EFFECTS OF K-12 CURRICULUM AND COVID 19 IN BOARD EXAMINATIONS

By Dr. Rex Casiple

(Conclusion)

In November 2024, the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) Board of Nursing announced that twenty-nine thousand three hundred forty-nine (29,349) out of 34,534 examinees nationwide, or 85%, passed the Philippine Nurse Licensure Examination (PNLE). So far, this was the highest PNLE passing percentage in the last five years. The first-takers’ passing percentage was 93.7%. In Region VI, the first-takers’ passing percentage was 95.61%. Saint Paul University – Iloilo and West Visayas State University ranked number 1 at the national level with a 100% passing percentage.

The PRC Board of Civil Engineering announced that a total of 6,835 out of 18,436 examinees nationwide, or 37%, passed the November and December 2024 Civil Engineers Licensure Examination. Carlos Hilado Memorial State University in Talisay City, Negros Occidental ranked number 2 in the said examination. In Region VI, the first-takers’ passing percentage was 46.72%. The passing performance in Region VI over the last five years, CY 2019 to CY 2024, with three years in virtual or hybrid teaching modes, increased from 37% to 39%. Meanwhile, the national-level performance over the last five years remained at 38%. The first-takers’ performance in Region VI over the last five years, CY 2019 to CY 2024, with three years in virtual or hybrid teaching modes, slightly decreased from 51% to 49%. Meanwhile, the first-takers’ performance at the national level increased from 47% to 50%.

In September 2024, the PRC Board of Professional Teachers released the results of the Licensure Examinations for Professional Teachers (LEPT). Twenty thousand twenty-five (20,025) out of 44,002, or 45.5%, passed the LEPT – Elementary. West Visayas State University (WVSU) ranked number 1, while Carlos Hilado Memorial State University (CHMSU) in Talisay City, Negros Occidental ranked number 6 in the said examination. The passing average of first-timers was 74.95%. In Region VI, the passing average of first-timers was 80.83%. On the other hand, 48,875 out of 85,909, or 56.89%, passed the LEPT – Secondary. The passing average of first-timers was 77.34%. In Region VI, the passing average was 81.53%. West Visayas State University ranked number 2, and West Visayas State University – Himamaylan Campus (WVSU-Himamaylan) ranked number 10 in the said examination.

This study showed the high performance of first-taker examinees in all selected disciplines: Engineering, Health-Related, and Teacher Education. The overall passing performance in these disciplines in Region VI was 70.88%. The overall performance at the national level was 69.39%. When grouped by discipline, the passing average of first-taker examinees in engineering licensure examinations in Region VI was 61.53%, while at the national level, it was 62.62%; the passing average of first-taker examinees in health-related profession licensure examinations in Region VI was 91.06%, while at the national level, it was 88.07%; and the passing average of first-taker examinees in teacher licensure examinations in Region VI was 85.75%, while at the national level, it was 76.11%.

Therefore, this high passing average of first-takers in various selected board examinations indicates the quality of education acquired by our engineering, health-related, and teacher education graduates during the implementation of the K-12 curriculum and even during the COVID-19 pandemic, when most of the classes attended by students were conducted online or in virtual mode.

Finally, the results of this study also showed the effectiveness of schools’ compliance with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) policies, standards, and guidelines for these three disciplines in higher education.