Assessing the Numeracy Gaps among Junior High School Students through Project PEMDAS

This study sought to understand and address the numeracy challenges faced by Junior High School students at Kapayapaan Integrated School. The goal was to develop and implement effective interventions to improve basic arithmetic skills. A comprehensive assessment of all 2,303 Junior High School students enrolled in the 2022-2023 school year revealed a concerning reality. An overwhelming majority of students, approximately 86%, exhibited poor numeracy skills. This finding underscores a significant gap in foundational mathematical knowledge. While a small group excelled, the urgent need for targeted support to strengthen the arithmetic abilities of the majority of students was evident. To bridge this numeracy gap, teachers employed a diverse range of instructional strategies focused on strengthening the four fundamental arithmetic operations: addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. The positive impact of these interventions is reflected in the posttest results, which showed a dramatic improvement in numeracy levels. The percentage of students demonstrating high numeracy skills increased significantly to 63%, while the number of students with below-numerate levels dropped to just 1%. These findings highlight the effectiveness of the Project PEMDAS in enhancing students’ mathematical proficiency. The study’s outcomes provide valuable insights for developing an action plan to sustain and expand these improvements, ensuring that all students at Kapayapaan Integrated School have a solid foundation in numeracy.