BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

According to an article in inquirer.net, the Philippines was the only country in Asia and

one of the three countries in the world (the others were Angola and Djibouti) that had a

10-year basic education program. (Bermudez, 2018). It can be a reason why K-12

program was implemented or it can be so that students can get a job after they graduate

grade 12. It also said that K-12 implementation was more than just keeping up with our

regional neighbors or with the global community. We are doing this to be able to compete

in our own country so that we can equip our learners with appropriate skills, creativity,

and intelligence to cope with the changing world (Briones, 2017).

K-12 curriculum of DepEd added two more years in highschool, which is the senior high

school. In this curriculum, the school grades would be kindergarten (K) and 1st to 12th

grade. This aims to provide mastery of skills for lifelong learners and prepare them for

career opportunities. The 11th and 12th grade under the implementation of this curriculum

are divided by the tracking system. Tracking system is the system wherein students

choose their preferred track or course for them to be ready for college. Students that

graduated 12th grade can already apply for a job.

Pulo National High School offers the tracking system to the 9th and 10th grade for the

students to be ready for senior high school. They offer STEM (Science, Technology,

Engineering and Mathematics), GAS (General Academic Studies), ABM (Accountancy,

Business and Management), ICT (Information and Communication Technology), HE

(Home Economics), EIM (Electrical Installation and Maintenance).

The researchers chose this topic for them to know the effectiveness of DepEd K-12

curriculum to the students of Pulo National High School who experienced it firsthand.