DepEd to phase out ‘mass promotion’ policies, end ‘grade transmutation’

The Department of Education (DepEd) will begin phasing out policies that have effectively resulted in the automatic promotion of students who have not met learning standards, including the long-standing practice of grade transmutation, Education Secretary Sonny Angara said on Wednesday.

Speaking on a radio interview, Angara acknowledged findings of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II) that the cumulative effect of existing rules has led to what critics describe as “mass promotion” in public schools. 

“Bagamat hindi pormal na polisiya, tama ang EDCOM na sumatotal ng iba't ibang polisiya ay parang umaabot na sa isang mass promotion policy.”

(Although it is not a formal policy, EDCOM is correct that when the various policies are taken together, they effectively amount to a mass promotion policy.)

Angara said one of the key practices to be discontinued is "grade transmutation," in which failing marks are adjusted upward to meet the minimum passing grade.

The education chief said DepEd will gradually end the practice, noting that it only delays learning gaps rather than addressing them.

“Pero dahan-dahan ititigil ho namin 'yon. Dahil bagamat maganda naman na maawain 'yong teacher pero parang 'yong problema pino-postpone lang natin.”

(But we will gradually stop that. While compassion is good, the problem is that we are only postponing the issue.)

Angara said that grade transmutation does not exist in national and international assessments, including college entrance exams and standardized tests, making it inconsistent with broader education systems.

“Alam naman ho natin sa mga international assessments… wala naman 'yong transmutation. So parang hindi talaga sya akma sa pangkalahatang sistema, he noted.

(We know that in international assessments… there is no transmutation, so it really does not align with the overall system.)

To address learning gaps without pressuring teachers to pass underperforming students, Angara cited the implementation of the ARAL Program, which separates tutoring duties from classroom teaching.

“Lahat ng tutors ay hindi na mismo ang teacher ng bata… at 'yong grade nya dapat accurate ho.”

(All tutors will no longer be the child’s own classroom teacher… and the student’s grade should be accurate.)

He explained that under previous arrangements, teachers were discouraged from failing students because they were also required to tutor those who lagged behind, adding to their workload.

Angara also said DepEd will stop policies that indirectly penalize teachers when many students fail, as these have contributed to the culture of automatic promotion.

“'Yong mga gano'ng policies na ang intensyon ay nagiging ah parang mass promotion ang effect hindi na namin ipapagpatuloy ho.”

(We will no longer continue policies whose effect ends up being mass promotion.)

For early-grade learners, Angara said DepEd is shifting away from competitive testing toward foundational learning, values formation, and social skills.

He added that fewer in-class exams are now being implemented for Kinder to Grade 2, with greater emphasis on reading comprehension and basic skills.

Angara said the reforms align with EDCOM’s recommendations, which were prompted by the country’s poor performance in international learning assessments. — BM, GMA Integrated News