What is the K to 12 Program?

Starting this coming school year 2012- 2013,the current education system of the Philippines will be enhanced from
the 10- years of basic education into 12- years through the program called the K-12 Education Plan of the
Department of Education.

The implementation of the K- 12 education plan in the Philippine Basic Education Curriculum is the key to our
nation’s development. Though the government will face many problems in the long run of the implementation of the
program, there really is a need to implement it because the enhancement of the quality of our education is very
urgent and critical.

The K to 12 Program covers Kindergarten and 12 years of basic education (six years of primary education, four years
of Junior High School, and two years of Senior High School [SHS]) 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.

Salient Features

Strengthening Early Childhood Education (Universal Kindergarten)

Every Filipino child now has access to early childhood education through Universal Kindergarten. At 5 years old,
children start schooling and are given the means to slowly adjust to formal education.

Research shows that children who underwent Kindergarten have better completion rates than those who did not.
Children who complete a standards-based Kindergarten program are better prepared, for primary education.

Education for children in the early years lays the foundation for lifelong learning and for the total development of a
child. The early years of a human being, from 0 to 6 years, are the most critical period when the brain grows to at
least 60-70 percent of adult size..

In Kindergarten, students learn the alphabet, numbers, shapes, and colors through games, songs, and dances, in
their Mother Tongue.
Making the Curriculum Relevant to Learners (Contextualization and Enhancement)

Examples, activities, songs, poems, stories, and illustrations are based on local culture, history, and reality. This makes the lessons
relevant to the learners and easy to understand.

Students acquire in-depth knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes through continuity and consistency across all levels and subjects.

Discussions on issues such as Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), Climate Change Adaptation, and Information & Communication
Technology (ICT) are included in the enhanced curriculum.

Building Proficiency through Language (Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education)

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

Aside from the Mother Tongue, English and Filipino are taught as subjects starting Grade 1, with a focus on oral fluency. From
Grades 4 to 6, English and Filipino are gradually introduced as languages of instruction. Both will become primary languages of
instruction in Junior High School (JHS) and Senior High School (SHS).

After Grade 1, every student can read in his or her Mother Tongue. Learning in Mother Tongue also serves as the foundation for
students to learn Filipino and English easily.

Ensuring Integrated and Seamless Learning (Spiral Progression)

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

For example, currently in High School, Biology is taught in 2nd Year, Chemistry in 3rd Year, and Physics
in 4th Year. In K to 12, these subjects are connected and integrated from Grades 7 to 10. This same
method is used in other Learning Areas like Math.

Gearing Up for the Future (Senior High School)

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

Core Curriculum
There are seven Learning Areas under the Core Curriculum. These are Languages, Literature,
Communication, Mathematics, Philosophy, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences. Current content from
some General Education subjects are embedded in the SHS curriculum.

Tracks

Each student in Senior High School can choose among three tracks: Academic; Technical-Vocational-
Livelihood; and Sports and Arts. The Academic track includes three strands: Business, Accountancy,
Management (BAM); Humanities, Education, Social Sciences (HESS); and Science, Technology,
Engineering, Mathematics (STEM).

Students undergo immersion, which may include earn-while-you-learn opportunities, to provide them
relevant exposure and actual experience in their chosen track.

TVET (Technical Vocational Education & Training) National Certificate

After finishing Grade 10, a student can obtain Certificates of Competency (COC) or a National Certificate
Level I (NC I). After finishing a Technical-Vocational-Livelihood track in Grade 12, a student may obtain
a National Certificate Level II (NC II), provided he/she passes the competency-based assessment of the
Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

NC I and NC II improves employability of graduates in fields like Agriculture, Electronics, and Trade.

Modeling Best Practices for Senior High School

In SY 2012-2013, there are 33 public high schools, public technical-vocational high schools, and higher
education institutions (HEIs) that have implemented Grade 11. This is a Research and Design (R&D)
program to simulate different aspects of Senior High School in preparation for full nationwide
implementation in SY 2016-2017. Modeling programs offered by these schools are based on students’
interests, community needs, and their respective capacities.

Nurturing the Holistically Developed Filipino (College and Livelihood Readiness, 21st Century Skills)

After going through Kindergarten, the enhanced Elementary and Junior High curriculum, and a
specialized Senior High program, every K to 12 graduate will be ready to go into different paths – may it
be further education, employment, or entrepreneurship.

Every graduate will be equipped with:

Information, media and technology skills,

Learning and innovation skills,

Effective communication skills, and

Life and career skills.

Implementation and Transition Management

Implementation
Program implementation in public schools is being done in phases starting SY 2012–2013. Grade 1
entrants in SY 2012–2013 are the first batch to fully undergo the program, and current 1st year Junior
High School students (or Grade 7) are the first to undergo the enhanced secondary education program. To
facilitate the transition from the existing 10-year basic education to 12 years, DepEd is also implementing
the SHS and SHS Modeling.

INTRODUCTION

The vision of the Ministry of Education (MOE) is “Thinking Schools, Learning Nation”. To prepare a
generation of thinking and committed citizens who are capable of contributing towards Singapore’s
continued growth and prosperity, the Ministry is constantly revisiting its curriculum to ensure that the
skills and knowledge taught in schools meet the challenges of the 21st century.

2. THE SINGAPORE EDUCATION SYSTEM

The Singapore education system aims to provide students with a holistic and broad-based education.
Given the multi-cultural and multi-racial characteristics of Singapore, the bilingual policy is a key feature
of the Singapore education system. Under the bilingual policy, every student learns English which is the
common working language. Students also learn their mother tongue language (Chinese, Malay or Tamil),
to help them retain their ethnic identity, culture, heritage and values.

Holistic Development of Students

The Desired Outcomes of Education (DOE) articulates the importance of holistically nurturing students
to become well-rounded persons - morally, intellectually, physically, socially and aesthetically through a
set of eight core skills and values.

The eight core skills and values are:

Character Development

Self Management Skills

Social and Cooperative Skills

Literacy and Numeracy

Communication Skills

Information Skills

Thinking Skills and Creativity

Knowledge Application Skills

It is envisioned that students at the end of primary education, secondary education and pre-university
would have acquired these eight core skills and values.

Broad-based Curriculum
Singapore’s national curriculum aims to nurture each child to his full potential, to discover his talents and to
develop in him a passion for life-long learning. Students go through a broad range of experiences to develop the
skills and values that they will need for life. The broad-based curriculum imparts literacy, numeracy, bilingualism,
the sciences, humanities, aesthetics, physical education, civics and moral education and National Education.

Over the years, the curriculum has been reviewed to address the need for a common set of values, knowledge and
competencies and at the same time, allow differentiation to meet the needs of students with different talents and
abilities. To enable students to achieve the learning outcomes of each specific subject and the DOE, three broad
areas are considered, namely, the curriculum, teaching strategies and assessment (Figure 1)

Teaching Strategies
Classroom management, pedagogy,
teaching & learning resources

Content
Aims & objectives, Assessment
content, skills & Students ’
competencies, values Learning Formative and summative
& attitudes Experiences
Figure 1: Students’ Learning Experiences

The content states the aims and objectives, the content, the skills and competencies required for the
syllabi and the values and attitudes that the syllabi hope to impart to the students. Appropriate teaching
strategies are designed for successful classroom delivery of the syllabi, using effective teaching and
learning materials. To evaluate if students have learned what has been taught, students are tested
through formative and summative assessments.

CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK IN PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS

Every child in Singapore has the opportunity to undergo at least ten years of basic education. This
comprises 6 years of compulsory primary education and 4 years of secondary education. Students have to
sit for major national examinations at the end of their primary and secondary education. Beyond
secondary education, students move on to post-secondary institutions based on their eligibility and choice

3.1 Primary School Curriculum (Annex C)

At the primary level, students go through a six-year course aimed at giving them a good grasp of the
English Language, Mother Tongue Language and Mathematics. In addition, students learn Science,
Social Studies, Civics & Moral Education, Music, Art & Crafts, Health Education and Physical Education.
At the end of Primary 6, students take the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE), which assesses
their suitability for secondary education and places them in the appropriate secondary school course that
will match their learning pace, ability and inclinations.

3.2 Secondary School Curriculum (Annex D)

As MOE focuses on a broad-based education, all students are offered a combination of core and elective
subjects at the secondary level. The core subjects include English Language, Mother Tongue or Higher
Mother Tongue, Mathematics, Combined Humanities, a Science subject. The choice of electives includes a
humanities subject, a science subject and literature in Chinese. The basket of core subjects ensures that
students experience a broad-based and balanced education while the electives cater to a range of student
interests and abilities.

To inculcate a global outlook in students, MOE offers foreign languages in French, German, and Japanese
to students who have the ability and the aptitude. This allows students to tap on opportunities beyond
Singapore’s shores. This year, MOE has expanded the range of foreign languages to include Arabic and
Bahasa Indonesia. For selected students who do not take Chinese or Malay as a second language, MOE
also provide opportunities for them to offer these languages though the Chinese or Malay (Special
Programme). Going forward, MOE will provide opportunities for more students to learn conversational
Chinese and Malay.

The secondary school curriculum is differentiated according to the abilities and interest of the students.
Students undergo one of four courses designed to match their learning abilities and interests. The details
of the four courses are in Annex E.

LOOKING AHEAD

In order to better prepare students to meet changing national and global needs of the 21st century , MOE
has embarked on a process to review its curriculum, pedagogies and assessments.

4.1 Curriculum

Singapore’s national curriculum will continue to provide students with a strong foundation in the core
areas of literacy, numeracy and scientific literacy as these core areas provide the foundation for future
learning. The study of the humanities will be reinforced as the humanities have the value in developing
students’ ability to understand and appreciate different perspectives, as well as nurture cultural
sensitivities and civic awareness.

The national curriculum structures will be loosened through curriculum decentralisation to allow schools
to customise their curriculum to meet their students’ needs. Certain subjects can be redesigned as a set of
learning outcomes to allow schools room to innovate without having to complete a syllabus. This allows
schools greater autonomy and flexibility over curriculum time allocation. More time will be free up from
curriculum for students to develop skills and attitudes. MOE will allow flexibility of integration of
subjects to develop new understanding.

4.2 Pedagogy

A diverse range of pedagogies will continue to be promoted to meet diverse student needs, enhance their
learning experiences and engage them in learning. There are certain pedagogies such as inquiry-based
and experiential learning that will be more actively promoted to enable students to find deeper meaning
in their learning.

MOE will provide support for schools to use a wider variety of pedagogies through pedagogy packages to
support syllabus delivery. Teachers will also be encouraged to share pedagogical expertise through
participation in learning communities. At various MOE and external platforms, schools’ efforts and
successes in the use of engaging and effective pedagogy will be showcased.

4.3 Assessment

The national assessment will be retained to maintain standards and for benchmarking purposes.
Assessment modes, formats and items will be reviewed regularly. Greater focus will be placed on the role
of assessment in learning through formative assessment. Teachers’ assessment literacy and expertise in
the use of assessment strategies will be built up through the provision of guides and exemplars in
curriculum documents and teaching packages. Assessment items will be situated in authentic contexts
and the greater use of alternative assessment modes to better prepare students to handle complexities
and ambiguous problems that they are likely to face in the future.

4.4 Professional Development of Teachers

Just as the curriculum evolves to include new learnings that students need for the future, professional
development of teachers becomes critical, as teachers have to strive to equip themselves with the
necessary competencies to guide and facilitate students’ learning. To meet the needs of distinct groups of
students according to their ability and learning styles, teachers will be equipped with skills of
differentiated instruction. Teachers will also continue to develop their capacity to leverage technology to
enhance students’ learning experiences. Teachers will also develop their abilities to become reflective
practitioners, able to enhance their teaching through research and using research findings to improve
classroom practices.

CONCLUSION

It is important that MOE ensures balance, rigor, relevance and responsiveness of the curriculum to meet
the needs of the 21st century. Teachers should focus on teaching for enduring understanding and skills.
Assessment will have to be contextualized and made more authentic to equip students with skills and
attitudes to face new problems and issues that will come their way.