Discontinuing the Use of the Spiral Progression Approach in the Basic Education Curriculum

Dane or t TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES P1:38 First Regular Session JUL 15 SENATE RECENED S.B. No. - Introduced by SENATOR WIN GATCHALIAN AN ACT DISCONTINUING THE USE OF THE SPIRAL PROGRESSION APPROACH IN THE BASIC EDUCATION CURRICULUM, DELETING FOR THE PURPOSE

SECTION 5, PARAGRAPH G OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 10533, OTHERWISE

KNOWN AS THE "ENHANCED BASIC EDUCATION ACT OF 2013" EXPLANATORY NOTE The 1987 Constitution provides that the State shall protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality education at all levels and shall take appropriate steps to make such education accessible to all. 1 It is a declared policy of the State under Republic Act (RA) No. 10533, otherwise known as the "Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013" or the K to12 Law? to create a functional basic education system that will develop productive and responsible citizens equipped with the essential competencies, skills and values for both life-long learning and employment. In order to achieve this, the State shall give every student an opportunity to receive quality education that is globally competitive based on a pedagogically sound curriculum that is at par with international standards. As such, in developing the enhanced 1 1987 Philippine Constitution, Article XIV, Section 1. 2 Enacted on May 15, 2013. 3 Republic Act No. 10533, Sec. 2. 4 [bid.

basic education curriculum, the Department of Education (DepEd) is mandated to use the spiral progression approach to ensure mastery of knowledge and skills after each level. 5 Prior to the enactment of RA No. 10533, the DepEd issued DepEd Order (DO) No. 31, s. 20126 prescribing the spiral progression approach for Grades 1 to 10. In subsequent DOs implementing said law, the spiral progression approach was described as follows: 1. DO No. 42, s. 2016: The K to 12 curriculum follows a spiral progression of content. This means that students learn concepts while young and learn the same concepts repeatedly at a higher degree of complexity as they move from one grade level to another. According to Bruner (1960), this helps learners organize their knowledge, connect what they know, and master it. Teachers should make sure that in preparing lessons, learners are able to revisit previously encountered topics with an increasing level of complexity and that lessons build on previous learning.? 2. DO No. 21, s. 2019: The curriculum shall use the spiral progression approach to ensure mastery of knowledge and skills after each level. This pedagogical feature follows the idea that concepts are introduced at an early age and deepened in succeeding years.8 a. The Junior High School curriculum also utilizes the spiral progression approach as clearly demonstrated in the teaching of Mathematics and Science. The fundamentals of all branches of Mathematics (algebra, geometry, trigonometry, statistics, and probability) and Science (biology, chemistry, physics, and earth science) are taught and revisited from Grades 7 to 10 and become more sophisticated from one grade 5 Id. at Sec. 5 (g). 6 Policy Guidelines on the Implementation of Grades 1 to 10 of the K to 12 Basic Education Curriculum (BEC) Effective School Year 2012-2013, April 17, 2012. 7 Policy Guidelines on Daily Lesson Preparation for the K to 12 Basic Education Program, June 7, 2016. 8 Policy Guidelines on the K to 12 Basic Education Program, August 22, 2019.

level to the next. b. The other subjects are also taught using the spiral progression approach in the sense that the content and performance standards that are unpacked further into competencies are vertically articulated. What is taught in Grade 7 connects to what is taught in Grades 8, 9, and 10. 3. DO No. 24, s. 2022: The spiral progression approach means that learners should gain proficiency at each stage of learning because concepts are built upon and deepened in succeeding grade levels. Decisions are taken at school level to promote learners to a higher grade level based on their school assessments, and it is likely that early detection and provision of support to struggling learners through interventions such as the provision of remedial programs and additional learning time for these learners, rather than grade level repetition, may be more cost-effective policies for schools.9 However, in a 2020 study by the Assessment Curriculum and Technology Research Center (ACTRC), 10 it was observed that teachers in Grades 3, 6, 10, and Senior High School did not have adequate time to teach all the competencies under the intended K to 12 curriculum. The results of the study showed that less than 1/3 of the teachers assessed reported having adequate time to cover all learning competencies required in the curriculum. Given the spiral nature of the curriculum, this finding is significant as learners would hence not have the pre-requisite skills and knowledge needed to learn the next set of competencies as they progressed to higher grade levels. Furthermore, there is a notable lack of studies employing robust empirical methodologies to evaluate the effectiveness of utilizing the spiral curriculum, particularly within the Philippine context. 9 Adoption of the Basic Education Development Plan 2030, May 30, 2022. Review of the Implemented Curriculum: ACTRC (2020). Retrieved from https://actrc.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/implemented-curriculum-review-report- 20201215.pdf, last accessed June 24, 2025.

The Senate Committee on Basic Education, for its part, has conducted five (5) consultations on this subject matter: separate focus group discussions with the Synergeia Foundation and DepEd Valenzuela; an online briefing with the Philippine Normal University; a virtual meeting with Dr. Christopher C. Bernido who is a researcher in mathematical and theoretical physics and an advocate of curriculum flexibility instead of a mandated single approach; and, a consultative meeting with subject matter experts in Mathematics and Sciencel1. Based on the last consultative meeting, there was consensus that teachers, in delivering lessons using the spiral progression approach, are no longer teaching as content experts or subject specialists, but are required by the approach to teach as generalists. 12 They also lack training, experience, preparation, and resources. 13 In sum, there is no mastery for both the teachers and the learners. 14 In support of these findings and to achieve the country's national objectives in education, the bill proposes to delete Section 5, paragraph g of RA No. 10533 which states that "[t]he curriculum shall use the spiral progression approach to ensure mastery of knowledge and skills after each level". By deleting Section 5 (g), the DepEd will be given flexibility on which approach or pedagogy to employ. I earnestly seek the support of this Congress for the immediate passage of this amendatory legislation. 11 Consultative Meeting held by the Senate Committee on Basic Education on October 16, 13 |d. at pp. 17-18. 14 Id. at p. 40.

TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES First Regular Session 25 JUL 15 P1:38 SENATE RECET D S.B. No. _ Introduced by SENATOR WIN GATCHALIAN DISCONTINUING THE USE OF THE SPIRAL PROGRESSION APPROACH IN THE BASIC EDUCATION CURRICULUM, DELETING FOR THE PURPOSE

SECTION 5, PARAGRAPH G OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 10533, OTHERWISE

KNOWN AS THE "ENHANCED BASIC EDUCATION ACT OF 2013" Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled:

Section 1. Section 5 of R.A. No. 10533, otherwise known as the

"Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013", is hereby amended to read as follows: "SEC. 5. Curriculum Development. - xxx XXX The DepED shall adhere to the following standards and principles in developing the enhanced basic education curriculum: (a) x x x (b) xxx (c) xxx

(d) xxx (e) xx * (1) xxx; AND Itg) The curriculum shall use the spiral progression approach to ensure mastery of knowledge and skills after each level; and ([h] G) The curriculum shall be flexible enough to enable and allow schools to localize, indigenize and enhance the same based on their respective educational and social contexts. The production and development of locally produced teaching materials shall be encouraged and approval of these materials shall devolve to the regional and division education units."

Sec. 2. Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR). - Within ninety (90)

days from the effectivity of this Act, the DepED and other education stakeholders shall issue the rules and regulations implementing its provisions. The IRR issued pursuant to this section shall take effect thirty (30) days after its publication in a newspaper of general circulation.

Sec. 3. Repealing Clause. - All laws, executive orders, presidential

decrees, administrative orders, rules and regulations, issuances, or parts thereof contrary to or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or amended accordingly.

Sec. 4. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its

publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation. Approved,