The Department of Education (DepEd) will begin phasing out policies that have effectively resulted in the automatic promotion of students who fail to meet learning standards, including the long-standing practice of grade transmutation, Education Secretary Sonny Angara said Wednesday.
In a radio interview, Angara cited findings of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II), which noted that the combined effect of existing DepEd rules has led to what critics describe as “mass promotion” in public schools.
“Although it is not a formal policy, EDCOM is correct that when the different policies are taken together, they effectively amount to mass promotion,” Angara said.
One of the key practices to be discontinued is grade transmutation, where failing marks are adjusted upward to reach the minimum passing grade. Angara said the practice only postpones learning gaps instead of addressing them.
“We will gradually stop that. While compassion is important, the problem is that we are only postponing the issue,” he said.
Angara noted that grade transmutation is not used in national and international assessments, including college entrance exams and standardized tests, making it inconsistent with broader education systems.
To address learning gaps without pressuring teachers to pass underperforming students, Angara pointed to the implementation of the ARAL Program, which assigns tutoring to educators who are not the students’ classroom teachers.
“All tutors will no longer be the child’s own classroom teacher, and the student’s grade should be accurate,” he said.
He explained that under previous arrangements, teachers were discouraged from failing students because they were also required to tutor those who lagged behind, increasing their workload.
Angara also said DepEd will stop policies that indirectly penalize teachers when many students fail, as these have contributed to automatic promotion.
“Policies whose effect results in mass promotion will no longer be continued,” he said.
For early-grade learners, Angara said DepEd is shifting away from competitive testing toward foundational learning, values formation, and social skills.
Fewer in-class exams are now being implemented for Kinder to Grade 2, with greater emphasis on reading comprehension and basic skills.
The reforms, Angara said, are aligned with EDCOM II recommendations following the country’s poor performance in international learning assessments.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline: “Angara: DepEd to phase out mass promotions, grade transmutation”
