DepEd Order No. 31 S. 2013, also known as the “Policy Guidelines on the Implementation of Grades 1 to 10 of the K to 12 Basic Education Curriculum (BEC) Effective School Year 2012-2013,” provides guidance on the continued nationwide implementation of the K to 12 program, particularly for Grades 1 to 10 for school year 2012-2013.
The K to 12 program was introduced by the Department of Education in 2011 to enhance the quality of education in the Philippines by providing an additional 2 years of basic education. DepEd Order No. 31 S. 2013 outlines the key policies and guidelines needed to support the transition to the new K to 12 curriculum.
Background of K to 12 Program
The K to 12 program aims to provide sufficient time for mastery of concepts and skills, develop lifelong learners, and prepare graduates for tertiary education, middle-level skills development, employment, and entrepreneurship.
Specifically, the K to 12 program:
- Provides kindergarten and 12 years of quality basic education
- Ensures mastery of basic competencies in areas such as language, reading, writing, science, and mathematics
- Equips students with essential life skills
- Prepares students for higher education and the world of work
To accomplish these goals, DepEd adopted a new curriculum with the following key features:
- Spiral progression approach – Learning areas are revisited over multiple grades with increasing levels of depth and complexity
- Development of critical thinking, creativity, and values formation
- Use of ICT and multimedia
- Contextualization – Lessons relate to local culture, history, and real-life situations
- Inclusion of 21st century skills (e.g. information literacy, communication skills, critical thinking)
- Use of Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) from Grades 1-3
The implementation of the K to 12 program is carried out in phases, with the new curriculum rolled out by grade level each school year.
Purpose of DepEd Order No. 31 S. 2013
DepEd Order No. 31 S. 2013 provides guidelines on the second phase of nationwide implementation of the K to 12 curriculum for school year 2012-2013.
Specifically, it covers the implementation of:
- Grade 2 of the new curriculum for the second year of implementation
- Continued implementation for Grades 1 and 7 which started in SY 2011-2012
- First year of implementation for Grades 8 and 9
The DepEd order outlines policies on curriculum and assessment, teacher training, classroom resources, and student support mechanisms to facilitate the transition and ensure readiness of teachers and students.
Key Details and Guidelines
Here are some of the key details and guidelines outlined in DepEd Order No. 31 S. 2013:
Curriculum and Assessment
- Adoption of the K to 12 Curriculum Guides (CGs) prepared by DepEd for each grade level and learning area
- Use of spiral progression approach in teaching lessons and assessing learning outcomes
- Integration of Knowledge, Skills, and Values across learning areas
- Contextualization of K to 12 lessons according to local culture, needs, and experiences
- Use of varied assessment methods (paper and pencil tests, portfolio assessment, self-assessment, etc.) to track student progress
- Submission of quarterly reports on curriculum implementation using DepEd monitoring forms
Teachers and Learning Support
- Provision of teacher training on content and pedagogy for the K to 12 curriculum
- Assignment of teachers according to their specialization in the different learning areas
- Provision of teaching guides like lesson plans, teaching manuals, multimedia materials, e-learning resources, etc. to aid teachers
- Mobilization of community and external support in the form of partnerships, education funding/scholarships, and resources from LGUs, NGOs, industry groups, etc.
School Facilities, Resources, and Other Requirements
- Establishment of baseline data on school facilities, furniture, equipment, and instructional materials available in schools
- Upgrade of existing school facilities, furniture and equipment as needed
- Provision of textbooks, activity sheets, supplementary materials, and ICT equipment as required by the curriculum
- Accessibility of curriculum guides to administrators, supervisors, district heads, and teachers through printed or digital copies
- Dissemination of information on K to 12 implementation through different media and communication channels
Preparation of Schools and Divisions
To ensure smooth implementation per DepEd Order 31 S. 2013, schools and divisions had to undertake several preparation activities before the start of the school year 2012-2013.
Some of the key activities include:
For Schools:
- Orientation of teachers, parents, and other stakeholders on the K to 12 program
- Assessment of teacher and facility readiness for implementation
- Request for funding support, resources, and training needs
- Preparation of curriculum plans, class programs, and time allotment schedules
For Divisions:
- Development of division implementation plan for K to 12 including training programs and resource requirements
- Organization of division curriculum implementation team
- Review and analysis of schools’ readiness assessment results
- Preparation and reproduction of monitoring forms for use of schools
- Coordination with LGUs, external partners, and NGOs for support
Support and Monitoring
To aid in the transition to Grades 2, 8 and 9 under the K to 12 curriculum, DepEd provided the following support mechanisms:
- Learning packages – modules, materials, teaching guides provided to schools to supplement textbooks
- Trainings – for teachers, principals, and school heads on the new curriculum and classroom strategies
- Advocacy programs – to promote awareness and engage stakeholders like LGUs, PTAs, etc.
- Technical assistance – curriculum mapping workshops, baseline data collection, and troubleshooting implementation issues
At the same time, monitoring of implementation was carried out by DepEd through:
- Submission of monthly progress reports, monitoring forms, and quarterly curriculum status reports by schools
- School monitoring visits of implementation teams
- Audits of resource requirements, utilization, and delivery
The data and feedback gathered from monitoring efforts helped identify and address gaps, challenges, and improvements needed as the nationwide rollout of K to 12 progressed.
Implementation Results and Outcomes
Based on DepEd reports, here is a summary of the results and outcomes from the implementation of Grade 2, Grade 8, and Grade 9 under DepEd Order No. 31 S. 2013:
For Grade 2:
- Implemented in almost 44,000 schools nationwide
- Reached 1.76 million Grade 2 students
- 97% textbook supply accomplished before start of school year
- 55,954 Grade 2 teachers trained on K to 12
- 84% of schools ready in terms of needed classrooms, sanitation facilities, and other requirements
For Grades 8 and 9:
- Reached 672,000 incoming Grade 8 students and 651,000 Grade 9 students
- 93-97% textbook supply accomplished before school opening
- 50,471 teachers for Grade 8 and 46,758 teachers for Grade 9 trained on K to 12
- 72% of schools ready with required computer labs, classrooms, sanitation facilities, etc.
Overall, the expansion to Grades 2, 8 and 9 was successfully implemented despite some gaps in resources faced by certain schools and areas. The lessons learned helped DepEd enhance support and readiness as the K to 12 rollout progressed in the succeeding school years.
Issues and Challenges
While DepEd Order No. 31 S. 2013 facilitated the transition to Grades 2, 8, and 9 under the K to 12 program, several issues and challenges were encountered along the way. These include:
- Insufficient classrooms, furniture, and sanitation facilities in some schools
- Delays in release of funds for construction, repair, and upgrading of facilities
- Late delivery of textbooks and instructional materials in some areas
- Need for more trainings to enhance teacher capability in new curriculum
- Logistical issues like large class sizes, multiple shifts, lack of dedicated computer rooms
- Low public awareness on K to 12 reforms
To address these, DepEd worked on securing additional budgets for facility upgrades, improving procurement and delivery of resources, conducting more teacher trainings, and intensifying advocacy campaigns to increase public support. The insights from the implementation issues enabled DepEd to further strengthen change management and continuously improve K to 12 roll-out in later years.
Conclusion
In summary, DepEd Order No. 31 S. 2013 provided critical guidelines for the nationwide implementation of Grades 2, 8 and 9 under the K to 12 Basic Education Curriculum in school year 2012-2013. It outlined key policies on curriculum and assessment, teaching and learning support, resource requirements, and monitoring mechanisms for the transition.
Despite challenges encountered, the expansion was deemed successful by DepEd in meeting coverage targets, accomplishing textbook and teacher training requirements, and generating data to enhance implementation in later phases. The insights from this second year strengthened the curriculum roll-out across all grade levels.
Going forward, DepEd continued to build on this experience, lessons learned, and momentum to work towards the complete institutionalization of K to 12 program that aims to boost quality in Philippine basic education.