Curriculum Development Reforms and Enhancement

Module 5 Gearing Up for the Future:

Curriculum Reforms
Tinalyn A. De Guia James I. Acebuche Rodalyn P. Basibas
Archie Mae D. Duazo Reinier M. Gabuna
The Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013
Desired Learning Outcomes

Gain comprehensive understanding of

the K to 12 Basic Education Curriculum
reform and a hint on other curriculum
reforms.
Republic Act 10533

Otherwise known as the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013,

is the latest educational reform in Philippine Education signed
into law by President Benigno Aquino III last May 15, 2013. It is
an act enhancing the Philippine Basic Education system by
strengthening its curriculum and increasing the number of years
for basic education appropriating funds therefore and for other
purposes.
Republic Act 10533

The Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2012 popularly known as

K to 12, includes one (1) year of kindergarten education, six (6)
years of elementary education, and six (6) years of secondary
education. Six (6) years secondary education includes four (4)
years of junior high school and two (2) years of senior high
school.
Why K to 12?
K to 12 makes the Philippine education system at par with
international standard of 12-year basic education, thereby
contributing to a better educated society capable of pursuing
productive employment, entrepreneurship, or higher education
studies. The K to 12 graduates are expected to be equipped with
21st century skills like information, media and technology skills,
learning and innovations skills, effective communication skills,
and life and career skills.
Why K to 12?

The following realities in Philippine education became the basis

of the K to 12 implementation:
1. Mastery of basic competency is insufficient due to the
congested curriculum.
2. The Philippines is the only remaining country in Asia with a
10-year basic education program before the implementation.
Mastery of basic competencies is insufficient due to congested
curriculum

One of the factors that contribute to the low performance in

achievement tests is the congested basic education curriculum.
The ten (10) years would not be enough to master the
competencies. Such low performances are evident on the
National Achievement Test results throughout the preceding
years. In international examinations, the Philippines performed
poorly as revealed in 2003 TIMSS scores.
Philippines as last remaining country in Asia with a 10-year basic
education program

The short duration of the basic education programs puts millions

of overseas Filipino workers, especially the professionals and
those who intend to study abroad, at a disadvantage. Graduates of
Philippine schools are not automatically recognized as
professionals outside the country due to the lack of two years in
basic education. These recognitions are based on two reforms,
namely; Bologna Accord and Washington Accord.
Bologna Accord

The Bologna Accord is a series of ministerial meetings and

agreement between European countries to ensure comparability in
the standards and quality of higher education qualifications. It is
named after the place it was proposed, the University of Bologna,
with the signing in 1999 of the Bologna declaration from 29
European countries. Currently, it takes 12 years of basic education
before Europeans become eligible to go to university. The minimum
time it takes to complete a degree in European universities is 5 years.
Washington Accord
The Washington Accord is a multi-lateral agreement among bodies
responsible for the accreditation or recognition of tertiary-level
engineering degree programs in each of the countries or territories
where the bodies operate. Originally signed in 1989 by the six
founding signatories who have chosen to work collectively to assist
the mobility of professional engineers through the development and
recognition of good practice in engineering education, the Accord now
counts eighteen full signatories and six provisional members, the latter
including the Philippine Technological Council.
Washington Accord…………(continuation)
The Philippines Technological Council is the sole organization
recognized by the Commission on Higher Education and the body of
engineering professionals in the country to be the applicant-signatory
and representative of the Philippine jurisdiction to the Washington
Accord. PTC developed its Certification and Accreditation System for
Engineering Education (CASEE) which it implemented for the
assessment and evaluation of engineering programs in the country
since 2012. Washington accord prescribed twelve (12) years basic
education as an entry to recognition of engineering professionals.
Researches on Philippine Basic Education Curriculum and their
Recommendations

• Monroe Survey – dated 1925, recommended training of

graduate students in agriculture, commerce, and industry
because secondary education did not prepare students for life.
Survey led and authored by Paul Monroe.
• UNESCO Mission Survey – dated 1949, recommended
restoration of Grade VII in the primary education.
Researches on Philippine Basic Education Curriculum and their
Recommendations
• Swanson Survey – dated 1950-1960, recommended restoring
grade 7 in primary education. Survey led by Chester J.
Swanson and others.
• Education Act – dated 1953, also known as Elementary
Education Act of 1953, recommended compulsory education
of seven years and made it mandatory on the part of the
parents to enroll their children in public schools upon attaining
seven years of age.
Researches on Philippine Basic Education Curriculum and their
Recommendations

• PCSPE – dated 1970, recommended extending secondary

education by one year to better prepare students who have no
plans to take up university education. Presidential Commission
to Survey Philippine Education (PCSPE) was created through
Executive Order No. 202 of 1969 under then President
Ferdinand E. Marcos.
Researches on Philippine Basic Education Curriculum and their
Recommendations
• EDCOM Report – dated 1991, recommended retaining the 10-year
basic education phase while institutionalizing career counseling in
primary and secondary schools in preparation for higher education.
SPED was also recommended. EDCOM or Congressional
Commission on Education to Review and Assess Philippine
Education was created in 1991 to complete its mandate in a twelve
(12) month duration. The commission was composed of; 5
Congressmen, 5 Senators, Chairman headed by Senate, Co-Chair
from the House, Technical Secretariat, 3 Panels of Consultant.
Researches on Philippine Basic Education Curriculum and their
Recommendations
• PESS – dated 1998, recommended prioritizing student learning
through curricular reforms, provision of textbooks, use of the
vernacular in lower primary grades, and the institution of a longer
basic education cycle. PESS was conducted by World Bank and
ADB led by Richard K. Johanson.
• PCER – dated 2000, Philippine Commission on Educational
Reform recommended implementing a compulsory one-year pre-
baccalaureate stage as prerequisite for students interested in
enrolling in higher education degree programs.
Researches on Philippine Basic Education Curriculum and their
Recommendations
• Philippine EFA 2015 National Action Plan – dated 2006,
recommended lengthening the educational cycle by adding two
years to format basic education – one each for primary and
secondary education. The Philippine EFA 2015 Plan is a vision and
a holistic program of reforms of the country to achieve an improved
quality of basic education for every Filipino by 2015. The central
goal of the Philippine EFA 2015 Plan is basic competencies for all
that will bring about functional literacy, meaning; a complete range
of skills and competencies – cognitive, affective and behavioral.
Researches on Philippine Basic Education Curriculum and their
Recommendations
• Presidential Task Force on Education – dated 2008, recommended
extending pre-university education to a total of 12 years,
benchmarking the content of the eleventh and twelfth years with
international programs. The task force was created through
Executive Order No. 652, s. 2007 and Executive Order No. 652-B,
s. 2008 duly signed by then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
with the mandate of assessing, planning and monitoring the entire
educational system to further strengthen the role of education in
accelerating national and global competitiveness;
The K to 12 Curriculum
Section 5 of the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013, stipulates
the following curricular standards which the curriculum developers
adhered to in crafting the K to 12 Curriculum:
• The curriculum shall be learner-centered, inclusive and
developmentally appropriate;
• The curriculum shall be relevant, responsive and research-based;
• The curriculum shall be culture-sensitive;
• The curriculum shall be contextualized and global.
The K to 12 Curriculum
• The curriculum shall use pedagogical approaches that are
constructivist, inquiry-based, reflective, collaborative and
integrative.
• The curriculum shall adhere to the principles and framework of
Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE), which
starts from where the learners are and from what they already knew
proceeding from the known to the unknown; instructional materials
and capable teachers to implement the MTB-MLE curriculum shall
be available;
The K to 12 Curriculum
• The curriculum shall use the spiral progression approach to
ensure mastery of knowledge and skills after each level; and
• The curriculum shall be flexible enough to enable and allow
schools to localize, indigenize and enhance the same based on
their respective educational and social contexts. The
production and development of locally produced teaching
materials shall be encouraged and approval of these materials
shall devolve to the regional and division education units.
Salient Features of K to 12 Program

• Strengthening Early Childhood Education (Universal Kindergarten) -

Every Filipino child now has access to early childhood education
through Universal Kindergarten. At 5 years old, children start
schooling and are given the means to slowly adjust to formal
education. In Kindergarten, students learn the alphabet, numbers,
shapes, and colors through games, songs, and dances, in their
Mother Tongue.
Salient Features of K to 12 Program

• Making the Curriculum Relevant to Learners

(Contextualization and Enhancement) - Students acquire in-depth
knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes through continuity and
consistency across all levels and subjects. Discussions on issues
such as Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), Climate Change
Adaptation, and Information & Communication Technology (ICT)
are included in the enhanced curriculum.
Salient Features of K to 12 Program

• Building Proficiency Through language (Mother Tongue-Based

Multilingual Education) - Students are able to learn best through
their first language, their Mother Tongue (MT). Twelve (12) MT
languages have been introduced for SY 2012-2013: Bahasa Sug,
Bikol, Cebuano, Chabacano, Hiligaynon, Iloko, Kapampangan,
Maguindanaoan, Meranao, Pangasinense, Tagalog, and Waray. Other
local languages will be added in succeeding school years.
Salient Features of K to 12 Program

• Ensuring Integrated and Seamless Learning (Spiral Progression)

- Subjects are taught from the simplest concepts to more
complicated concepts through grade levels in spiral progression. As
early as elementary, students gain knowledge in areas such as
Biology, Geometry, Earth Science, Chemistry, and Algebra. This
ensures a mastery of knowledge and skills after each level.
Salient Features of K to 12 Program

• Gearing Up for the Future (Senior High School) - Senior High

School is two years of specialized upper secondary education;
students may choose a specialization based on aptitude, interests,
and school capacity. The choice of career track will define the
content of the subjects a student will take in Grades 11 and 12. SHS
subjects fall under either the Core Curriculum or specific Tracks.
Salient Features of K to 12 Program

• Nurturing the Holistically Developed Filipino (College and

Livelihood Readiness, 21st Century Skills) - After going through
Kindergarten, the enhanced Elementary and Junior High curriculum,
and a specialized Senior High program, every K to 12 graduate will
be ready to go into different paths – may it be further education,
employment, or entrepreneurship equipped with information, media
and technology skills, learning and innovation skills, effective
communication skills.
Details and Features of K to 12
Curriculum
I. Core Curriculum (Grades 1 to 10)
– Integrated language arts (Mother Tongue, Filipino
and English)
– Science
– Mathematics
– Araling Panlipunan
– Edukasyong Pantahanan at Pangkabuhayan (EPP)/
Technlogoy and Livelihood Education (TLE)
– Music, Art, Physical Education and Health
(MAPEH)
Details and Features of K to 12
Curriculum
Details and Features of K to 12
Curriculum
II. Curriculum Tracks (Senior High School)
– Academic
 ABM
 STEM
 HUMSS
 General Academic Strand
– Technical-Vocational (Tech-Voc)
– Sports
– Arts and Design
Details and Features of K to 12
Curriculum
Details and Features of K to 12
Curriculum

Senior High School Curriculum has a total

of thirty-one subjects. The thirty-one
subjects are grouped into fifteen (15) core
subjects, seven (7) contextualized subjects
and nine (9) specialization subjects.
Core Subjects (15)
Contextualized Subjects (7)
Tech-Voc, Sports, Arts and
Academic Track
Design Tracks
English for Academic and Professional English for the Professions
Purposes
Intro to Research Methods – Research Skills 1
Quantitative
Intro to Research Methods - Research Skills 2
Qualitative
Filipino Course Mga Diskurso sa Trabaho
ICT for Learners ICT Applications
Entrepreneurship Entrepreneurship
Research Project Research Project/Culminating
Activity
Specialization Subjects (9)

1. Specialization Subjects in Academic Track, ABM Strand.

– Applied Economics
– Business Ethics and Social Responsibility
– Fundamentals of Accountancy, Business and Management 1
– Fundamentals of Accountancy, Business and Management 2
– Business Math
– Business Finance
– Organization and Management
– Principles of Marketing
– Work Immersions/Research/Career Advocacy
Specialization Subjects (9)

2. Specialization Subjects in Academic Track, STEM Strand.

– Pre-Calculus
– Basic Calculus
– General Biology 1
– General Biology 2
– General Physics 1
– General Physics 2
– General Chemistry 1
– General Chemistry 2
– Work Immersion/Research/Career Advocacy
Specialization Subjects (9)

3. Specialization Subjects in Academic Track, HUMSS Strand.

– Creative Writing
– Creative Non-Fiction: The Literacy Essay
– World Religions and Belief Systems
– Trends, Networks and Critical Thinking in the 21 st Century
– Philippine Politics and Governance
– Community Engagement, Social Participation and Citizenship
– Disciplines and Ideas in the Social Sciences
– Disciplines and Ideas in the Applied Sciences
– Work Immersion/Research/Career Advocacy
Specialization Subjects (9)

4. Specialization Subjects in Academic Track, General

Academic Strand.
– Humanities 1
– Humanities 2
– Social Sciences
– Applied Economics
– Organization and Management
– Disaster Readiness and Risk Reduction
– Elective 1 (from any track/strand)
– Elective 2 (from any track/strand)
– Work Immersion/Research/Career Advocacy
Specialization Subjects (9)

5. Specialization Subjects in Sports Track

– Safety and First Aid
– Human Movement
– Fundamental of Coaching
– Sports Officiating and Activity Management
– Fitness, Sports and Recreation Leadership
– Psychosocial Aspects of Sports and Exercise
– Fitness Testing and Exercise Programming
– Practicum (in-campus)
– Work Immersion/Research/Career Advocacy
 End of Presentation
“Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.“
– John Dewey