Back then, the basic education program in the Philippines only takes ten (10) years to complete. But in 2012-2013, the government enhanced the country’s education system to keep up globally by implementing the K to 12 curriculum. Instead of ten, the basic education program will now take 12 years to accomplish as it includes Senior High School (SHS), adding Grades 11 and 12 into the system. Thus, the Department of Education (DepEd) issued the DepEd Order 8, series 2015.
Also Read: List of DepEd School Forms Templates
This policy is all about the guidelines on classroom assessment for the K to 12 Basic Education program. It contains steps, guides, or indicators for assessing learners’ cognition, performance, and learning competencies. In addition, DepEd Order 8 provides a guide about the grading system, how to compute grades, and how to present the report card to learners’ parents or guardians. Most of all, the report card of learners should also reflect Filipino child core values.
What is DepEd Order 8
On April 1, 2015, the Department of Education (DepEd) circulated the DepEd Order 8 or the Policy Guidelines on Classroom Assessment for the K to 12 Basic Education Program. This order conforms with the enactment of the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013 (Republic Act No. 190533). It implies that classroom assessment is essential in implementing the curriculum. Additionally, it allows teachers to monitor and evaluate learners’ progress and appropriately modify instructions.
Hence, the policy guidelines should apply to all public elementary and secondary schools in the Philippines. The department also encouraged non-DepEd schools to enact these policy guidelines. Furthermore, non-DepEd schools can modify the enclosed guidelines based on their philosophy, mission, and vision, subject to the approval of the DepEd Regional Office. Meanwhile, special programs may provide additional guidelines relevant to its assessment concerns.
Policy Guidelines on Classroom Assessment for the K to 12 Basic Education Program
What is Classroom Assessment
Classroom Assessment is a continuous procedure where teachers monitor learners’ progress based on the learning standards and 21st-century skills. This process promotes self-reflection and teaches students about personal accountability. It also provides profiling bases of students’ performance regarding learning competencies and curriculum standards. This assessment helps identify, gather, organize, and interpret quantitative and qualitative information regarding learners’ knowledge and capacity.
Types of Classroom Assessment
A. Formative Assessment
Teachers utilize this assessment to modify their instructions and check students’ progress. It’s an informal assessment that aims to assist students in determining their strengths and weaknesses. The Formative Assessment may be administered at any time while teaching and learning to examine the instruction’s effectiveness.
B. Summative Assessment
On the contrary, the Summative Assessment takes place at the end of a unit or period of learning. It helps determine the learning standard obtained by students. Also, the Summative Assessment aims to provide appropriate decisions regarding job stability, which will often benefit others instead of the learner. It helps evaluate students’ learning to determine what they have learned and their capacity to administer their knowledge in various contexts.
What is Assessed in the Classroom
By conducting classroom assessments, teachers can help their students to perform well based on the following learning standards:
A. Content Standards
With Content Standards, teachers can determine and arrange essential knowledge and understanding that students should learn. It covers a specific scope of consecutive topics within all learning strands, components, domains, or themes, answering what learners should know.
B. Performance Standards
Performance Standards are skills and abilities learners should exhibit relevant to content standards and 21st-century skills integration, from knowledge to understanding. Teachers can apply the integration by creating, innovating, and adding value to performance or products when performing independent work or collaborating with others.
C. Learning Competencies
This standard relates to attitudes, skills, understanding, and knowledge students should exhibit in all learning activities or lessons.
D. Concept Development
Concept Development refers to the progression of the curriculum’s learning standards. It provides a strategy to help distinguish educational standards, objectives, and goals. This standard utilizes the Cognitive Process Dimensions, which can help implement progressions. Also, it involves comprehensive cognitive processes, including:
- Remembering
- Understanding
- Applying
- Analyzing
- Evaluating
- Creating
How are Learners Assessed in the Classroom
As per DepEd Order 8, learners may undergo individual or collaborative classroom assessment through the following processes, whether formative or summative:
A. Individual and Collaborative Formative Assessment
This assessment allows learners to exhibit their knowledge or expertise through various activities, like check-ups, quizzes, written exercises, performances, models, or electronic presentations. Meanwhile, collaborative formative assessment is similar to peer evaluation, allowing students to assist each other while learning.
B. Formative Assessment in Different Parts of the Lesson
While teachers can integrate formative assessment in all lessons, there are three parts of this evaluation with various purposes, such as:
1. Before the Lesson
Conducting formative assessment enables teachers to determine a student’s understanding of a topic or lesson before proceeding to instructions. This method makes it easier for teachers to understand students’ stance on application and conceptual understanding.
2. During the Lesson Proper
When applying formative assessment during the lesson, teachers will understand each student’s progress based on their learning competencies development. It also helps teachers identify the effectiveness of their instructional strategies.
3. After the Lesson
By conducting formative assessments after the lesson, teachers can evaluate if they achieved the learning objectives and allow them to assess the effectiveness of instructional strategies.
C. Summative Assessment
The summative assessment evaluates learners’ methods and utilization and exercises all their skills, understanding, and knowledge. It’s administered at the end of the quarter or a unit of work to identify learners’ capacity to exhibit their competencies based on the learning standards.
D. Individual and Collaborative Summative Assessment
Teachers may also administer unit tests or quarterly assessments to each learner. Additionally, learners may partake in group activities where they collaborate to create evidence of their learning.
E. Components of Summative Assessment
Below are three components of summative assessment utilized as bases for grading:
1. Written Work Component
This component guarantees that learners can express concepts and skills in written form, such as long tests, quizzes, and test-taking skills, allowing learners to practice and prepare for quarterly or standardized assessments.
2. Performance Task Component
It enables learners to display what they know and exhibit them in various ways, from creating or innovating products to doing performance-based tasks, like oral work, group presentations, research projects, and skills demonstrations.
3. Quarterly Assessment
This method evaluates students’ learning at the end of the quarter through performance-based assessments or objective tests.
What is the Grading System
According to DepEd Order 8, the K to 12 Basic Education Program utilizes a competency and standard-based grading system, where all grades depend on the learner’s weighted raw score on the summative assessments. It states that the minimum passing grade in learning areas is 60 or equal to 75 on the report card.
A. How is Learner Progress Recorded and Computed
For Kindergarten
DepEd will issue specific guidelines in another order or memorandum for Kindergarten. But instead of using numerical grades, checklists and anecdotal records are implemented for Kindergarten learners.
For Grades 1 to 12
In every grading, schools administer Quarterly Assessments to students where they create Written Work and display what they learned and can do via Performance Tasks.
How to Compute the Final Grade
1. The teacher will add up all the grades from the student’s work, where the following components have a total score:
- Written Work
- Performance Tasks
- Quarterly Assessment
2. Convert the sum of each component by using the formula below for the Percentage Score (PS):
3. Next, Convert the Percentage Scores to Weighted Scores (WS) by using the formula below and the component in Table 4 (for Grades 1-10) and Table 5 (for Senior High School:
4. The sum of each component for the Weighted Score will serve as the Initial Grade.
5. Then, the teacher will write on the student’s report card about the Quarterly Grade for each learning.
Here’s a sample class record to understand summative assessments as shown in table 6 and 7:
Also, here’s the formula to compute the quarterly grade for MAPEH:
B. How are Grades Computed at the End of the School Year
For Kindergarten
Since Kindergarten does not use numerical grades, teachers describe learners’ progress in different learning areas through checklists and student portfolios.
For Grades 1 to 10
Below is the formula to compute the Final Grade using the average of the Quarterly Grades:
Also, teachers will compute the General Average using the formula below:
But in the report card, the Final Grade and General Average are written in whole numbers, as shown in Table 8:
For Grades 11 to 12
As shown in Table 9, use the two quarters to calculate the Final Grade in a semester.
C. How is the Learner’s Progress Reported
Teachers show learners’ quarterly progress to parents and guardians during parent-teacher conferences. As seen in Table 10, each descriptor has a corresponding grading scale.
D. How are Learners Promoted or Retained at the End of the School Year
The decision should based on evidence to retain or promote a learner. To be promoted to the next grade level, the student should have a final grade of 75 or higher in all learning areas. Also, teachers should follow the guidelines in Table 11 regarding the promotion and retention of learners.
How are the Core Values of the Filipino Child Reflected in the Report Card
Learners’ development of skills and cognitive competencies should be in line with the Vision, Mission, and Core Values of the DepEd. On the other hand, non-DepEd schools may adjust or apply the policy guidelines based on their vision, mission, core values, and philosophy.
As shown in Table 12, behavior statements with various indicators are equal to Core Values.
In Table 13, the Class Adviser and other teachers can use the markings to rate a child or learner’s behavior regarding the observed Core Values.
How is Attendance Reported
Teachers should record everyday learners’ class attendance and write it in the report card at the end of every quarter. Check Table 14 to know how teachers report attendance.
DepEd Order 8 Full Memo Download
If you want to download the full memo PDF file of DepEd Order No. 8, series of 2015, we have provided a direct link on this page. Simply click the download button below and get a copy of DepEd Order 8 in PDF format.
Full PDF DepEd 8 memo file: https://www.deped.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/DO_s2015_08.pdf
Video: Deped Order # 8 series 2015
As discussed in the video, the DepEd Order 8, series 2015, encloses the K to 12 curriculum grading system. The said policy encloses standards and a competency-based grading system for all levels. Moreover, DepEd Order 8 compares the difference between formative and summative assessments, its components, and how to compute grades in different learning areas. Hence, this order and its guidelines will guide teachers and schools in effectively administering the K to 12 grading system.
Summary
As the country adapts the K to 12 program, schools and teachers should implement effective and applicable instructional strategies, assessments, and grading systems. That’s why the department issued the DepEd Order 8 to determine, understand, and evaluate students learning progress, making it easier for teachers to modify their teaching and instructional methods. The policy also contains formulas and steps to compute learners’ grades so teachers can determine ways to help them and ensure promotion to the next grade level in the following academic year.