English Language Competencies of Senior High School Students: Basis for E.L.E.V.A.T.E Program

The primary purpose of this study was to assess the English language competencies of Grade 11 Academic Track students—Humanities and Social Sciences (HUMSS) and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) from Guinacot National High School in Guindulman, Bohol, and Accountancy, Business, and Management (ABM) from Guinsularan National High School in Duero, Bohol for the school year 2024–2025. The research specifically examined students’ proficiency in selected grammar components, including subject-verb agreement, verb tenses, phrasal verbs, and prepositions, as well as reading comprehension skills such as identifying main ideas, recognizing specific details, drawing inferences, understanding vocabulary from context, recognizing tone, and identifying writing techniques. Using a descriptive-comparative research design, data were collected through researcher-made questionnaires administered to 83 purposively selected respondents. The findings revealed that students across all strands performed poorly in phrasal verbs and prepositions and demonstrated weaknesses in higher-order comprehension skills, particularly inference-making, contextual vocabulary understanding, and recognition of writing techniques. ABM students showed relative strength in recognizing specific details and language tone, while STEM students performed better in certain grammar components. In contrast, HUMSS students consistently obtained the lowest scores across most competencies. Statistical analysis using ANOVA yielded a p-value of 0.000, indicating significant differences among the strands and confirming that the academic track significantly influences language proficiency and comprehension outcomes. The results highlight the need for the proposed E.L.E.V.A.T.E (Enhancing Language and Engaging Vocabulary, Accuracy, and Textual Understanding in English) Program as Catch-Up Fridays Language Program to address strand-specific gaps, strengthen grammar mastery, and improve reading comprehension. Overall, targeted and track-sensitive language interventions are essential to enhance students’ English proficiency and academic readiness.