Status of senior high school implementation: A process evaluation

The enactment of the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013 (RA 10533) put into law the major reforms proposed to improve the country's educational system. A key feature of this law is the Senior High School (SHS) program. This added Grades 11 and 12 making compulsory basic education 13 years in total. The primary goal of the reform is to produce holistically developed and well-prepared students equipped with 21st century skills. This study conducts a process evaluation to determine the extent of implementation of the SHS program and identify best practices, issues and areas for improvement. It looks at three specific components namely, program theory, service delivery and utilization, and program organization. To capture a wider range of school context and experiences related to the implementation of the SHS program, 25 schools were randomly chosen based on their size, tracks offered as well as area classification. Focus group discussions (FGDs) and key informant interviews (KIIs) with program implementers and program beneficiaries were conducted in the chosen schools. Interviews with current and past DepEd senior officials and policy makers were also conducted. To provide comprehensive background to the FGDs and KIIs, enrollment data at the school level were also processed. Findings of the study reveal notable gains foremost of which is enrollment exceeding expectations. It is to the credit of the Department of Education (DepEd) bureaucracy to have launched the SHS program to a very good start considering the enormity of the needs and challenges of implementing a new and nationwide program. The DepEd bureaucracy was found to have prepared well to implement the program and program support was conceptually well-organized. Several implementers, teachers, parents and students highlighted varying experiences and opportunities which are very instructive. Certainly, the program is facing many challenges which hopefully are mostly mere birthing pains which can be addressed soon as implementation procedures continue to stabilize and take root. These challenges are summarized in the study. The final section offers key recommendations to improve SHS program implementation.