Baseline Report: Reading Beyond Sight - Improving Reading Scores of Children with Visual Impairment in Early Primary Education

The EGRA methodology was developed under EdData II and has been applied in more than 30 countries and 60 languages. The assessment measures recognizing letters of the alphabet, reading simple words, understanding sentences and paragraphs, and listening with comprehension. In the Philippines, Resources for the Blind Incorporated (RBI) conducted a baseline assessment using the EGRA to determine the learning levels of students prior to the start of the intervention. The assessment was adapted for students with low vision or blindness in the Filipino context and included five reading tasks in two languages - Filipino and English. Students were assessed on phonological awareness, alphabetic knowledge, oral reading fluency, reading comprehension, and listening comprehension. The baseline assessment was conducted with 161 students with low vision/blindness in 30 schools, 15 intervention schools, and 15 control schools, for the Improving Reading Scores of Children with Visual Impairment in Primary Education project. The assessment was conducted by School-to-School International, in collaboration with RBI, a Filipino NGO, and the Department of Education (DepEd) in the Philippines. The results of the Filipino EGRA showed that type of visual impairment impacted student performance in non-word fluency, oral reading fluency, and reading comprehension. Students with low vision had higher fluency rates than students with blindness. Even when students were able to read, they were not able to understand the meaning of the text, with almost half of all students reading with limited comprehension and 15% reading fluently with comprehension. One-fifth of all students were unable to read any of the reading passage. The results of the English EGRA showed that type of visual impairment impacted student performance in non-word fluency and reading comprehension. Students who are low vision had higher fluency rates than students who are blind. Most notably, however, students who are blind had higher scores in listening comprehension than students who are low vision. Even when students were able to read, they were not able to understand the meaning of the text, with a significant proportion of students reading with limited comprehension. The baseline report provides recommendations for implementation based on the findings of the EGRA assessments. The report highlights the need for accommodations to be made for students with low vision or blindness, including the use of assistive technology and the provision of braille materials. The report also emphasizes the importance of teacher training and support to ensure that students with visual impairments receive the support they need to access the curriculum.