REVISED GUIDELINES ON CLASSROOM ASSESSMENT, GRADING SYSTEM, AND AWARDS AND RECOGNITION FOR THE K TO 12 BASIC EDUCATION PROGRAM

REVISED GUIDELINES ON CLASSROOM ASSESSMENT, GRADING SYSTEM, AND AWARDS AND RECOGNITION FOR THE K TO 12 BASIC EDUCATION PROGRAM

Policy Briefer (Access Here)

A. Main Purpose of Assessment

Assessment is a core component of teaching and learning. It serves to improve instruction, provide meaningful feedback, and promote continuous growth of learners. It shall be aligned with learners’ developmental stages to ensure responsiveness to learner needs.

B. Formative Assessment

Formative assessment shall be embedded in daily instruction, making it a natural part of every lesson instead of a separate activity. Results gained from formative assessment shall serve as a learning reference and inform teachers what to teach next, how to teach it, and which learners are in need of additional support. In formative assessment, teachers are to apply the ESRU cycle, which will allow teachers to adjust depending on student response. Developmentally appropriate methods of formative assessments will also be applied per key stage.

ESRU Cycle
Teacher Elicits Response
Student Responds
Teacher Recognizes Student Response
Teacher Uses Student Response

C. Summative Assessment

Summative assessment shall evaluate learner achievement at defined points in the curriculum, such as during the end of a term. Different kinds of summative assessments will be done to measure learner progress and provide evidence of learning across knowledge, skills, and values. The types of summative assessments are as follows:

• Written / Oral Works (WWs) - tasks that are mainly written or prompted through spoken responses such as recitations and quizzes. A minimum of three and a maximum of five shall be administered per term.

• Product / Performance Tasks (PTs) - tasks that will measure the ability of a learner to apply what they have learned in different contexts such as projects and experiments. A minimum of two and a maximum of three shall be administered per term.

• Summative Tests and Term Examination (STs & TE) - Assessments administered at key points of a term covering a set amount of days of instruction per summative test, with the term examination also covering critical points of the summative tests administered prior. STs will be administered twice in a term, the first covering the first 15 instructional days with the second covering the next fifteen.

Learning Area / Subject Group	WWs	PTs	STs–TE
Araling Panlipunan (AP), English, Filipino, Mathematics, Science, Good Manners and Right Conduct (GMRC) / Values Education	20%	50%	30%
Edukasyong Pantahanan at Pangkabuhayan (EPP) / Technology and Livelihood Education (TLE), and Music, Arts, Physical Education, and Health (MAPEH)	20%	60%	20%
SHS Core Subjects, Other SHS Academic Electives	20%	50%	30%
SHS Field Exposure, Arts Apprenticeship, Creative Production and Innovation	15%	70%	15%
SHS Arts, Sports, Health and Wellness Electives	20%	60%	20%
SHS Research Electives and Design and Innovation	40%	60%	-
SHS TechPro Electives	15%	65%	20%
SHS Work Immersion	20%	80%	-

Weight of Components for Each Learning Area in KS 2 to 4

D. KS1 Grading

For Key Stage 1, a descriptive grading system will be implemented to reflect learners’ developmental progress and support foundational learning.

Kindergarten Descriptive Grading

Letter Grade	Descriptor	General Description
C	Consistent (Palagiang Naipapakita)	Consistently demonstrates the expected competency; actively participates in activities; works independently and may exceed expectations in some areas
D	Developing (Umuusbong)	Demonstrates the competency inconsistently; participates with minimal supervision; shows progress with continued practice
B	Beginning (Nagsisimula)	Rarely demonstrates the expected competency; participates with close supervision; requires sustained guidance and support

Grade 1 to 3 Descriptive Grading

Letter Grade	English Descriptor	Filipino Descriptor	General Description
A	Advancing	Namumukod-tangi	Demonstrates skills beyond grade-level expectations; performs with confidence, accuracy, and high quality.
B	Benchmarking	Napamamalas	Demonstrates skills at the expected grade level; work is accurate and meets standard expectations
C	Connecting	Natutungo	Approaching grade-level expectations; demonstrates skills in some tasks but may require guidance in others
D	Developing	Napauunlad	Skills are emerging and developing; requires continued practice and support to improve performance.
E	Emerging	Nagsisimula	Beginning to demonstrate skills; requires ongoing support and guided instruction to develop proficiency.

E. KS2–KS4 Grading

Numerical grading will remain for KS2-KS4, with grades computed from the summative assessments depending on the weight assigned on each assessment per learning area. For SY2026-2027, an adjusted transmutation table will be used which serves as the school year to transition to the zero-based grading system that will be implemented in the following school year.

Initial Grade	Transmuted Grade	Initial Grade	Transmuted Grade
99.50 – 100.00	100	77.00 – 77.99	79
97.50 – 99.49	99	76.00 – 76.99	78
96.00 – 97.49	98	75.00 – 75.99	77
95.00 – 95.99	97	73.00 – 74.99	76
94.00 – 94.99	96	70.00 – 72.99	75
93.00 – 93.99	95	69.99 – 68.00	74
92.00 – 92.99	94	67.99 – 66.00	73
91.00 – 91.99	93	65.99 – 64.00	72
90.00 – 90.99	92	63.99 – 62.00	71
89.00 – 89.99	91	61.99 – 60.00	70
88.00 – 88.99	90	59.99 – 58.00	69
87.00 – 87.99	89	57.99 – 56.00	68
86.00 – 86.99	88	55.99 – 54.00	67
85.00 – 85.99	87	53.99 – 52.00	66
84.00 – 84.99	86	51.99 – 50.00	65
83.00 – 83.99	85	49.99 – 48.00	64
82.00 – 82.99	84	47.99 – 46.00	63
81.00 – 81.99	83	45.99 – 43.00	62
80.00 – 80.99	82	42.99 – 40.00	61
79.00 – 79.99	81	39.99 – 25.00	60
78.00 – 78.99	80	24.99 – 0.00	60 (default minimum)

F. Use of Descriptors

Numerical grades will not stand alone anymore, as qualitative descriptors will also be used alongside numerical grades for Key Stages 2 to 4. This is to bring clarity to a learner’s level of mastery and inform instructional decisions and if learner support is needed.

Numerical Grade	Descriptor	General Description	Instructional Response
90-100	Advancing (Namumukod-tangi)	Consistently demonstrates skills and understanding that meet or exceed standards with independence and excellence	Provide enrichment opportunities; encourage leadership or peer mentoring.
80-89	Benchmarking (Napamamalas)	Demonstrates expected grade-level skills and understanding competently and independently	Encourage deeper application, transfer of learning, and increased independence
75-79	Connecting (Natutungo)	Shows developing competency toward standards but requires minimal guidance	Provide guided practice to strengthen consistency and mastery
65-74	Developing (Napauunlad)	Demonstrates emerging skills but requires additional support and practice	Provide targeted remediation and scaffolded instruction
0-64	Emerging (Nasisimula)	Does not yet demonstrate foundational skills and understanding; requires intensive support	Implement structured and sustained intervention programs

G. Promotion and Intervention

Learners are to receive timely intervention and remediation and not wait for the end of school year for remediation to happen. Remedial classes will still be done if a learner fails to pass in at most two learning areas. Learners should garner a grade of 75 in the remedial class to be promoted.

H. Grade Validation

Grades will be submitted through official DepEd channels such as forms and the digital systems in place. Records of these will also be kept in case a need for validation, review, and auditing arises. School Heads are expected to conduct regular validation of grades to ensure consistency, accuracy, and integrity.

I. AI and Authenticity

Rules on AI use are in place to ensure authenticity of assessments being done. AI Use Categories are in place to guide teachers on what kind of assessments can a learner utilize supportive technologies of AI. Teachers will also be allowed to use AI only in design and analysis of assessments, but not in creation of the assessments itself.

J. Awards and Recognition

Awards and recognition is recalibrated, with Key Stage 1 having no academic rewards conferred to learners in line with the new grading system. This allows Key Stage 1 learners to avoid early competition and labeling. Key Stages 2 to 4 will still have awards depending on their general average but awardees will be listed alphabetically to promote fairness and minimize competition.