DepEd Order No. 55, s. 2016: Policy Guidelines on the National Assessment of Student Learning

DepEd Order No. 55, s. 2016, dated June 30, 2016, adopts the Policy Guidelines on the National Assessment of Student Learning for the K to 12 Basic Education Program. It sets out the national tests that DepEd gives through the Bureau of Educational Assessment (BEA). For each test, it covers who takes it, why it is given, how it is designed and administered, and how the results are used. It was signed by then Education Secretary Br. Armin A. Luistro FSC.

The order is addressed to undersecretaries, bureau and regional directors, directors of services, centers and units, schools division superintendents, heads of public and private elementary and secondary schools, and all others concerned.

On this page 18 sections

Key points

• Assessment is defined as the process of measuring learners’ progress in meeting learning standards and 21st-century skills.
• The national assessment aims to:
  • monitor the education system and schools for public accountability
  • judge how well education services are delivered, using learning outcomes as indicators
  • guide decisions on teaching practice
  • check whether learners meet the curriculum’s learning standards
  • measure aptitude and occupational interest for career guidance
  • assess prior learning for placement, accreditation, and equivalency
• DepEd conducts five national assessments, summarized in the table below.
• Exit Assessment results are not a requirement for graduation.
• National assessment results should not be used to rank schools and schools divisions.
• The guidelines took effect in School Year (SY) 2016-2017 in public and private elementary and secondary schools nationwide.

Assessment	Who takes it	Purpose
Early Language, Literacy, and Numeracy Assessment (ELLNA)	End of Grade 3 (key stage)	Check early language, literacy, and numeracy standards
Exit Assessments	Grades 6, 10, and 12	Check Elementary, Junior High, and Senior High standards
Career Assessment	Grade 9	Find aptitudes and occupational interests for career guidance
Accreditation and Equivalency (A&E) Assessment	Out-of-school youth and adults	Certify completion of elementary and secondary education
Grade Level Placement Assessment (PEPT)	Learners in special circumstances	Find the right grade level in the formal system

Early Language, Literacy, and Numeracy Assessment (ELLNA)

DepEd conducts the ELLNA for Grade 3 learners beginning SY 2016-2017.

What it covers

• Language and literacy, mechanical component: alphabet knowledge, phonics and word reading, spelling
• Language and literacy, meaning component: book and print knowledge, vocabulary, grammar, reading comprehension, listening comprehension, study skills
• Numeracy: counting, estimating, calculating, measuring, problem solving

Test format

• Multiple choice, with progressive items that measure varying levels of skill.
• The test languages are English, Filipino, and Mother Tongue.
• 19 mother tongue languages are assessed nationally: Akeanon/Akianon, Bikol, Chavacano/Chabacano, Hiligaynon, Ibanag/Ybanag, Ilokano/Iloko, Ivatan, Kapampangan, Kinaray-a, Maguindanaon, Maranao, Pangasinan/Pangasinense, Sambal, Sinugbuanong Binisaya/Cebuano, Surigaonon, Tagalog, Tausug, Waray, and Yakan.
• Other languages with approved working orthographies may be added.

Who takes it and when

• Schools are chosen by stratified random sampling. All regions and divisions take part.
• All Grade 3 learners in a sampled school take the test, including learners with special needs.
• The test is given to Grade 4 learners three weeks after the first day of classes.
• Public schools serve as testing centers.

Results

• Scores are reported as percentage scores.
• The proficiency level for each skill cluster is at least 75%.
• Results are released no later than three months after the exam, through a report card to field offices.
• Results are profiled by type of school, competency, learners with special needs, and school location.
• Results are used to check whether Grade 3 standards are met, design interventions, improve Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) policy and teaching, identify teacher training needs, and guide research.

Exit Assessments (Grades 6, 10, and 12)

DepEd conducts Exit Assessments beginning SY 2017-2018.

What they cover

• Grades 6 and 10: 21st-century skills, using English, Science, Mathematics, Filipino, and Araling Panlipunan as content.
• Grade 12: 21st-century skills and the core Senior High School learning areas of Languages, Humanities, Communication, Mathematics, Science, Social Science, and Philosophy.
• The tests are multiple choice, in English and Filipino, with progressive items.

Who takes them and when

• Grades 6 and 10: schools are sampled by stratified random sampling. All learners in sampled schools take the test, which is given to Grade 7 and Grade 11 learners three weeks after the first day of classes.
• Grade 12: 50% of schools per track, public and private, are sampled. A school that is the only one offering a track in its region is automatically included. The test is given on the third week of the second semester.
• Public and private schools serve as testing centers.

Results

• Scores are reported as percentage scores by levels of progression. Proficiency is at least 75%.
• Results are profiled by learning area, type of school, competency, learners with special needs, and school location.
• Results are also profiled by Senior High School track and strand (STEM, HUMSS, ABM, GAS; the TVL strands Agri-Fishery Arts, Home Economics, Industrial Arts, and ICT; Sports; Arts and Design; and other special programs), and by alternative delivery modes.
• To request data, write to the BEA Director, stating the purpose and the specific data needed.

Career Assessment (Grade 9)

Beginning SY 2016-2017, DepEd gives a career assessment to all Grade 9 learners. This includes learners in public schools and in private schools with a government permit or recognition. It is a census, not a sample.

The test is given every last Wednesday and Thursday of August, over two days:

Day	Booklet	Test domains
1	1	General Scholastic Aptitude, Technical-Vocational-Livelihood, Sports
2	2	Academic, Occupational Interest, Arts and Design

Domains

• General Scholastic Aptitude (GSA): the average of standard scores in scientific ability, reading comprehension, verbal ability, mathematical ability, and logical reasoning ability.
• Occupational Interest Inventory (OII): a checklist of career interests, with a profile chart of the learner’s preferred occupation clusters.
• Aptitude for Senior High School tracks: Academic (HUMSS, STEM, ABM), Technical-Vocational-Livelihood, Sports, and Arts and Design.

Entry to Senior High School tracks and strands

Track or strand	Grade 10 grades	Career exam result	Alternative entry requirements
STEM	Final grade no lower than 85 in both Math and Science	Percentile rank of 86 and above in the STEM subtest	Write-up of scientific inquiry process, draft experiment, and similar
ABM	None	None	Simple business concept, marketing ideas, and similar
HUMSS	None	None	Essay on current social issues, short story or articles, book or movie reviews, and similar
GAS	None	None	Essay on a project of interest, project plan, and similar
Sports	None	Percentile rank of 51 and above in the corresponding subtest	Skills-related fitness tests by the accepting school
Arts and Design	None	Percentile rank of 51 and above in the corresponding subtest	Performance and skills assessment by the accepting school
TVL	None	None	Livelihood project ideas and similar

Accepting schools give alternative entry requirements as needed and may add other assessments in line with the track or strand.

Results

• Learners receive an individual Certificate of Rating (COR). It shows their General Scholastic Aptitude, first and second occupational preferences, and their chosen track compared with their aptitude.
• Results are reported in standard scores and percentile ranks and released no more than three months after the exam.
• Results are used in career advocacy, career guidance, and homeroom guidance.
• Results are recommendatory. The learner’s career choice, guided by the guidance counselor and labor market trends, prevails.
• Guidance counselors hold an orientation for parents on the results and on in-demand and hard-to-fill jobs in their region.

Accreditation and Equivalency (A&E) Tests

The A&E Tests measure the competencies and life skills of people who did not attend or finish formal elementary or secondary school. Passers get certificates that can be used for further education, job promotion, job training, and employment.

Who can take them

• Learners in the Alternative Learning System (ALS) and nonformal education programs.
• Out-of-school children and youth who are ready for assessment.
• Adults seeking certification of learning.
• The minimum age is 12 for the Elementary exam and 16 for the High School exam.

What the tests cover

The tests cover 21st-century skills based on the five ALS strands:

1. Communication Skills
2. Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
3. Sustainable Use of Resources and Productivity
4. Development of Self and a Sense of Community
5. Expanding One’s World Vision

Rating and passing

• The final rating is 50% written test and 50% portfolio.
• Within the portfolio, work samples weigh 40% and projects 60%.
• The passing score is at least 75%. Those who fail may retake the test in the next cycle.
• Passers at the elementary and junior high school levels receive Grade 6 and Grade 10 certificates.
• A&E learners may also take the career assessment.

Schedule

• The paper-and-pencil test is given every first Sunday of October for Luzon, and every second Sunday of October for the Visayas and Mindanao. It is held at testing centers in Schools Division Offices.
• Walk-in examinees are accommodated at BEA after the October field administration.
• There are 30 examinees per room.
• Results come out within three months for the regular exam and after two weeks for walk-in exams. Certificates are claimed at Schools Division Offices.

Philippine Educational Placement Test (PEPT)

The PEPT is the grade level placement assessment for learners in special circumstances. It lets them enter or resume schooling, or get certification of completion by grade level. It must not be used for grade-level acceleration; for that, the order refers to DepEd Order No. 40, s. 2002.

Who may take it

• Learners from schools without a government permit
• Learners from nonformal and informal education programs
• Learners with incomplete or no record of formal schooling
• Learners with back subjects
• Learners who need grade level standards assessment
• Learners who are overage for their grade level

Test and schedule

• Multiple choice, assessing 21st-century skills through English, Filipino, Science, Mathematics, and Araling Panlipunan.
• The field office administration is every third Sunday of November for Luzon and every fourth Sunday of November for the Visayas and Mindanao, at division testing centers.
• BEA accepts walk-in registrants and examinees all year round.
• Special administrations may be held at a school site at the requesting party’s expense, with Regional Office endorsement. They may also be held in juvenile centers, rehabilitation centers, and jail facilities.
• There are 20 examinees per room.

Results and placement

• The passing rate per subject is 75%. An examinee who scores below 75% in one subject may retake that subtest within six months.
• The COR is released within three months for the November exam, and after two weeks for walk-in and special administrations.
• Under DepEd Order No. 49, s. 2013, placement takes effect in the next school year. The exception is the special June 12 (Independence Day) administration, where placement takes effect in the same school year.
• Forms 137 and 138 of qualifiers must state: “Placed/Reclassified in (Grade Level) on the basis of the PEPT results dated (Date of Examination) with Examinee No.” The PEPT COR must be attached.

How the tests are developed

1. BEA and the Bureau of Curriculum Development (BCD) plan the test and prepare a table of specifications. Academe consultants review it.
2. Item writers from BEA, BCD, and the field write the items in workshops. Consultants review content and language.
3. Two to three test forms are prevalidated in sample public and private schools to check validity and reliability.
4. Acceptable items go to an item bank. The final form is validated, normed, and reviewed.
5. The camera-ready form, test manual, and examiner’s handbook are prepared for printing.

Testing center requirements

• A secure distribution room for test materials, accessible to all testing rooms.
• Enough well-ventilated, well-lit, quiet testing rooms, with an accessible comfort room.
• The List of Actual Examinees is posted in each room the day before the exam, in alphabetical order regardless of gender.
• Examinees sit in alphabetical order, with a maximum of 30 per room. Each must have a Learner Reference Number (LRN).
• First and last rows are placed close to the walls to space out rows. Absentees’ seats are left vacant.
• Instructional materials on the walls are covered.
• Each room has sealed test materials, a table and chair for the Room Examiner, enough seats, a name grid, board work, pencils, and extra paper for computation.

Test accommodations for learners with special needs

• A separate, accessible ground-floor room near clean restrooms. Learners are grouped by difficulty: seeing, hearing, remembering or concentrating, walking or climbing steps, and communicating.
• Double the usual testing time.
• Flexible rules, such as allowing learners who have difficulty concentrating to stand or step out.
• A personal assistant for learners with difficulty moving.
• A qualified sign language interpreter for learners with difficulty hearing.
• Alternative test formats: Braille, large print, audio, and electronic.
• Oral testing, where an examiner reads the items and a scribe shades the answer sheet. This may also be used by other learners as needed.
• Appropriate test furniture.

Testing personnel

• Schools Division Superintendent (SDS): oversees testing in the division and designates the Division Testing Coordinator and Private School Supervisor.
• Regional Testing Coordinator: lists private schools with permits to include and forms a regional monitoring team.
• Division Testing Coordinator: supervises testing in public schools.
• Private School Supervisor or DTC Assistant: supervises testing in private schools.
• Chief Examiner: the School Head, who oversees the test in the school.
• School Testing Coordinator: the Guidance Counselor or Department Head, who assists the Chief Examiner.
• Room Supervisors and Room Examiners: teachers from other schools, who must not come from the same school as each other.
  • There is 1 Room Supervisor per 10 rooms of 20 examinees, or per 5 rooms of 30 examinees.
  • Their transport and incidental expenses are charged to their school’s MOOE or local funds.
• Support Staff: help the School Head, for example in preparing rooms.

BEA holds a national conference by cluster each year, where the Examiner’s Handbook is discussed. Schedules are announced through a memorandum.

Delivery and retrieval of test materials

• Test materials are allocated based on enrolment data or registrant counts signed by the SDS.
• For ELLNA, Exit, and Career Assessments:
  • A forwarder delivers materials to Schools Division Offices at least a week before the exam.
  • Schools receive them at least two days before; city schools receive them on exam day.
  • Materials are retrieved the day after the exam.
  • Division offices that miss the retrieval timeline pay the shipping cost to the Central Office.
• For A&E and PEPT, BEA personnel or a forwarder deliver and retrieve materials.

Freedom of religion

Following DepEd Order No. 105, s. 2010, Seventh-Day Adventist personnel and examinees should not be required to attend exams or assessment-related activities on a Saturday. Special arrangements should be made with the school, Division Office, or Regional Office. Other faiths are also to be considered as needed.

Security violations and sanctions

This order rescinds DECS Order No. 85, s. 1999 and DepEd Order No. 47, s. 2015. It lists these violations:

• Reading test booklets by anyone other than the examinee
• Supplying answers to examinees
• Cheating
• Plagiarizing
• Losing test booklets
• Photocopying test booklets
• Capturing test items with gadgets
• Posting or sharing photos of booklets
• Opening materials before the schedule
• Late submission of booklets or answer sheets
• Tampering with answer sheets
• Infringement of copyright
• Allowing impostors or substitute examinees
• Misrepresenting age, residence, or status
• Failing to closely monitor test procedures, resulting in irregularities

Sanctions for examinees, decided by the Chief Examiner: a reprimand for the first and second offenses, and cancellation of test papers or invalidation of results for the third.

Sanctions for testing personnel, decided by the SDS: suspension of salaries and incentives for one to three months, or work suspension. Legal remedies may be considered for copyright infringement.

Use of assessment data

• BEA releases results to Regional and Division Offices, which forward them to schools.
• Grade 9 learners receive original copies of their COR.
• The Institutional Performance Profile is posted on a restricted DepEd/BEA website. BEA gives authorized personnel their logins.
• External requests: submit a letter stating the purpose and the data needed (year, scope, variables). BEA charges a processing fee.
• Student researchers must also present a school ID, an approved thesis or dissertation proposal signed by the adviser, and an endorsement letter from the dean.
• Requesters sign a Memorandum of Agreement with BEA. They agree not to compare regions, divisions, schools, or examinees without considering other variables, and to give DepEd a copy of the finished study.
• BEA releases data for only 10% of the actual number of examinees per year.
• Individual results with names are not released without the person’s consent, under the Data Privacy Act of 2012 (RA 10173).

Monitoring and evaluation

• BEA monitors testing at the central level, and Regional and Division Offices form committees with a monitoring tool.
• The Regional committee comes from the CLMD and QAD. The Division committee comes from the CID and SGOD.
• The Bureau of Learning Delivery also monitors the PEPT and A&E Tests.

Effectivity

The guidelines took effect in SY 2016-2017. They remain in force until SY 2023-2024, when the first K to 12 cohort completes Grade 12, unless sooner repealed, amended, or rescinded. Earlier orders and memoranda on student learning assessment that conflict with this order are rescinded.

Key terms defined in the order

• 21st-century skills: communication skills; information, media and technology skills; learning and innovation skills; and life and career skills.
• Learners in special circumstances: learners who have difficulty accessing regular schooling. This includes the geographically or economically disadvantaged, victims of abuse, and those in conflict with the law.
• Learners with special needs: learners who need special education services, including those with difficulty seeing, hearing, walking, remembering or concentrating, or communicating.
• Learning standards: the content standards, performance standards, and learning competencies in the curriculum.
• Placement: determining a learner’s grade level equivalence based on assessment of prior learning.
• Progressive test items: items that measure varying levels of skill.
• Public accountability: DepEd’s obligation to explain publicly, fully, and fairly what education outcomes it intends, for whom, and why.
• Stakeholders: internal users (learners, teachers, school administrators, policy makers, program managers, and learning resource developers) and external users (parents, academe, LGUs, NGOs, legislators, industries, donors, researchers, and other agencies).

Frequently asked questions