Guidelines and Standard Procedure in the Conduct of the Major Testing Programs of NETRC: A Unified Approach

1. Guidelines and Standard Procedure in the Conduct of the Major Testing Programs of NETRC: A Unified Approach CONTENTS SLIDE/PAGE NO. • The 2012 NAT and NCAE 1. Reminders before Testing Day ..................................... 3-6 2. Responsibilities of the Testing Staff .............................. 7-14 3. NETRC Forms, ETRE’s and CETRE’s ............................... 15-24 4. Converging Areas Where the NAT (3 levels and NCAE are parallel in the Examiner’s Handbook as indicated in check marks) ...................................... 25 5. Board Work ........................................................... 26-32 6. Pre-test: Entrance and Seating Arrangement and Distribution of TM’s ................................................. 33-34 7. Information in Answer Sheet ...................................... 35-37 8. Test Proper ........................................................... 38 9. Post Test .............................................................. 39-42 10. Storage of Examiner’s Handbook and Name Grid ............ 43-44 11. Filling Out the School Header ................................... 45-47 12. Guidelines in the Preparation of Enrolment Data ........... 48-51 13. Dealing with the Forwarder ...................................... 52 14. Evaluation Sheet ................................................... 53-54 15. Test Results Dissemination ....................................... 56 16. Case Analysis ........................................................ 57-64 17. Changes in the 2012 NAT Administration ....................... 65 18. MTB-MLE Guidelines ............................................... 66-70 19. Scannable Answer Sheets and School Headers ............... 71-76 • The PEPT 78-118

2. National Achievement Test (Grade 3, Grade 6 and Year 4) • National Career Assessment examination Part I: The 2012 NAT and NCAE Part II: The 2012 PEPT Department of Education National Education Testing and Research Center 2012 Philippine Educational Placement test

3. NAT and NCAE: Remindersbefore Testing Day 1. The SDS and DTC should strictly enforce that the test materials are distributed a day before the examination date to far schools and early in the morning in nearby schools. 2. Assignment of Testing Staff shall be done by the SDS. • Teachers coming from private schools will be assigned in public schools as room examiners; while those from public schools will be assigned in the private schools. • In case the private school teachers are not enough to be assigned in public schools, public school teachers may be assigned but coming from other districts. • An exemption rules out when a lone school is found in the hinterlands in which case teachers from nearby elementary school will serve as the examiners. • Room Supervisors are teachers coming from another school other than those schools where room examiners will be assigned. • School Testing Coordinators will stay in their respective schools • The Principal or the School Head of the School will serve as the Chief Examiner. • Teachers from two or more small size private high schools are examiners in a big high school. Contrastingly, the teachers from a big high school can be assigned in the said small size high schools. • In merging of small size private schools, assign a Master Teacher from public schools as the Chief Examiner.

4. NCAE and NAT: Remindersbefore Testing Day 3. Information Dissemination • Inform the examinees to bring pencils (lead #2) on exam day. • Inform the fourth year students taking the NAT and third year students taking the NCAE to bring snacks/lunch on exam day. Testing is more than 5 hours. Nobody is allowed to leave the testing room/center on exam day. • Inform all schools that list of examinees must be alphabetically arranged in the whole school. Males first then the females. • Private schools without permit to operate are excluded from Test Administration. • The following are exempted from taking the NAT: Grade VII, classes of Behavioral Programs , the Hearing Impaired and Mental Retardates, the Home Study Programs, newly-enrolled foreign students, irregular students with back subjects, American Standard Curriculum and students in night classes.

5. NCAE and NAT: Remindersbefore Testing Day • Visually-impaired students are exempted to take the NCAE due to non-availability of Braille Form. • In case there are five or less examinees in excess, they can be integrated in the last five rooms, each accommodating an examinee. • Examinees from small-size private schools can be merged and tested in one testing center in a city or in a municipality. • Examiner’s Handbook shall be packed inside the ETRE. Use the soft copy of the Examiner’s Handbook in the orientation. • Notes on the orientation at the Division Level:- This is primarily aimed to orient all the testing staff in the NAT administration. - But due to budgetary constraints only one per school is authorized to attend; authorizing either the School Head or the School Testing Coordinator (STC). - Hence, a mechanism should be devised so that all testing staff are properly oriented. - One of which is orienting all the teaching force by the School Head/STC to be ready once assigned in a particular testing center.

6. NAT and NCAE: Remindersbefore Testing Day • Number of Sessions/TBs Allocation NAT for Grade 3: two sessions (All public schools including Madrasah private schools) NAT for Grade 6: two sessions (All public and private schools) NAT for Fourth Year : one session only (All public and private schools) NCAE for Third Year: one session only * 50% of TB Allocation in the grades with two sessions but a minimum of 60 examinees shall have a 100% allocation. * Buffers will be provided to big high schools (5% of its total enrolment in packs of 5’s).

7. The Testing Staff at the Division Level Division Level SDS DTC PSS District Level: Supervisors School Level School Head/ Chief Examiner School Testing Coordinator Room Supervisors RE RE RE RE

8. Responsibilities of the Testing Staff as subsumed in the Work Flow* • Chief Examiner/School Testing Coordinator • Maintains the security and confidentiality of test materials received from the DTC; • He/She is accountable and responsible for all test materials received. This ends when materials shall have been returned to the DTC; • Assigns a room where all Room Examiners can be met before and after the administration of the test in their respective testing rooms; • Counts all packs of test booklets and/or answer sheets before releasing them to each Room Examiner; • Records pertinent data about the test materials released to and received from the Room Examiners in the Accounting Form (Form 3); and Forms 4, 5, 6 and in the School Header. • Distributes the test booklets to each Room Examiner and reminds him/her to count these without opening the pack and before leaving the room; and • Follows the instruction for Accounting and Packing of Test Materials found at the latter part of the Handbook. • Being aware of the details of the testing program to be administered. • Orients every teacher in his/her respective school on the guidelines and the Examiner’s Handbook relative to NAT administration. *The Workflow is found in the Examiner’s Handbook

9. Responsibilities of the Testing Staff as subsumed in the Work Flow* • Room Examiner • Counts the test booklets and answer sheets without opening the plastic bags containing them before proceeding to his/her assigned testing room. Any discrepancy should be acted upon immediately and this should be reported in the Chief Examiner’s Report; • Signs the Test Materials Accounting Form as he/she receives the test materials from the Chief Examiner/School Testing Coordinator while still in the distribution room. • Checks if the examinees have lead pencils to use and a sheet of blank paper for computation purposes; • Facilitates the recording of the Examinee Number and Test Booklet Number of the Examinees in the NETRC Form 2, Seat Plan;

10. Responsibilities of the Testing Staff as subsumed in the Work Flow* • Follows strictly the Examiner’s Handbook during test administration; • Keeps custody of all the used and unused Test booklets but are not allowed to read the contents of test booklets; otherwise, he/she will be given corresponding sanctions based on DECS Order No. 85, s. 1999; • Checks the contents of the ETRE before he/she seals it while still in the examination room; and • (For Grade 3 only) Assists the examinees in accomplishing the name grid and other pertinent personal information about herself/himself and other school-related information. Fills in the data in Forms 1 and 2. • Accomplishes Form 7.

11. Responsibilities of the Private School Supervisor • Disseminates information regarding the NAT/NCAE and DepED’s latest issuances on it to private schools in the division. • Coordinates with private school principals regarding the conduct of the exam to its target clientele. • Checks closely if private schools operating without permit were included vis-à-vis the official list from the region. Likewise, make sure the schools are not closed yet. • Prepares and provides the DTC with the enrolment data on private schools to be tested, which will be used in the budget preparation and submitted to NETRC for the preparation of TMs. • Assists the DTC in the echo-orientation in the Division Level for private schools. • Takes charge of the delivery and retrieval of TMs on testing day and assists the DTC in the accounting of TMs. • Oversees the conduct of the test in private schools.

12. Responsibilities of the Room Supervisor • Monitors the conduct of the test administration in a testing center with 5 or more testing rooms (Grade 6,Year 4 and NCAE ) and 10 or more testing rooms (Grade 3). • Checks if the room examiners adhere to instructions in the Examiners Handbook. • Counts and double counts the Test Booklets per pack and the number of ETRE’s. Note: The number of the room supervisors assigned in a testing center will depend on the number of examinees in an examination room. Below is the ratio: 1 Room Supervisor is assigned in every 10 rooms if there are 20 examinees/room 1 Room Supervisor is assigned in every 5 rooms if there are 30 examinees/room

13. Responsibilities of the District Supervisors Attests on the accuracy of enrolment data of each school in the district. Assists in the distribution of test materials in the district (NAT Grades 3 & 6). Monitors the conduct of NAT in the district.

14. Responsibilities of the Monitors NETRC staff-monitors will be assigned to any testing center(s) nationwide, unannounced in the field. External-volunteer monitors from civil society (e.g. SK, church members, NGO’s, et.al.) to report incidents of cheating. The process should be duly documented with photos and narrative reports. The expenses incurred by external-volunteers are not chargeable to NETRC funds.

15. NETRC Forms, ETRE’s and CETRE’s Form 1 - List of Examinees (List of GASTPE grantees in private schools reflected in G6 & Y4) Form 2 - Seat Plan Form 3 - Test Materials Accounting Form Form 4 - Chief Examiner’s Narrative Report Form 5 - Test Booklet Quantity and Completeness Verification Sheet (to be collected by the DTC and to be placed in Box 1 of the Division; on top of the TBs) Form 6 - Answer Sheet Quantity and Completeness Verification Sheet (to be collected by the DTC and to be placed in Box 1 of the Division; on top of the C/ETREs) Form 7 - Room Examiner’s Test Administration Evaluation Report Note: Forms 5 and 6 printed in one sheet of paper but to be cut in perforated lines to be inserted separately in the identified boxes.

16. Instructions to the Chief Examiner Relative to Forms 5 and 6 • Separate the two Forms by cutting the perforated lines. • Fill out the needed data in both forms. • These forms should be submitted to the Division Testing Coordinator (DTC) and not placed inside the CETRE. • The DTC puts all Form 5’s submitted to him/her by every Chief Examiner in the First Box of the Division’s boxes for the Test Booklets. • Do the same with Form 6 but all of Form 6’s will be placed in the First Box of the Division’s boxes for the Answer Sheets.

17. The Generic Forms Form 1

18. Form 2 Note: Only twenty seaters for Grade 3.

19. Form 3

20. Form 4

21. Forms 5 and 6

22. Form 7

23. Room Examiner’s Transmittal Report Envelope

24. Chief Examiner’s Transmittal Report Envelope

25. Converging Areas Where the NAT (3 Levels) and NCAE are Parallel in the Examiner’s Handbook as Indicated in Checkmarks

26. Board Work : NAT Grade 3 Note: One TB for Reading and Grammar in Filipino and English, Science, and Mathematics Time Started Time to End General Directions & Sample Items 5 mins __________ Part I (EDQ) 1 – 10 5 mins ___________ Part II (Test Proper) Time Started Time to End Reading Test in English 1 – 20 ___________ Reading Test in Filipino 1 – 20 English Grammar 1 – 10 Filipino Grammar 1 – 10 Science 1 – 15 Mathematics 1 – 15 ___________ Total time limit: 1 hr & 30 mins * Use same board work for the second session.

27. Board Work : NAT Grade 6 Note: One TB for Filipino, Mathematics, English, Science, and HeKaSi Time Started Time to End General Directions & Sample Items 5 mins __________ Part I (EDQ) 1 – 15 5 mins __________ Part II (Test Proper) Filipino 1 – 40 ___________ Mathematics 1 – 40 English 1 – 40 __________ Break 15 mins Science 1 – 40 ____________ HEKASI 1 – 40 _________ Total time limit: 3 hrs & 50 mins * Use same board work for the second session.

28. Board Work : NAT Fourth Year Note: One TB for Filipino, Mathematics, English, Science, and AralingPanlipunan Parts of the Test Item Time TimeTime Numbers Limit Started Ended General Directions and Sample Items 1 – 5 5 mins. ______ Part I (EDQ) 1 – 15 5 mins. ______ Part II (Test Proper ) (A.M.) Filipino 1 – 60 60 mins. ______ AralingPanlipunan 1 – 60 60 mins. ______ BREAK 10 mins. Mathematics 1 – 50 70 mins. ______ ______ LUNCH BREAK (P.M.) Science 1 – 60 80 mins. ______ English 1 – 60 60 mins. Critical Thinking Skills Test 1 – 20 30 mins. ______ Total Time Limit: 6 hrs.

29. Instructions for the Recording of Time • Time allocation serves as guide in the recording of time but the corresponding actual time in answering each subject should not be written in the time to start and time to end. • The recording of time is done by cluster of subjects answered before and after breaks (snacks and lunch); for which the time records should be written in the blanks provided.

30. Board Work : NCAE

31. Board Work : NCAE

32. BREAK TIME • NAT Grade 6, 15 min snacks break • NAT Year 4, 30 min lunch break • NCAE Year 3, 30 min lunch break

33. Pretest : Entrance and Seating Arrangement NAT Grade 3: 20 examinees in a room Seats are 4 rows of 5 NAT Grade 6 and Year 4 and NCAE: 30 examinees in a room Seats are 6 rows of 5 Count TBs before opening package in front of examinees. Do not allow electronic devices – calculator & cell phones in the exam room. All belongings shall be placed in front beneath the blackboard. Only pencils, sharpeners and a computation paper shall be with the examinees while test is going on.

34. Pretest : Distributing and Checking the TBs and ASs • Distribute from right to left and from lowest number. • Check page by page. • Place defective/unused TB and AS, if any, in the plastic bag. • Check and double check that all Examinees have shaded the correct circles pertaining to the NAME GRID and all the necessary information about the Examinee. • Examinees are reminded to use eraser for pencils/tape eraser in erasing shaded circles. • Do not start the Test Proper unless each examinee has shaded properly the NAME GRID. • No examinees should start accomplishing the NAME GRID unless they have shown their pencils.

35. Information in the Answer Sheet: NAT Grade 3 • Name Grid (refer to large replica), School Code (Region, Division, School ID), School Name, Gender, Nutritional Status, Type of Community, Are You a Moslem, Enrolled in MADRASAH, Latest Grade in English, Filipino, Science, Math Subjects, Number of Pupils in a Section, Age and Signature

36. Information in the Answer Sheet: NAT Grade 6 and Year 4 • Examinee Stub, Name Grid (refer to replica), Birth Date, Nutritional Status, School Code (Region, Division, School ID), Gender, Number of Pupils in a Section, School Subject Grade in the 5 Subjects, Type of Community, Are You a Moslem, Name and Address of School, Signature • Examinees with 1.0 to 5.0 Ratings e.g. students from science high schools - refer to the numerical/percentage equivalents *No Examinee Stubs will be given to Year 4 Examinees

37. Information in the Answer Sheet: NCAE • Examinee Stub, Name Grid (refer to replica) School Code (Region, Division, School ID) • Examinees with 1.0 to 5.0 Ratings e.g. Students from science high schools – refer to the numerical/percentage equivalents.

38. Test Proper • Read verbatim the information in boxed portions of the handbook. Don’t translate in local language/dialect. • Always record the time started and the time the subject test will end. • Don’t add nor subtract minutes in the time. • Accomplish the Seat Plan while the examinees are answering the EDQ. • Accomplish the Form 7 (Room Examiner’s Evaluation Report) while test is in progress.

39. Post test • Give five minutes to inspect and clean the Answer Sheet. • For Grade 6 pupils, instruct examinees to tear the examinee stubs before collecting the ASs. • The examinee stubs should be turned over by the Room Examiner to the Guidance Counselor of the school/Principal. • Count TBs and ASs before allowing examinees to leave the room.

40. Post Test: Accounting of Test Materials and Preparation of Reports • Count and arrange TBs and ASs according to serial number sequence respectively. • Accomplish the ETRE’s Data. Indicate the number of registrants and the actual number of examinees. • After the contents have been accounted for, SEAL the ETRE with DepED-NETRC paper tape in the exam room and sign across it. • Account for and submit to the Chief Examiner what you have received.

41. Post Test: Contents of Room Examiner’s ETRE • Report on time test started and ended (Time Record) • Used Answer Sheets placed in original plastic bag, with serial numbers arranged consecutively • Copy of NETRC Forms: Form 1 – List of Examinees Form 2 – Seat Plan Form 7 – Examiner’s Evaluation Report one sheet Post Test: Contents of Chief Examiner’s ETRE • Unused Answer Sheets • NETRC Form 3, Test Materials Accounting Form • NETRC Form 4, Chief Examiner’s Report Form • School Header Note: Forms 5 & 6 shall be submitted separately to the DTCs.

42. Post Test: Materials for Submission to the Division Office • Bundles of ETREs and CETREs placed in the original boxes • Bundles of used and unused TBs (arranged according to serial numbers per plastic bag) placed in the original boxes • Examiner’s Handbook • NETRC Form 5, Test Booklet Quantity and Completeness Verification Sheet, to be placed inside box no. 1 for the TBs of the Division on top of these TBs • NETRC Form 6, Answer Sheet Quantity and Completeness Verification Sheet, to be placed inside box no. 1 of ETREs/CETREs of the Division on top of the CETRE • Take note of the guidelines in dealing with Forwarder and time and date of the Forwarder’s retrieval of the test materials. • Accomplish the Questionnaire on Forwarder’s performance. • Notify the NETRC if test materials are ready for retrieval or if they were not retrieved promptly.

43. On the Storage of Examiner’s Handbook and Name Grids • Examiner’s Handbook will be stored in the Division Office. Name Grid replicas will be stored in the schools or testing centers. Both documents are for future use. • Replicas of the name grid intended for each testing program should be properly stored and utilized in each school. • It is generic to all testing programs. Hence, this is reusable for future use. • There may be non-reprinting of name grid in future test administration.

44. Test Materials for Retrieval • Test Materials for Retrieval by NETRC • All Test Booklets packed in original boxes for Test Booklets; • All used Answer Sheets in ETRE’s together with Forms 1 and 2 and Form 7; • All unused Answer Sheets in CETRE’s together with Forms 3 and 4 and School Headers packed in original boxes for Answer Sheets; and • Forms 5 and 6 submitted to DTC’s for proper placement Note: Don’t mix-up test booklets with answer sheets. Two separate warehouses are used by the NETRC. Otherwise, these will not be accounted properly.

45. Instruction for Filling Out the School Header • The data to be filled in are all pertaining to the current or present school year. • Participation rate will not be filled out. • The following variables are grade/year level concerns: - Total Enrolment as of July/August - Total Registrants (enrolment as of March) - Actual examinees (as of examination day) - Conduct of SPED classes - Conduct of remedial reading classes - Number of shifts per day - Extent NAT results are utilized - Pupil/students-textbook ratio • The number of teachers and pupils/students-textbook ratios will take into account national funding. • Use the same school ID as prescribed by BEIS.

46. Filling Out the School Header (SH) • The data have to be prepared by the STC days ahead before exam day using replicas. Lead PENCIL only, no ballpen. • The data from the replica have to be transcribed in the scannable School Header using a PENCIL (lead# 2) during examination day. • Take note of the labels of each variable intended either grade/year level or school concerns: - Take note that the variables are labeled either as grade/year level or school concern - There are variables specific only for private schools (GASTPE) and for the public schools only (CFSS, etc.) • GASTPE Grantees (For private schools only) specified by year levels - Take note of the bubbles for EVS and ECS. - Take note if there are GASTPE Grantees in Grade 6. • Observe place values in filling out the variables: - Percentage rates of the education indicators - The three place values are for 100% while two place values are below 100%. 1 0 0 Ex. 95% 9 5 0 100%

47. Filling Out the School Header - Nominal counts of Data – start filling out the last box for one’s, next box for ten’s, next third box from the last is for hundreds, and so forth (zeroes have to be filled out for the empty boxes). Ex. An enrolment of 203 is filled out as: An enrolment of 94 is filled out as: • Dropout rate is to be based on previous year of the grade/year level for NAT. • Take note of new features or additional information in every set of SH. 0 2 0 3 9 4 0 0

48. Guidelines in the Preparation of Enrolment Data • Two sets of enrolment data should be prepared: - Elementary level covering Grades 3 and 6 - Secondary level covering Year 4 • The enrolment data should be based on July 30, 2011 and beyond as bases; • Use the Prescribed Standard Format in Excel. Enrolment data in other format (Word, PDF, JPEG file) will be returned to the DTC; • Consider only the total enrolment per school. Don’t provide sub-totals for each program in a certain school and NO gender segregation; • Group schools by municipality and not in alphabetical order as to listing of schools; • Legislative district is considered and not school district; • Lone congressional district is the only one in the province, while first district is a part of a large province having more than one constituency; • Private schools are not included in Grade 3 NAT except for the Private MADARIS elementary schools; • Enrolment data must be in 2 CD’s one for the elementary level Grades 3 and 6 and another one for Year 4 of secondary level. The two CD’s should be in duplicate copies: one for the printer of scannable answer sheets; another one for the printer of test booklets; and • Enrolment data sent thru e-mail and fax will not be accepted.

49. Guidelines on the Use of School ID’s • BEIS and NETRC are using similar school ID’s both recognized by the Department; • New schools without school ID’s are given temporary ones by the NETRC and no other sources to avoid duplication and to facilitate allocation of test materials; • The issued temporary school ID’s by NETRC will be used permanent for future test administration until such time when DepED issues another one; • In case the school ID’s differ from the School Header follow the one indicated in the School Header; and • Check the correctness of School ID’s used in the received Test Materials.

50. Matrix 1. Enrolment Data for the Elementary Level Matrix 2. Enrolment Data for the Secondary Level