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 20122013: 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 TechnicalVocational-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:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Information, media and technology skills,

Learning and innovation skills,
Effective communication skills, and
Life and career skills.

CURRICULUM
GUIDE
ELEMENTARY
KINDERGARTEN

The Kindergarten Curriculum Framework (KCF) draws from the goals of the K
to 12 Philippine Basic Education Curriculum Framework and adopts the
general principles of the National Early Learning Framework (NELF).

Kindergarten learners need to have a smooth transition to the content-based

curriculum of Grades 1 to 12.
Download Curriculum Guide
GRADES 1-10

Students in Grades 1 to 10 will experience an enhanced, context-based, and

spiral progression learning curriculum with the following subjects:
SUBJECTS

Mother Tongue
Filipino
English
Mathematics
Science
Araling Panlipunan
Edukasyon sa Pagpapakatao (EsP)
Music
Arts
Physical Education
Health
Edukasyong Pantahanan at Pangkabuhayan (EPP)
Technology and Livelihood Education (TLE)

SENIOR HIGH (GRADES 11-12)

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. Each student in Senior High
School can choose among three tracks: Academic; Technical-VocationalLivelihood; 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).
CORE CURRICULUM SUBJECTS

There are seven Learning Areas under the Core Curriculum: Languages,
Literature, Communication, Mathematics, Philosophy, Natural Sciences, and
Social Sciences.

Oral comunication

Reading and writing

Komunikasyon at pananaliksik sa wika at kulturang Filipino
21st century literature from the Philippines and the world
Contemporary Philippine arts from the regions
Media and information literacy
General mathematics
Statistics and probability
Earth and life science
Physical science
Introduction to philosophy of the human person/Pambungad sa
pilosopiya ng tao
Physical education and health
Personal development/pansariling kaunlaran
Earth science (instead of Earth and life science for those in the STEM
strand)
Disaster readiness and risk reduction (taken instead of Physical science
for those in the STEM strand)

APPLIED TRACK SUBJECTS

English for academic and professional purposes

Practical research 1
Practical research 2
Filipino sa piling larangan
o Akademik
o Isports
o Sining
o Tech-voc
Empowerment technologies (for the strand)
Entrepreneurship
Inquiries, investigatories, and immersion

SPECIALIZED SUBJECTS

Accountancy, business, and and management strand

Humanities and social sciences strand
Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics strand
General academic strand

IMPLEMENTATION
AND
TRANSITION
MANAGEMENT
IMPLEMENTATION

Program implementation in public schools is being done in phases starting SY

20122013. Grade 1 entrants in SY 20122013 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.
TRANSITION FOR PRIVATE SCHOOLS

Private schools craft their transition plans based on: (1) current/previous
entry ages for Grade 1 and final year of Kinder, (2) duration of program , and
most importantly, (3) content of curriculum offered.

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PLANS

RESO
URCE

Classro
oms

2010
SHORT
AGE

2010 TO 2014
ACCOMPLIS
HMENT

PLANS
FOR
2015

66,800

86,478
constructed
classrooms as
of February
2015

41,728
classroo
ms for
Kinder
to
Grade
12

30,000
of
which
are for
Senior
High
School
(Grades
11 and
12)

Teacher
Items

Water
and
Sanitati
on

145,827

128,105
teachers hired
as of
December 31,
2014

39,066
additio
nal
teacher
items

135,847

80,197
completed
23,414
ongoing
construction
43,536
ongoing
procurement
as of May
2014

13,586
progra
mmed
for
2015

Textboo
ks

Seats

61.7M

1:1 studenttextbook ratio

since
December
2012

69.5
million
additio
nal
learnin
g
materia
ls

2,573,21
2

1:1 studentschool seat

ratio since
December
2012

1,547,5
31
additio
nal new
seats

FREQUENTLY ASKED
QUESTIONS
What is the K to 12 Program?

The K to 12 Program covers 13 years of basic education with the following

key stages:
Kindergarten to Grade 3
Grades 4 to 6
Grades 7 to 10 (Junior High School)
Grades 11 and 12 (Senior High School)
Why are we now implementing 13 years of basic education?

The Philippines is the last country in Asia and one of only three
countries worldwide with a 10-year pre-university cycle (Angola and
Djibouti are the other two).
A 13-year program is found to be the best period for learning under
basic education. It is also the recognized standard for students and
professionals globally.

What has been done to get ready for K to 12? Are we really ready
for K to 12?

SY 2011-2012: Universal Kindergarten implementation begins

SY 2012-2013: Enhanced curriculum for Grades 1-7 implemented
2013: K to 12 enacted into Law
2014: Curriculum for Grades 11-12 finished

This 2015, we are getting ready for the implementation of Senior High School
(SHS) in SY 2016-2017
We are on the fifth year of the implementation of the K to 12 Program. Our
last mile is the Senior High School. All 221 divisions of the Department of
Education (DepEd) have finished planning and have figures on enrolment a
year in advance. These plans were reviewed by a separate team and
finalized upon consultation with other stakeholders.

Classrooms: DepEd has built 66,813 classrooms from 2010 to 2013.

There are 33,608 classrooms completed and undergoing construction
in 2014. As of DepEd is planning to establish 5,899 Senior High Schools
nationwide. As of June 22, 2015, DepEd has issued provisional permits
to 2,847 private schools set to offer Senior High School in 2016.
Teachers: From 2010-2014, DepEd has filled 128,105 new teacher
items. DepEd is targeting two kinds of teachers: those who will teach
the core subjects, and those who will teach the specialized subjects per
track. DepEd will hire 37,000 teachers for Senior High School for 2016
alone.
Textbooks: Learning materials are being produced for elementary to
junior high while textbooks for Senior High School (which has
specialized subjects) are being bid out.
Curriculum: The K to 12 curriculum is standards- and competencebased. It is inclusive and built around the needs of the learners and the
community. The curriculum is done and is available on the DepEd
website. It is the first time in history that the entire curriculum is
digitized and made accessible to the public.

Private SHS: There are 2,847 private schools cleared to offer Senior High
School as of June 22, 2015.
How will the current curriculum be affected by K to 12? What
subjects will be added and removed?

The current curriculum has been enhanced for K to 12 and now gives
more focus to allow mastery of learning.

For the new Senior High School grades (Grades 11 and 12), core
subjects such as Mathematics, Science and Language will be
strengthened. Specializations or tracks in students areas of interest
will also be offered.
Changes to specific subjects are detailed in the K to 12 Curriculum
Guides, viewable and downloadable at bit.ly/kto12curriculum.

How will schools implementing special curricular programs such as

science high schools, high schools for the arts, and technical
vocational schools be affected by K to 12?
Schools with special curricular programs will implement enriched curriculums
specific to their program (e.g. science, arts) following the K to 12 standards.
How will multi-grade teaching be affected by K to 12?
Multi-grade teaching will continue and will use the K to 12 Curriculum.
How will specific learning groups such as indigenous people, Muslim
learners, and people with special needs be affected by K to 12?
The K to 12 Curriculum was designed to address diverse learner needs, and
may be adapted to fit specific learner groups.
Under K to 12, will Kindergarten be a pre-requisite for entering
Grade 1?
Yes. Republic Act No. 10157, or the Kindergarten Education Act,
institutionalizes Kindergarten as part of the basic education system and is a
pre-requisite for admission to Grade 1.
With K to 12, will there be an overlap between the Day Care
program of Local Government Units (LGUs) and DepEd
Kindergarten?
No. Day Care Centers of LGUs take care of children aged 4 or below, while
the DepEd Kindergarten program is intended for children who are at least 5
years old by October 31st of the present school year.
With K to 12, should schools prepare permanent records for
Kindergarten students?
Yes. While the assessment on readiness skills of students in Kindergarten is
not academically driven, a good measure of the childs ability to cope with
formal schooling is needed for future learning interventions.

Who is in charge of Kindergarten teacher compensation?

DepEd is the main agency that employs and pays Kindergarten teachers in
public schools. However, there are LGUs that help in the Kindergarten
program and provide honoraria for additional Kindergarten teachers in public
schools.
Which Mother Tongue will be used as the language of instruction in
multi-cultural areas?
The principle of MTB-MLE is to use the language that learners are most
comfortable and familiar with; therefore, the common language in the area
or lingua franca shall be used as the language of instruction
Will Mother Tongue Based Multi-Lingual Education (MTB-MLE)
include other languages in the future?
Languages other than the 19 current mother tongues (Bahasa Sug, Bikol,
Cebuano, Chabacano, Hiligaynon, Iloko, Kapampangan, Maguindanaoan,
Meranao, Pangasinense, Tagalog, Waray, Ybanag, Ivatan, Sambal, Akianon,
Kinaray-a, Yakan, and Surigaonon.)
What is Senior High School?
Senior High School (SHS) covers the last two years of the K to 12 program
and includes Grades 11 and 12. In SHS, students will go through a core
curriculum and subjects under a track of their choice.
Will SHS mean two more years of High School?
Yes. These two additional years will equip learners with skills that will better
prepare them for the future, whether it be:
Employment
Entrepreneurship
Skills Development (Further Tech-Voc training)
Higher Education (College)
How will students choose their Senior High School specializations?
Students will undergo assessments to determine their strengths and
interests. These will include an aptitude test, a career assessment exam, and
an occupational interest inventory for high schools. Career advocacy
activities will also be conducted to help guide students in choosing their
specialization or track.

How will student specializations/tracks be distributed across Senior

High Schools?
Specializations or tracks to be offered will be distributed according to the
resources available in the area, the needs and interests of most students,
and the opportunities and demands of the community.
Will SHS ensure employment for me?
SHS creates the following opportunities:
Standard requirements will be applied to make sure graduates know
enough to be hirable.
You will now be able to apply for TESDA Certificates of Competency
(COCs) and National Certificates (NCs) to provide you with better work
opportunities.
Partnerships with different companies will be offered for technical and
vocational courses.
You can now get work experience while studying; and companies can
even hire you after you graduate.
Entrepreneurship courses will now be included. Instead of being employed,
you can choose to start your own business after graduating, or choose to
further your education by going to college.
How will SHS affect my college education?

SHS, as part of the K to 12 Basic Curriculum, was developed in line with

the curriculum of the Commission of Higher Education (CHED) the
governing body for college and university education in the Philippines.
This ensures that by the time you graduate from Senior High School,
you will have the standard knowledge, skills, and competencies
needed to go to college.

Is SHS really necessary? Must I go to SHS?

Yes, according to the law. Beginning SY 2016-2017, you must go through
Grades