THE Philippines should streamline its student assessment system to reduce overlapping tests and improve the quality of data used to identify learning gaps, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and Asian Development Bank (ADB) said.
In a joint report titled “Developing a National Student Assessment Framework for the Philippines,” the organizations said the country’s national and international assessments and diagnostic tools have increased over the past decade without an overarching framework.
“It has also not adequately taken into account the capacity requirements of the Department of Education (DepEd) to deliver assessments of good quality,” the report said.
“This has resulted in an overcrowded national student assessment system that lacks coherence and requires technical improvements in several areas,” it added.
The OECD and ADB recommended that the DepEd use its National Basic Education Assessment Framework for 2026-2030 to reduce overlapping assessments and make better use of limited resources.
In particular, the report recommended retaining only the Early Language, Literacy and Numeracy Assessment (ELLNA) among national assessments in the early grades of primary education, as existing tests overlap “in purpose, domains assessed and, to some extent, target grades.”
“The DepEd should consider administering the ELLNA as an annual, census-based assessment that serves both system monitoring and formative purposes,” it added.
DepEd may also consider administering the Grade 6 and Grade 10 National Achievement Tests as annual, census-based assessments, the report said, although it noted DepEd could prioritize ELLNA if resources remain limited.
The report also cited declining proficiency across key stages of schooling, as many Filipino students continue to struggle with foundational skills.
According to the report, around 70% of Grade 3 students and 80% of Grade 6 students did not meet proficiency levels.
“The significant increase in the proportion of low performers between Grades 6 and 10 (from 83% to 99%) suggests that current policies and practices aimed at identifying learning gaps and consolidating foundational skills in the later stages of schooling are insufficient,” it said.
“This contributes to high dropout rates, especially in secondary education,” it added. — Justine Irish D. Tabile