COMPARATIVE EDUCATION Sample research

A Brief Overview of Senior High Strands in the Philippines

Senior high school or SHS refers to the last two years of the K to 12 program that has been implemented
by the Department of Education here in the Philippines since 2012 – namely, grades 11 and 12. Students
are now required to choose their preferred senior high strands upon their entrance and to begin
studying the subjects that are going to introduce them to the career path that they want to take. What
You Should Know About Senior High

The K to 12 program that has been implemented by the Department of Education has already produced
three batches of senior high school graduates since it was initially launched in 2012. However, many
parents and even students are still unsure how the senior high system works and why it has been
included in the revised education system.

If you or somebody you know happen to fall into this category, don’t fret. Here are a few things you
should know about senior high here in the Philippines that might be of great help.

The Importance of Senior High

Today, one of the most important requirements for college admissions is completing senior high. So if
you are planning on studying a four- or five-year degree program at the college of your dreams, finishing
senior high school is a must.

In addition, finishing senior high school also allows students to study general education subjects that
they would not have otherwise studied until their first or second year in college. This gives the students
more time to familiarize themselves with the specialization that they have chosen if they eventually
decide to pursue higher education.

Finishing senior high also plays an important role should you intend to pursue jobs and qualify for
employment in countries where companies require a minimum of 16 years of formal education as
opposed to the 14 years of education under the old system. This also goes the same for students who
are interested in getting their master’s or even doctor’s degree overseas where most academic
institutions also require the 16-year minimum.

How Long the Duration is

Senior high schools, in this case, grades 11 and 12, spans over two academic years composed of two
semesters each. Each of these semesters is further subdivided into 29 mandatory and 2 elective subjects
that each require 80 hours to complete. The exception to this is Health and P.E. which only take 20
hours each to complete.

Learning Strands and Career Tracks

The senior high school program is further broken down into learning strands and career tracks. The
learning strands in senior high school refer to the different areas of expertise under the program while
the career tracks refer to the general categories that each different field of study belongs to.
There are currently four career tracks composed of Academic, TVL/TVE, Arts and Design, and Sports. The
eight learning strands, meanwhile, are STEM, HUMMS, ABM, GAS, Home Economics, Agri-fishery Arts,
Industrial Arts, and ICT. All of these will be further discussed down below.

Breaking Down the Curriculum

Generally, the senior high school curriculum is composed of 31 subjects in total, 15 of which are part of
the core subjects that every student is going to have to take no matter what the senior high strand they
chose is. The exception to this is the DIsaster Readiness and Risk Reduction subject as well as the Earth
Science Subject which are only for students that are taking the STEM senior high strand

For the rest of the subjects, seven are contextualized or applied subjects which means that while these
subjects are also taken by every student regardless of the senior high track they chose, the subjects are
slightly modified to suit the individual specializations better.

Lastly, nine of the subjects are specialized which means that for the most part, these are taken
exclusively by the students who have chosen that particular career track and senior high strand. The
exception to this would be the subjects under the HUMSS strand which can be taken by students as
electives even if they are taking other career tracks and learning strands.

Career Track Requirements

Before you choose your senior high strand or career track, the results of your pre-admission screening of
the senior high school you intend to enroll at as well as your NCAE should both be favorable.

For instance, anybody can choose to enroll in the HUMMS, ABM, and General Academic strands along
with the various strands under the TVL and TLE tracks regardless of the results of the NCAE. But in order
to qualify for the STEM strand, a student needs to have a final grade of 85 percent in both Science and
Mathematics as well as a percentile rank of 86 and above in the STEM subtest of the NCAE.

Should you choose to pursue the arts and design and sports tracks, you need to score a percentile rank
of 51 and above in your corresponding NCAE subtests as well as pass the skills test that will be
administered by the school that you wish to enroll in.

Tuition Fees

Similar to college, the tuition fees for senior high schools can vary depending on the school. The
Department of Education offers vouchers which can be used by incoming senior high school students to
enroll in their public or private senior high school of choice. The value of this voucher can range
between PHP 8,750 to PHP 22,500 per year, depending on the area where their senior high school of
choice is located and the type of junior high school that they graduated from.

However, it should be pointed out that even though the voucher can be used to enroll in both private
and public senior high schools, you should do a little bit more research first in order to get an idea of
how much you need to pay for before you send in your enrollment application. While the voucher is
typically enough to cover a large portion of the tuition fee, and sometimes even more, in a public school,
this can only cover a small portion of the tuition fee in a lot of private schools.
In the old system here in our county, high school education consisted of the first year up to the fourth
year. Today, those four years correspond to Grades 7 to 10, otherwise known as junior high school or
JHS. It should be noted that currently “senior high” no longer just means the very last year of high school
but rather, the two grade levels after it. Likewise, “junior high” also does not just mean the year before
the last of high school but rather the four grade levels under senior high.

Under Republic Act No. 10533 or the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013, students are now required
to complete Kindergarten, Grades 1 to 6 or elementary school, Grades 7 to 10 or junior high school, and
Grades 11 to 12 or senior high school. All of this must be completed in 13 years before a student can
receive his or her high school diploma.

Upon enrollment in senior high school, students are also going to have to pick among four senior high
strands or tracks. Choosing the right strand is one of the biggest decisions a student in the Philippines is
going to have to make, so read on and find out how you can best make this choice.

What You Should Know About Senior High

 

The K to 12 program that has been implemented by the Department of Education has already produced
three batches of senior high school graduates since it was initially launched in 2012. However, many
parents and even students are still unsure how the senior high system works and why it has been
included in the revised education system.

If you or somebody you know happen to fall into this category, don’t fret. Here are a few things you
should know about senior high here in the Philippines that might be of great help.

The Importance of Senior High

 

Today, one of the most important requirements for college admissions is completing senior high. So if
you are planning on studying a four- or five-year degree program at the college of your dreams, finishing
senior high school is a must.

In addition, finishing senior high school also allows students to study general education subjects that
they would not have otherwise studied until their first or second year in college. This gives the students
more time to familiarize themselves with the specialization that they have chosen if they eventually
decide to pursue higher education.

Finishing senior high also plays an important role should you intend to pursue jobs and qualify for
employment in countries where companies require a minimum of 16 years of formal education as
opposed to the 14 years of education under the old system. This also goes the same for students who
are interested in getting their master’s or even doctor’s degree overseas where most academic
institutions also require the 16-year minimum.

How Long the Duration is

 

Senior high schools, in this case, grades 11 and 12, spans over two academic years composed of two
semesters each. Each of these semesters is further subdivided into 29 mandatory and 2 elective subjects
that each require 80 hours to complete. The exception to this is Health and P.E. which only take 20
hours each to complete.
 

Learning Strands and Career Tracks

 

The senior high school program is further broken down into learning strands and career tracks. The
learning strands in senior high school refer to the different areas of expertise under the program while
the career tracks refer to the general categories that each different field of study belongs to.

There are currently four career tracks composed of Academic, TVL/TVE, Arts and Design, and Sports. The
eight learning strands, meanwhile, are STEM, HUMMS, ABM, GAS, Home Economics, Agri-fishery Arts,
Industrial Arts, and ICT. All of these will be further discussed down below.

Breaking Down the Curriculum

 

Generally, the senior high school curriculum is composed of 31 subjects in total, 15 of which are part of
the core subjects that every student is going to have to take no matter what the senior high strand they
chose is. The exception to this is the DIsaster Readiness and Risk Reduction subject as well as the Earth
Science Subject which are only for students that are taking the STEM senior high strand.

For the rest of the subjects, seven are contextualized or applied subjects which means that while these
subjects are also taken by every student regardless of the senior high track they chose, the subjects are
slightly modified to suit the individual specializations better.

Lastly, nine of the subjects are specialized which means that for the most part, these are taken
exclusively by the students who have chosen that particular career track and senior high strand. The
exception to this would be the subjects under the HUMSS strand which can be taken by students as
electives even if they are taking other career tracks and learning strands.

Career Track Requirements

 

Before you choose your senior high strand or career track, the results of your pre-admission screening of
the senior high school you intend to enroll at as well as your NCAE should both be favorable.

For instance, anybody can choose to enroll in the HUMMS, ABM, and General Academic strands along
with the various strands under the TVL and TLE tracks regardless of the results of the NCAE. But in order
to qualify for the STEM strand, a student needs to have a final grade of 85 percent in both Science and
Mathematics as well as a percentile rank of 86 and above in the STEM subtest of the NCAE.

Should you choose to pursue the arts and design and sports tracks, you need to score a percentile rank
of 51 and above in your corresponding NCAE subtests as well as pass the skills test that will be
administered by the school that you wish to enroll in.

Tuition Fees
 

Similar to college, the tuition fees for senior high schools can vary depending on the school. The
Department of Education offers vouchers which can be used by incoming senior high school students to
enroll in their public or private senior high school of choice. The value of this voucher can range
between PHP 8,750 to PHP 22,500 per year, depending on the area where their senior high school of
choice is located and the type of junior high school that they graduated from.

However, it should be pointed out that even though the voucher can be used to enroll in both private
and public senior high schools, you should do a little bit more research first in order to get an idea of
how much you need to pay for before you send in your enrollment application. While the voucher is
typically enough to cover a large portion of the tuition fee, and sometimes even more, in a public school,
this can only cover a small portion of the tuition fee in a lot of private schools.