement Through the ARAL Learning Recovery Program: A Multilevel Study Using Phil-IRI

Many learners reach the end of junior high school still reading at the frustration level, just before the Senior High School curriculum demands independent, research-based reading. The Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program is the Philippines' national learning recovery intervention, yet independent evidence of its effect at the secondary level remains limited.To determine the effectiveness of the ARAL Program in improving the reading achievement of Grade 10 frustration-level readers at Pinamungajan National High School, Cebu Province, School Year 2025–2026, as measured by the Philippine Informal Reading Inventory (Phil-IRI).A quantitative, single-group pretest–posttest design was used. All 86 Grade 10 learners classified at the frustration level in both Word Reading and Reading Comprehension were enumerated, together with six ARAL tutors. Data came from the Phil-IRI (before and after the program), a learner profile questionnaire, and a researcher-made tutor questionnaire on perceived reading challenges. Data were analyzed using frequency, percentage, weighted mean, standard deviation, and the exact McNemar test.Most learners were aged 15–16 (90.7%), male (75.6%), and had parents or guardians with a high school education (74.4%); 82.6% attended eight or fewer ARAL sessions. Tutors rated learner-, home-, school-, and teacher-related factors as very serious concerns (overall M = 3.46). After the program, 52 learners (60.5%) advanced from the frustration to the instructional level in Word Reading and 11 (12.8%) did so in Reading Comprehension; no learner declined and none reached the independent level. Both changes were statistically significant (exact McNemar p < .001 and p = .001, respectively).The ARAL Program was associated with significant gains in reading achievement, with markedly larger gains in decoding than in comprehension. Closing the comprehension gap likely requires explicit comprehension instruction, more consistent attendance, and stronger home, school, and tutor support. A Reading Achievement Enhancement Plan is proposed on this basis.