DepEd urged to review 75% proficiency standard

The Department of Education (DepEd)'s longstanding practice of classifying students as "proficient" only if they score at least 75 percent in national assessments may not accurately reflect what learners actually know and can do, according to a new study by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS).

- By BELLA CARIASO

Titled "Examining the DepEd's National Assessments: A Review of Framework, Design, Development, Psychometric Properties, and Utilization," the paper evaluated how national tests are developed and used, and pointed to the need to strengthen test quality and align assessments more closely with curriculum expectations.

PIDS noted that DepEd's fixed 75-percent benchmark for the National Achievement Test is not grounded in standard-setting processes that determine cutoffs based on curriculum requirements.