Alternative Learning System (ALS): Analysis of Content, Style and

Curricular Approach

The Department of Education recognizes the need to provide education to people who
unfortunately had not been given the chance to enter formal education due to economic, social,
or personal concerns paved the way for the creation and implementation of Alternative Learning
System (ALS) as an alternative or substitute. ALS specifically targets primary and secondary
school drop-outs, out-of-school youths, non-readers, working or not working individuals
regardless of age who are interested in developing basic, literacy, and other new skills which
are equivalent to completing basic education. The classes are conducted outside the classroom
such as in the community learning centers, multi-purpose hall, libraries, or home managed by
ALS learning facilitators such as mobile teachers, district ALS Coordinator, instructional
managers, and the schedule of classes are agreed upon by the learners and facilitators. In that
case, education is offered at the convenience of the learners to encourage more people to enroll
in the system. At present, the new curriculum which is in-lined with the K to 12 Formal School
Curriculum is known as the 2019 ALS-K to 12 BEC focuses on providing 21st Century Skills of
Information, Media and Technology Skills, Learning and Innovation Skills, Communication
Skills, and Life and Career Skills. Specific features include, the curriculum does not mirror but
aligned in the competencies of K to 12, covers Information, Communication and Technology
(ICT) and life and career skills and other competencies not covered in the formal school, real-life
application of competencies to help and guide the learning delivery and the development of
appropriate, relevant and responsive learning materials and learning assessment tools and to
provides opportunities for learners to acquire vocational and technical skills to enhance their
work readiness and employability. Moreover, ALS also has key stages of learning with the
corresponding grade level informal school to categorize the level of learnings and identify in
which a learner should be enrolled until he finished the final level. The stages of learning are
Basic Literacy, Lower Elementary, Advanced Elementary, Junior High School, and Senior High
School. Additionally, it also has learning strands such as Learning Strand 1 for Communication
Skills (English and Filipino), Learning Strand 2 for Scientific and Critical Thinking Skills,
Learning Strand 3 for Mathematical and Problem-Solving Skills, Learning Strand 4 for Life and
Career Skills, Learning Strand 5 for Understanding the Self and Society and Learning Strand 6
for Digital Citizenship.
On the delivery of learning, they follow certain language policies such as the use of mother
tongue as a medium of instruction in Basic Level for non-literate to neo-literate learners and the
use of Filipino and English for Elementary Level to Junior High School but can also use mother
tongue for necessary clarifications and better understanding. However, the Accreditation and
Equivalency Test (A&E) will be in English for those who want to pursue higher education.
Moreover, the duration of the program depends on the learner's educational background or
existing knowledge before admission to the program. Therefore, it is important to have an
accurate and systematic formulation of the learners of the level of learning to ensure that the
formulated learners' Individual Learning Agreement (ILA) is appropriate and reflective of his
educational needs. Furthermore, facilitators are expected to monitor and review the ILA at least
monthly to oversee the progress, make a revision of the old learning goals and even create new
ones to address the identified problems and difficulties in learning.

The approach in the curriculum of the Alternative Learning System falls on the Technical and
Scientific Approach to curriculum development primarily because it has a blueprint that presents
what would be covered in the learning process which is the ALS-K to 12 BEC. It is scientific, in
the sense that topics and subjects offered are in pursuit of learners learning its real-life
applications. It is efficient, in the sense that education is being served at the doorstep of the
learners of the need for more skills and competencies in life. And it is effective, in the sense that
its delivery of knowledge follows stages to determine the level of learning of students and their
progress in the overall goals of the learning.

Moreover, its application to the Behavioral-Rational approach can be traced in Taba’s model of
Curriculum development. In the model, the importance of developing and implementing
curriculum is in the hands of the teacher through the study of the society and attention to
content and organization to provide learning with comprehension. In the ALS, facilitators are
expected to conduct an accurate and systematic assessment of the learner's level of learning as
it would serve as the basis of their Individual Learning Agreement (ILA). In this case, the
facilitator does not have a default set of learning agreements to be given to learners but they
derived is based on the results of the learner's assessment. Additionally, it makes the facilitator
aware of the needs of his students to guide him with the appropriate, necessary, and applicable
implementation of a curriculum that can achieve the utmost goals of their education. This can be
manifested in the application of stages of the level of learning as learners can be properly
situated to the correct level of education that they should be getting until they finally reach the
last level. Additionally, having the learning strands properly categorized the scope and coverage
of knowledge that the learners will be studying for easier understanding and highlighting each
importance.

Furthermore, its application also reflects aspects of the Systems-Managerial approach to

curriculum development through its monthly monitoring and review of the ILA. Systems-
Managerial presents curriculum development as a "never-ending process", which characterizes
by incremental or major changes in the cyclic process of input, process, output, and feedback.
The ALS also starts with input which includes the teacher's formulated learning agreements, the
teaching, and learning materials. And the process such as the actual implementation of the
curriculum, the quality of instruction, and the agreement on the venue and time of their classes.
And output or the outcome that can be seen in the monthly review and monitoring of the ILA to
see both achievements and shortcomings of the learning process. From there, they can solicit
feedback to guide them on what to continue and improve in the curriculum.