This is in reference to the attached DepEd Memorandum No. 204 from the Office of the Undersecretary for Curriculum and Instruction (OUCI) dated June 4, 2021, entitled Deferment of the NCAE Certificate of Ratings for SY 2018-2019 and 2019-2020, contents of which are self-explanatory.
Attention is invited to the fourth paragraph of the said memorandum which states that all accepting schools are to defer the NCAE Certificate of Ratings as a requirement for the affected students who opt to enroll this coming school year in the following Senior High School strands: Science, STEM, Sports, and Arts and Design.
Deferment of the NCAE Certificate of Ratings for SY 2018-2019 and 2019-2020
DepEd Order No. 55, s. 2016 entitled “Policy Guidelines on the National Assessment of Student Learning for the K To 12 Basic Education Program” states that career assessment results shall be used as an entry assessment to the specific Senior High School (SHS) tracks/strands in all public and private schools (section 4, page 12). The National Career Assessment Examination (NCAE) shall generate the said results.
However, the NCAE results of students from SY 2018-2019 and SY 2019-2020 cannot be provided by the Bureau of Education Assessment (BEA) because the test was not administered. The reason for such is related to logistical restrictions brought by the Covid-19 pandemic.
BEA is exploring alternative strategies such as Computer-Based Testing (CBT) through Live Remote Proctoring (LRP) or Al-proctoring to deliver the examination amidst the current societal restrictions. Currently, LRP is in the pilot stage at the Central Office and has yet to be tried out in large-scale examinations similar to NCAE.
In view thereof, BEA recommends that the accepting schools are to defer the NCAE Certificate of Ratings (COR) as a requirement for the affected students who opt to enroll this coming school year in the following Senior High School strands: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), Sports, and Arts and Design. This recommendation is supported by DO 55, s. 2016 that schools may opt to have alternative entry assessments or requirements as long as these are in line with the offered track/strand (section 4, page 13). And in cases wherein the NCAE shall not be administered due to unprecedented circumstances, this deferment may still be implemented.
Immediate dissemination of this memorandum is desired.
