DepEd Alternative Learning System (ALS) Task Force

February 18, 2019

DepEd Order No. 03, s. 2019

CREATION OF THE ALTERNATIVE LEARNING SYSTEM (ALS) TASK FORCE AND DESIGNATION OF MEMBERS THEREOF

To:

Undersecretaries
Assistant Secretaries
Bureau and Service Directors
Regional Directors
Schools Division Superintendents Division Chiefs
All Others Concerned

A strengthened and expanded Alternative Learning System (ALS) is identified as one of the major enhancements to the K to 12 Basic Education Program of the administration of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, and is accordingly included in the 10-point Agenda of the Department of Education (DepEd) entitled Quality, Accessible, Relevant, and Liberating Basic Education for All released in November 2016.

The starting point of this strengthening process has been the development of ALS K to 12 Basic Education Curriculum aligned to the formal K to 12 curriculum. As the blueprint for the design of ALS programming, the new ALS curriculum requires substantive changes to the other system components of ALS, namely, learning materials, learning delivery system, learning environment, learner assessment and certification system, and system support components (capacity building, financial management, advocacy, social mobilization, and partnership strategy).

DepEd is now engaged in rolling out a Version 2.0 of ALS, which will be substantially different from the existing ALS program. To this end, a comprehensive five-year ALS Roadmap has been developed under the supervision of Assistant Secretary G.H. S. Ambat, who has been assigned to oversee the ALS program.

In order to provide a coordinated leadership of ALS as a priority program of the Department and to ensure continued delivery of inclusive quality, accessible, relevant, and liberating learning opportunities to out-of-school children, youth, and adults, an Alternative Learning System (ALS) Task Force is hereby created. The task force will act as focal point for the coordination and integration of the range of activities under the ALS roadmap towards the full development and operationalization of the new ALS 2.0 program.

The ALS Task Force shall perform the following functions:

a. Operational planning for the roll-out of the ALS system upgrading activities envisioned in the ALS 5-Year Roadmap;

b. Provide technical leadership, direction, and coordination of ALS 2.0 developmental activities (e.g. development of SHS Curriculum, ALS-SPED Curriculum, ALIVE in ALS Curriculum, ALS-IPEd Curriculum, mapping and tagging of competencies and development of learning resources);

c. Formulate, review, and revise ALS enabling policies and guidelines for the enhanced ALS 2.0 program implementation;

d. Lead the development of learning delivery framework and pilot testing of programmatic innovations and delivery models including portfolio assessment and project-based learning needed to operationalize the new ALS 2.0 program;

e. Monitor and evaluate the implementation of the new inclusive and quality K to 12-compliant ALS 2.0 program;

f. Lead capacity building of ALS field personnel to implement and scale-up the new quality and inclusive ALS 2.0 program;

g. Lead the advocacy and social marketing of the roll-out of the enhanced ALS 2.0 Program;

h. Lead the development of strategies in engaging and maintaining partnerships with local and international stakeholders (e.g. World Bank, UNICEF, UNESCO, and USAID) to support continuous improvement of ALS program implementation and expand the reach of ALS program implementation nationwide;

i. Coordinate with the Bureau of Education Assessment (BEA) on the conduct of Accreditation and Equivalency (A&E) Test;

j. Oversee the ALS certification process (e.g. issuance of Elementary diploma/ Junior High School completion certificate / Senior High School diploma)

k. Set minimum quality standards and benchmarks to guide quality assurance of the new ALS 2.0 program;

l. Conduct evidence-based research to inform ALS program development and continuous improvement;

m. Oversee a national ALS data management system to inform evidence-based planning decision-making;

n. Lead coordination with non-DepEd ALS program implementors to promote complementation and quality improvement of their ALS programs; and,

o. Conduct other activities related to ALS program implementation that may be assigned.

The ALS Task Force shall be comprised of Director Marilette R. Almayda, who is hereby designated as Task Force Head, and the identified personnel in Annex A of this Order.

Personnel under Contracts of Service (CoS) and consultants may be engaged to provide supplementary technical and administrative services for the operations of the Task Force.

Any additional members of the Task Force for designation from other units shall be subject to consultation with the heads of those units and approval of the Secretary.

The ALS Task Force shall be under the direct supervision of Assistant Secretary G.H. S. Ambat.

The Task Force is directed to work closely with all existing offices in DepEd, particularly the bureaus under the Curriculum and Instruction strand and ensure constant and systematic coordination with the various units in the Central, Regional and Schools Division Offices.

The Task Force shall submit to the Secretary a clarification of the delineation of its tasks and responsibilities in relation to the bureaus under the Curriculum and Instruction strand in terms of curriculum development, delivery models, learning resource development, and assessment, and a clarification on the management and allocation of budget line items that include ALS components.

The Task Force shall develop a proposal for a long-term ALS governance structure to institutionalize, scale-up, and sustain leadership of the revised ALS program within the context and process of the Departmental review of its rationalization and reorganization program, and subject to the approval of the Secretary.

All other DepEd issuances, rules and regulations inconsistent with this Order are hereby repealed, rescinded, or modified accordingly.

This Order will take effect upon issuance.

Immediate dissemination of and strict compliance with this Order is directed.

LEONOR MAGTOLIS BRIONES
Secretary

COMPOSITION OF THE DEPED ALS TASK FORCE

Name	Position
G.H. S. Ambat	Assistant Secretary
Marilette R. Almayda	Director III
Roderick P. Corpuz	Supervising Education Program Specialist
Renato A. San Juan, Jr.	Supervising Education Program Specialist
Erlinda G. Angeles	Education Program Specialist II
Clarisa DR. Toribio	Education Program Specialist II
Irene D. Barzaga	Master Teacher II
Pepito C. Ventura	Master Teacher I
Ronwaldo Z. Dabu	Administrative Assistant III
Lexlie C. Pagatpatan	Admnistrative Assistant II
Jeffrey Millena	Technical Assistant
Jaycee Ryan L. Bernando	Encoder / Clerk
Chyrel T. Pagatpatan	Encoder / Clerk
Patrick John V. Barrientos	Encoder / Clerk