December 2019

Department of Education
Department of Education Complex, Meralco Avenue, Pasig City
Philippines
Reader’s Guide

PISA Students
Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) students refer to the test takers of
PISA in the Philippines. They are students who were born in 2002, and who were enrolled in
secondary schools for School Year (SY) 2017-2018.

PISA-eligible students
PISA-eligible students are those who are 15 years and 3 months to 16 years and 2 months
at the time of testing.

Proficiency levels
PISA results are communicated using scales that are divided into proficiency levels. Each
level describes what students can do in the specific domain tested. Level 2 is considered the
international baseline proficiency level where students begin to demonstrate the competencies that
will enable them to actively and effectively participate in life situations.

Students are categorized by their proficiency level as:

High performers:
High performers are students who are proficient at Level 5 or above. They are considered to
be able to demonstrate high levels of skills and knowledge and are highly proficient in the
assessment domain.

Middle performers:
Middle performers are students who are proficient at Levels 2 to 4. They reached the
minimum level to be considered proficient. They are considered to have sufficient skills and
knowledge in the assessment domain.

Low performers:
Low performers are students who are below Level 2 proficiency. They are considered to be
able to demonstrate low levels of skills and knowledge in the assessment domain. Their proficiency
is too low to enable them to participate effectively and productively in everyday life.

The domains (also referred to as “subjects” in various PISA documents) of assessment are
defined in the PISA 2018 Assessment and Analytical Framework (OECD, 2019) as:
Reading Literacy is the students’ capacity to understand, use, evaluate, reflect on and
engage with texts in order to achieve one’s goals, develop one’s knowledge and potential, and
participate in society.

Mathematics Literacy is the students’ capacity to formulate, employ and interpret

mathematics in a variety of contexts. It includes reasoning mathematically and using
mathematical concepts, procedures, facts and tools to describe, explain and predict
phenomena.

Science Literacy is the students’ ability to engage with science-related issues, and with the
ideas of science, as a reflective citizen. A scientifically literate person is willing to engage in
reasoned discourse about science and technology, which requires the competencies to explain
phenomena scientifically, evaluate and design scientific enquiry, and interpret data and evidence
scientifically.

Average performance

Average performance is expressed in mean scores. The OECD average corresponds to the
arithmetic average of the scores of the OECD countries and economies. This can be used to assess
how a country compares with the OECD participating countries and economies as a whole. The
National Average refers to the arithmetic average of the scores of the Philippines in a specific
assessment domain.
List of Acronyms
ACTRC Assessment, Curriculum and Technology Research Centre
ASEAN Association of Southeast Asian Nations
BEST Basic Education Sector Transformation
CBA Computer-based Assessment
DepEd Department of Education
EMISD Education Management Information Systems Division
GPE Global Partnership for Education
ILSA International Large Scale Assessments
IRT Item Response Theory
JHS Junior High School
MS Main Survey
NC National Center
NEAP National Educators Academy of the Philippines
OECD Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
PISA Program for International Student Assessment
PPST Philippine Professional Standards for Teachers
PQM PISA Quality Monitors
PSGC Philippine Standard Geographical Code
PSA Philippine Statistics Authority
RCTQ Philippine National Research Center for Teacher Quality
SDG Sustainable Development Goals
SEA-PLM Southeast Asia Primary Learning Metrics
SDS Student Delivery System
SE Standard Error
SCQ School Questionnaire
SD Standard Deviation
SHS Senior High School
STQ Student Questionnaire
SY School Year
TIMSS Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study
UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

Executive Summary
The Department of Education (DepEd), mandated to ensure access to quality basic
education for all Filipinos, is committed to engage in various national and international system
assessments to guide its efforts to address the challenge of improving the quality of basic
education.

Towards this end, DepEd participated in the 2018 cycle of the Programme for International
Student Assessment (PISA), a triennial international assessment administered to 15-year old
learners, who are near the end of their compulsory basic education. Implemented by the
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), PISA specifically looks into the
learners’ ability to apply the knowledge they have gained in formal education to everyday situations.
The PISA results can provide relevant insights on student performance and inform policy decisions
of the Department.

For 2018, Reading Literacy was assessed as major domain, and Mathematical Literacy and
Scientific Literacy of the students were assessed as minor domains. Global Competence was also
included as an innovative assessment.

Some of the key findings in each domain are summarized below:

Reading Literacy

Filipino students obtained an average score of 340 points in Overall Reading Literacy, which was
significantly lower than the OECD average of 487 points.
1. Only 1 out of 5 Filipino students (19.4%) achieved at least the minimum proficiency level (Level 2)
in Overall Reading Literacy.
2. Among the participating ASEAN countries, Filipino students performed closest to but significantly
behind Indonesian students by 31 points in Overall Reading Literacy.
3. Among the Process tasks, Filipino student s obtained the highest mean scores in Locate
Information (343 points)
4. Between the two reading source subscales, Filipino students attained a higher average score in
Source - Multiple (341 points).
5. In the Philippines, female students performed significantly better than male students in Overall
Reading Literacy with a 27-point difference.
6. Majority of male students (84.82%) and female students (76.90%) did not obtain the minimum
proficiency level (Level 2) in Overall Reading Literacy.
7. Filipino students from private schools averaged 390 points, which was significantly higher than
public school students who averaged 328 points.
8. The mean Reading Literacy score of SHS students (428 points) was significantly higher than that
of JHS students (339 points).
9. The National Capital Region (NCR), Region 7 (Central Visayas), and Region 11 (Southern
Mindanao) achieved the highest Overall Reading Literacy average performance for their respective
island groups.
10. The mean Reading Literacy score of students residing in urban communities (355 points) was
significantly higher than the mean score of those living in rural communities (313 points).

Mathematical Literacy

Filipino students achieved an average score of 353 points in Mathematical Literacy, which was
significantly lower than the OECD average of 489 points.
1. Only 1 out of 5 Filipino students (19.7%) attained at least the minimum proficiency level (Level 2)
in Mathematical Literacy.
2. Among the participating ASEAN countries, Filipino students performed closest to but significantly
behind Indonesian students by 26 points in Mathematical Literacy.
3. The average Mathematical Literacy score of female students (358 points) was significantly higher
than that of male students (346 points).
4. The average Mathematical Literacy score of students in private schools (395 points) was
significantly higher than the average score of those in public schools (343 points).
5. SHS students performed significantly better than JHS students with a 96-point difference.
6. The National Capital Region (NCR) achieved the highest Mathematical Literacy average score
across all the administrative regions with 385 points.
7. Region 7 (Central Visayas) garnered the top average Mathematical Literacy score in the Visayas
group of islands, while Region 11 (Southern Mindanao) attained the highest in Mindanao.
8. Among the administrative regions, Region 6 (Western Visayas) had the highest percentage
(2.74%) of Level 4 proficient students in Mathematical Literacy.
9. The mean Mathematical Literacy score of students in urban areas (365 points) was significantly
higher than that of students in rural areas (329 points).

Scientific Literacy

1. Filipino students attained an average score of 357 points in Scientific Literacy, which was
significantly lower than the OECD average of 489 points.
2. Female students obtained an average score of 359 points for Scientific Literacy, which was
slightly higher but not significantly different from the average score of male students (355 points).
3. Students from private schools scored an average of 399 points in Scientific Literacy, which was
significantly higher than that of public school students who averaged at 347 points.
4. SHS students (439 points) performed significantly better than JHS students (356 points).
5. The National Capital Region (NCR) achieved the highest Scientific Literacy scores across all the
administrative regions included in the study.
6. Region 7 (Central Visayas) obtained the top average score for Scientific Literacy in the Visayas
group of islands, while Region 11 (Southern Mindanao) had the highest in Mindanao.
7. The average performance of students in urban areas for Scientific Literacy was 370 points, which
was significantly greater than the average performance of those in rural areas (333 points).

The PISA 2018 results reflect the urgency of improving the quality of basic education in the
Philippines. The Department will lead this national effort through “Sulong EduKalidad”, whereby it
will implement aggressive reforms in four key areas: (1) Upskilling teachers and school leaders
through a transformed professional development program; (2) Review and updating of curriculum;
(3) Continuous improvement of the learning environment; and (4) Multi-stakeholder cooperation.
This report covers the cognitive results of the PISA 2018. Supplemental reports analyzing
contextual variables will be released in the coming year to deepen understanding of student
performance, and provide further insights for DepEd’s push for education quality.

Introduction to PISA
PISA is the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) of the Organisation for
Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). It is a triennial international test first
administered to 43 participating countries in the year 2000. PISA looks into “the extent to which 15-
year-old students, near the end of their compulsory education, have acquired key knowledge and
skills that are essential for full participation in modern societies, with emphasis on how well students
can extrapolate from what they have learnt and can apply that knowledge in unfamiliar settings, both
in and outside of school” (OECD, 2018). This approach differs from other assessments that focus on
the students’ mastery of knowledge and skills from a specific curriculum.

PISA assessments cover three foundational domains, namely Reading Literacy,

Mathematical Literacy, and Scientific Literacy. The focus shifts among these three domains for each
assessment cycle, with the focus domain tested in greater detail than the two minor domains of the
cycle. Moreover, one innovative domain is included in the test every cycle. The previous innovative
domains were Creative Problem Solving in 2012, Collaborative Problem Solving in 2015, and
Financial Literacy in 2012 and 2015.

In addition, participating countries and economies may opt to have students, school
principals, and teachers answer background questionnaires that will contextualize the results of the
cognitive assessments. These background questionnaires seek information on:
Students and their family backgrounds, including their economic, social and cultural capital;
Aspects of students’ lives, such as their attitudes towards learning, their habits and life in and
outside of school, and their family environment;

Aspects of schools, such as the quality of the schools’ human and material resources, public and
private management and funding, decision-making processes, staffing practices, the school’s
curricular emphasis and the extracurricular activities it offers;

The context of instruction, including institutional structures and types, class size, classroom and
school climate, and reading activities in class; and

Aspects of learning, including students’ interest, motivation and engagement (OECD, 2015).
PISA 2018 is the seventh PISA cycle, and was participated in by around 600,000 15-year old
students from 79 OECD and partner countries (see Figure 1 and Table 1). It focused on Reading
Literacy as the major domain, while Mathematical Literacy and Scientific Literacy were the minor
domains. It also included a test on Global Competence as an innovative assessment. This cycle
was delivered through a two-hour computer based assessment (CBA), except for nine countries that
opted for the pen-and-paper mode of testing, namely Argentina, Jordan, Lebanon, the Republic of
Moldova, North Macedonia, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine and Vietnam. A multistage adaptive
approach was also applied for the first time in Reading Literacy.

Philippines’ Participation in PISA

Republic Act No. 9155 (RA No. 9155), otherwise known as the Governance of Basic
Education Act of 2001, mandates the Department of Education (DepEd) to formulate national
educational policies to improve the delivery of its services and achieve basic education outcomes. In
line with this, DepEd implemented Republic Act No. 10533 (RA No. 10533) entitled “Enhanced
Basic Education Act”, also known as the K to 12 Program, which aims to equip Filipino learners with
skills and competencies that address the demands of the 21st Century.
In support of the K to 12 program, part of Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones’ 10-Point
Agenda is the continuous improvement of the basic education system. Amidst the significant
developments of improving ACCESS, DepEd is also geared towards achieving QUALITY basic
education. This declaration of commitment is in consonance with the objectives under Sustainable
Development Goal (SDG) 4: Quality Education.
Assessment plays an important role in determining the quality of basic education. In the
context of the K to 12 Program, assessment results shall be used to look into the learners’
performance so that relevant and responsive policies/programs/reforms can be introduced to further
improve teaching and learning quality. One of the initiatives of assessing performance is the
Department’s participation in international large-scale assessments (ILSAs), which aims to achieve
the following purposes as outlined in DepEd Order No. 29, s. 2017 (Policy Guidelines on System
Assessment in the K to 12 Basic Education Program):
1. Establish baselines for the basic education system and the implementation of the K to 12
curriculum in schools in terms of teaching and learning;
2. Monitor the implementation of the K to 12 cturriculum in schools in terms of teaching and
learning;
3. Measure effectiveness of instructional reforms that are part of the K to 12 basic education
program;
4. Generate reliable data for purposes of benchmarking;
5. Provide bases for the improvement of programs for learner development, curriculum
implementation and school effectiveness; and
6. Provide evidence that will aid policy formulation, planning and programming at the division,
regional and national levels.

In particular, PISA assesses students nearing the end of their compulsory education and the
Philippines’ participation in PISA will provide DepEd an additional tool to measure the effectiveness
of the enhanced curriculum and its delivery systems. DepEd can utilize the PISA 2018 results to
understand how Filipino students apply what they have learned in everyday contexts. With the
global advancement and rapid technological changes brought about by the digital era and Industry
4.0, PISA shall provide timely and relevant insights on student performance and inform policy
decisions and preparations of the Department.

Mathematical Literacy
How does PISA 2018 assess Mathematical Literacy?

Mathematics Literacy was assessed as the major domain in the 2003 and 2012 cycles of
PISA. Its analytical framework is captured by Figure 16.
Figure 16. Mathematics Literacy Framework from the PISA 2012 International Report

What can Filipino students do in mathematics?

This section provides the average scores and the proficiency levels of the Filipino students in
Mathematical Literacy. Both aggregated and disaggregated summary statistics describing the
performance of the students in Mathematical Literacy are presented in this section.

Overall Performance

Figure 17 shows the national average scores of participating ASEAN countries vis-à-vis the OECD
average in Mathematical Literacy.

Filipino students achieved an average of 353 points in Mathematical Literacy; this is

significantly lower than the OECD average (489 points) and is classified as below Level 1
proficiency. As discussed in the PISA 2018 International report (OECD, 2019):

The PISA mathematics test included too few tasks of the appropriate difficulty
that would help describe an additional level of proficiency below Level 1. However,
based on the few PISA 2012 mathematics items whose difficulty lies below Level 1
(four of which were also included in the PISA 2018 mathematics assessment),
students who score below Level 1, but not too far from it, can be expected to perform
 some direct and straightforward mathematical tasks. These include reading a single
value from a well-labelled chart or table, where the labels on the chart match the
words in the stimulus and question, so that the selection criteria are clear and the
relationship between the chart and the aspects of the context depicted are evident.
They may also be able to perform simple arithmetic calculations with whole numbers
by following clear and well-defined instructions.

In contrast, a typical student from OECD countries would be in Proficiency Level 3 and can
already execute clearly described procedures, including those that require sequential decisions, with
sufficiently sound interpretations.
Among the ASEAN countries that participated in PISA 2018, Filipino students scored closest to
Indonesian students but significantly lower by 26 points. On the other hand, Singapore was the only
participating ASEAN country that attained an average Mathematical Literacy score higher than the
OECD average.

Figure 18 shows the percentage distribution of Filipino students across Mathematical

Literacy proficiency levels vis-a-vis the distribution of students in OECD and in other participating
ASEAN countries.

Figure 18. Distribution of the Filipino Students in Overall Mathematical Literacy by Proficiency Level

Majority of Filipino students (80.70%) were classified as having Proficiency Levels below
Level 2, with 54.4% below Level 1 proficiency.

For the Philippines, only 1 out 5 students (19.7%) attained Proficiency Levels 2 to 4. These
students can employ basic algorithms, formulae, procedures or conventions to solve problems
involving whole numbers.

Only 0.01% of students performed within Proficiency Levels 5 to 6. They can develop and
work with models for complex situations, identifying constraints and specifying assumptions. They
can also apply this insight and understanding, along with a mastery of symbolic and formal
mathematical operations and relationships, to develop new approaches and strategies for attacking
novel situations.

Performance by gender

Figure 19 presents the mean scores of OECD participating countries and the Philippines by gender.
 In the Philippines, the average Mathematical Literacy score of female students was 358
points, significantly lower than the average score of OECD female students (487 points). Similarly,
the mean score of male students from the Philippines (346 points) was significantly lower than the
mean score of male students from OECD (492 points).

The average score of female students were classified as Proficiency Level 1, while the male
average score fell below Level 1 proficiency. No significant difference was found between the mean
scores of female and male students from OECD. On the other hand, female students performed
significantly better than male students in the Philippines.

Figure 20 illustrates the distribution of Filipino students across proficiency levels in

Mathematical Literacy by gender.

Figure 20. Percentage distribution of Filipino students across proficiency levels in Mathematical Literacy by Gender

More than half of male (58.23%) and female (51.09%) students performed below Level 1
proficiency. Meanwhile, 23.72% of male students and 28.54% of female students were at
Proficiency Level 1. More male students in the Philippines were classified as below Level 1
proficient than female students; moreover, there were more female students in Levels 1 to 3 of the
mathematical proficiency scale.

On the other hand, the proportion of male students in the Proficiency Levels 4 to 6 was
higher than the proportion of female students. For instance, the high performers (i.e., those with
Proficiency Levels 5 to 6) of male students comprised 0.11% – just slightly higher than the 0.05% of
female students.
Note:

This is lifted from the national Report of the Philippines particularly the Department of
Education (DepEd). Only the portion of the report related to the Mathematics proficiency of the
students were highlighted in this presentation. For more information to the complete report, this is
downloadable in the internet.

Prepared by:

Apolinaria Daquioag- Andres, PhD

Math 74 Professor