Grade 12 students in all public and private schools nationwide are scheduled to take an assessment test to determine their learning progress and their attainment of the learning standards, the Department of Education (DepEd) said.

Education Secretary Leonor Briones, in DepEd Memorandum No. 14 series of 2018, announced that the Department – through the Bureau of Education Assessment (BEA) with the assistance of schools divisions and secondary schools personnel – will administer the Basic Education Exit Assessment (BEEA) for School Year (SY) 2017-2018 this March.

“The administration of BEEA will be the first time that the Grade 12 students of the K to 12 Curriculum will be assessed,” said Briones.

Aside from determining the learning progress and attainment of learning standards of the Grade 12 students, Briones said that the BEEA also aims to “help provide information to improve instructional practices” and “assess the effectiveness and efficiency of education service delivery using the learning outcomes as indicators.”

The BEEA, Briones explained, also aims to “provide empirical information as basis for the improvement of the curriculum, learning delivery, assessment, and for policy review and formulation.”

In SY 2016-2017, Briones noted that the “Philippines implemented for the first time the Senior High School (SHS) curriculum in its K to 12 Basic Education Program.”

Briones added that this SY 2017-2018, “the first batch of students in the SHS program is expected to graduate meeting the content and performance standards of 21st century skills” such as problem solving, information literacy, and critical thinking skills.

These skills are embedded in SHS’s eight core subject areas which include Language and Communication; Wika at Komunikasyon; Humanities; Media and Information Literacy; Mathematics; Science; Social Science and Personal Development; and Philosophy.

Briones said that the administration of the BEEA is pursuant to DepEd Order No. 55 s. of 2016 of the “Policy Guidelines on the National Assessment of Student Learning for the K to 12 Basic Education Program” and D.O. No. 25 s. of 2017 of the “School Calendar for the SY 2017-2018.” She added that “further announcement on the exact dates of administration will follow.”

Two weeks before the test administration, Briones said that an authorized forwarder shall deliver the test materials to schools divisions outside Metro Manila. “The same forwarder shall retrieve the test materials one week after the test administration,” she added.

Earlier, concerns on the job readiness of SHS were raised by various stakeholders. Solons under the ACT Teachers’ Partylist said that contrary to the earlier “promise” of the K to 12, it will not address the rising number of unemployment in the country.

Also, the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) expressed concern on the job readiness or competence of SHS graduates for employment. The PCCI – which is considered as the “voice of Philippine business” – raised issues in regard to the minimum number of training hours of SHS graduates.

Despite these concerns, the DepEd maintained that the first batch of SHS graduates is “job-ready and life-ready.” In a statement issued earlier, DepEd said that it recognizes the PCCI’s concern regarding the minimum number of training hours of SHS graduates but maintained “its confidence in the strong partnerships it has forged and continues to foster with different industry partners” that enable SHS graduates “to strike a balance between theory and practice” – specifically through Work Immersion.

DepEd also reiterated that K to 12 Basic Education Program “has equipped SHS graduates with values, knowledge, 

and skills that communities, businesses, and industries need through its four exits: higher education, entrepreneurship, employment, or middle-level skills development.”