DepEd Order No. 13, s. 2018, dated March 23, 2018, sets the Implementing Guidelines on the Conduct of Remedial and Advancement Classes During Summer for the K to 12 Basic Education Program. It standardizes how public and private elementary and secondary schools offer summer classes. These classes help learners with learning gaps catch up, and let incoming Grade 12 learners take subjects ahead of their work immersion. The order was signed by Education Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones. It is issued in line with Republic Act No. 10533, the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013.
On this page 13 sections
Key points
- Who it covers: Grades 4 to 12 in public and private elementary and secondary schools that offer summer classes.
- When classes run: Summer classes start every second Monday of April. They end after a six-week period, which may include Saturdays.
- Two kinds of summer class: remedial classes for learners with learning gaps or failed subjects, and advancement classes for Senior High School (SHS) learners with work immersion in the next semester.
- Approval: Schools must ask the Schools Division Office (SDO) for approval before offering summer classes. Approval is good only for the term or year applied for.
- Class size: At least 10 learners per class for Grades 4 to 10 and for SHS core subjects. At least 8 learners for SHS major subjects.
- Grading: The summer class grade is the Remedial Class Mark (RCM). It is averaged with the end-of-year final grade to get the Recomputed Final Grade (RFG). Learners need an RFG of at least 75 to be promoted.
- Teachers: Only teachers from the school offering the summer class may teach. They earn service credits unless they are paid an honorarium.
- Private schools: They may adjust the guidelines to their own context, subject to the approval of their Schools Division Superintendent.
Key terms
- Summer class: any structured instruction or formal learning experience a public or private school offers during the summer break, with the approval of the Schools Division Superintendent.
- Remedial: organized instruction given during a summer class to address a learner’s learning gaps or subject deficiency. It may take the form of tutorial, mentoring, coaching, or other ways of delivering learning.
- Advancement: a subject offered in summer to an SHS learner who has work immersion in the next semester. The advance subjects are the ones that would otherwise be taken together with the work immersion. Taking them early lets the learner focus on the immersion.
Why the policy exists
The K to 12 curriculum aims for every learner to finish basic education with the skills needed for higher education, work, or entrepreneurship. DepEd recognizes the need for summer classes so that learners keep moving up from one grade level to the next. The order also gives all schools, public and private, the same directions for offering summer classes.
Guiding principles
- Summer classes are offered for any of these reasons:
- to address learning gaps or failure
- to address deficiencies caused by a change of track or specialization, or by a transfer to another school
- to let SHS learners with work immersion in the next semester or school year take an advance subject
- The learning standards of the K to 12 curriculum must be followed.
- The school must be ready to offer the class. This includes having a subject specialist, classrooms, laboratories, and instructional materials.
- Cost-effectiveness guides the evaluation of every request.
- The learning profile of the enrollees is the basis for planning the learning experiences.
What schools need to do to offer summer classes
The school sends a letter of request to the Schools Division Office no later than the third week of March before the summer term. The Schools Division Superintendent (SDS) approves the request based on an evaluation. The request must include:
- A list of the students who will take remedial or advancement classes.
- A list of each learner’s least mastered competencies in the failed subject, prepared by the subject teacher as an endorsement. The order provides a template as Enclosure No. 1.
- Proof that the class meets the minimum size: 10 learners for Grades 4 to 10 and SHS core subjects, or 8 for SHS major subjects. If a class is too small, learners are referred to nearby schools that offer summer classes. If no school offers a class in a learning area, the SDO must provide other ways to meet the learners’ needs.
- A tentative list of learning areas and a class schedule approved by the School Head.
- Written consent of the parents or guardians of the learners who will attend. The order provides a template as Enclosure No. 2.
- A list of the teachers and the subjects they will teach.
Who may enroll in summer classes
- Learners from public schools are the main recipients of summer classes in public schools. This also covers private school learners who plan to transfer to a public school after the summer classes.
- A public school learner may take a summer class in a government-recognized private school. The learner must be accepted back upon returning to the public school.
- Grades 4 to 10 learners who failed not more than two learning areas at the end of the school year, despite interventions given.
- SHS learners who failed any learning area at the end of the first or second semester. This also covers SHS learners with a deficiency due to a change of track or specialization after a year, and those who failed a prerequisite subject.
- Incoming Grade 12 learners with work immersion in the next semester. They may take two to three advance subjects in summer.
- Grades 4 to 12 learners with special educational needs (LSENs). They may attend summer classes to catch up.
How summer class grades work
Learners take formative and summative assessments. The order follows DepEd Order No. 8, s. 2015 (Policy Guidelines on Classroom Assessment for the K to 12 Basic Education Program).
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Remedial Class Mark (RCM) | The final grade for the summer class |
| Recomputed Final Grade (RFG) | The average of the end-of-year final grade and the RCM |
| Passing RFG | 75 or higher, for promotion to the next grade level or semester |
If the RFG is below 75, the subject teacher reassesses the learner right away to find the least mastered competencies. The results are used to plan an immediate intervention. If the learner still fails after the intervention, the learner may enroll in the next grade level the following school year. Tutorial services continue during that year.
The learner receives a Certificate of Recomputed Final Grade. It is signed by the teacher and approved by the School Head or Principal. The learner presents it when enrolling in the next grade level or semester.
Daily time allotment
For Grades 4 to 10, the daily time per learning area over the six weeks is based on the 180-day (36-week) non-negotiable contact time for teachers.
| Learning area | Grades 4 to 6 | Grades 7 to 10 |
|---|---|---|
| Filipino | 4 hours | 4 hours |
| English | 4 hours | 4 hours |
| Science | 4 hours | 4 hours |
| Mathematics | 4 hours | 4 hours |
| Araling Panlipunan | 3 hours | 3 hours |
| EPP/TLE | 4 hours | 4 hours |
| MAPEH | 3 hours | 4 hours |
| EsP | 2.5 hours | 2 hours |
The order’s table also lists Mother Tongue, but it gives no hours for it.
For Grades 11 and 12, the order says that the 80-hour subjects are allotted 2 hours per subject over the six-week period. This covers Core Curriculum, Applied Track, and Specialized Subjects.
Summer classes run from Monday to Saturday. Teaching may combine face-to-face, modular, and online learning, depending on the learners’ profile.
Teaching assignments, service credits, and restrictions
- The School Head or Principal chooses an expert teacher for each subject. Master teachers or regular teachers are preferred.
- Only teachers from the school offering the summer classes may be assigned. Part-time teachers from other public or private schools are not allowed.
- The teacher issues the Certificate of Recomputed Final Grade, approved by the School Head. The teacher submits it to the Division Office as an attachment to Form 137 and School Form No. 5 (SF5).
- Teachers earn service credits equal to their total hours of actual teaching divided by 8. The credits may not exceed 15 days, the yearly maximum, unless the Secretary authorizes more on the Regional Director’s recommendation. See DepEd Order No. 53, s. 2003, the Updated Guidelines on Grant of Vacation Service Credits to Teachers.
- Requests for service credits go to the Schools Division Superintendent. They must include a duly signed Daily Time Record and an Accomplishment Report.
- Teachers who receive an honorarium or other pay for summer classes do not get service credits.
Monitoring and reporting
- School Head: makes sure summer classes meet their purpose. Class observations are strongly encouraged. Within 10 days after the last day of summer classes, the School Head submits these to the Division Office:
- a report on the classes
- the Certificates of Recomputed Final Grade
- Form 137
- SF5
- Schools Division Superintendent or representatives: monitor and evaluate the summer classes. They submit reports to the Regional Director within 25 days after the last day of classes.
- Bureau of Learning Delivery: monitors and evaluates how well the policy works, so it can be improved.
Effectivity
The order applies starting School Year 2017-2018 in public and private schools nationwide. The guidelines take effect immediately. All earlier orders and memoranda that conflict with them are rescinded. The policy stays in force until it is repealed, amended, or rescinded.
References cited in the order
- DepEd Order No. 25, s. 2017: School Calendar for School Year 2017-2018
- DepEd Order No. 8, s. 2015: Policy Guidelines on Classroom Assessment for the K to 12 Basic Education Program
- DepEd Order No. 31, s. 2012: Policy Guidelines on the Implementation of Grades 1 to 10 in the K to 12 Basic Education Curriculum (BEC) Effective SY 2012-2013
- DepEd Order No. 13, s. 2005: 2005 BEC Based Summer Classes
- DepEd Order No. 53, s. 2003: Updated Guidelines on Grant of Vacation Service Credits to Teachers
Frequently asked questions
When do DepEd summer remedial and advancement classes start?
Under DepEd Order No. 13, s. 2018, summer classes start every second Monday of April. They end after a six-week period, which may include Saturdays.
Who can enroll in summer remedial classes?
Grades 4 to 10 learners who failed not more than two learning areas may enroll. So may SHS learners who failed a subject or have a deficiency from a change of track, and learners with special educational needs in Grades 4 to 12.
How is the final grade computed after a summer class?
The summer class grade is the Remedial Class Mark (RCM). It is averaged with the end-of-year final grade to get the Recomputed Final Grade (RFG), which must be at least 75 for promotion.
What happens if a learner still fails after summer class?
The subject teacher reassesses the learner right away and gives an immediate intervention. If the learner still fails, the learner may enroll in the next grade level the following school year, with continuing tutorial services.
Do teachers who handle summer classes get service credits?
Yes. They earn service credits equal to their actual teaching hours divided by 8, up to 15 days a year. However, they get no service credits if they are paid an honorarium.
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