# Curriculum Implementation in DepEd: A School Head's Guide

How DepEd school heads implement the curriculum in SY 2026-2027: intended, implemented and achieved checks, curriculum review, indicators and interventions.

This is the Markdown copy of [Curriculum Implementation in DepEd: A School Head's Guide](https://nash.com.ph/blog/curriculum-implementation-school-heads), an article on the NASH Reviewer Blog by Mark Anthony Llego, published Nov 8, 2026, updated Nov 9, 2026. Topics: School leadership, Aspiring school heads. NASH Reviewer is an independent practice platform not affiliated with DepEd, BHROD, or NEAP.

A DepEd school head implements the curriculum and answers for what learners learn. [Republic Act No. 9155](https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/2001/08/11/republic-act-no-9155/) makes the school head "both an instructional leader and administrative manager" with authority, accountability and responsibility for "Implementing the school curriculum and being accountable for higher learning outcomes" (Sec. 7(E)), and [DepEd Order No. 010, s. 2024](https://www.deped.gov.ph/2024/07/23/july-23-2024-do-010-s-2024-policy-guidelines-on-the-implementation-of-the-matatag-curriculum/) says school heads "shall manage and supervise the implementation of the MATATAG Curriculum at the school level" (item 36.b). The work falls into three areas: whether the curriculum is being implemented as DepEd intends, whether teaching practice delivers it, and whether learners achieve it.

As of November 8, 2026, Kindergarten to Grade 10 use the MATATAG Curriculum, which later DepEd orders call the "Revised K to 10 Curriculum", and every incoming Grade 11 uses the Strengthened Senior High School (SHS) Curriculum. Lesson planning follows [DepEd Order No. 016, s. 2026](https://www.deped.gov.ph/2026/06/04/june-4-2026-do-016-s-2026-guidelines-on-lesson-planning-and-learning-design/), classroom assessment and grading follow [DepEd Order No. 015, s. 2026](https://www.deped.gov.ph/2026/06/04/june-4-2026-do-015-s-2026-revised-guidelines-on-classroom-assessment-grading-system-and-awards-and-recognition-for-the-k-to-12-basic-education-program/), learning recovery runs through the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program, and the school year runs in three terms under [DepEd Order No. 009, s. 2026](https://www.deped.gov.ph/2026/04/16/april-16-2026-do-009-s-2026-guidelines-on-the-implementation-of-the-three-term-school-calendar-in-basic-education/).

Several posts on this blog cover parts of this ground in depth: [the MATATAG and Strengthened SHS curriculum](https://nash.com.ph/blog/matatag-curriculum-strengthened-shs), [unpacking and the budget of work](https://nash.com.ph/blog/curriculum-to-lesson-unpacking-budget-of-work), [contextualization](https://nash.com.ph/blog/curriculum-contextualization-localization), [lesson planning](https://nash.com.ph/blog/deped-lesson-planning-do-016-s-2026), [classroom assessment](https://nash.com.ph/blog/deped-classroom-assessment-do-015-s-2026), [observation and coaching](https://nash.com.ph/blog/instructional-supervision-school-heads) and [instructional leadership](https://nash.com.ph/blog/instructional-leadership-deped-school-heads).

## Key findings

- **The school head monitors curriculum implementation at least once a quarter.** DO 010, s. 2024 says implementation "shall be monitored and evaluated at least once every quarter by the school heads", with results submitted to the Schools Division Office (SDO) (item 52). As of November 8, 2026, no issuance has restated this duty for the three-term calendar. Four checks spaced through the school year, one in each quarter of it, keep to the text under either calendar.
- **All of Kindergarten to Grade 10 is on MATATAG in SY 2026-2027.** The rollout was Kindergarten and Grades 1, 4 and 7 in SY 2024-2025, Grades 2, 3, 5 and 8 in SY 2025-2026, and Grades 6, 9 and 10 in SY 2026-2027 (DO 010, s. 2024, item 8). Grade 11 starts the Strengthened SHS Curriculum in every school this year, while most Grade 12 learners finish the old one ([DepEd Memorandum No. 012, s. 2026](https://www.deped.gov.ph/2026/02/27/february-27-2026-dm-012-s-2026-full-implementation-of-the-strengthened-senior-high-school-curriculum-in-school-year-2026-2027/), item 4).
- **No DepEd order prescribes a *school-based curriculum implementation plan*.** As of November 8, 2026, no order or memorandum sets a format for one, and *curriculum fidelity* and *vertical articulation* are not defined in any DepEd issuance. What the orders do require is monitoring (DO 010, s. 2024, item 52), qualitative reviews of lesson plans (DO 016, s. 2026, item 37.b), validation of class records (DO 015, s. 2026, items 54 and 61) and test item analysis (an indicator in [DepEd Order No. 007, s. 2024](https://www.deped.gov.ph/2024/05/20/may-16-2024-do-007-s-2024-policy-guidelines-on-the-implementation-of-the-revised-school-based-management-sbm-system/)).
- **Learning gaps are found through a fixed assessment cycle.** Schools give the Comprehensive Rapid Literacy Assessment (CRLA), the Philippine Informal Reading Inventory (Phil-IRI) and the Rapid Mathematics Assessment (RMA) at the beginning, middle and end of the year, and the ARAL Program takes learners who stay behind after classroom interventions ([DepEd Order No. 018, s. 2025](https://www.deped.gov.ph/2025/06/13/june-13-2025-do-018-s-2025-implementing-guidelines-of-the-academic-recovery-and-accessible-learning-program/), items 25, 35 and 47). ARAL "shall be included in the School Improvement Plan and Annual Implementation Plan" (item 80).
- **DepEd defines its performance indicators for the whole system, and several cannot be computed for one school.** Gross and net enrollment rates need population figures, and cohort survival, completion and transition rates follow learners across schools (DO 52, s. 2016, Performance Indicators). A school reads its promotion and dropout figures from its own forms, and its school-leaver figure from next year's LIS records, with small numbers in mind: in a section of 28, one learner moves a rate by 3.6 points.
- **The School Governance Council advises; it does not run the curriculum.** Under [DepEd Order No. 026, s. 2022](https://www.deped.gov.ph/2022/06/17/june-17-2022-do-026-s-2022-implementing-guidelines-on-the-establishment-of-school-governance-council/), the council takes part in the School Improvement Plan (SIP) and gives feedback on school performance, but it "shall not directly manage the school because it is the responsibility of the School Head".
- **The three areas meet in four documents.** Curriculum monitoring, classroom observation and learner results feed the rater's Instructional Supervisory (IS) Plan under [DepEd Memorandum No. 089, s. 2025](https://www.deped.gov.ph/2025/10/01/october-1-2025-dm-089-s-2025-guidelines-on-the-multi-year-performance-management-and-evaluation-system-for-teachers-from-school-years-2025-2026-to-2027-2028/), the Learning Action Cell (LAC) plan, the SIP and Annual Implementation Plan (AIP), and the school head's Office Performance Commitment and Review Form (OPCRF).

## What the law and DepEd require of a school head on the curriculum

### RA 9155 and its implementing rules

RA 9155 defines the school head as "a person responsible for the administrative and instructional supervision of the school or cluster of schools" (Sec. 4(m)). Of the twelve areas of authority in Sec. 7(E), five concern the curriculum directly:

| RA 9155, Sec. 7(E) | Text | What it asks of the school head |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Item 2 | "Creating an environment within the school that is conducive to teaching and learning" | Protect instructional time and the conditions for learning |
| Item 3 | "Implementing the school curriculum and being accountable for higher learning outcomes" | Deliver the curriculum and answer for results, not only for coverage |
| Item 5 | "Offering educational programs, projects and services which provide equitable opportunities for all learners in the community" | Special programs, learner support, ALS and flexible programs |
| Item 6 | "Introducing new and innovative modes of instruction to achieve higher learning outcomes" | Pedagogy and interventions that raise achievement |
| Item 9 | "Encouraging staff development" | LACs, coaching and in-service training |

The implementing rules, [DepEd Order No. 1, s. 2003](https://www.deped.gov.ph/2003/01/06/do-1-s-2003-promulgating-the-implementing-rules-and-regulations-irr-of-republic-act-no-9155-otherwise-known-as-the-governance-of-basic-education-act-of-2001/), word item 3 more fully: "Implementing, monitoring and assessing the school curriculum and being accountable for higher learning outcomes" (Rule VI, Sec. 6.2(3)). Monitoring and assessing are therefore part of the duty, not extras. [The RA 9155 post](https://nash.com.ph/blog/ra-9155-school-head-duties) explains all twelve areas.

### The Enhanced Basic Education Act and the curriculum standards

[Republic Act No. 10533](https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/2013/05/15/republic-act-no-10533/), the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013, sets the standards and principles DepEd follows in developing the curriculum (Sec. 5). The curriculum shall be "learner-centered, inclusive and developmentally appropriate" (a); "relevant, responsive and research-based" (b); "culture-sensitive" (c); "contextualized and global" (d); use pedagogical approaches that are "constructivist, inquiry-based, reflective, collaborative and integrative" (e); follow the spiral progression approach (g); and be "flexible enough to enable and allow schools to localize, indigenize and enhance the same based on their respective educational and social contexts" (h). Item (f), on mother tongue-based multilingual education, has to be read with [Republic Act No. 12027](https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/2024/10/10/republic-act-no-12027/) of 2024, which made Filipino and English the media of instruction from Kindergarten to Grade 3 and kept the mother tongue only as an option in monolingual classes that meet the law's requirements (Sec. 2; [the language of instruction post](https://nash.com.ph/blog/language-of-instruction-ra-12027-edcom-ii) covers it).

Item (h) is the school's part. DepEd sets the standards and competencies; the school localizes and enhances how they are taught. It does not lower or drop them: DO 010, s. 2024 issues the curriculum "as prescribed minimum standards" (cover item 2).

### DO 010, s. 2024: managing and supervising the MATATAG Curriculum

DO 010, s. 2024 gives instructional leaders a specific job. The order "shall guide them in creating supervisory and management plans to oversee instructional delivery, monitor learning gains, and provide appropriate technical assistance to teachers and school heads" (cover item 4). Its table of roles assigns schools four duties, among them to "Ensure that the MATATAG Curriculum standards and learning competencies are effectively implemented with the support of teaching-related personnel, parents, school governing council, and other education stakeholders" and to "Implement school-based professional development activities (e.g., Collaborative Expertise Sessions, INSET, LACs)" (item 37, Table 2). At the school level, the policy "shall be monitored and evaluated at least once every quarter by the school heads", and "The results of the evaluation shall be submitted to the SDO for collation and analysis" (item 52).

The Strengthened SHS Curriculum carries the same duty for Grades 11 and 12. Under [DepEd Order No. 017, s. 2026](https://www.deped.gov.ph/2026/06/04/june-4-2026-do-017-s-2026-strengthened-senior-high-school-curriculum/), implementation "shall be monitored and evaluated at least once every quarter by the school heads", and the school head "shall ensure that their school offers" only approved tracks and electives (Encl. item 32).

### PPSSH Domain 3, Career Stages 1 and 2

The Philippine Professional Standards for School Heads (PPSSH), adopted by [DepEd Order No. 024, s. 2020](https://www.deped.gov.ph/2020/09/07/september-7-2020-do-024-s-2020-national-adoption-and-implementation-of-the-philippine-professional-standards-for-school-heads/), put this work in Domain 3, Focusing on Teaching and Learning. In this domain, "school heads are expected to provide technical assistance on instruction that relates to curriculum, practice, and performance." Career Stage 1 describes aspiring school heads; Career Stage 2 describes school heads who apply the standards independently. The indicators, verbatim:

| Strand | Career Stage 1 | Career Stage 2 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 3.1 School-based review, contextualization and implementation of learning standards | Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of school-based review, contextualization and implementation of learning standards. | Assist teachers in the review, contextualization and implementation of learning standards to make the curriculum relevant for learners. |
| 3.2 Teaching standards and pedagogies | Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of teaching standards and pedagogies within and across learning areas to provide technical assistance to teachers to improve their teaching practice. | Provide technical assistance to teachers on teaching standards and pedagogies within and across learning areas to improve their teaching practice. |
| 3.3 Teacher performance feedback | Demonstrate understanding of the use of feedback obtained from learners, parents and other stakeholders to help teachers improve their performance. | Use validated feedback obtained from learners, parents and other stakeholders to help teachers improve their performance. |
| 3.4 Learner achievement and other performance indicators | Set achievable and challenging learning outcomes to support learner achievement and the attainment of other performance indicators. | Utilize learning outcomes in developing data-based interventions to maintain learner achievement and attain other performance indicators. |
| 3.5 Learning assessment | Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of learning assessment tools, strategies and utilization of results consistent with curriculum requirements. | Provide technical assistance to teachers in using learning assessment tools, strategies and results consistent with curriculum requirements to ensure accountability in achieving higher learning outcomes. |
| 3.6 Learning environment | Demonstrate understanding of managing a learner-friendly, inclusive and healthy learning environment. | Manage a learner-friendly, inclusive and healthy learning environment. |
| 3.7 Career awareness and opportunities | Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the integration of career awareness and opportunities in the provision of learning experiences aligned with the curriculum. | Ensure integration of career awareness and opportunities in the provision of learning experiences aligned with the curriculum. |
| 3.8 Learner discipline | Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of existing national and local policies related to learner discipline. | Implement learner discipline policies that are developed collaboratively with stakeholders including parents, school personnel and the community. |

Strands 3.1, 3.4 and 3.5 are the core of curriculum implementation and learner achievement. [The PPSSH Domain 3 post](https://nash.com.ph/blog/ppssh-domain-3-teaching-and-learning) reads each strand against DepEd's assessment data.

## Who else supervises instruction

The school head does not supervise alone. RA 9155 lets an assistant school head assist the school head (Sec. 7(E)), and DO 016, s. 2026 defines instructional leaders broadly: "School Heads, Head Teachers, Master Teachers, ALS Focals, Education Program Supervisors for ALS, and other personnel designated to perform instructional leadership functions, including but not limited to Grade Level Coordinators, Learning Area Coordinators, Department Heads, and Head Teachers reclassified as Teachers V to VII" (item 4.d). The structure above the school comes from [DepEd Order No. 52, s. 2015](https://www.deped.gov.ph/2015/10/30/do-52-s-2015-new-organizational-structures-of-the-central-regional-and-schools-division-offices-of-the-department-of-education/), DepEd's rationalized organization.

| Level | Who | Role in curriculum and instruction | Basis |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| School | Master teachers | Instructional supervision, coaching, mentoring and technical assistance to teachers; raters of teachers where the matrix assigns them | [DepEd Order No. 024, s. 2025](https://www.deped.gov.ph/2025/08/28/august-28-2025-do-024-s-2025-guidelines-on-the-implementation-of-the-expanded-career-progression-system-for-teachers-and-school-heads-in-the-department-of-education/), Encl. 1, Sec. 36.b; DM 089, s. 2025, Table 18 |
| School | Department heads, assistant school head designates, grade level and learning area coordinators | Oversee the curriculum in their area or grade; rate junior and senior high teachers where the matrix assigns them | DO 024, s. 2025, Encl. 1, Sec. 36.c-d; DM 089, s. 2025, Table 18; DO 016, s. 2026, item 4.d |
| District | Public schools district supervisor (PSDS) | "Providing professional and instructional advice and support to the school heads and teachers/facilitators" and "Curricula supervision" | RA 9155, Sec. 7(D); DO 1, s. 2003, Rule V, Sec. 5.1 |
| Division | Curriculum Implementation Division (CID), with its District Instructional Supervision unit | Ensures implementation at the division level; technical assistance on curriculum implementation, instructional supervision and SIP implementation | DO 52, s. 2015; DO 010, s. 2024, item 36.b; DO 016, s. 2026, items 36 and 40 |
| Division | School Governance and Operations Division (SGOD) | School management monitoring and evaluation, SBM technical assistance, school health and nutrition; process owner of the division M&E system | DO 52, s. 2015; [DepEd Order No. 029, s. 2022](https://www.deped.gov.ph/2022/06/22/june-20-2022-do-029-s-2022-adoption-of-the-basic-education-monitoring-and-evaluation-framework/), Table 2 |
| Region | Curriculum and Learning Management Division (CLMD) | Ensures implementation at the regional level and trains SDO supervisors to coach instructional leaders | DO 52, s. 2015; DO 010, s. 2024, item 36.b; DO 016, s. 2026, items 35 and 39 |

![Illustration of who supervises instruction, in four levels. Region: the Curriculum and Learning Management Division ensures implementation and trains division supervisors to coach instructional leaders. Division: the Curriculum Implementation Division gives technical assistance on curriculum implementation, instructional supervision and the SIP; the School Governance and Operations Division handles school management monitoring and SBM technical assistance. District: the public schools district supervisor gives instructional advice and support and does curricula supervision, a staff function without administrative supervision over principals unless specifically authorized. School: the school head manages and supervises curriculum implementation; master teachers coach and prepare IS Plans; department heads and coordinators oversee their learning area or grade. Technical assistance flows down; monitoring results go up each quarter.](https://nash.com.ph/blog/_astro/cur-1-who-supervises.BqCpq8_s_glXek.webp)

*Figure 1. Who supervises instruction, from the school to the region. Illustration by Mark Anthony Llego, based on DO 52, s. 2015, the IRR of RA 9155 (DO 1, s. 2003), DO 010, s. 2024, DO 016, s. 2026 and DM 089, s. 2025.*

Two points in this table are often misread. First, the district supervisor advises; the implementing rules say the PSDS "shall primarily perform staff functions and shall not exercise administrative supervision over school principals, unless specifically authorized by the proper authorities", and that "The main focus of his/her functions shall be instructional and curricula supervision aimed at raising academic standards at the school level" (DO 1, s. 2003, Rule V, Sec. 5.1). Second, the CID gives technical assistance to the school; the school head still owns the school's monitoring and the results. [The post on department heads and assistant school head designates](https://nash.com.ph/blog/department-head-assistant-school-head-designates) sets out the designates' duties and loads.

### What good supervision of instruction requires

DO 016, s. 2026 defines instructional leadership as "the deliberate practice of supporting teaching and learning through evidence-based feedback and contextualized coaching to systematically improve quality of teacher/ALS implementer practice and learner achievement" (item 4.c). Read with the PPSSH and DM 089, s. 2025, that definition asks for knowledge in four areas and a short list of habits.

| The supervisor knows | The supervisor does |
| --- | --- |
| The curriculum: the key stage, grade level, content and performance standards and the competencies in each learning area | Reads lesson plans for alignment with standards and learner needs, not for completeness (DO 016, s. 2026, items 32 and 37.b) |
| Pedagogy: the approaches RA 10533 and DO 010 name, differentiation, and the Learning Design Principles | Conducts "frequent, non-rated, formative walkthrough observations" of about 10 to 15 minutes (DO 016, s. 2026, item 33; DM 089, s. 2025, item 37) |
| Assessment: formative and summative assessment, tables of specifications, item analysis and the diagnostic tools | Validates class records and grading practices (DO 015, s. 2026, items 54 and 61) |
| The learners and the data: who is behind, in what, and why | Plans support from evidence and checks whether it worked (PPSSH 3.4.2; DO 016, s. 2026, item 41) |

The observation and coaching cycle itself, from the pre-conference to the post-conference, is in [the instructional supervision post](https://nash.com.ph/blog/instructional-supervision-school-heads), and the research on why it matters is in [the instructional leadership post](https://nash.com.ph/blog/instructional-leadership-deped-school-heads).

## Curriculum and instruction: the difference

DepEd defines both terms. Curriculum is "the set of formal documents that determines content, learning, teaching, and assessment by describing the what, the why, the how, and how well learners shall learn" (DO 010, s. 2024, item 9.d, citing IBE-UNESCO, 2013). Instruction is "the methods, approaches, and processes used to facilitate learning" (DO 016, s. 2026, item 4.b).

In a school, the curriculum is fixed above the school: the curriculum guides, the standards and competencies, the time allotments and the assessment rules. Instruction is what teachers do with it in a classroom: the lesson design, the strategies, the materials, the questions and the feedback. A school head supervises both, but differently. For the curriculum, the question is whether it is all being taught, in sequence, to every class (coverage and alignment). For instruction, the question is how well it is being taught and whether learners are getting it (quality and effect). A school can teach every competency on schedule and still teach it badly; it can also teach brilliantly and skip a third of the competencies. The three-level view below catches both.

## The intended, implemented and achieved curriculum

The three-level view comes from the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), which built it into its international studies. The framework of the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) states it this way: the "TIMSS Curriculum Model has three aspects: the intended curriculum, the implemented curriculum, and the attained curriculum". The intended curriculum is "the mathematics and science that students are expected to learn as defined by countries' curriculum policies"; the implemented curriculum is "what is actually taught in classrooms, the characteristics of those teaching it, and how it is taught"; and the attained curriculum is "what it is that students have learned and what they think about learning these subjects" (Mullis, 2017). "Achieved" and "attained" mean the same level.

DepEd's own policy uses the same idea. [DepEd Order No. 021, s. 2019](https://www.deped.gov.ph/2019/08/22/august-22-2019-do-021-s-2019-policy-guidelines-on-the-k-to-12-basic-education-program/) describes the curriculum support system as existing "To ensure the implementation and actualization of the intended curriculum as contained in the Curriculum Guides" (item 30).

### How a school head checks each level

| Level | What it is in a DepEd school | Evidence to look at | Questions the school head asks |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Intended | The MATATAG or Strengthened SHS curriculum guides, the standards and competencies, the time allotment, the three-term budget of work (BoW) | Curriculum guides; DO 010, s. 2024 and its annexes; DO 017, s. 2026; the BoW in DO 009, s. 2026, Annex E; the school's approved class program | Does every class have the current guide and BoW? Does the class program give each learning area its required time ([DepEd Order No. 012, s. 2024](https://www.deped.gov.ph/2024/09/18/september-18-2024-do-012-s-2024-amendment-to-deped-order-no-010-s-2024-policy-guidelines-on-the-implementation-of-the-matatag-curriculum/), item 2)? Are learners with disabilities, IP learners and multigrade classes taught from contextualized versions of the same standards? |
| Implemented | What teachers actually teach, how, and with what | Lesson plans under DO 016, s. 2026; walkthrough notes; the Performance Monitoring and Coaching Form (PMCF); LAC records; teachers' progress against the BoW; materials in use | Are lessons aligned with the competencies due this term? Are the Learning Design Principles visible? Which competencies are behind schedule, and why? What do walkthroughs show about questioning, feedback and differentiation? |
| Achieved | What learners have learned | Written works, performance tasks and summative tests under DO 015, s. 2026; item analysis; CRLA, Phil-IRI and RMA profiles; the Phil ECD Checklist; National Achievement Test (NAT) and Early Language, Literacy and Numeracy Assessment (ELLNA) results where the school was tested | Which competencies did most learners miss? Which learners are below grade level, and are they the same ones each term? Do the classroom grades agree with the diagnostic results? |

![Illustration of the three levels of the curriculum. Intended, what DepEd sets: curriculum guides, standards and competencies, the time allotment and class program, and the three-term budget of work. Implemented, what teachers teach: lesson plans and their reviews, walkthrough notes in the PMCF, LAC records and coverage against the budget of work. Achieved, what learners learn: summative tests and item analysis, CRLA, Phil-IRI and RMA profiles, and NAT and ELLNA results where tested. Below, what a gap usually means: intended but not implemented is a supervision and scheduling problem; implemented but not achieved is a teaching quality, readiness or attendance problem; high grades with low diagnostic results call for a check of the assessment itself.](https://nash.com.ph/blog/_astro/cur-2-three-levels.BriUJCqx_Z2pMMYB.webp)

*Figure 2. The intended, implemented and achieved curriculum, the evidence for each, and what a gap between them usually means. Illustration by Mark Anthony Llego, based on the TIMSS curriculum model (IEA), DO 010, s. 2024, DO 016, s. 2026 and DO 015, s. 2026.*

The gaps between levels point to different causes. A gap between intended and implemented (competencies skipped, time cut, lessons misaligned) is a supervision and scheduling problem. A gap between implemented and achieved (the competency was taught, but learners did not learn it) is a teaching quality, readiness or attendance problem. When classroom grades are high but diagnostic results are low, the gap may be in the assessment itself: DO 015, s. 2026 names "grade inflation" and "overreliance on transmutation" among the problems it was issued to correct (item 3).

## What the curriculum contains in SY 2026-2027

[The MATATAG post](https://nash.com.ph/blog/matatag-curriculum-strengthened-shs) explains the two curricula in detail. What a school head needs from it for supervision is below.

### Legal bases, goals and principles

The legal base is RA 10533, which declares that "every graduate of basic education shall be an empowered individual who has learned, through a program that is rooted on sound educational principles and geared towards excellence, the foundations for learning throughout life, the competence to engage in work and be productive, the ability to coexist in fruitful harmony with local and global communities, the capability to engage in autonomous, creative, and critical thinking, and the capacity and willingness to transform others and one's self" (Sec. 2). DO 021, s. 2019 set the policy guidelines of the K to 12 program; DO 010, s. 2024 amended its elementary and secondary annexes and its mother tongue annex (cover item 5) and was itself amended by DO 012, s. 2024 (time allotments) and [DepEd Order No. 020, s. 2025](https://www.deped.gov.ph/2025/07/03/july-3-2025-do-020-s-2025-policy-on-the-medium-of-instruction-for-kindergarten-to-grade-3-effective-school-year-2025-2026/) (Key Stage 1 language).

DO 010, s. 2024 states the goal: the curriculum "is designed to nurture holistically developed Filipino youth, equipped with 21st century skills within an inclusive learning environment, who are ready for employment, entrepreneurship, and/or higher education, and will find joy in lifelong learning" (item 14). It makes inclusive education "the core principle of the K to 12 Basic Education Program" (item 13.a), and it names the problems it fixed in the older curriculum: "overcrowded curriculum, misaligned learning competencies, and imbalanced cognitive demands" (item 2).

### The framework and its elements

| Element | What it is | Where it is set |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Key stages | Key Stage 1 (Kindergarten to Grade 3), Key Stage 2 (Grades 4 to 6), Key Stage 3 (Grades 7 to 10), Key Stage 4 (Grades 11 and 12) | DO 010, s. 2024, item 9.i |
| Learning areas | Kindergarten: six developmental domains. Grade 1: Language, Reading and Literacy, Mathematics, GMRC and Makabansa. Grade 2: Filipino, English, Mathematics, GMRC and Makabansa. Grade 3: the same plus Science. Grades 4 to 6: Filipino, English, Mathematics, Araling Panlipunan, MAPEH, GMRC, Science, and EPP/TLE. Grades 7 to 10: Filipino, English, Mathematics, Science, Araling Panlipunan, MAPEH, Values Education, and TLE | DO 010, s. 2024, Annex 1, Sec. I.1; Annex 2, Sec. I.1 |
| Standards | Program, learning area and key stage standards; grade level, content and performance standards in each curriculum guide | DO 010, s. 2024, Annex 1, item 1.3; Annex 2, item 1.2 |
| Competencies | A competency "refers to a specific skill performed with varying degrees of independence" | DO 010, s. 2024, item 9.b |
| Time allotment | Grades 1 and 2: 40 minutes a day per learning area; Grade 3: 45 minutes; Grades 4 to 10: 45 minutes a day, five days a week; Homeroom Guidance once a week (40 minutes in Grades 1 and 2, 45 minutes in Grades 3 to 10). For Grades 3 to 10, schools may use uniform 50-, 55- or 60-minute periods, or another combination approved by the Schools Division Superintendent (SDS) with at least 5 hours and 30 minutes of contact time a day | DO 010, s. 2024, Annex 1, Tables 5 and 6, and Annex 2, Table 3; DO 012, s. 2024, item 2 |
| Instructional design | The Instructional Design Framework, with the pillars of curriculum, teaching and assessment | DO 010, s. 2024, item 19 and Annex 5 |
| Strengthened SHS | Two tracks, Academic and Technical-Professional; five core subjects taken in Grade 11 only; electives by cluster; work immersion | DO 017, s. 2026, Encl. items 12 to 16 |

### Expected outcomes by key stage

DO 010, s. 2024 states what learners should be able to do at the end of each key stage of the formal curriculum:

| End of | Expected outcome | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Grade 3 | "learners are expected to have achieved foundational literacy and numeracy skills, engaged creatively with the arts, learned to appreciate their cultural heritage, and developed socioemotional skills to navigate and contribute meaningfully to their communities and the wider world" | Annex 1, item 4.1 |
| Grade 6 | "learners are expected to exhibit advanced literacy and numeracy, critical thinking, and scientific inquiry skills, alongside a deepened appreciation of cultural and historical contexts, preparing them to be informed and proactive participants in their communities and the wider world" | Annex 1, item 6 |
| Grade 10 | "learners are expected to demonstrate advanced communicative competence, critical thinking, and creative expression, equipped with the skills to analyze, create, and engage with complex texts, scientific inquiries, and mathematical concepts" | Annex 2, item 3 |
| Grade 12 | Readiness for one of "four possible exits: employment, entrepreneurship, middle level skills development, and higher education" | DO 021, s. 2019, item 24 |

The profile of the graduate in DO 010, s. 2024 groups these into three: learners "Equipped with skills of the future", "Prepared to become lifelong learners", and "Imbued with strong nationalism and appropriate Filipino values to make them peace advocates" (item 17). The curriculum guides break each outcome down into grade-level and term-level standards, which is why a school head checks progress term by term rather than waiting for the end of a key stage.

### Which grades use what in SY 2026-2027

| Grade | Curriculum in SY 2026-2027 | Grading in SY 2026-2027 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kindergarten and Grade 1 | MATATAG | Descriptive grading |
| Grades 2 and 3 | MATATAG | Numerical, with the adjusted transmutation table |
| Grades 4 to 10 | MATATAG (Grades 6, 9 and 10 for the first time) | Numerical, with the adjusted transmutation table |
| Grade 11 | Strengthened SHS Curriculum, in all public and private SHSs | Numerical, with the adjusted transmutation table |
| Grade 12 | The old SHS curriculum, except in the pilot schools that continue the Strengthened SHS pilot | Outside the pilot schools, the weights of [DepEd Order No. 8, s. 2015](https://www.deped.gov.ph/2015/04/01/do-8-s-2015-policy-guidelines-on-classroom-assessment-for-the-k-to-12-basic-education-program/) with the adjusted transmutation table |

Sources: DO 010, s. 2024, item 8; DM 012, s. 2026, items 4 and 5; DO 015, s. 2026, items 48, 49, 55 and 56.

### What replaced what

Older reviewers still cite rules that no longer apply. The current rules, as of November 8, 2026:

| Older rule or term | What applies now |
| --- | --- |
| The 2016 K to 12 curriculum guides and the Most Essential Learning Competencies (MELCs) for Kindergarten to Grade 10 | The MATATAG curriculum guides; the MELC-based curriculum was used only in grades not yet on MATATAG and has been fully replaced in SY 2026-2027 (DO 010, s. 2024, items 8 and 35) |
| DepEd Order No. 8, s. 2015 on classroom assessment, and [DepEd Order No. 36, s. 2016](https://www.deped.gov.ph/2016/06/07/do-36-s-2016-policy-guidelines-on-awards-and-recognition-for-the-k-to12-basic-education-program-2/) on awards | DO 015, s. 2026, which repeals both (cover item 6); the old weights survive only for Grade 12 outside the pilot schools in SY 2026-2027 (item 49) |
| [DepEd Order No. 42, s. 2016](https://www.deped.gov.ph/2016/06/17/do-42-s-2016-policy-guidelines-on-daily-lesson-preparation-for-the-k-to-12-basic-education-program/), the Daily Lesson Log and Detailed Lesson Plan | DO 016, s. 2026 and the ILAW lesson plan; the old formats were allowed only until the end of Term 1 of SY 2026-2027 (items 43 and 46) |
| RPMS-PPST tools for teachers | The Performance Management and Evaluation System (PMES) under DM 089, s. 2025; the Classroom Observation Tool (COT) continues as its Annex E. School heads stay on the OPCRF |
| Alternative delivery modes (ADMs) and flexible learning options (FLOs), such as MISOSA and IMPACT | Flexible learning programs (FLPs) and learning continuity in emergencies: [DepEd Order No. 014, s. 2026](https://www.deped.gov.ph/2026/06/04/june-4-2026-do-014-s-2026-guidelines-on-learning-continuity-in-emergencies/) "effectively repeals the definitions of ADMs and Flexible Learning Options (FLOs) in previous DepEd Orders" (item 6.d) |
| The National Learning Recovery Program, Catch-up Fridays, and the National Reading and Mathematics Program time slots | The ARAL Program: DO 018, s. 2025 repeals [DepEd Order No. 13, s. 2023](https://www.deped.gov.ph/2023/07/05/july-5-2023-do-013-s-2023-adoption-of-the-national-learning-recovery-program-in-the-department-of-education/) and [DepEd Memorandum No. 001, s. 2024](https://www.deped.gov.ph/2024/01/10/january-10-2024-dm-001-s-2024-implementation-of-catch-up-fridays/) (cover item 4) |
| Mother Tongue as a subject and as the Key Stage 1 medium of instruction | Filipino and English as the primary media of instruction from Kindergarten to Grade 3, with the mother tongue allowed only in qualifying monolingual classes (RA 12027, Secs. 1 and 2; DO 020, s. 2025, items 11 and 13); Mother Tongue "shall no longer be offered as a subject" (DO 012, s. 2024, item 8) |
| Four quarters | Three terms (DO 009, s. 2026) |
| ALS 2.0 ([DepEd Order No. 13, s. 2019](https://www.deped.gov.ph/2019/06/25/june-25-2019-do-013-s-2019-policy-guidelines-on-the-implementation-of-enhanced-alternative-learning-system-2-0/)) | The Enhanced ALS under [DepEd Order No. 001, s. 2026](https://www.deped.gov.ph/2026/01/19/january-19-2026-do-001-s-2026-implementing-guidelines-of-the-enhanced-alternative-learning-system/) |
| Special curricular programs taking the place of TLE ([DepEd Order No. 46, s. 2012](https://www.deped.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DO_s2012_46.pdf)) | In junior high school, "the SCPs will no longer take the place of TLE; instead, the SCP will be treated as an additional subject" (DO 021, s. 2019, Annex 2, item 69) |

## School-based curriculum review: what DepEd requires and what it leaves to the school

PPSSH strand 3.1 is "School-based review, contextualization and implementation of learning standards", and RA 10533 lets schools "localize, indigenize and enhance" the curriculum (Sec. 5(h)). But no DepEd order or memorandum, as of November 8, 2026, prescribes how a school reviews its curriculum or sets a format for a school-based curriculum implementation plan. The terms *vertical articulation*, *horizontal articulation* and *curriculum fidelity* are not defined in any DepEd issuance; they come from curriculum practice. What the orders do require adds up to a review cycle:

| Requirement | What it asks | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Quarterly monitoring and evaluation | School heads monitor and evaluate implementation and submit results to the SDO | DO 010, s. 2024, item 52; DO 017, s. 2026, Encl. item 32 |
| Qualitative reviews of lesson plans | "School Heads and ALS Focals shall lead qualitative reviews of lesson plans to ensure alignment with curriculum standards and learner needs" | DO 016, s. 2026, item 37.b |
| Collaborative planning in LACs | LAC sessions "may serve as primary venues for peer learning, sharing effective practices, aligning competencies, and co-creating lesson plans" | DO 016, s. 2026, item 37.a |
| Budget of work as a guide | The BoW "specifies the recommended number of weeks, rather than a fixed number of days", and is "a guiding reference only for teachers in lesson planning" | DO 009, s. 2026, item 25 |
| Validation of grading | Class records "shall be subject to validation by school heads and instructional supervisors" | DO 015, s. 2026, item 54 |
| Item analysis | SBM indicator: "The school conducts test item analysis to inform its teaching and learning process" | DO 007, s. 2024, Curriculum and Teaching, indicator 7 |
| Contextualized materials | SBM indicator: "Teachers prepare contextualized learning materials responsive to the needs of learners" | DO 007, s. 2024, Curriculum and Teaching, indicator 4 |

The school head therefore has room to design the review, within two limits: the competencies are minimum standards that a school may enrich but not drop, and the review must not add paperwork that DO 016, s. 2026 forbids ("Additional documentation, excessive detail, or expanded lesson planning requirements that do not directly support teaching and learning shall be avoided", item 10).

### Vertical and horizontal articulation

Articulation is how well the curriculum connects. Vertical articulation runs up the grades within a learning area: what Grade 4 Science teachers teach should build on Grade 3 and prepare for Grade 5, as the key stage standards in each curriculum guide intend. Horizontal articulation runs across learning areas in the same grade and term: the Grade 7 Mathematics competency on data, the Science investigation that collects data, and the English competency on reading graphs should meet in the same term where they can. DO 021, s. 2019 describes this cross-subject use: "the content in Araling Panlipunan and Edukasyon sa Pagpapakatao may serve as reading materials in Filipino" (item 25), and DO 015, s. 2026 lets teachers "use a single assessment task as evidence across multiple learning areas, where appropriate" (item 25).

A school head leads both through the people DepEd already provides:

- **Vertical:** learning area groups across grades (a department in high school; a key stage group in elementary) compare the end-of-term competencies of one grade with the starting competencies of the next, and check whether learners arrive with them. Learners who do not are an early warning for the next grade's teachers, and the evidence for remediation.
- **Horizontal:** grade level groups lay the term's BoW for all learning areas side by side, find shared skills and possible integrated performance tasks, and agree on assessment dates so learners do not face five tests in one day.

### Curriculum mapping

Curriculum mapping is a working table that shows, for one grade and learning area, each competency against the term and weeks it is taught (from the BoW), the lessons that teach it, the assessment items that test it (from the table of specifications that guides the term examination, DO 015, s. 2026, item 27), the materials that support it, and the results learners got. DepEd uses the term without defining it: DM 012, s. 2026 lists "curriculum mapping" among the preparatory activities for the Strengthened SHS (item 6). A map does two jobs for the school head. It shows coverage at a glance (which competencies are behind), and it connects coverage to achievement (which competencies were taught but not learned). [The unpacking and budget of work post](https://nash.com.ph/blog/curriculum-to-lesson-unpacking-budget-of-work) shows how one competency moves from the guide to the lesson plan.

### Fidelity checks

Fidelity here means implementing the curriculum as intended: every competency taught, in a sensible sequence, with enough time and appropriate assessment. It does not mean rigid pacing. DO 016, s. 2026 asks teachers to adjust to learners rather than follow pre-planned activities strictly (item 20), and DO 009, s. 2026 aims "to attain mastery and not simply breadth" (item 27). DO 015, s. 2026 uses the related phrase "implementation fidelity" for its own monitoring (item 81). In practice a school head checks fidelity three ways:

1. **Coverage against the BoW**, each term: which competencies are taught, which are behind, and why.
2. **Alignment in lesson plans**, through the qualitative reviews DO 016 requires: are the learning intentions, learning experience, assessment and ways forward aligned with the competency (item 11)?
3. **Enactment in classrooms**, through walkthroughs: is what the plan intends what learners actually do?

The orders do not say whether a competency not reached in one term may move to the next. The safer course is to adjust pacing within the term, cluster related competencies (DO 016, s. 2026 lets teachers "unpack, cluster, or sequence learning competencies", item 7.a.ii), and make sure the term examination covers "the lessons actually covered" (DO 015, s. 2026, item 26). Where a whole grade falls behind, the school head asks the CID for technical assistance rather than letting competencies drop.

### Guiding the budget of work and contextualization

DO 009, s. 2026 provides the three-term BoW for every learning area (Annex E) and tells regional and division offices "to refrain from prescribing a set number of days for the accomplishment of learning competencies" (item 25). A school head should not do what DepEd has told the offices above it not to do: the BoW guides pacing; teachers manage it. The school head's role is to see that the BoW is used, that departures are deliberate and recorded in the teacher's own planning, and that learners who need more time get it through remediation rather than through skipped content. DepEd defines contextualization, localization and indigenization in [DepEd Order No. 32, s. 2015](https://www.deped.gov.ph/2015/07/29/do-32-s-2015-adopting-the-indigenous-peoples-education-curriculum-framework/), the Indigenous Peoples Education Curriculum Framework. The rules for doing them come from RA 10533, Sec. 5 and DO 010, s. 2024, and [the contextualization post](https://nash.com.ph/blog/curriculum-contextualization-localization) explains both.

### The review cycle in steps

| Step | Question | Evidence | Who | When (SY 2026-2027) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1. Set up | Does every teacher have the current guides, BoW and class program? | Class program; guides; teacher assignments | School head with department heads or grade leaders | Opening Block (June 8-11, 2026) and before each term |
| 2. Baseline | Where are learners starting? | Beginning-of-year CRLA, Phil-IRI and RMA; last year's grades | Teachers; school testing coordinator | Beginning-of-year window (June 8 to July 10, 2026) |
| 3. Map | Which competencies fall in this term, and how are they assessed? | BoW; table of specifications | Learning area and grade level groups, in LAC | Start of each term |
| 4. Monitor coverage and alignment | Are competencies taught on time and lessons aligned? | Lesson plan reviews; walkthrough notes; teachers' coverage notes | School head, master teachers, department heads | Throughout the Instructional Block |
| 5. Check achievement | Which competencies did learners not learn? | Summative test results and item analysis | Teachers, in LAC | After each summative test (about the 16th and 32nd instructional days) and the term examination |
| 6. Adjust | What changes next term? | Steps 4 and 5 | Teachers with the school head | End-of-Term Block |
| 7. Report | What does the SDO need to know? | Quarterly monitoring results | School head | At least once a quarter (DO 010, s. 2024, item 52) |

![Illustration of the school-based curriculum review cycle in seven steps around a circle: 1 Set up, guides, budget of work and class program in every class, in the Opening Block and each term; 2 Baseline, CRLA, Phil-IRI and RMA, June 8 to July 10; 3 Map, this term's competencies and how they are assessed, at the start of each term in LAC; 4 Monitor coverage and alignment through plan reviews and walkthroughs, during the Instructional Block; 5 Check achievement, summative results and item analysis, after each summative test; 6 Adjust, what changes next term, in the End-of-Term Block; 7 Report monitoring results to the SDO at least once a quarter. DepEd sets no format for the review.](https://nash.com.ph/blog/_astro/cur-3-review-cycle.PEIz28ob_1KO84G.webp)

*Figure 3. The curriculum review cycle a school head can run each term. The steps are an example, not a DepEd template. Illustration by Mark Anthony Llego, based on DO 010, s. 2024 and DOs 009, 015 and 016, s. 2026.*

## A worked example of a school-based curriculum implementation plan

The plan below is an illustration, not a DepEd template. It is for a fictional central elementary school with 412 learners in Kindergarten to Grade 6, 14 teachers and one master teacher, at the start of Term 2 of SY 2026-2027. The plan is short on purpose: it is a working document, and its activities belong in the SIP and AIP.

**Part 1. Where we are (end of Term 1).**

| Area | Finding | Evidence |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Curriculum implementation | Grade 6 Science and Mathematics, new to MATATAG this year, are about two weeks behind the BoW; Grades 4 and 5 are on schedule | Teachers' coverage notes; lesson plan reviews |
| Teaching practice | Walkthroughs show strong lesson openings but little checking for understanding before learners work alone | Walkthrough notes in the PMCF |
| Learner achievement | 41 of 152 Grade 4 to 6 learners read at the frustration level in Filipino at the beginning of the year; first summative test items on inferring meaning were the weakest in Grades 5 and 6 | Beginning-of-year Phil-IRI; item analysis |

**Part 2. Priorities for Term 2 and Term 3.**

1. Bring Grade 6 Science and Mathematics back to the BoW by the Term 2 examination without dropping competencies.
2. Build checking for understanding into lessons in all grades.
3. Reduce the number of Grade 4 to 6 frustration-level readers by the end-of-year assessment.

**Part 3. Actions.**

| Priority | Action | Lead | Time | Resource |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Grade 6 teachers re-map the remaining Term 2 competencies, cluster related ones and plan two integrated performance tasks | Master teacher | Term 2, weeks 1-2, in LAC | None |
| 1 | School head and master teacher review Grade 6 lesson plans and walk through Grade 6 classes weekly | School head | Term 2 | None |
| 2 | Two LAC sessions on checking for understanding, using walkthrough evidence | Master teacher | Term 2, monthly | MOOE for materials |
| 3 | ARAL-Reading tutorials for frustration-level readers in small groups, after classes (DO 009, s. 2026, item 13), adding instructional-level readers as tutors allow (DO 018, s. 2025, item 39.1) | Reading coordinator | From Term 2 | ARAL funds; trained tutors |
| 3 | Home visits and parent conferences for readers with frequent absences | Advisers | Term 2 | None |

**Part 4. How we will know.**

| Indicator | Baseline | Target | Check |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Grade 6 Science and Mathematics competencies taught by the end of Term 2 | About two weeks behind | All Term 2 competencies | Coverage notes before the Term 2 examination |
| Walkthroughs that show checking for understanding | Few, per Term 1 notes | Most walkthroughs by Term 3 | PMCF entries |
| Grade 4 to 6 frustration-level readers in Filipino | 41 of 152 (27.0%) | 20 or fewer by the end-of-year assessment | Middle- and end-of-year Phil-IRI |

**Part 5. Reporting.** Quarterly monitoring results go to the SDO (DO 010, s. 2024, item 52), and progress goes to the SIP project team and the School Governance Council at the midyear and year-end School Report Card presentations.

## How a school finds learning gaps

A learning gap is the distance between what learners should know at their grade, as the curriculum states it, and what they show. DepEd's issuances give the school five sources.

| Source | What it shows | When | Rule |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Diagnostic assessments: CRLA (Grades 1 to 3), Phil-IRI (Grades 4 to 10), RMA (Grades 1 to 10) | Reading and mathematics profiles against grade level | Beginning, middle and end of the year | DO 018, s. 2025, items 35, 36 and 47; DO 009, s. 2026, Annex B |
| Phil ECD Checklist (Kindergarten) | Developmental milestones and possible delays | Beginning and end of the year | DO 010, s. 2024, item 30.a; DO 009, s. 2026, Annex B |
| Classroom assessment | Mastery of the term's competencies: written works, performance tasks, two summative tests and a term examination | Each term | DO 015, s. 2026, items 19 to 29 |
| Item analysis | Which competencies, and which kinds of items, most learners missed | After each test | DO 007, s. 2024, SBM indicator 7 |
| Attendance and school-leaver signals | Learners at risk of falling behind or dropping out | Daily and monthly | DO 015, s. 2026, item 70; DO 018, s. 2025, item 35.1 (learners returning from a furlough, tagged in the Learner Information System) |

Three rules shape how these are used. First, DO 018, s. 2025 counts learners below minimum proficiency as "Emerging," "Developing," and "Transitioning" in Key Stage 1 and "Frustration" and "Instructional" in Key Stages 2 and 3 for reading, and "Not Proficient," "Low Proficient," and "Nearly Proficient" for mathematics (item 39). Second, DO 015, s. 2026 asks teachers to act on attendance "particularly by the end of Term 1 or when a learner reaches approximately twelve (12) absences" (item 70). Third, assessment results are discussed with teachers: schools "shall discuss assessment results and appropriate interventions during their respective collaborative expertise sessions within the first two (2) weeks of the school year and at least once a week thereafter", or in the monthly LAC sessions (DO 018, s. 2025, item 48).

### Layers of support, from the lesson to referral

DepEd's rules build support in layers, from the lesson outward:

1. **Within the lesson.** The ILAW lesson plan ends with Ways Forward: teachers reflect and "identify next instructional steps, such as remediation, reteaching, enrichment, among others" (DO 016, s. 2026, item 7.d.i).
2. **Within the term.** "Remedial interventions shall begin as early as Week 5 following the first ST" for learners who consistently perform below expectations (DO 015, s. 2026, item 68).
3. **Through ARAL.** Learners who "continue to fall behind in reading, mathematics, and science despite teachers' interventions" may be referred to the ARAL Program (DO 018, s. 2025, item 25).
4. **In summer.** Learners who fail at most two learning areas take the Summer Remedial Class (DO 015, s. 2026, item 67.b), and learners who need more support join the ARAL Summer Programs (DO 018, s. 2025, item 22).
5. **By referral.** Grades 2 to 10 learners who keep failing assessments and show "manifestations of learning difficulties" are referred to the multidisciplinary team of an Inclusive Learning Resource Center (ILRC) or other professionals (DO 018, s. 2025, item 46).

## The ARAL Program and intervention time

[Republic Act No. 12028](https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/2024/10/16/republic-act-no-12028/), the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning Program Act, approved October 16, 2024, created a national learning intervention program for public school learners from Kindergarten to Grade 10. DO 018, s. 2025 implements it and makes it "the umbrella program of DepEd for learning recovery" (cover item 3). The rules a school head applies:

| Rule | Provision |
| --- | --- |
| Who is covered | Learners returning from a furlough, learners below the minimum proficiency levels in reading, mathematics and science, and learners failing in examinations and tests (item 7) |
| What is covered | Reading and mathematics for Grades 1 to 10 and science for Grades 3 to 10; Kindergarten integrated into the blocks of time (item 10); priority for Kindergarten to Grade 6 (item 34) |
| Phasing | ARAL-Reading and ARAL-Mathematics from SY 2025-2026; ARAL Summer Programs from the end of SY 2025-2026; ARAL-Science from SY 2026-2027 (item 117). ARAL-Reading began in the second quarter of SY 2025-2026 (Grade 1 in the third, DM 064, s. 2025); DM 060, s. 2026 starts ARAL-Mathematics in Term 2 of SY 2026-2027 "or once schools are fully prepared and ready" (item 2) |
| Its place | "The ARAL Program complements, rather than replaces, daily teaching-learning processes" (item 23) |
| Group size | Recommended 1:5; up to 1:15 where teachers and resources are short (item 64) |
| Session length | At most one hour per learning area on weekdays, or two hours on weekends (item 61) |
| Tutors | Experienced teachers have priority, but "shall not serve as tutors of their own learners" (item 49.1); tutorials count as teaching load (item 81) |
| Planning | "The ARAL Program and its activities shall be included in the School Improvement Plan and Annual Implementation Plan" (item 80) |
| Management | "The school heads shall manage the program at the school level" (item 103) |

### Where intervention time sits in the class program

DO 010, s. 2024 tells schools to "apportion time for arrival and assembly, library work, learning stations, health breaks, intervention activities, and other related tasks" (Annex 1, item 2.3; Annex 2, item 2.2). Its original tables gave the National Reading and Mathematics Programs 30-minute slots four times a week, but DO 018, s. 2025 repealed the recovery program order and Catch-up Fridays, so those slots no longer apply. Under the three-term calendar, ARAL "remediation sessions shall also be scheduled for all grade levels. These shall be conducted after classes, for a duration of 30-60 minutes on designated days, two (2) to four (4) times per week" (DO 009, s. 2026, item 13), and ARAL sessions also run in the End-of-Term Block (item 33). DO 018, s. 2025 also allows pull-out sessions during class hours and add-on sessions before or after school (item 60), and DM 060, s. 2026 keeps both options for ARAL-Mathematics (item 16); the calendar order makes after-class sessions the scheduled default. Two memoranda set the subject rules: [DepEd Memorandum No. 064, s. 2025](https://www.deped.gov.ph/2025/08/01/august-1-2025-dm-064-s-2025-implementing-guidelines-for-the-academic-recovery-and-accessible-learning-program-in-reading-for-key-stages-1-to-3/) for reading and [DepEd Memorandum No. 060, s. 2026](https://www.deped.gov.ph/2026/09/29/september-28-2026-dm-060-s-2026-guidelines-on-the-implementation-of-the-academic-recovery-and-accessible-learning-program-in-mathematics/) for mathematics. Tutoring by DepEd teachers is voluntary under [DepEd Memorandum No. 061, s. 2026](https://www.deped.gov.ph/2026/09/29/september-29-2026-dm-061-s-2026-amendments-to-deped-memorandum-no-001-s-2026-guidelines-on-the-engagement-of-academic-recovery-and-accessible-learning-program-tutors-and-support-aides/).

[The ARAL Program guide](https://nash.com.ph/blog/deped-aral-program-guide) covers the program in full: learners, tutors, pay, schedules and funds. [The MATATAG post](https://nash.com.ph/blog/matatag-curriculum-strengthened-shs) traces the change from Catch-up Fridays to ARAL, and [the mass promotion and instructional time post](https://nash.com.ph/blog/mass-promotion-instructional-time-edcom-ii) sets the promotion and remediation rules against EDCOM II's findings.

## School performance indicators DepEd uses

The PPSSH glossary ties "school performance" to key performance indicators on access, quality and governance, and the School Report Card (SRC) under [DepEd Order No. 44, s. 2015](https://www.deped.gov.ph/2015/09/29/do-44-s-2015-guidelines-on-the-enhanced-school-improvement-planning-sip-process-and-the-school-report-card-src/) is organized the same way: a school profile, "performance indicators measuring aspects of access, quality, and governance", and the status of school projects. The definitions come from DepEd's data collection guidelines, [DepEd Order No. 52, s. 2016](https://www.deped.gov.ph/2016/06/30/do-52-s-2016-data-collection-of-basic-education-statistics-in-the-learner-information-system-and-enhanced-basic-education-information-system-for-beginning-of-school-year-2016-2017/), which lists them as indicators "for evaluating the educational system's performance at various levels". The order defines them in words; the third column below gives the arithmetic each definition implies, and the SRC's own formula where DO 44, s. 2015 prints one.

| Indicator | DepEd definition (DO 52, s. 2016, unless noted) | Arithmetic | Can one school compute it? |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Enrollment | Learners registered in the Learner Information System (LIS), by grade and sex | Count | Yes, from School Form 1 and the LIS |
| Gross enrollment rate | "Total enrolment in a given level of education, regardless of age, as a percentage of the population which according to national regulations should be enrolled at this level" | Enrollment in the level ÷ population of the official age × 100 | No: needs population figures |
| Net enrollment (participation) rate | "The ratio of the enrolment for the age group corresponding to the official school age in the elementary/ secondary level to the population of the same age group in a given year" | Enrollment of official-age learners ÷ population of that age × 100 | No: needs population figures |
| Cohort survival rate | "Percentage of enrolees at the beginning grade or year in a given school year who reached the final grade or year of elementary/ secondary level" | Learners of a Grade 1 (or Grade 7) cohort who reach Grade 6 (or Grade 10) ÷ the cohort × 100 | Only roughly: learners move between schools |
| Completion rate | "Percentage of grade/year 1 entrants who graduate in elementary/secondary education" | Cohort members who graduate ÷ entrants × 100 | Only roughly, for the same reason |
| Promotion rate | "the percentage of pupils/students promoted to the next grade/year level in the following school year"; in the SRC, "Number of promoted learners over number of total learners x 100" (DO 44, s. 2015, Annex 11, item 8) | Promoted ÷ total learners × 100 | Yes, from School Forms 5 and 6 |
| Repetition rate | "Proportion of pupils enrolled in a given grade in a given school-year who study in the same grade the following school-year" | Repeaters next year ÷ this year's enrollment in the grade × 100 | Partly: repeaters who move away are lost |
| Retention rate | "The percentage of enrolees in the elementary/secondary level in a given school year who continue to be in school the following year" | Learners still enrolled next year ÷ this year's enrollment × 100 | Partly: transfers out look like losses |
| Simple dropout rate | Learners "who do not finish a particular grade/year level"; it "does not capture pupils/students who finish a grade/year level but do not enrol in the next grade/year level" | Dropouts during the year ÷ enrollment × 100 | Yes, from School Form 4 |
| School leaver rate | Learners "who leave school during the year for any reason as well as those who complete the previous grade/year level but fail to the [sic] enrol in the next grade/year level the following school year", over the previous year's enrollment | (Dropouts + completers who did not enroll next year) ÷ last year's enrollment × 100 | Partly: needs next year's LIS records |
| Transition rate | "The percentage of pupils who graduate from one level of education and move on to the next higher level" | Completers enrolled in the next level ÷ completers × 100 | Only with LIS records: the school must find where each completer enrolled |
| NAT and ELLNA results | Mean percentage score (MPS) and proficiency levels on DepEd's assessment scale: Highly Proficient (90-100), Proficient (75-89), Nearly Proficient (50-74), Low Proficient (25-49), Not Proficient (0-24) (Basic Education Development Plan 2030, Table 11) | Reported by the Bureau of Education Assessment | Only if the school was tested, and only as a school mean |
| CRLA, Phil-IRI and RMA profiles | Reading and mathematics profiles (DO 018, s. 2025, items 39 to 42) | Count of learners per profile ÷ learners assessed × 100 | Yes, from the school's own testing |

[DepEd Order No. 55, s. 2016](https://www.deped.gov.ph/2016/06/30/do-55-s-2016-policy-guidelines-on-the-national-assessment-of-student-learning-for-the-k-to-12-basic-education-program/) sets the proficiency level of the national tests at "at least 75%", and [the PISA, TIMSS, SEA-PLM and NAT post](https://nash.com.ph/blog/pisa-timss-sea-plm-nat-edcom-ii) explains how DepEd schedules and reports them. Plans count differently: the Quality Basic Education Development Plan (Q-BEDP) 2025-2035 and the Philippine Development Plan count learners at Nearly Proficient and above (50 and up) as meeting their targets, while EDCOM II counts from 75, so the same results produce two very different shares ([the Q-BEDP post](https://nash.com.ph/blog/q-bedp-2025-2035) explains). The national targets sit in the Basic Education Development Plan 2030 ([DepEd Order No. 024, s. 2022](https://www.deped.gov.ph/2022/05/30/may-30-2022-do-024-s-2022-adoption-of-the-basic-education-development-plan-2030/)), whose access goal includes the aim that "DepEd schools will aim for zero dropouts and zero school leavers". [The cohort survival post](https://nash.com.ph/blog/deped-performance-indicators-cohort-survival) computes apparent survival for every division and explains why those ratios differ from DepEd's official rates.

## How to read one school's figures

National definitions were written for large populations. A school's figures are small, and its learners move. [The guide to reading DepEd data](https://nash.com.ph/blog/how-to-read-deped-data) covers the statistics in full; for a school head, five cautions do most of the work.

1. **Small denominators swing.** In a Grade 6 class of 70, one dropout moves the dropout rate by 1.4 points; in a section of 28, one learner moves any rate by 3.6 points. Compare a school with itself over several years, and read the counts behind each percentage.
2. **Transfers are not dropouts.** At the school level, a learner who transferred out looks like a loss in retention and school-leaver figures. Check School Form 4 for the reason a learner left before calling it a dropout.
3. **Dates matter.** Enrollment is a count at one point in the year; test-takers are counted on the test day. A school can have more CRLA test-takers than enrolled learners in a grade if the two were counted at different times.
4. **A test mean from a few learners is not a school result.** The SY 2023-2024 Grade 6 NAT covered selected schools in five regions and tested only a sample of learners in each, a median of six per school; with so few, a school's mean can be off by about six points either way (how-to-read post). Read NAT and ELLNA results at the division level, and use the school's own CRLA, Phil-IRI, RMA and classroom data to plan.
5. **A high promotion rate is not proof of learning.** Promotion depends on grades, and grades depend on grading practice. DO 015, s. 2026 now requires that promotion "consider both achievement and participation in required interventions" (item 67). EDCOM II reported that promotion, completion and dropout indicators "are still used as headline metrics" and recommended that targets be "not linked, directly or indirectly, to student promotion or dropout rates" (Final Report, pp. 161-162 and 451); that is a recommendation, not a rule.

### A worked example: one school's year

The figures below are invented for illustration. An elementary school (Grades 1 to 6) had 412 learners at the beginning of SY 2025-2026. During the year, 6 learners transferred in, 9 transferred out and 5 dropped out, leaving 404 at the end of the year. Of these, 396 were promoted and 8 were not. Seven learners who were promoted did not enroll anywhere in SY 2026-2027, as far as the LIS shows.

| Figure | Computation | Result |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Promotion rate, year-end count as total learners | 396 promoted ÷ 404 learners at year-end × 100 | 98.0% |
| Promotion rate, beginning-of-year enrollment as total learners | 396 ÷ 412 × 100 | 96.1% |
| Simple dropout rate | 5 ÷ 412 × 100 | 1.2% |
| School leaver rate (dropouts plus promoted learners who did not return) | (5 + 7) ÷ 412 × 100 | 2.9% |
| The same, wrongly counting transfers out as leavers | (5 + 7 + 9) ÷ 412 × 100 | 5.1% |
| Transition, Grade 6 to Grade 7 (64 completers, 61 found enrolled in Grade 7) | 61 ÷ 64 × 100 | 95.3% |

![Illustration of one invented elementary school's year: 412 learners at the start, 6 transferred in, 9 transferred out and 5 dropped out, leaving 404 at year-end, of whom 396 were promoted and 8 were not; 7 promoted learners did not enroll anywhere the next year. The promotion rate is 98.0% with the year-end count as the total and 96.1% with the beginning-of-year enrollment. The school leaver rate is 2.9% for 5 dropouts and 7 not enrolled over 412, and a wrong 5.1% if the 9 transfers out are added. Behind the 2.9% are 12 learners the school can name and follow up.](https://nash.com.ph/blog/_astro/cur-4-one-school.BluNapze_95ESK.webp)

*Figure 4. Reading one school's figures: the denominator and the transfers change the rate. The figures are invented. Illustration by Mark Anthony Llego, based on the definitions in DO 52, s. 2016 and the SRC formula in DO 44, s. 2015, Annex 11.*

Three lessons follow. The denominator must be stated, because 98.0% and 96.1% describe the same year; the SRC formula, "Number of promoted learners over number of total learners x 100", does not say which count is the total, so state the one used. Transfers must be separated, because counting them as leavers nearly doubles the school-leaver figure. And the 12 learners behind the 2.9% are 12 names a school can follow up, which matters more than the percentage.

## From data to intervention: a seven-step process

PPSSH indicator 3.4.2 asks a school head to "Utilize learning outcomes in developing data-based interventions". DO 44, s. 2015 sets the same logic for the SIP in three phases (Assess, Plan, Act), and DepEd Order No. 029, s. 2022, the Basic Education Monitoring and Evaluation Framework, makes the school head both the overall lead and the process owner of the school's monitoring and evaluation system (Table 2). That system shall "Maintain records of M&E results and integrate such in the preparation of SIP, OPCRF, and other school projects and programs" (Sec. VII.D.e). The seven steps combine them.

| Step | What the school head does | Output |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1. Analyze | Lay out the results by grade, learning area, section and learner group (sex, learners with disabilities, IP learners, learners returning from furlough); compare with last year and with the division | A short data summary |
| 2. Prioritize | Choose the few gaps that matter most and that the school can move, using the SIP's priority improvement area rubric | Priority improvement areas |
| 3. Find root causes | Ask why the gap exists, with teachers, learners and parents; validate causes with observation and records, not opinion | A root cause per priority |
| 4. Design | Choose interventions that match the cause (teaching, time, attendance, materials, support), set targets with a baseline and a date, assign people | Project designs in the SIP and AIP |
| 5. Implement | Schedule the work in the class program, the LAC plan and the ARAL schedule; protect the time | Running intervention |
| 6. Monitor | Check progress at set points (summative tests, the middle-of-year assessment window, walkthroughs, attendance) and adjust | Progress notes; quarterly report |
| 7. Evaluate | Compare end-of-year results with the baseline and the target; decide to continue, change or stop | Year-end SRC; next year's plan |

![Illustration of seven steps from data to intervention, each with its output: 1 Analyze results by grade, learning area, section and learner group, giving a data summary; 2 Prioritize the few gaps that matter and that the school can move, giving priority improvement areas; 3 Find root causes with teachers, learners and parents, giving a root cause per priority; 4 Design interventions matched to the cause, with baseline, target and people, giving projects in the SIP and AIP; 5 Implement them in the class program, LAC plan and ARAL schedule; 6 Monitor through summative tests, the middle-of-year window and attendance, giving progress notes and a quarterly report; 7 Evaluate end-of-year results against baseline and target, giving the year-end SRC and next year's plan. Then repeat.](https://nash.com.ph/blog/_astro/cur-5-data-to-intervention.QCWNuhRc_KXx0y.webp)

*Figure 5. From data to intervention in seven steps. Illustration by Mark Anthony Llego, based on the PPSSH (DO 024, s. 2020), DO 44, s. 2015 and DO 029, s. 2022.*

The SIP steps, tools and rubric are in [the SIP post](https://nash.com.ph/blog/deped-school-improvement-plan), and root cause tools such as the fishbone diagram and the five whys are in [the root cause analysis post](https://nash.com.ph/blog/root-cause-analysis-school-improvement-plan).

### What research says about leadership and achievement

Research supports a school head's attention to teaching. In Robinson, Hohepa and Lloyd's 2009 synthesis for the New Zealand Ministry of Education, instructional leadership had a mean effect size of .42 on student outcomes, against .11 for transformational leadership, and the largest effect, .84, was for leaders who promote and take part in teachers' learning. Grissom, Egalite and Lindsay's 2021 synthesis of two decades of United States research for the Wallace Foundation estimated that a 1 standard deviation increase in principal effectiveness raises a typical student's achievement by 0.13 standard deviations in mathematics and 0.09 in reading, mostly through indirect effects on teachers and school conditions. Both rest on mostly correlational studies from other countries. [The instructional leadership post](https://nash.com.ph/blog/instructional-leadership-deped-school-heads) discusses the evidence and its limits.

### A worked example: reading in Grades 4 to 6

The case below continues the example plan above and is invented for illustration. The school's beginning-of-year Phil-IRI shows that 41 of its 152 Grade 4 to 6 learners (27.0%) read at the frustration level in Filipino, 63 (41.4%) at the instructional level and 48 (31.6%) at the independent level.

1. **Analyze.** The first summative test's item analysis shows the weakest items are on inferring meaning. Of the 41 frustration-level readers, 17 (41.5%) had five or more absences by the end of July.
2. **Prioritize.** The planning team rates Grade 4 to 6 reading as a priority improvement area: it affects many learners, the school can act on it, and it shapes every other learning area.
3. **Root causes.** LAC discussion and walkthroughs show that lessons ask few inference questions and give little guided practice; home visits show that some absences follow family work during the planting season.
4. **Design.** The school places three projects in its AIP: ARAL-Reading tutorials for the 41 learners in groups of about five (nine groups), led by tutors who are not their own teachers; two LAC sessions on teaching inference; and an attendance follow-up with parents. The target is 20 or fewer frustration-level readers (13.2%) at the end-of-year assessment. The 63 instructional-level readers are also ARAL learners (DO 018, s. 2025, item 39.1). DM 064, s. 2025 gave frustration-level readers priority in SY 2025-2026 and encouraged schools with the personnel to extend ARAL-Reading to instructional-level readers, so the school adds them as tutors allow.
5. **Implement.** Tutorials run after classes three times a week (DO 009, s. 2026, item 13), and the LAC sessions fall in the Instructional Block.
6. **Monitor.** The school checks the middle-of-year Phil-IRI (September 21 to October 23, 2026), the second summative test, and attendance monthly.
7. **Evaluate.** At the end-of-year window (February 1 to March 12, 2027), the team compares the result with the baseline and the target and reports it in the year-end SRC.

## The School Governance Council's part in curriculum and learning

The School Governance Council (SGC) is governed by DO 026, s. 2022, which remains in force; DO 007, s. 2024 lists "The school has a functional School Governance Council (SGC)" among its SBM indicators (indicator 24). The SIP Guidebook attached to DO 44, s. 2015 uses the older name, School Governing Council. [The SGC and PTA post](https://nash.com.ph/blog/school-governance-council-pta-partnerships) covers the council in full.

**What it is.** The SGC functions "as a structure for shared governance and a feedback mechanism at the school level", but it "shall not manage the school and shall not have a separate and distinct juridical personality apart from the school". It does not replace the PTA, the learner government, the School Planning Team or the Child Protection Committee.

**Who sits on it.** Four ex-officio members (a co-chairperson designated by the school head, and representatives of the learner government, the PTA and the faculty club) choose the rest, for a total of 7 to 15 members depending on the school. Schools in ancestral domains or with learners from Indigenous Cultural Communities give a seat to a community representative chosen by the community's customary governance structure. The school head "shall not be authorized to represent any of the school committees/associations/organizations in the SGC regardless of the school size", and chairs the election of the council's officers.

**What it does on learning.** Among its thirteen specific functions, the council shall "participate actively in the formulation and implementation of the SIP and other DepEd programs, projects, and activities" (function 1); "communicate to the SPT and project teams the learners' and stakeholders' feedback and satisfaction on the physical and financial accomplishment of the SIP and Annual Implementation Plans (AIP)" (function 2); recommend "needs-based, data-driven, gender-responsive and inclusive interventions affecting learners' rights in education and their welfare" to the school and to the LGU through the Local School Board (function 3); and "support the dissemination of pertinent school data and information" using the SRC and other tools (function 6). DO 010, s. 2024 also names the "school governing council" among those who support effective implementation of the curriculum standards (item 37, Table 2).

**What it does not do.** It "shall not directly manage the school because it is the responsibility of the School Head", acts only through the school head, and "shall not disclose confidential data such as learner records and other personal information". Choosing competencies, assigning teachers and rating them remain the school head's. Its recommendations need a two-thirds consensus of all members; when the school head disapproves or changes one, the school head shall "explain to the SGC members the reasons, potential risks, or effects of matters" (DO 026, s. 2022, Sec. VI.A.1).

In practice, the school head brings the council the learner achievement summary at the midyear and year-end SRC presentations, asks it to help with attendance, parent support for reading at home and community resources for interventions, and records its feedback in the SIP review.

## Talent programs, guidance, feeding and protection

### Special curricular programs for talented learners

DO 010, s. 2024 groups the special curricular programs (SCPs) under programs for the gifted and talented and states that they "shall complement the MATATAG Curriculum to cater to the needs of learners with potential, skills, and talents" (item 8.e). Their implementation "shall be guided by their respective existing implementing guidelines until revised, rescinded, or repealed" (Annex 2, Sec. II.2).

| Program | Level | Key rules in brief |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Special Program in the Arts (SPA) | Grades 4 to 6 and secondary | Visual arts, music, theater, dance, media arts and creative writing (DO 021, s. 2019, Annex 1, item 62.b; Annex 2, Table 2.23) |
| Special Program in Sports (SPS) | Grades 4 to 6 and secondary | A school Committee on Admission screens applicants; learners pass a physical fitness test and submit a medical certificate and parental consent; retention depends on grades, attendance, fitness and behavior ([DepEd Order No. 25, s. 2015](https://www.deped.gov.ph/2015/06/23/do-25-s-2015-implementing-guidelines-on-the-special-program-in-sports-sps/), items 6 and 8) |
| Science, Technology and Engineering (STE), formerly ESEP; Special Science Elementary School | Secondary; elementary | Enriched science and mathematics curriculum (DO 021, s. 2019, Annex 2, Table 2.23; [DepEd Order No. 55, s. 2010](https://www.deped.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/DO-No.-55-s.-2010.pdf) sets admission tests and retention grades for special science classes) |
| Special Program in Foreign Language (SPFL) | Secondary | At least one of Spanish, Japanese, French, German, Chinese (Mandarin) and Korean (DO 021, s. 2019, Annex 2, Table 2.23) |
| Special Program in Journalism (SPJ) | Secondary | Print, online and broadcast media, under the Campus Journalism Act (DO 021, s. 2019) |
| Special Program in Technical-Vocational Education (SPTVE) | Secondary | Technical-vocational competencies leading to SHS specializations (DO 021, s. 2019, Annex 2, Table 2.23) |

In junior high school an SCP is an additional subject, and TLE is "contextualized to the SCP being taken up by the learners" (DO 021, s. 2019, Annex 2, item 69). The grade cut-offs in the older SCP orders were written for earlier grading scales; DO 015, s. 2026 lets special programs "issue supplementary guidelines to address their unique assessment needs" (cover item 5), and until they do, a school head applies the program's order and asks the CID how its grade requirements read under the current grading system. A school head's tasks for SCPs are to run admission through the committee the order requires, apply retention rules fairly and on record, keep the regular curriculum complete for SCP learners, and link learners to the career guidance program.

### Guidance, feeding, protection and other services

| Service | Rule | What the school head does |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Career guidance | [Republic Act No. 11206](https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/downloads/2019/02feb/20190214-RA-11206-RRD.pdf), the Secondary School Career Guidance and Counseling Act, requires a career guidance and counseling program in all secondary schools from Grade 7 and a center "to be headed by the school administrator" (Secs. 4 and 5); the National Career Assessment Examination (NCAE) is given in Grade 10 | Heads the career guidance center; gives the NCAE within the national testing window (September 16 to December 4, 2026) and holds career activities outside class hours where possible (DO 009, s. 2026, item 14 and Annex B); see [the career guidance post](https://nash.com.ph/blog/career-guidance-counseling-deped) |
| Guidance, counseling and mental health | Counseling is reserved to licensed counselors under [Republic Act No. 9258](https://lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra2004/ra_9258_2004.html); [Republic Act No. 12080](https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/2024/12/06/republic-act-no-12080/) requires a school-based mental health program and a Care Center in every public school | Arranges counseling through licensed counselors or referral; keeps records confidential; see [the school mental health post](https://nash.com.ph/blog/school-mental-health-bullying-ra-12080-edcom-ii) |
| Homeroom guidance | The Homeroom Guidance Program addresses "the academic, personal/social and career needs of the students" and "is handled by a class adviser" (DO 021, s. 2019, Annex 2, items 71 and 72); "shall not be less than 45 minutes per week" in Grades 3 to 10 (DO 012, s. 2024, item 2) | Keeps the weekly period in the class program |
| School-based feeding | [Republic Act No. 11037](https://lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra2018/ra_11037_2018.html); [DepEd Order No. 013, s. 2026](https://www.deped.gov.ph/2026/06/04/june-4-2026-do-013-s-2026-institutional-guidelines-on-the-implementation-of-the-school-based-feeding-program/): at least 120 feeding days, 200 in SY 2026-2027, for undernourished Kindergarten to Grade 6 learners, all incoming Kindergarten and Grade 1 learners in FY 2026, and other vulnerable learners | Creates the school's SBFP Core Group from school personnel and volunteer parents and, with it, "shall monitor daily the SBFP implementation"; schedules feeding to protect instructional time (DO 009, s. 2026, item 14); see the [SBFP guide](https://nash.com.ph/blog/deped-school-based-feeding-program) |
| Learner rights and protection | [DepEd Order No. 40, s. 2012](https://www.deped.gov.ph/2012/05/14/do-40-s-2012-deped-child-protection-policy/) (child protection) with [DepEd Order No. 006, s. 2026](https://www.deped.gov.ph/2026/03/24/march-24-2026-do-006-s-2026-guidelines-on-ensuring-a-safe-and-motivating-learning-environment-esmle/), and the revised implementing rules of the Anti-Bullying Act | Leads the Child Protection Committee and the school's anti-bullying policy; see [the child protection post](https://nash.com.ph/blog/child-protection-anti-bullying-school-heads) |
| Learners with disabilities | [Republic Act No. 11650](https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/2022/03/11/republic-act-no-11650/) and [DepEd Order No. 44, s. 2021](https://www.deped.gov.ph/2021/11/02/november-2-2021-do-044-s-2021-policy-guidelines-on-the-provision-of-educational-programs-and-services-for-learners-with-disabilities-in-the-k-to-12-basic-education-program/); assessment accommodations under DO 015, s. 2026, item 30 | Admits learners without discrimination, supports individualized education plans and refers to ILRCs; see [the learners with disabilities post](https://nash.com.ph/blog/learners-with-disabilities-ra-11650-edcom-ii) |
| Reading and numeracy support | ARAL-Reading and ARAL-Mathematics; ARAL Summer Programs | Manages ARAL at the school level (DO 018, s. 2025, item 103) |

Indigenous Peoples Education and the Madrasah Education Program also contextualize the curriculum for their learners; [the ALS and inclusive education post](https://nash.com.ph/blog/deped-als-inclusive-education-programs) covers both.

## Where ALS and flexible learning programs fit

**The Enhanced ALS.** [Republic Act No. 11510](https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/2020/12/23/republic-act-no-11510/), the Alternative Learning System Act, makes ALS a parallel learning system for out-of-school children, youth and adults. DO 001, s. 2026 sets the Enhanced ALS guidelines. The ALS curriculum is aligned with the MATATAG key stages: the Basic Literacy Program with Key Stage 1, Accreditation and Equivalency (Elementary) with Key Stage 2, Accreditation and Equivalency (Junior High School) with Key Stage 3, and ALS SHS with Key Stage 4 (DO 010, s. 2024, item 16). For school-based learning centers, the school head approves the ALS implementers' class program (DO 001, s. 2026, item 13), and the school, through the school principal and assisted by the PSDS, shall among other things "Track learner attendance, progress, and completion and passing rates in the ALS programs" and "Contextualize and adapt learning materials and activities to the specific needs of the learners" (item 73).

**Flexible learning programs.** DO 014, s. 2026 defines FLPs as "DepEd general education schooling programs deliberately designed to address the needs of learners at risk of dropping out" and replaces the old ADM and FLO definitions (item 6.d). [DepEd Memorandum No. 050, s. 2026](https://www.deped.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/DM_s2026_050r.pdf), which funds them, names the FLPs: "homeschool, night high school, open high school, rural farm schools, and school-initiated interventions" (item 2). The Open High School rests on [Republic Act No. 10665](https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/2015/07/09/republic-act-no-10665/), the Open High School System Act. Learners in an FLP follow the same curriculum standards; what changes is the schedule and the mode.

**Learning continuity.** When classes are disrupted, DO 014, s. 2026 sets four levels, Hayo, Hinay, Hinga and Hinto, each with its own instructional expectations, and in place of reporting ADMs, schools "shall report the learning experiences implemented during periods of in-person class disruption" (item 6.i). Under DO 009, s. 2026, alternative delivery is allowed "only during local holidays and other class disruptions for a maximum of five (5) days per term", outside the FLPs (item 32). [The Hayo, Hinay, Hinga, Hinto post](https://nash.com.ph/blog/hayo-hinay-hinga-hinto-heat-index) explains the levels, and [the ALS and inclusive education post](https://nash.com.ph/blog/deped-als-inclusive-education-programs) covers ALS and the FLPs in full.

## How curriculum, teaching and results evidence feed the school's plans

The three areas produce three kinds of evidence: curriculum implementation data (coverage, alignment, time), teaching practice data (walkthroughs, observations, lesson plan reviews, teachers' development plans) and learner achievement data (classroom and diagnostic results). Each feeds the documents a school already keeps.

| Evidence | Instructional Supervisory (IS) Plan | LAC plan | SIP and AIP | OPCRF |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Curriculum implementation (coverage behind schedule, misaligned lessons, time cut) | Which grades and learning areas to walk through more often | Sessions on mapping, clustering and pacing | Projects where whole grades fall behind | Objectives on supervising curriculum implementation |
| Teaching practice (walkthrough patterns, observation results, teachers' development plans) | Coaching focus and the professional development for each teacher | Topics from teachers' shared needs | Teacher development projects linked to learner outcomes | Objectives on technical assistance and coaching |
| Learner achievement (item analysis, CRLA, Phil-IRI and RMA profiles, grades, attendance) | Which classes and competencies to observe; which teachers need help with assessment | Sessions on the competencies learners missed | Priority improvement areas, ARAL and attendance projects, with targets | Learner outcome objectives with baselines |

![Illustration of three kinds of evidence feeding four documents. Curriculum implementation evidence (coverage against the budget of work, lesson alignment, time), teaching practice evidence (walkthroughs, observations, lesson plan reviews, IDPs) and learner achievement evidence (item analysis, CRLA, Phil-IRI, RMA, grades, attendance) go to the school head, who reads them together each term with master teachers and department heads. They feed the IS Plan (who to observe and coach, on what, and when; DM 089, s. 2025, Annex B), the LAC plan (session topics; DO 35, s. 2016), the SIP and AIP (priority areas, ARAL and attendance projects with targets; DO 44, s. 2015) and the OPCRF (supervision and learner outcome objectives with baselines).](https://nash.com.ph/blog/_astro/cur-6-three-areas.BD84X8XA_Z2iqoyA.webp)

*Figure 6. Three kinds of evidence feed four documents the school already keeps. Illustration by Mark Anthony Llego, based on DM 089, s. 2025, DO 35, s. 2016, DO 44, s. 2015 and DO 016, s. 2026.*

**The IS Plan.** Under DM 089, s. 2025, "The rater shall prepare the Instructional Supervisory (IS) Plan guided by the Individual Development Plans (IDPs) of teachers being handled as ratees" (item 27). The plan carries the agreed schedule of full-period classroom observations (item 28), "shall serve as a guiding document" for coaching (item 29), and includes the professional development each teacher needs, "identified based on their IDPs, SAT result, and observed performance gaps throughout the school year" (item 30). The template is Annex B. Each rater prepares an IS Plan for the teachers he or she rates: a master teacher in elementary school, and a master teacher, department head or assistant school head in junior or senior high school. Where the school has none of these, the school head rates the teachers and prepares the plan (DM 089, s. 2025, item 27 and Table 18). The Annex B template has the school head approve the plans that master teachers prepare. DM 089 requires two full-period observations a year, but [DM-OSEC-OUHRODI-2026-0001](https://www.deped.gov.ph/2026/03/10/march-10-2026-memorandum-dm-osec-ouhrodi-2026-0001-guidance-in-the-implementation-of-the-performance-management-and-evaluation-system-for-teachers-for-sy-2025-2026/) required "only one (1) full-period classroom observation" for SY 2025-2026 and promised separate guidance from SY 2026-2027; as of November 8, 2026, that guidance has not been issued. [The PMES post](https://nash.com.ph/blog/deped-pmes-teachers) follows the observation rules, and [the instructional supervision post](https://nash.com.ph/blog/instructional-supervision-school-heads) follows the coaching cycle.

**The LAC plan.** [DepEd Order No. 35, s. 2016](https://www.deped.gov.ph/2016/06/07/do-35-s-2016-the-learning-action-cell-as-a-k-to-12-basic-education-program-school-based-continuing-professional-development-strategy-for-the-improvement-of-teaching-and-learning/) recommends "One to two hours a week" of LAC sessions and requires that they "be conducted at least once a month" (item 17.5); the plan "should be integrated or linked with the School Improvement Plan (SIP)" (item 17.10). LACs run within the Instructional Block, and DO 009, s. 2026 promises new LAC guidelines (item 22); as of November 8, 2026, none has been issued. [The LAC post](https://nash.com.ph/blog/deped-learning-action-cell) covers planning and running them.

**The SIP and AIP.** DO 44, s. 2015 sets the three-year SIP and the yearly AIP; the AIP, project monitoring reports and year-end SRC go to the SDO "no later than the **second week of May**". ARAL activities belong in both (DO 018, s. 2025, item 80).

**The OPCRF.** School heads are rated on the OPCRF, not the teachers' PMES; [the OPCRF post](https://nash.com.ph/blog/opcrf-school-heads-deped) explains the current template and how learner outcome and supervision objectives fit it.

### A year calendar for SY 2026-2027

Dates are from DO 009, s. 2026, Annex B. The fourth column names the document each step produces. No issuance fixes the monitoring dates; four checks spaced through the year, one in each quarter of the school year (late July to August, October, December and late March), keep to DO 010, s. 2024, item 52.

![Illustration of a supervision year on the three-term calendar for SY 2026-2027. Term 1 runs June 8 to September 15, Term 2 September 16 to December 18 and Term 3 January 4 to April 8, each ending in an End-of-Term Block for ARAL, grades, report cards and INSET. The CRLA, RMA and Phil-IRI windows are June 8 to July 10, September 21 to October 23 and February 1 to March 12. National tests: NAT Grade 10 in October, NAT Grade 12 in February, ELLNA Grade 3 and NAT Grade 6 in March. Supervision documents: IDPs and IS Plans in June, the midyear SRC and PMES mid-year review around November, the year-end SRC in late March and the AIP to the SDO in May. Four monitoring reports to the SDO, one in each quarter of the school year: August, October, December and late March.](https://nash.com.ph/blog/_astro/cur-7-year-calendar.B9Asj5a1_Zo51kb.webp)

*Figure 7. A supervision year on the three-term calendar, SY 2026-2027. Illustration by Mark Anthony Llego, based on DO 009, s. 2026, Annex B, DM 089, s. 2025 and DO 44, s. 2015.*

| When | What happens | Who | Document |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| May 2026, before classes | Class program set, with time for each learning area, Homeroom Guidance and ARAL; teacher assignments made | School head, with SDO technical assistance (DO 012, s. 2024, item 4) | Class program; School Form 7 |
| June 1-5 | Brigada Eskwela and enrollment | School head; teachers | LIS records |
| June 8-11 (Opening Block) | Start of Term 1; orientation of learners and parents; health assessment; start of beginning-of-year assessments | Teachers; school testing coordinator | Assessment schedule |
| June 8 to July 10 | Beginning-of-year CRLA, RMA and Phil-IRI window; Phil ECD Checklist June 22-26 | Teachers | Learner profiles; ARAL lists |
| June to early July | Teachers' development plans and the IS Plans (PMES Phase I, from one month before to one month after the opening of classes) | Raters; school head approves | IDPs; IS Plans |
| By the sixth week after the opening of classes, in the year the council's three-year term ends | SGC officers elected; in other years, vacancies filled | School head chairs the election | SGC resolution |
| July 6 and July 28; August 28 to September 1 | Term 1 summative tests; Term 1 examination | Teachers | Test results; item analysis |
| Late July to August | First monitoring of curriculum implementation, after the Term 1 second summative test | School head, with master teachers and department heads | First monitoring report to the SDO |
| September 2-15 (End-of-Term Block) | ARAL sessions, grades, report cards to parents (September 9), INSET (September 10-11) | Teachers; school head | Class records; progress reports |
| September 16 | Start of Term 2; NCAE window opens for Grade 10 (to December 4) | Teachers | NCAE schedule |
| September 21 to October 23 | Middle-of-year CRLA, RMA and Phil-IRI window; NAT for Grade 10 on October 5-9 | Teachers; testing coordinator | Updated learner profiles; ARAL exits and entries |
| October to November | Midyear SRC presentation; PMES mid-year review (five months after the opening of classes); midyear monitoring | School head; raters; SGC | SRC; mid-year review records; second monitoring report |
| December 3-4; December 7-18 | Term 2 examination; End-of-Term Block, report cards on December 15, INSET on December 17-18 | Teachers; school head | Class records; third monitoring report |
| January 4, 2027 | Start of Term 3; early registration from January 30 to February 26 | Teachers; school head | Early registration records |
| February 1 to March 12, 2027 | End-of-year CRLA, RMA and Phil-IRI window; NAT Grade 12 (February 15-19); ELLNA Grade 3 (March 1-5); NAT Grade 6 (March 8-12) | Teachers; testing coordinator | End-of-year profiles |
| March 15-23, 2027 | Term 3 examinations; Phil ECD Checklist (March 15-19) | Teachers | Final grades |
| March 24 to April 8, 2027 | End-of-Term Block; year-end SRC; end of the school year on April 8 | School head; SGC | Year-end SRC; fourth monitoring report |
| April to May 2027 | PMES year-end review; SBM self-assessment; AIP and reports to the SDO by the second week of May; summer remediation for learners who need it | School head; raters; planning team | IPCRF ratings; SBM self-assessment; next year's AIP |

### A checklist for the year

- The class program gives every learning area its required time and schedules Homeroom Guidance and ARAL.
- Every teacher has the current curriculum guide and the three-term BoW for each class.
- Beginning-of-year profiles are in, and the learners who need ARAL are listed.
- IS Plans are approved, with observation dates agreed and professional development named.
- The LAC plan meets at least monthly, takes its topics from the evidence, and links to the SIP.
- Lesson plans are reviewed qualitatively, and walkthroughs are recorded in the PMCF.
- Summative test results are analyzed item by item, and the weakest competencies go back to teachers.
- Class records are validated each term.
- Monitoring results go to the SDO at least once a quarter.
- ARAL, reading and attendance projects sit in the SIP and AIP with baselines and targets.
- The SGC sees the learner results at the midyear and year-end SRC presentations.

### Common mistakes

- **Checking paper instead of practice.** DO 016, s. 2026 says instructional leaders "shall not focus solely on checking the completeness of documents when reviewing lesson plans" (item 32).
- **Adding templates.** Teachers "shall not be required to include components beyond those prescribed in the framework" (DO 016, s. 2026, item 10), and extra support for struggling teachers "shall not result in additional documentation requirements" (item 29).
- **Treating the BoW as a timetable of days.** It recommends weeks and is a guide (DO 009, s. 2026, item 25).
- **Dropping competencies to stay on schedule.** The curriculum is a set of minimum standards (DO 010, s. 2024, cover item 2).
- **Using class time for co-curricular activities.** School-based co-curricular activities "shall be conducted only after class hours during the Instructional Block", and "School heads must ensure that no co-curricular and extra-curricular activities, including preparations and rehearsals, are conducted during the Instructional Block" (DO 009, s. 2026, Annex A).
- **Reading a NAT mean from six learners as a school verdict.** Plan from the school's own diagnostic and classroom data.
- **Assigning teachers to tutor their own learners in ARAL, or making tutoring compulsory.** DO 018, s. 2025 forbids the first (item 49.1), and DM 061, s. 2026 makes teachers' service as ARAL tutors voluntary (item 6.d).

## What this means for school heads

1. **Own the monitoring.** Monitor curriculum implementation at least once a quarter and send the results to the SDO (DO 010, s. 2024, item 52). Use the CID for technical assistance; the PSDS advises, and the results stay the school's.
2. **Review curriculum, teaching and learning together.** For each grade and learning area, compare what the guide intends, what teachers teach, and what learners show, and act on the gap that matters most.
3. **Plan supervision from evidence.** Approve IS Plans that target the classes and competencies the data point to, and keep walkthroughs frequent, short and non-rated.
4. **Keep the interventions layered and planned.** Remediation within the term from Week 5, ARAL for learners still behind, summer classes, and referral where learning difficulties appear, all written into the SIP and AIP.
5. **Read the school's numbers carefully.** State denominators, separate transfers from dropouts, read counts behind percentages, and never set a target on a promotion rate alone.
6. **Bring the SGC in on results.** Share learner outcomes at the SRC presentations, and use the council for attendance, parent support and community resources.

**Records to keep:** the class program and School Form 7; curriculum guides and BoW; coverage notes; lesson plan review notes; walkthrough records (PMCF); IS Plans; LAC plans and records; assessment results and item analyses; ARAL lists, schedules and progress; quarterly monitoring reports; the SIP, AIP and SRC; SGC resolutions.

**What a school head may and may not require.** A school head may require lesson plans that show the four ILAW components, may review them, may observe classes on agreed dates, and may ask for class records for validation. A school head may not require extra templates or forms (DO 016, s. 2026, items 10 and 21), use the lesson planning rubric "as a compliance checklist or scoring tool for paperwork completion" (item 9), collect portfolios for performance ratings ("No portfolio for performance assessments shall be collected", DM 089, s. 2025, item 60), or schedule co-curricular activities during class hours.

This work serves PPSSH [Domain 3](https://nash.com.ph/blog/ppssh-domain-3-teaching-and-learning) most directly. The planning and data work also serves [Domain 1](https://nash.com.ph/blog/ppssh-domain-1-leading-strategically), coaching and LACs serve [Domain 4](https://nash.com.ph/blog/ppssh-domain-4-developing-self-and-others), the SGC serves [Domain 5](https://nash.com.ph/blog/ppssh-domain-5-building-connections), and the class program and resources serve [Domain 2](https://nash.com.ph/blog/ppssh-domain-2-managing-school-operations).

## How the NASH may test this

The items below are original practice items, scored 3 (Relational), 2 (Multistructural), 1 (Unistructural) or 0 (Prestructural). An option that breaks a rule scores 0.

### Question 1

*Indicator 3.1.2, School-based review, contextualization and implementation of learning standards. Career Stage 2, Situational, Difficult.*

You are the school head of a large junior high school. At the middle of Term 2, the Grade 8 Science teachers report that, after reteaching a difficult topic to the many learners who scored below expectations on the first summative test, they are about two weeks behind the budget of work. The department head proposes skipping two of the competencies left in the Term 2 budget of work so that every class stays on schedule for the term examination. What is the most appropriate action?

- **A.** Approve the department head's proposal to skip the two competencies so all classes stay on schedule, keeping the term examination aligned with the budget of work as written.
- **B.** Allow the teachers to reteach as needed and adjust their pacing on their own, then review progress at the next LAC session while keeping the examination as prepared.
- **C.** Hold a LAC session where the teachers map and cluster the remaining competencies in the budget of work, adjust pacing, and align the examination with lessons taught.
- **D.** Direct the teachers to hold Saturday make-up classes until they catch up with the budget of work, so that the term examination covers every planned competency.

**Answer and explanation**

**Best answer: C.** Points: A = 0, B = 2, C = 3, D = 1.

- **A (0 points, Prestructural).** Skipping competencies drops part of a curriculum that DepEd issues as minimum standards, and an examination aligned with lessons the classes never had breaks the rule that tests be based on the lessons actually covered.
- **B (2 points, Multistructural).** Allowing reteaching and flexible pacing serves mastery, but each teacher re-plans alone, and an examination prepared for the original schedule can test competencies that have not yet been taught.
- **C (3 points, Relational).** Mapping and clustering the remaining competencies together keeps every competency, uses the pacing flexibility the calendar order gives teachers, and keeps the examination fair to what was taught.
- **D (1 point, Unistructural).** It protects coverage, the one element it gets right, but it chases the schedule with extra days outside the calendar's structure without asking how the remaining competencies can be sequenced.

**Why.** This aligns with Career Stage 2 expectations because indicator 3.1.2 asks the school head to assist teachers in the review and implementation of learning standards, which here means helping them re-plan coverage without losing competencies. DO 009, s. 2026 makes the budget of work "a guiding reference only" and leaves pacing to teachers (item 25), DO 016, s. 2026 lets teachers "unpack, cluster, or sequence learning competencies" (item 7.a.ii) with LAC sessions as venues for "aligning competencies" (item 37.a), and DO 015, s. 2026 bases examinations on the lessons actually covered (item 26). The option that allows reteaching but leaves each teacher to re-plan alone gets the purpose right but misses the joint mapping and the examination that must follow it.

*Indicator 3.1.2: Assist teachers in the review, contextualization and implementation of learning standards to make the curriculum relevant for learners.*

*Sources: DepEd Order No. 009, s. 2026, items 25 and 27; DepEd Order No. 016, s. 2026, items 7.a.ii and 37.a; DepEd Order No. 015, s. 2026, item 26; DepEd Order No. 010, s. 2024, cover item 2.*

### Question 2

*Indicator 3.4.2, Learner achievement and other performance indicators. Career Stage 2, Situational, Moderate.*

You are the school head of a multigrade elementary school in a farming barangay. The Phil-IRI given at the start of the school year shows that 14 of 31 learners in Grades 4 to 6 read at the frustration level in Filipino. Attendance records show that most of the 14 miss classes on Mondays during the planting season. What is the most appropriate action?

- **A.** Enroll the 14 learners in ARAL-Reading tutorials after classes three times a week, group them by their reading results, and include the tutorials in the AIP with progress reports at the end of each term.
- **B.** Enroll the 14 learners in ARAL-Reading tutorials held on the days they attend, work with parents on attendance, and include both in the SIP and AIP with term-end checks.
- **C.** Move the 14 learners to the lower-grade class for reading lessons for the rest of the year, record them as repeaters, and inform their parents of the change in writing.
- **D.** Ask the advisers to give the 14 learners extra reading homework, remind parents at the next PTA meeting about attendance, and check the learners' progress at midyear.

**Answer and explanation**

**Best answer: B.** Points: A = 2, B = 3, C = 0, D = 1.

- **A (2 points, Multistructural).** Tutorials grouped by reading profile and placed in the plan are a sound ARAL response, but they treat reading alone and ignore the Monday absences that the same records show, so the learners may miss the help they are given.
- **B (3 points, Relational).** It acts on both kinds of data at once: tutorials for the frustration-level readers, timed so the learners can attend, a plan with parents for the absences, and both written into the school's plans with checks each term.
- **C (0 points, Prestructural).** Recording learners as repeaters at the start of the year on one reading result has no basis in the promotion rules, which decide promotion at the end of the year, and it harms the learners it means to help.
- **D (1 point, Unistructural).** Talking to parents about attendance is the one element it gets right, but homework and a reminder are not interventions built on the data, and reading instruction stays the same.

**Why.** This aligns with Career Stage 2 expectations because indicator 3.4.2 asks the school head to use learning outcomes to develop data-based interventions. DO 018, s. 2025 identifies learners at the frustration level in Key Stages 2 and 3 for ARAL intervention (item 39.1) and requires that "The ARAL Program and its activities shall be included in the School Improvement Plan and Annual Implementation Plan" (item 80), DO 009, s. 2026 schedules ARAL sessions after classes on designated days (item 13), and DO 015, s. 2026 asks for timely interventions with parents as absences build up (item 70). The tutorial option uses the reading data well but ignores the attendance pattern, the cause that would keep the learners from the help.

*Indicator 3.4.2: Utilize learning outcomes in developing data-based interventions to maintain learner achievement and attain other performance indicators.*

*Sources: DepEd Order No. 018, s. 2025, items 39, 64 and 80; DepEd Order No. 009, s. 2026, item 13; DepEd Order No. 015, s. 2026, items 67 and 70.*

Nothing in this guide reproduces or predicts examination content.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is there a DepEd template for a school-based curriculum implementation plan?

As of November 8, 2026, no DepEd order or memorandum prescribes a format for one. What DepEd requires is quarterly monitoring and evaluation of curriculum implementation, with results to the SDO (DO 010, s. 2024, item 52), qualitative reviews of lesson plans (DO 016, s. 2026, item 37.b) and validation of class records (DO 015, s. 2026, item 54). A school may write its own plan, as in the example above, and should put its activities in the SIP and AIP.

### How often must a school head monitor curriculum implementation?

At least once every quarter, for both the MATATAG Curriculum (DO 010, s. 2024, item 52) and the Strengthened SHS Curriculum (DO 017, s. 2026, Encl. item 32). No issuance has restated this for the three-term calendar as of November 8, 2026, so four checks spaced through the school year, one in each quarter of it (for example, in August, October, December and March), keep to the text. Walkthroughs are separate and meant to be frequent (DO 016, s. 2026, item 33).

### What is the difference between the intended, implemented and achieved curriculum?

The intended curriculum is what learners are expected to learn as set by curriculum policy; the implemented curriculum is what is actually taught in classrooms and how; the achieved (or attained) curriculum is what learners have learned (TIMSS 2019 framework, Mullis, 2017). In a DepEd school they correspond to the curriculum guides and BoW, the lesson plans and observed lessons, and the assessment results.

### Which school performance indicators can a school head compute for one school?

A school can compute its enrollment, promotion rate (promoted learners over total learners, DO 44, s. 2015, Annex 11), dropout rate and diagnostic profiles from its own forms and tests. Gross and net enrollment rates need population figures, and cohort survival and completion rates follow learners who move between schools, so they are read from DepEd's systems at the division or national level; a transition rate needs the LIS to show where each completer enrolled.

### Does the School Governance Council approve the school's curriculum or interventions?

No. The SGC takes part in the SIP, gives feedback and recommends interventions, but it "shall not directly manage the school because it is the responsibility of the School Head" (DO 026, s. 2022, Limitations of SGC Authority). The school head must explain to the council the reasons for disapproving or changing its recommendations (Sec. VI.A.1).

## Sources

**DepEd orders**

- DepEd Order No. 1, s. 2003, *Promulgating the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act No. 9155, Otherwise Known as the Governance of Basic Education Act of 2001*, January 6, 2003. Rule V, Sec. 5.1; Rule VI, Secs. 6.1 and 6.2.
- [DepEd Order No. 55, s. 2010](https://www.deped.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/DO-No.-55-s.-2010.pdf), *Policies and Guidelines on Strengthening Science and Mathematics Education at the Secondary Level*, May 17, 2010. Sec. C.
- DepEd Order No. 40, s. 2012, *DepEd Child Protection Policy*, May 14, 2012.
- DepEd Order No. 46, s. 2012, *Policy Guidelines on the Implementation of the Special Curricular Programs at the Secondary Level*, June 11, 2012. Items 1 to 4.
- DepEd Order No. 8, s. 2015, *Policy Guidelines on Classroom Assessment for the K to 12 Basic Education Program*, April 1, 2015. Repealed by DO 015, s. 2026 except its weights for Grade 12 in SY 2026-2027 (DO 015, item 49).
- DepEd Order No. 25, s. 2015, *Implementing Guidelines on the Special Program in Sports (SPS)*, June 23, 2015. Items 6 and 8.
- DepEd Order No. 32, s. 2015, *Adopting the Indigenous Peoples Education Curriculum Framework*, July 29, 2015.
- DepEd Order No. 44, s. 2015, *Guidelines on the Enhanced School Improvement Planning (SIP) Process and the School Report Card (SRC)*, September 29, 2015. Encl., Secs. on the SIP phases, submission and the SRC; Annex 11.
- DepEd Order No. 52, s. 2015, *New Organizational Structures of the Central, Regional, and Schools Division Offices of the Department of Education*, October 30, 2015. Functions of the CLMD, CID and SGOD.
- DepEd Order No. 35, s. 2016, *The Learning Action Cell as a K to 12 Basic Education Program School-Based Continuing Professional Development Strategy for the Improvement of Teaching and Learning*, June 7, 2016. Items 17.5 and 17.10.
- DepEd Order No. 52, s. 2016, *Data Collection of Basic Education Statistics in the Learner Information System and Enhanced Basic Education Information System for Beginning of School Year 2016-2017*, June 30, 2016. Performance Indicators.
- DepEd Order No. 55, s. 2016, *Policy Guidelines on the National Assessment of Student Learning for the K to 12 Basic Education Program*, June 30, 2016. Proficiency level.
- DepEd Order No. 021, s. 2019, *Policy Guidelines on the K to 12 Basic Education Program*, August 22, 2019. Items 24, 25, 30 and 62; Annex 2, items 69 to 72 and Table 2.23.
- DepEd Order No. 024, s. 2020, *National Adoption and Implementation of the Philippine Professional Standards for School Heads*, September 7, 2020. Domain 3; Career Stages 1 and 2.
- DepEd Order No. 044, s. 2021, *Policy Guidelines on the Provision of Educational Programs and Services for Learners with Disabilities in the K to 12 Basic Education Program*, November 2, 2021.
- DepEd Order No. 024, s. 2022, *Adoption of the Basic Education Development Plan 2030*, May 30, 2022. Internal efficiency; Table 11; access outcomes.
- DepEd Order No. 026, s. 2022, *Implementing Guidelines on the Establishment of School Governance Council*, June 17, 2022. Sec. V (functions, composition, election, decisions, limitations); Sec. VI.A.
- DepEd Order No. 029, s. 2022, *Adoption of the Basic Education Monitoring and Evaluation Framework*, June 22, 2022. Sec. VII.D; Table 2.
- DepEd Order No. 007, s. 2024, *Policy Guidelines on the Implementation of the Revised School-Based Management (SBM) System*, May 16, 2024. SBM indicators 4, 7 and 24.
- DepEd Order No. 010, s. 2024, *Policy Guidelines on the Implementation of the MATATAG Curriculum*, July 23, 2024. Cover items 2, 4 and 5; items 2, 8, 9, 13, 14, 16, 17, 19, 30, 35, 36, 37 and 52; Annexes 1 and 2.
- DepEd Order No. 012, s. 2024, *Amendment to DepEd Order No. 010, s. 2024 (Policy Guidelines on the Implementation of the MATATAG Curriculum)*, September 18, 2024. Items 2, 4 and 8.
- DepEd Order No. 018, s. 2025, *Implementing Guidelines of the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning Program*, June 13, 2025. Cover items 3 and 4; items 7, 10, 22, 23, 25, 34, 35, 36, 39, 46 to 49, 60, 61, 64, 80, 81, 103 and 117.
- DepEd Order No. 020, s. 2025, *Policy on the Medium of Instruction for Kindergarten to Grade 3 Effective School Year 2025-2026*, July 3, 2025.
- DepEd Order No. 024, s. 2025, *Guidelines on the Implementation of the Expanded Career Progression System for Teachers and School Heads in the Department of Education*, August 28, 2025. Encl. 1, Sec. 36.
- DepEd Order No. 001, s. 2026, *Implementing Guidelines of the Enhanced Alternative Learning System*, January 19, 2026. Items 13 and 73.
- DepEd Order No. 006, s. 2026, *Guidelines on Ensuring a Safe and Motivating Learning Environment (ESMLE)*, March 24, 2026.
- DepEd Order No. 009, s. 2026, *Guidelines on the Implementation of the Three-Term School Calendar in Basic Education*, April 16, 2026. Items 13, 14, 21, 22, 25, 27, 32 and 33; Annexes A and B.
- DepEd Order No. 013, s. 2026, *Institutional Guidelines on the Implementation of the School-Based Feeding Program*, June 4, 2026. Target beneficiaries; duration of feeding days; monitoring.
- DepEd Order No. 014, s. 2026, *Guidelines on Learning Continuity in Emergencies*, June 4, 2026. Items 6.d and 6.i.
- DepEd Order No. 015, s. 2026, *Revised Guidelines on Classroom Assessment, Grading System, and Awards and Recognition for the K to 12 Basic Education Program*, June 4, 2026. Cover items 5 and 6; items 3, 19 to 30, 48, 49, 54 to 56, 61, 67, 68, 70 and 81.
- DepEd Order No. 016, s. 2026, *Guidelines on Lesson Planning and Learning Design*, June 4, 2026. Items 4, 7, 9, 10, 11, 20, 29, 32, 33, 35 to 41, 43 and 46.
- DepEd Order No. 017, s. 2026, *Strengthened Senior High School Curriculum*, June 4, 2026. Encl. items 12 to 16 and 32.

**DepEd memoranda**

- DepEd Memorandum No. 064, s. 2025, *Implementing Guidelines for the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning Program in Reading for Key Stages 1 to 3*, August 1, 2025.
- DepEd Memorandum No. 089, s. 2025, *Guidelines on the Multi-Year Performance Management and Evaluation System for Teachers from School Years 2025-2026 to 2027-2028*, October 1, 2025. Items 27 to 30, 37, 41, 60 and 91 (Table 18); Annex B.
- DepEd Memorandum No. 012, s. 2026, *Full Implementation of the Strengthened Senior High School Curriculum in School Year 2026-2027*, February 27, 2026. Items 3 to 6.
- DM-OSEC-OUHRODI-2026-0001, *Guidance in the Implementation of the Performance Management and Evaluation System for Teachers for SY 2025-2026*, March 2026.
- DepEd Memorandum No. 050, s. 2026, *Implementing Guidelines on the Release, Utilization, Monitoring, and Reporting of the Program Support Fund for Flexible Learning Programs under the FLO-ADM Fund Source*, August 25, 2026. Item 2.
- DepEd Memorandum No. 060, s. 2026, *Guidelines on the Implementation of the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning Program in Mathematics*, September 28, 2026.
- DepEd Memorandum No. 061, s. 2026, *Amendments to DepEd Memorandum No. 001, s. 2026 (Guidelines on the Engagement of Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning Program Tutors and Support Aides)*, September 29, 2026. Item 6.d.

**Laws**

- Republic Act No. 9155, *Governance of Basic Education Act of 2001*, August 11, 2001. Secs. 4(m), 7(D) and 7(E).
- Republic Act No. 10533, *Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013*, May 15, 2013. Secs. 2, 4 and 5.
- Republic Act No. 10665, *Open High School System Act*, July 9, 2015.
- Republic Act No. 11037, *Masustansyang Pagkain para sa Batang Pilipino Act*, 2018.
- Republic Act No. 11206, *Secondary School Career Guidance and Counseling Act*, February 14, 2019. Secs. 4 and 5.
- Republic Act No. 11510, *Alternative Learning System Act*, December 23, 2020.
- Republic Act No. 11650, *Instituting a Policy of Inclusion and Services for Learners with Disabilities in Support of Inclusive Education Act*, March 11, 2022.
- Republic Act No. 12027, *An Act Discontinuing the Use of the Mother Tongue as Medium of Instruction from Kindergarten to Grade 3, Providing for Its Optional Implementation in Monolingual Classes, and Amending for the Purpose Sections 4 and 5 of Republic Act No. 10533*, October 10, 2024. Secs. 1 and 2.
- Republic Act No. 12028, *Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program Act*, October 16, 2024. Secs. 3 and 5.
- Republic Act No. 12080, *Basic Education Mental Health and Well-Being Promotion Act*, December 6, 2024.
- Republic Act No. 9258, *Guidance and Counseling Act of 2004*, March 2, 2004.

**Reports and research**

- Department of Education, [*Quality Basic Education Development Plan 2025-2035*](https://www.deped.gov.ph/qbedp/), July 29, 2025.
- Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II), [*Final Report*](https://edcom2.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/EDCOM-II-Y03-for-web-012626_final.pdf), January 2026. Pages 161-162 and 451.
- Grissom, J. A., Egalite, A. J., & Lindsay, C. A. (2021). [*How principals affect students and schools: A systematic synthesis of two decades of research*](https://doi.org/10.59656/EL-SB1065.001). The Wallace Foundation.
- Mullis, I. V. S. (2017). [Introduction](https://timssandpirls.bc.edu/timss2019/frameworks/framework-chapters/introduction/policy-relevant-data/index.html). In I. V. S. Mullis & M. O. Martin (Eds.), *TIMSS 2019 Assessment Frameworks*. TIMSS & PIRLS International Study Center, Boston College.
- Robinson, V., Hohepa, M., & Lloyd, C. (2009). [*School leadership and student outcomes: Identifying what works and why. Best evidence synthesis iteration*](https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/publications/series/2515/60170). New Zealand Ministry of Education.

*Written by Mark Anthony Llego for NASH Reviewer. Illustrations by Mark Anthony Llego; they may be reused only with written permission from support@nash.com.ph. Sources: RA 9155 and its IRR; RA 10533; RA 12028; DepEd Orders No. 010, s. 2024, 018, s. 2025, 009, 015, 016 and 017, s. 2026, 44, s. 2015, 026, s. 2022 and 024, s. 2020; DepEd Memorandum No. 089, s. 2025; the TIMSS 2019 Assessment Frameworks.*

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