The Division of Naga ranked 1 st for both elementary and secondary in the regional ranking for the 2017 National Achievement Test (NAT) administered to Grades 7 and 11 learners. This recent result of the NAT shows an impressive leap of the Division’s performance from the bottom rank in the regional results for years to earning the top spot for both elementary and secondary. This is noteworthy considering that no reviews were conducted because the test was administered the following year after the learners have graduated from their previous grade/year level. In addition, this was the first NAT result for the K to 12 Curriculum.
The National Achievement Test (NAT) is an exit assessment administered to Grades 6, 10 and 12 learners. Per DepEd Order 55, s. 2016, the results shall be utilized to: (a) determine if learners are meeting the learning standards; (b) help provide information to improve instructional practices; (c) assess/evaluate effectiveness and efficiency of education service delivery using learning outcomes as indicators; and (d) provide empirical information as bases for curriculum, learning delivery, assessment and policy reviews, and policy formulation. This result ensued after a year that Transforming Teachers and Recreating Academic and Non-
Academic Spaces for Millennial Learners (TRANSFORM)-Naga took off with varied division interventions such as LED to Teach, One Classroom One TV, Read to LEAD, Basa Buddy and series of monitoring and classroom observations.
Yet, a lot has to be done specifically on the three 21 st century skills: Critical Thinking, Information Literacy and Problem Solving as these are areas of concern that teachers should focus on in all subject areas. The entire Division and school personnel has to synergistically pool efforts to be able to produce globally competitive learners who can independently hurdle life’s adversities. —- joretze s. carandang
