The Department of Education (DepEd) officially launched the pilot implementation of the Strengthened Senior High School (SHS) Curriculum on June 16, 2025, in selected Grade 11 classes across the country. In the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), a total of 20 schools (16 public and 4 private) have been chosen to take part in this important phase. The pilot aims to provide valuable feedback from the field to help guide the national implementation of the revised curriculum by School Year 2026–2027.
This move addresses one of the major concerns during the original SHS rollout in 2016, which lacked a pilot phase. According to Regional Director Estela T. Leon-Carino, “The Department of Education has already conducted an assessment of the senior high school curriculum. Currently, changes are being made. However, before full implementation, these revisions must first be piloted in selected schools. We acknowledge that when senior high school was initially implemented, it was rolled out without a pilot phase. This time, due to the lessons we’ve learned, the revised curriculum will undergo a pilot implementation to ensure its effectiveness.”
The pilot curriculum was crafted in collaboration with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II), industry partners, academic institutions, DepEd officials, teachers, parents, and learners. It aims to streamline learning, give students more choices aligned with their goals, and improve employability and readiness for further education, jobs, or business. It also focuses on better alignment with national development needs and smoother transitions across different career and education pathways.
Schools in the region were carefully selected based on their diversity of elective offerings, sufficiency of qualified teachers, and availability of adequate learning facilities. In Baguio City, the participating schools are Baguio City National High School, Pines City National High School, and San Vicente National High School, all of which are public schools. In Benguet, the pilot includes two private schools: Cordillera Career Development College and Star Colleges Inc. and two public schools: Cordillera Regional Science High School and Mankayan National High School.
In Abra, four public schools were selected: Abra High School and Marc Ysrael B. Bernos Memorial National High School in Bangued, Gaddani National High School in Tayum, and San Quintin National High School. Apayao is represented by the public school Luna National High School. In Kalinga, there are six pilot schools with four public: Kalinga National High School, Kinama National High School, Macutay-Palao National High School, and Tabuk National High School; and two private: Saint William’s Academy–Bulanao and St. Paul’s Memorial School of Kalinga, Inc. In Mountain Province, Besao National High School, a public school, was selected, while Ifugao is represented by another public school, Sta. Maria National High School.
The Strengthened SHS Curriculum simplifies the previous four-track system into two primary pathways: the Academic Track and the Technical-Professional (TechPro) Track. Each Grade 11 learner is required to take five core subjects, namely: Effective Communication (Mabisang Komunikasyon), General Mathematics, General Science, Life and Career Skills, and Pag-aaral ng Kasaysayan at Lipunang Pilipino. Each subject is taught for 160 hours per year.
Students may also choose from elective subjects grouped into Tier 1 and Tier 2. Tier 1 electives are prioritized for this pilot implementation and include subjects such as Creative Composition, Contemporary Literature, Biology, and Business Accounting. Tier 2 electives focus on specialized fields like Arts, Business, and Sport. These electives are designed to build foundational and transferable skills across different fields.
For those in the TechPro track, electives are aligned with National Certificate (NC II) qualifications. These include courses in Tourism Services, ICT Support, Automotive Servicing, Allied Health Sciences, and Construction Technologies. Each TechPro elective requires 320 hours of instruction for the school year.
A key change in the strengthened curriculum is the extension of work immersion hours. Previously set at 80–320 hours, immersion now ranges from 320 to 640 hours, depending on the student’s chosen track or specialization. These practical learning experiences are meant to expose students to actual work environments and build real-world skills.
DepEd has set guidelines for class sizes to maintain quality. General classes should have a maximum of 40 learners, while electives involving lab or workshop activities should have no more than 25 learners. However, it is recognized that not all schools may be able to meet these standards immediately. A minimum of 15 students per track is encouraged, and a “doorway” option allows learners enrolled in one track to take electives from the other for instance, a student in the Academic track may still enroll in two TechPro electives, and vice versa.
To support the successful implementation of the pilot, DepEd has conducted teacher training both online and face-to-face. Teachers are being prepared to handle both core and elective subjects, and Learning Action Cells (LACs) will be activated to allow for collaboration and the sharing of teaching strategies. Schools are also expected to monitor the program closely, provide career guidance, ensure the readiness of their physical facilities, and align their resources with the new curriculum structure.
Chief Education Supervisor Jennifer P. Ande stressed the importance of beginning the rollout in pilot schools, stating, “We want the implementation of the strengthened senior high school curriculum to be successful. That’s why it’s crucial to begin with pilot schools, so that any gaps or issues that arise along the way can be addressed. These insights will help ensure that by the time we move to full implementation next school year, the process will be smoother compared to the initial rollout of senior high school. Monitoring of enrollment in pilot schools is still ongoing, so I am unable to provide final figures at this time. Hopefully, we will have the complete data by next week. Our teachers are ready, they are specialists capable of handling both core and elective subjects. The physical facilities, equipment, and laboratories in pilot schools are also being prepared to meet the curriculum’s requirements. Most importantly, the commitment of our school heads is vital to the success of this implementation. We have already conducted batch-by-batch training sessions for teachers, both face-to-face and online. In addition, we held workshops for the development of appropriate learning resources.”
Monitoring and evaluation will be conducted by DepEd, in partnership with the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS). DepEd will also continue to improve systems such as teacher reassignment, shared school programs (consortium), cross-enrollment, and micro-certifications, although these features will not be available during the first semester.
Funding for training, orientation, and monitoring will come from DepEd’s national budget, and all expenses will follow standard auditing procedures. An independent evaluation study of the pilot program will be carried out by DepEd, in partnership with the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS).
All teaching and learning materials, including sample lessons, are now available on the DepEd website. Schools may also use other reference materials to enrich instruction. For further inquiries or feedback, stakeholders are encouraged to contact the Technical Working Group at strengthenedshs@deped.gov.ph.
With CAR leading this critical step, DepEd hopes that the pilot implementation will help shape a more focused, practical, and learner-centered senior high school curriculum that responds better to the needs of students, communities, and the workforce. By Annjay Domilies
