K-12 CURRICULUM TEACHING AND ASSESSMENT

NOWADAYS; IS IT EFFECTIVE?

Palacios, Athenaez A.
Nacilla, Welda M.

Abstract

The curriculum in our country is K-12 which means “Kindergarten and the 12 years of

elementary and secondary education( Deped Primer 2011). Graduates of the K to12 program

are therefore envisioned as better prepared to compete globally for employment

opportunities .The two types of classroom assessment are namely formative and summative

(DO#8 .2015). Formative assessment may be seen as assessment for learning while

summative assessment is seen as assessment of learning, main point is that both types

actually improves learning .The reseachers conducted a survey to 10 people . The

respondents are 6 stundents ,3 teachers and 1 parent. The results is that 8 out of 10

participants agree that k12 is effective in teaching and preparing students. The aim of this

study is to know whether the k 12 teaching and assessments has been effective, however the

results of this study reveals that its too early to say that k 12 has been effective since the

program itself is being improved and is in progress at the matter according to DepEd

officials.

Keywords/phrases: K to 12 Curriculum, Formative Assessment, ,Summative Assessment

A curriculum is the formal and informal content and process by which learners gain

knowledge and understanding, develop skills, and alter attitudes, appreciations, and values

under the auspices of that school (Doll, 1988 as cited in Sweetland, n.d.).The curriculum in

our country today is K to 12. According to the K to 12 Deped Primer(2011), “K-12 means

“Kindergarten and the 12 years of elementary and secondary education.”Kindergarten points

to the 5-year old child who undertakes the standardized curriculum for preschoolers.

Elementary education refers to 6 years of primary school (Grades 1-6) while secondary

education means four years of junior high school (Grades 7-10 or HS Year 1-4). In addition

to this, two years are now allotted for senior high school (Grades 11- 12 or HS Year 5-6).

Classroom assessment is an ongoing process of identifying gathering organizing and

interpreting quantitative and qualitative information about what students know and can do ,

there are 2 forms of classroom assessment namely, formative and summative (DepEd2015).

The k to 12 program is necessary in preparing the students to get a job after graduating high

school if they plan to or preparing them. Graduates of the K to12 program are therefore

envisioned as better prepared to compete globally for employment opportunities (K to 12

Primer ǀ K to 12 Update, Teachers’ Lounge, 2013 as cited in Cabansag, 2014). This study

aims to show how effective is k-12 and its assessment methods in terms of teaching and

preparing students for the future .

Advantages of K to 12 curriculum RONA GUANIZO( 2017)

The implementation of this K-12 Curriculum ensures the students to have a better future.

There were advantages in this research paper to wit: Advantages:

1. Preparedness for Tertiary Learning, students are expected to graduate at age a bit older

than past graduates’. This is an advantage, according to DepEd, as graduates will be

considered young adults. Hence, they will be more equipped to deal with much higher level

of learning as they enter college education.

2. For Employment, a student can apply for a work after senior high school since he/she has

already skills to use in working such as AutoCad, Computer Hardware Servicing,

Dressmaking, Cooking, etc. Unlike the old system, K-12 does not compel each student to

take college after completing Senior High School (SHS). In fact, this scheme empowers

students to make a choice on their own. They may not pursue college education especially if

they have chosen a track other than academic track. The good thing is SHS graduates will be

equipped with skills (through electives) that will make them good at certain field(s).

3. For Enterpreneurship, a student can teach entrepreneurship. He will obtain an information

about entrepreneurial skills. A student after senior high school will decide to start his own

business rather than looking for

a job.

4. Skill competency in the global job market, K-12 system aims to improve Filipino

students’ mathematical, scientific, and linguistic competence. With the new curriculum,
DepEd promised to offer higher quality education through tracks. Each track will give

students enough time to master a field and enhance their skills. In the end, K-12 graduates

will become globally competitive and are set to obtain spot in the stiff labor market.

5. Kids enter college more mature. Hopefully the extra two years gives them time to know

what they really want to become.

Integrating Formative and Summative Assessment PROGRESS TOWARD A

SEAMLESS SYSTEM?

Janet W. Looney( 2011)

What is the impact of formative assessment on teaching and learning?

Since this early work on formative assessment and evaluation, researchers working in

different linguistic traditions have contributed to a wide-ranging literature aimed at both

refining and enlarging the concept . Formative assessment is now seen as an integrated part

of the teaching and learning process, rather than as a separate activity occurring after a phase

of teaching . It encompasses classroom interactions, questioning, structured classroom

activities, and feedback aimed at helping students to close learning gaps. Students are also

actively involved in the assessment process through self- and peer-assessment ,. Information

from external tests or from school inspections may also be used formatively to identify

learning needs and adjust teaching strategies. The crucial distinction is that the assessment is

formative if and only if it shapes subsequent learning . Much of the information on

countries’ assessment and evaluation policies was gathered from UNESCO’s World Data on

Education database, which provides a systematic overview. In describing assessment

policies, several country reports use the term “continuous assessment” or “ongoing

assessment” to refer to frequent assessment of student progress (which may refer to both
formative and summative assessments). However, the reports do not provide information on

country or regional policies to promote these classroom-based assessments. The concept of

mastery learning draws on Vygotsky’s “zone of proximal development” (ZPD). The ZPD is

the difference between what the student is able to do with help and what he or she can do

without guidance. As a student progresses toward mastery, he/she student gradually becomes

more independent. This is also a key concept in formative assessment . In their seminal

review of the research on classroom-based formative assessment, Black and Wiliam studied

the impact of different approaches and techniques on student learning. Their review draws on

250 international sources, covering learners ranging pre-school to university. Evidence of

impact was drawn from more than 40 studies conducted under ecologically valid

circumstances (that is, controlled experiments conducted in the student’s usual classroom

setting and with their usual teacher). They included studies on effective feedback;

questioning; comprehensive approaches to teaching and learning featuring formative

assessment, such as mastery learning (in which, as noted above, the concept of student

formative assessment has its origins); and, student self- and peer-assessment. . Drawing upon

the evidence gathered for the review, Black and Wiliam concluded that the achievement

gains associated with formative assessment were among the largest ever reported for

educational interventions, and if replicated across a countries, would “increase in the score of

an “average” ranking, as measured by the international Trends in Mathematics and Science

Study (TIMSS) to ranking among the top five countries”. The Black and Wiliam review also

found that formative assessment methods were, in some cases, particularly effective for

lower achieving students, thus reducing inequity of student outcomes and raising overall

achievement. Several OECD countries now promote formative assessment as a key strategy

for meeting goals for quality and equity (see Section 3).
Embedded Formative Assessment

Dylan Wiliam (2011)

The basic idea behind formative assessment is that evidence of student learning is used to

adjust instruction to better meet students’ learning needs – in other words, teaching is

adaptive to student needs. In the same way that formative experiences are those experiences

that have shaped our current selves, formative assessments should shape instruction. There

are many ways that assessments can shape instruction. An assessment functions formatively

to the extent that evidence about student achievement is elicited, interpreted, and used by

teachers, learners, or their peers to make decisions about the next steps in instruction that are

likely to be better, or better founded, than the decisions they would have made in the absence

of that evidence.Given Dylan Wiliam’s excellent definition of formative assessment, as a

large group, brainstorm some of the benefits of formative assessment. Teachers can capture

some of these ideas in the notes section of their packet. Formative assessment shows students

what they need to improve, helps to clarify what the goal is and how to get there, helps

teachers better tailor their lessons to student needs, and has an effect size of d = 0.90 and in

fact teachers using formative assessment make almost twice as much progress with their

students as those who don’t. The main point is that formative assessment actually improves

learning .
Formative and Summative Assessment in the Classroom, Theory Into Practice

Dante D. Dixson & Frank C. Worrell (2016)

Summative assessments are “cumulative assessments…that intend to capture what a

student has learned, or the quality of the learning, and judge performance against some

standards” (National Research Council, p. 25). Unlike formative assessments, which are

generally used for providing feedback to students and teachers, summative assessments are

generally “high stakes” assessments and used to get a final assessment of how much learning

has taken place—that is, how much does a student know (Gardner, 2010). Summative

assessments are almost always graded, are typically less frequent, and occur at the end of

segments of instruction. The components of summative assessment are ; Written works ,

Performace tasks and Quarterly assessments. Examples of summative assessments are final

exams, state tests, college entrance exams (e.g., GRE, SAT, & LSAT), final performances,

and term papers. Typically, if a student performs satisfactorily, no more formal learning on

the assessed subject occurs after a summative assessment, except in the case of a cumulative

final examination. In addition to their role in determining a student’s level of success or

proficiency at a particular time, summative assessments are also used to determine eligibility

for special programs (e.g., gifted and talented education), to assess if a student should

advance to the next grade level, to provide career guidance, or to assess qualifications for

awards (Harlen & Gardner, 2010).In the classroom, summative assessments not only give

students the chance to demonstrate their conceptual understanding, but also give students the

opportunity to think critically as they apply their understanding under novel conditions to

solve new problems or to explain novel phenomena.

The researchers topic is all about the efficacy of k 12 on the education of the

Filipinos.This study made use of both quantitative and qualitative research method using

survey questions and document analysis approach as its research strategy . The study

describes the current curriculum and the main types of assessment methods it use. It further

investigated whether relationships existed among the k to 12 curriculum and the methods of

assessments . Finally, it investigated the impacts of the assessments used in the current

curriculum and how effective it is for the learning of students.The researchers conducted a

survey online to a number of people online however 10 people were able to answer the

survey questions . The researchers also gathered information online and found some reports

and articles for our topic.

Respondents

The respondents of the study are 6 students from different schools 3 of them are

seccondary students of Maa National High School , and 2 are from other schools of Davao

city . The other student is a senior highschool in Notre Dame of Marbel University. There

are also 3 teachers that participated in this survey , all of them are teachers of Maa NHS and

is aquainted with one of the researchers ,Welda Nacilla. The other respondent is a parent of

Janna Marie Fantonial, her name is Lilibeth Fantonial.

The researchers made a survey form/questionaire online using moaform.com and sent the

link to 10 individuals .

The researchers asked the following questions:

Graph 2. Do you think the assessment methods of the K to 12 program effective?

According to the table, 60% of the respondents are students ,30% are teachers and 10 %

is a parent.The tables shows that 80% of the 10 people answered yes to the questions made

by the researchers while 10% answered no and another 10 % is uncertain. The people who

disagreed/ uncertain are 1 teacher and 1 parent . The result of the surveys indicates that the

majority of the people who answered are positive that k-12 has been effective on its ways on

preparing students for college .

is too early to say if the implementation of the K to 12 program under the Enhanced Basic

Education Act has been effective , this was according to DepEd Official . The interview was

conducted on October 21,2019 .

According to Education Undersecretary Tonisito Umali “We’re still collating

information to see whether senior high school (SHS) graduates who were expected to work

post-graduation indeed ended up employed. It’s too early to say,”

“The number of students pursuing higher education increased since the Free Tertiary

Education Act. It isn’t like before, when only half of high school graduates pursued college

education when K to 12 was not implemented yet. We still need to study this increase in

relation to the K to 12 program,” Umali added in Filipino.

In a separate statement issued by DepEd, the agency welcomed the plan of the House of

Representatives to review the effectiveness of the K to 12 Basic Education Program.

“Congress and DepEd have worked closely together since the previous budget hearings to

address the issues of the K to 12 Program,” the agency said. “A dedicated review session

will provide an appropriate venue to comprehensively discuss concerns about the Program

and plot out corresponding solutions,” it added.

Based on observations . The researchers concludes the statements by DepEd it’s too early to

say if the program has been really effective since the department of education is still on the

progress on improving the k 12 program upon its implementation and according to them they

still need to make an official review on the issue. However based on the opinion of the

people the k 12 has been helpful in teaching and assessing students for them to be prepared

for college.
Recommendation

The researchers would like to recommend:

 The teacher to continue on assessing the students using either formative or

summative or any effective way on teaching students.

 The students should determine and focus themselves on their studies engage

themselves to any assessment in order to help in the success and the efficacy of the k

12 program . Not only would it help the curriculum but also the students themselves.

 Parents should support k 12 program in order for them to have competent and

employed children in the future in addition they should also motivate and their

children .
References

Department of Education (2011). K to 12 Basic Education Program Primer DepEd Updates.

Retrieved from http://www.deped.gov.ph

DepED Order No. 8, s. (2015 )Policy Guidelines on Classroom Assessment for the K to 12

Basic Education Program Retrieved from shorturl.at/cqrF0

Dixson,D .& Worrell,F.(2016).Formative and Summative Assessment in the Classroom,

Theory Into Practice.Retrieved from shorturl.at/mtDLW

Guanizo,R.(2017).Advantages of K to 12 curriculum.34-35.Retrieved from shorturl.at/dptIV

Looney,J.( 2011).Integrating Formative and Summative Assessment PROGRESS TOWARD

A SEAMLESS SYSTEM? .Retrieved from shorturl.at/iyEN9

Paris, J(2019).Too early to say whether K to 12 effective or not .Retrieved from

shorturl.at/amCEF

Wiliam,D.(2011).Embedded Formative Assessment.Retrieved from shorturl.at/ipAT1

Name: Athenaez A. Palacios

Age:16 years old

Birthdate:July 26,2003

Birthplace:Banga South Cotabato

Elementary:Banga SDA Elemaentary Schoool

Secondary: Maa National High school

Name: Welda Nacilla

Age:17 years old

Birthdate: February 18, 2002

Birthplace: Davao City

Elementary : Magallanes Elementary School

Secondary: Maa National High school