Professional Documents
Culture Documents
PBEd BLEPT Study
PBEd BLEPT Study
List of Figures
List of Tables
Table 1: Number of TEIs with BLEPT takers, by grade and main categories 8
Table 2: Regional distribution of BLEPT elementary passers and takers: 2010-2022 13
Table 3: Regional distribution of BLEPT secondary passers and takers: 2010-2022 13
Table 4: Poverty Incidence (2021), NAT scores (2018), and BLEPT Elementary Passing
Rates (2021), by region 14
Table 5: Number of high- and low-performing TEIS in the BLEPT elementary based
on the performance of all takers: 2010-2022 19
Table 6: Number of high- and low-performing TEIS in the BLEPT secondary based on
the performance of all takers: 2010-2022 19
Table 7: Number of high- and low-performing TEIs in the BLEPT elementary based
on the performance of first-time takers: 2010-2022 20
Table 8: Number of high- and low-performing TEIs in the BLEPT secondary based on
the performance of first-time takers: 2010-2022 20
2
Table of Contents
Executive Summary 4
1 Introduction 5
2 Data and methodology 6
2.1 Teacher education landscape in the Philippines 6
3 Results and discussion 7
3.1 Measuring the quality of teacher education programs 7
3.1.1 BLEPT takers, passers, and passing rate 8
3.1.2 BLEPT passing rates by major geographic location 11
3.1.3 BLEPT passing rates by institution type 14
3.1.4 BLEPT passing rates by CHED program classification 16
3.1.5 Comparing high- and low-performing TEIs 17
4 Summary and policy recommendations 20
5 References 23
Annex 1: Supplementary figures 24
Annex 2: Policies on Re-Examination 26
Annex 3: List of the top 10 and bottom 10 teacher education institutions based on
overall passing rates 1
3
Executive Summary
Results from international assessments which show the poor performance of Filipino
students in reading, mathematics, and science served as a wake-up call to develop
urgent solutions to improve the current education landscape in the Philippines. An
important area that needs to be tackled is on teacher quality, which has been
long-established in the literature as a key determinant in student learning outcomes.
The poor performance of Board Licensure Exam for Professional Teachers (BLEPT)
takers over the past decade puts into question the educational quality of teacher
education institutions (TEI) in the country as well as its relevance and
appropriateness as an exam to screen professional teachers.
This study analyzed the performance of teacher education institutions using the
12-year data from the Professional Regulatory Commission (PRC), covering
information on the performance of BLEPT takers. Results from the study suggest
that the average passing rate of BLEPT takers from 2010-2022 is less than in other
disciplines. The findings also suggest higher passing rates among first-time takers
than repeaters. Alternatively, this means that there is a higher likelihood of failure
among those who retake the exam. Regional disparities in passing rates are
observed, where TEIs in Luzon (i.e., NCR and other Luzon) perform better than others.
On the other hand, Mindanao exhibits the lowest regional passing rate, which is
mainly driven by the extremely low score of BARMM. Concomitantly, poverty rates
and national achievement test (NAT) scores tend to be positively correlated with
BLEPT passing rates. By type of institution and ownership, private sectarian higher
education institutions (HEIs), Centers of Excellence (COEs), and Centers of
Development (CODs) outperform others. Contrary to expectations, however, high
passing rates do not seem to be sustained by all COEs and CODs.
Apart from characterizing the TEIs, the study also classified them into
high-performing and low-performing categories. High-performing TEIs pertain to
those with an overall passing rate of at least 75% in at least 7 out of the 12 years, from
2010 to 2022. On the other hand, low-performing TEIs pertain to those with an overall
passing rate of at most 25% in the same period. Based on overall passing rates of TEIs
with at least 300 takers, only 2.2% of TEIs are classified as high-performing while
34.8% are low-performing for BLEPT elementary. Meanwhile, the proportion of both
high-performing and low-performing TEIs is lower for BLEPT secondary, which stood
at 2.0% and 24.4%, respectively. The share of high-performing TEIs is highest in NCR,
while the share of low-performing TEIs is highest in Mindanao. At a more granular
level, data from BARMM shows that 34 out of its 39 TEIs are considered
low-performing. Private sectarian TEIs and COEs have the highest proportion of
high-performing schools. However, it is noteworthy that not all COEs are classified as
4
high-performing, and that one of the CODs is even considered low-performing. The
analysis shows that the majority of COEs have average passing rates lower than 75%
percent from 2010 to 2022 for both BLEPT elementary and secondary.
The key recommendations include: (1) tight monitoring of TEI performance and
building more COEs per region; (2) analyze the feasibility of licensing TEIs and(or)
establishing a tiered licensing system for TEI graduates; (3) closing down of teacher
education programs of consistently low-performing TEIs; (4) implementing a 3-strike
rule for repeaters; and (5) developing and publishing granular and regular data on
TEI performance. Ultimately, the study is not without limitations. An important
caveat is that the study does not measure the relevance of the BLEPT questions
vis-à-vis the competencies needed by professional teachers as stated in the
Philippine Professional Standards for Teachers (PPSTs). Perhaps, a better question to
ask for further analysis is on whether the BLEPT itself is the best way to assess the
competencies needed by professional teachers.
1 Introduction
The education crisis persists in the Philippines, as revealed by the poor performance
of Filipino students in international large-scale assessments (Generalao et. al 2022).
Results from the 2018 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) revealed
that 15-year old students have one of the lowest scores in reading, mathematics, and
science among the countries that were surveyed (DepEd 2019). The dismal
performance is further confirmed in the 2019 Trends in International Mathematics
and Science Study (TIMMS) report which showed that Grade 4 Filipinos obtained the
lowest scores in mathematics and science among the 58 countries included in the
survey.
The poor performance of students could be traced back to the low quality of basic
education, where low teacher qualification is considered a major contributor (Orbeta
and Pacqueo 2022). Hanushek and Rivkin (2006) found large disparities in learning
outcomes among students who are subject to effective and ineffective teachers.
Students who are in an ineffective teacher’s classroom for 2 years could put them
behind a full year compared to those who are taught by average teachers. Hansen
(2014) also finds some evidence that simply allocating more students to effective
teachers could boost student achievements.
5
elementary or high school teacher can correctly answer less than half of the
questions on subject content tests. The analysis also suggests that a lot of the
teachers have some understanding of the subject area but did not have critical
problem-solving skills required for effective curriculum delivery.
Licensure examinations are implemented with the goal of ensuring the eligibility of
every candidate to teach based on a certain set of standards (Libman 2016; Abdallah
and Musah 2021). In the Philippines, this requirement is stipulated in Republic Act
No. 7836 or the Philippine Teachers Professionalization Act of 1994 (as amended by
Republic Act No. 9293). The law required graduates to acquire a college degree in
teacher education and pass the Board Licensure Exam for Professional Teachers
(BLEPT). BLEPT passing rates in most years are lower than those in other disciplines,
which could be indicative of gaps in teacher education.
The onus of passing the BLEPT is not only borne by the student, but also by higher
education institutions (HEIs) which offer teacher education programs (i.e., teacher
education institutions or TEIs), as their programs should reflect the competencies
needed from a professional teacher. As previous research suggests, academically
prepared teachers are better equipped in facilitating student learning (Olson 2020), it
is necessary to ensure that the TEIs meet the necessary standards to produce highly
effective teachers.
The study utilized 12-year data on the performance of TEIs in the BLEPT, compiled
from the Professional Regulatory Commission (PRC) website. It includes information
on the number of overall takers and passers and number of first-time passers and
takers from April 2010 to October 2022 (excluding 2020)1. This was merged with the
data on TEI characteristics as of AY 2021-2022 from CHED. The TEI-level data covers
information on the following items: region, type of ownership, and CHED program
classification.
Note that the dataset used in the analysis has some limitations. First, TEI names in
the dataset may display some difference from the actual name of TEIs, as it is based
on the entries from examinees as recorded by the PRC. Second, some of the TEIs
included in the dataset might not have education programs, as the TEI information is
mainly based on the undergraduate degree of applicants rather than the school
where the Certificate in Teaching Program of some applicants was obtained. Finally,
1
In 2020, the BLEPT was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and therefore by default, there were no
exam takers during this time.
6
some programs of TEIs may have been recently closed down by CHED but are still
reflected in the dataset as their graduates retake the BLEPT.
A descriptive research design is adapted with the aim of understanding factors that
may affect TEI performance in the BLEPT. In this regard, cross-tabulations between
passing rates and different TEI characteristics were created. These were later
visualized through bar charts and line charts for easier examination of existing
trends. Additional analysis was also conducted to determine the high-performing
and low-performing TEIs.
As of Academic Year (AY) 2019-2020, over 1,500 HEIs out of 1,975 HEIs (2,396 HEIs
including satellite campuses) offer education science and teaching training in the
Philippines (CHED 2020; Yambot and Cambel 2020). These HEIs cater to a large and
increasing number of students. The number of students in these courses increased
over the years, and in 2020, they accounted for almost 20% of all students enrolled in
HEIs, the second largest across all other higher education program offerings. Despite
remaining popular among students, graduation rates in teacher education courses
tend to be consistently low (Figure 1).
7
Apart from low graduation rates, most recent available data also suggests that there
is still much room for improvement in faculty qualifications among HEIs in general,
as only 39% of the faculty obtained graduate degrees, and about 15% have PhD
degrees (CHED 2020). High-performing TEIs mainly include teachers with advanced
degrees while low-performing TEIs tend to have more teachers with a baccalaureate
degree (Yambot and Cambel 2020). This could suggest an oversight on faculty
qualifications among low-performing TEIs, given that the CHED Memorandum No.
74 and 75 series of 2017 requires teachers in teacher education programs to have a
master’s degree in education or a related discipline. The faculty qualifications could
be an important area to consider when aiming to improve the quality of TEIs. An
earlier study shows a significantly positive relationship between the number of
faculty with MS/PhD degrees and the number of Centers of Development (CODs)
(Manasan 2012).
Teacher licensure examinations are instituted with the aim of ensuring only qualified
teachers gain access to teaching. This ideology is reflected in the Republic Act No.
7836 or the Philippine Teachers Professionalization Act of 1994 (as amended by
Republic Act No. 9293) officially prescribed a licensing exam for teachers. The
examination for elementary level teachers has two parts, namely professional
education, and general education. On the other hand, the secondary-level
examination consists of tests on professional education, general education, and field
of specialization. The field of specialization test qualifies the teacher at the secondary
level to teach in the discipline for which he or she has passed. Considering that
licensure exams are supposed to encapsulate the teaching competencies taught in
school, passing rate in these exams are often used as a proxy for the quality of
instruction or TEIs (Manasan 2012; Generelao et. al 2022).
To date, most of the TEIs which have BLEPT elementary and BLEPT secondary
takers are in Luzon (i.e., NCR and other Luzon) and are classified as private
non-sectarian, while only a small proportion qualify as COEs or CODs.
More than half of the TEIs with BLEPT elementary (50.5%) and BLEPT secondary
(85.1%) takers are in NCR and other regions in Luzon (Table 1). These regions also
house a large proportion (approximately 60%) of the Centers of Excellence (COEs)
and Centers of Development (CODs). By institutional type, private non-sectarian
schools dominate others by volume, therefore accounting to approximately half of
the TEIs with BLEPT elementary (49.4%) and BLEPT secondary (56.5%) takers.
8
Table 1: Number of TEIs with BLEPT takers, by grade and main categories
Elementary Secondary
Major Geographic Location
NCR 141 306
Other Luzon 649 1,024
Visayas 310 442
Mindanao 463 580
Unknown 0 4
Institution type
Local Universities and Colleges 107 120
State Universities and Colleges 458 573
Private Sectarian 216 312
Private Non-Sectarian 772 1,332
Other HEIs 10 19
CHED Program Classification
COE 25 36
COD 15 35
Non-COE/COD 1,523 2,285
Total 1,563 2,356
Source: Author’s calculations from PRC and CHED data.
There was a steady increase in the number of BLEPT takers and passers in the past
decade (Figure 2). The overall number of BLEPT elementary takers has doubled from
66,727 in 2010 to 162,741 in 2019 while the number of BLEPT secondary takers has
tripled from 61,310 to 219,487 in the same period. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the
BLEPT was canceled in 2020, and therefore there were no exam takers during this
year. The exams resumed in 2021, although exhibiting a dramatic decline in the
number of takers relative to previous years. This may be explained by the
implementation of physical distancing measures in testing centers and mandatory
testing among suspected cases with exposure to COVID-19 (PRC Joint Administrative
Order No. 2021- 01). Further, there was only one round of exams conducted in 2021.
The number of takers bounced back in 2022, which may capture the stock of
graduates who were unable to take the BLEPT in the past 2 years. No significant
improvements in passing rates for both BLEPT elementary and BLEPT secondary
were observed across the years, except for 2021 and 2022, where the highest passing
rates were recorded.
9
Figure 2: Overall BLEPT elementary and secondary passing rates: 2010–2022
Overall passing rate of LET examinees are lower than other courses/licensure
exams.
Most recent available data from the PRC suggests that BLEPT passing rates are lower
than those in other professional board examinations. Based on average overall
passing rates from 2010 to 2022, BLEPT elementary obtained the lowest passing rates
among professional board examinations, with approximately one-thirds of its takers
passing the exams (Figure 3). While the passing rate in BLEPT secondary is higher, it
still suggests that less than half of the takers are qualified enough to be teachers,
based on the criteria set in the exam.
10
Higher passing rates are observed among first-time takers relative to repeaters.
This suggests the higher likelihood of failure among those who take the exam
again.
Figure 4: BLEPT elementary number of takers and passing rates, by first-time takers
and repeaters: 2010-2022
11
Figure 5: BLEPT secondary number of takers and passing rates, by first-time takers
and repeaters:2010-2022
One possible factor that may explain the spike in the passing rates in 2021 is the
unusually low total number of takers, composed mainly of first-time takers
(Figure 6). In 2021, the percentage share of first-time takers for BLEPT elementary
and BLEPT secondary stood at 79.5% and 85.2%, respectively. This is considerably
higher than the shares in the preceding. To add, data for 2021 only reflects one
round of examinations which were conducted in September. Historical data
suggests that there are typically more first-time takers during this period (Annex
Figure 1). A large difference in performance is observed between March and
September intakes, with the latter being substantially higher (Annex Figure 2
and Annex Figure 3).
12
Figure 6: Distribution of BLEPT first-time and repeat takers: 2010-2022
Note: No exam takers for 2020 due to the cancellation of the PRC licensure exams.
Source: Author’s calculations from the PRC data.
At the TEI level, approximately 56% of TEIs in BLEPT elementary and secondary
have passing rates below the 12-year average national passing rate for overall
takers. Meanwhile, it’s approximately 45.7% and 49.4% for first time takers of BLEPT
elementary and BLEPT secondary, respectively.
Big regional disparities in overall and first-time passing rates remain persistent,
with BARMM ranking last (Figure 7).
Across all periods, BLEPT elementary and BLEPT secondary passing rates are highest
in the National Capital Region (NCR), while lowest in Mindanao. The gap between the
overall passing rates in the two regions is large, showing an average of 20 percentage
point difference for BLEPT elementary and a 22-percentage point difference for
BLEPT secondary from 2010 to 2022. Meanwhile, passing rates in Visayas are
comparable to the average of other regions in Luzon.
13
Figure 7: BLEPT passing rates by major geographic location: 2010-2022
A closer look at regional performance reveals that the passing rates from the
Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) tends to drive
down the average performance in Mindanao (Table 2 and Table 3). The average
overall passing rates from 2010 to 2022 stood at 15.8% for BLEPT elementary and 12.6%
for BLEPT secondary, which is extremely low even when just comparing with its
regional counterparts where overall passing rates range from 27.9% (Zamboanga
Peninsula) to 47.0% (Davao Region). Meanwhile, BARMM’s passing rate for first-time
takers is only marginally higher than its overall passing rate, which means first-time
takers have the almost same passing rate as repeaters.
14
Region III (Central Luzon) 9 31,263 90,682 36.5 48.0
Region IV-A (CALABARZON) 6 28,624 86,881 38.9 54.4
MIMAROPA Region 12 12,313 40,768 32.4 48.9
Region V (Bicol Region) 10 37,293 127,805 36.1 48.5
Region VI (Western Visayas) 5 32,756 77,845 41.4 55.5
Region VII (Central Visayas) 4 37,135 96,108 41.5 55.1
Region VIII (Eastern Visayas) 13 27,647 94,201 31.2 47.9
Region IX (Zamboanga 16 19,429 85,683 27.9 35.4
Peninsula)
Region X (Northern Mindanao) 7 23,490 72,518 37.8 52.5
Region XI (Davao Region) 3 14,590 34,883 42.8 58.2
Region XII (SOCCSKSARGEN) 14 18,534 74,531 30.3 40.8
Region XIII (CARAGA) 15 13,267 45,545 28.9 42.7
Bangsamoro Autonomous 17 16,417 144,456 15.8 21.7
Region in
Muslim Mindanao (BARMM)
Total 375,304 1,229,938 36.6 49.7
Note: The passing rates pertain to the average passing rates of TEIs from 2010 to 2022 by region. It is not
computed using the total number of passers and takers.
Source: Author’s calculations from PRC data.
15
Region XI (Davao Region) 2 34,213 73,031 47.0 60.0
Region XII (SOCCSKSARGEN) 15 29,096 91,364 31.6 40.8
Region XIII (CARAGA) 12 14,038 41,421 32.5 47.5
Bangsamoro Autonomous 17 9,913 57,206 12.6 18.8
Region in
Muslim Mindanao (BARMM)
Unknown 11 32 31.2 51.7
Total 571,429 1,499,593 39.5 51.6
Note: The passing rates pertain to the average passing rates of TEIs from 2010 to 2022 by region. It is not
computed using the total number of passers and takers.
Source: Author’s calculations from PRC data.
BLEPT passing rates, NAT scores, and poverty tend to follow a similar pattern
across regions.
Table 4: Poverty Incidence (2021), NAT scores (2018), and BLEPT Elementary Passing
Rates (2021), by region
16
Region VI (Western Visayas) 13.8 37.9 38.1 32.3 41.4
Region VII (Central Visayas) 22.1 39.1 39.8 33.1 41.5
Region VIII (Eastern Visayas) 22.2 38.2 38 32.5 31.2
Region IX (Zamboanga 23.4 34.9 35.8 30.5 27.9
Peninsula)
Region X (Northern Mindanao) 19.2 37.2 37.8 32.2 37.8
Region XI (Davao Region) 11.9 37 37.4 32.1 42.8
Region XII (SOCCSKSARGEN) 21.4 38.1 38 32.8 30.3
Region XIII (CARAGA) 25.9 38.7 38.2 32.9 28.9
Bangsamoro Autonomous 29.8 42.8 41.1 36.0 15.8
Region in Muslim Mindanao
(BARMM)
Sources: Author’s compilation of data from PSA, PRC, and DepED.
From 2010 to 2022, the average overall passing rates of private sectarian TEIs is at
42.6% for BLEPT elementary and 49.5% for BLEPT secondary. Overall passing rates of
LUCs and SUCs are slightly lower for BLEPT elementary, which are both
approximately 40%. A more substantial gap between private sectarian TEIs and
public TEIs is observed in BLEPT secondary, where overall passing rates of LUCs and
SUCs are at 43.1% and 34.7%, respectively. Passing rates for private non-sectarian TEIs
fall behind, with an average overall passing rate of 31.2% for BLEPT elementary and
35.9% for BLEPT secondary. This makes approximately 65.6% and 58.1% of them fall
below the national average for BLEPT elementary and BLEPT secondary, respectively.
17
Figure 8: BLEPT passing rates by institution type: 2010-2022
Note: The caps of the box plot represent the minimum and maximum values, while the dots correspond
to those considered as outliers. The vertical line inside the blue box represents the median value. The
ends of the box represent the upper and lower quartiles, while the box itself represents the interquartile
range. The data includes all TEIs which have more than 300 BLEPT takers from 2010 to 2022.
Source: Author’s calculations from PRC and CHED data.
18
3.1.4 BLEPT passing rates by CHED program classification
68% of COEs and 86.7% of CODs are not high-performing or have overall passing
rates below 75% in BLEPT elementary. Observed proportions are higher in BLEPT
secondary, where 80.6% and 91.4% of COEs and CODs, respectively, are not
high-performing.
The performance of TEIs in COEs and CODs may be explained by the criteria set by
CHED for program classification (Yambot and Cambel 2020). One of CHED’s
requirements to be accredited as a COE and COD is to rank in top 10 and top 20,
respectively, for 3 consecutive years (CHED Memorandum No. 26 series of 2007).
However, high passing rates do not seem to be sustained by all TEIs which gain the
COE and COD status. For instance, more than two-thirds of COEs and CODs have
average passing rates lower than 75% percent from 2010 to 2022. One of the CODs
(i.e., Zamboanga City State Polytechnic College) even recorded an average overall
passing rate of merely 13.8% for BLEPT secondary in the same period. By being
accredited, COEs and CODs are already assumed to have met the standards imposed
by CHED, which might have encouraged complacency.
Figure 10: COEs and CODs with less than 75% overall passing rates from 2010 – 2022
19
3.1.5 Comparing high- and low-performing TEIs
This study follows the classification used by Yambot and Cambel (2020) in
determining high- and low-performing TEIs but extending the period of analysis to
2022. Following their criteria, only TEIs with more than 300 examinees from 2010 to
2022 were captured in the analysis.2 High-performing TEIs pertain to those with an
overall passing rate of at least 75% in at least 7 out of the 12 years, from 2010 to 2022.
On the other hand, low-performing TEIs pertain to those with an overall passing rate
of at most 25% in the same time frame.
Based on overall passing rates of TEIs with at least 300 takers, only 2.2% of TEIs
are classified as high-performing while 34.8% are low-performing for BLEPT
elementary (Table 5).
When taking into account the full list of TEIs regardless of the number of takers, this
means that only 1.1% of the TEIs are considered high performing. For BLEPT
secondary, both the percentage of high-performing and low-performing TEIs with at
least 300 takers is lower, which is at 2.0% and 24.4%, respectively (Table 6). When
filtering out to the first-time takers, the proportion of high-performing TEIs increases
and low-performing TEIs decreases substantially (Table 7 and Table 8).
By geographic location: NCR tends to stand-out, with 17.1% of its TEIs in the
high-performing category, which is relatively higher than those in other regions
where the percentage is only 2% and below. Meanwhile, the proportion of
low-performing TEIs in Mindanao suggest that more than half of its TEIs (with more
than 300 takers in the past 12 years) have extremely low passing rates. In the case of
BARMM, 34 out of the 39 TEIs in BLEPT elementary are considered low-performing.
By institution type: Private sectarian TEIs tend to have the highest proportion of
high-performing schools for both BLEPT elementary and BLEPT secondary, which is
more than 5%. On the other hand, more than half (54%) of private non-sectarian TEIs
are low-performing for BLEPT elementary. While there are only a few number of
LUCs considered as high-performing, the percentage of its low-performing TEIs is
considerably lower than the other institutional types, at least based on the
performance of all takers.
2
Following the explanation in Yambot and Cambel (2020), top performing schools released
by PRC considers 50 or more examinees. The same rule is applied in this study, but is adapted
to accommodate 12-year data. There will be more than 300 examinees considering that there
are at least 50 examinees in at least six out of 12 years.
20
By CHED program classification: It is unsurprising that the highest proportion of
high-performing TEIs are found in COEs. On the other hand, it is also puzzling as to
why not all COEs are high-performers. As such, only 33.3% and 17.1% of COEs (with
over 300 takers in the past decade) qualify as high-performers in BLEPT elementary
and BLEPT secondary, respectively. Lower proportion of high-performers is observed
among CODs. In fact, one which is even considered as a low-performer in BLEPT
secondary.
Table 5: Number of high- and low-performing TEIS in the BLEPT elementary based
on the performance of overall takers: 2010-2022
A = Number of B = Number of C = Number of
high-performing % low-performing % TEIs in category
TEIs (> or equal to (A/C) TEIs (< or equal (B/C) (> or equal to
75%) to 25%) 300 takers)
Major Geographic Location
NCR 6 17.1 5 14.3 35
Other Luzon 5 1.4 112 32.5 345
Visayas 4 2.1 38 19.8 192
Mindanao 3 1.2 132 52.4 252
Institution Type
LUCs 1 1.6 8 12.9 62
SUCs 10 3.5 46 16.3 283
Private Sectarian 7 5.6 37 31.9 116
Private Non-Sectarian 0 0.0 195 54.0 361
CHED program classification
COE 8 33.3 0 0.0 24
COD 1 7.7 1 7.7 13
Non-COE/COD 9 1.1 286 36.3 787
Total 18 2.2 287 34.8 824
Source: Authors’ calculations from PRC and CHED data
21
Table 6: Number of high- and low-performing TEIS in the BLEPT secondary based on
the performance of overall takers: 2010-2022
A = Number of B = Number of C = Number of
high-performing % low-performing % TEIs in category
TEIs (> or equal (A/C) TEIs (< or equal (B/C) (> or equal to
to 75%) to 25%) 300 takers)
Major Geographic Location
NCR 5 8.1 3 4.8 62
Other Luzon 6 1.6 64 17.3 370
Visayas 3 1.6 39 20.7 188
Mindanao 3 1.4 98 45.2 217
Institution Type
LUCs 2 3.3 6 10.0 60
SUCs 6 1.9 74 22.8 324
Private Sectarian 8 6.8 22 18.6 118
Private Non-Sectarian 1 0.3 98 29.7 330
CHED program classification
COE 6 17.1 0 0.0 35
COD 2 5.9 1 2.9 34
Non-COE/COD 9 1.2 203 26.4 768
Total 17 2.0 204 24.4 837
Source: Authors’ calculations from PRC and CHED data
Table 7: Number of high- and low-performing TEIs in the BLEPT elementary based
on the performance of first-time takers: 2010-2022
A = Number of B = Number of C = Number of
high-performing % low-performing % TEIs in category
TEIs (> or equal (A/C) TEIs (< or equal (B/C) (> or equal to
to 75%) to 25%) 300 takers)
Major Geographic Location
NCR 11 31.4 1 2.9 35
Other Luzon 29 8.4 18 5.2 345
Visayas 19 9.9 3 1.6 192
Mindanao 18 7.1 58 23.0 252
Institution Type
LUCs 4 6.5 3 4.8 62
SUCs 35 12.4 11 3.9 283
Private Sectarian 22 19.0 4 3.4 116
Private Non-Sectarian 16 4.4 61 16.9 361
CHED program classification
COE 18 75.0 0 0.0 24
COD 4 30.8 0 0.0 13
Non-COE/COD 55 7.0 80 10.2 787
Total 77 9.3 80 9.7 824
Source: Authors’ calculations from PRC and CHED data
22
Table 8: Number of high- and low-performing TEIs in the BLEPT secondary based on
the performance of first-time takers: 2010-2022
A = Number of B = Number of C = Number of
high-performing % low-performing % TEIs in category
TEIs (> or equal (A/C) TEIs (< or equal (B/C) (> or equal to
to 75%) to 25%) 300 takers)
Major Geographic Location
NCR 10 16.1 0 0.0 62
Other Luzon 29 7.8 8 2.2 370
Visayas 17 9.0 5 2.7 188
Mindanao 16 7.4 44 20.3 217
Institution Type
LUCs 5 8.3 0 0.0 60
SUCs 33 10.2 17 5.2 324
Private Sectarian 19 16.1 3 2.5 118
Private Non-Sectarian 15 4.5 33 10.0 330
CHED program classification
COE 23 65.7 0 0.0 35
COD 9 26.5 1 2.9 34
Non-COE/COD 40 5.2 56 7.3 768
Total 72 8.6 57 6.8 837
Source: Authors’ calculations from PRC and CHED data
A simple analysis of the top and bottom TEIs based on the average passing rates and
segregated by the number of takers (i.e., 300 to 999 and greater than or equal to
1,000) show that Mindanao is the worst performing region in terms of passing rates
(See Annex 3 for list of top and bottom 10 TEIs). As such, almost all of the bottom
ranked schools are in this region, regardless of the number of examinees. Meanwhile,
for TEIs with over 1,000 BLEPT elementary examinees in the past 12 years, 8 out of 10
are COEs or CODs which appear to be fairly distributed across Luzon, Visayas, and
Mindanao. Top TEIs with less than 1,000 examinees, on the other hand, tend to be
concentrated in Luzon, where one is classified as a COE. Findings for top and bottom
TEIs are the same for BLEPT secondary.
This study provided an updated analysis on the performance of the TEIs following
Yambot and Cambel (2020) by extending its scope to 2022. As likewise found in the
earlier study, passing rates of first-time takers are considerably greater than those of
repeaters. Consequently, passing rates during the September intake of the BLEPT is
higher compared to March, with the former having a larger proportion of first-time
takers than the latter. Relative to other disciplines, passing rates of BLEPT examinees
are relatively lower than those in other professions.
23
Disparities in the performance of TEIs across different classifications persist. By
region, the NCR remains the top performer, largely ahead of its other major regional
counterparts. Lowest passing rates are observed in Mindanao, which is mainly driven
by the performance of BARMM. Private sectarian HEIs have the highest BLEPT
passing rates, although this appears to be driven by exceptional performers in the
group. LUCs and SUCs follow next, while private non-sectarian TEIs which constitute
a large proportion of all TEIs fall behind. Under the CHED program classification,
COEs show exceptional performance, especially among its first-time takers. On the
other hand, non-COE/CODs fall largely behind. Interestingly, however, high passing
rates (75% above) do not seem to be sustained by all COEs and CODs in the period
examined in this study.
Below are a set of policy recommendations following the more recent findings:
Focus on building more and maintaining COEs per region, support CODs to
become COEs, and tighten monitoring of their performance.
The first agenda of CHED should be to monitor and ensure that the HEIs meet the
minimum standards and impose sanctions on HEIs which are underperforming.
Strict monitoring should be done, not just on public HEIs, but also for private HEIs as
well. Monitoring and regulation should also be applied to COEs and CODs, especially
on those who fail to maintain good performance. The Republic Act No. 11713 or the
Excellence in Teacher Education Act, which recognizes the need to establish more
COEs per region is a step in the right direction. However, the IRR of the said law has
not been released as of this writing.
There is also a need to rationalize the budget of publicly-funded TEIs such that the
support is provided to those who deserve it and those who need it. For example, a
study conducted by Manasan (2011) shows that there are some SUCs which view
offering popular programs as “income generating” projects, as increases in
enrollment may lead to higher subsidies from the national government due to the
normative funding formula. The study recommends that this formula should be
adjusted such that the increase in subsidy is also contingent on the TEIs meeting the
standards set by CHED, rather than being hinged on enrollment rates. Additional
resources (e.g., for faculty development and facilities upgrading), coupled with
mentoring, and visiting scholar programs should also be funneled to areas where
majority of the TEIs are low-performing such as the BARMM.
24
More than a decade of low passing rates suggests a disconnect between the teacher
education curriculum and the BLEPT questions. Moreover, the high learning poverty
rate also reflects issues on teacher quality, both in pre- and in-service. BLEPT, which
is the “gateway” of pre-service teachers to in-service teaching, should be reviewed to
ensure alignment of questions with the actual competencies needed by teachers in
the classrooms.
Check the feasibility of establishing a tiered licensing system for TEI graduates
and/or licensing TEIs.
One possible reason for the high passing rates in 2022 is ample preparation among
BLEPT takers prior to the exam. With the cancellation of the 2020 exams, graduates
would have had enough time to review thoroughly. Increase in preparation time,
could therefore aid in improving licensure test outcomes. As suggested by Bagadion
and Tullao (2018), teacher education graduates could be given an option to enhance
their learning experience through other avenues first (e.g., working as teacher
assistant) and then be given professional certification. Once such certification is
achieved, then they can take the BLEPT. Teacher education graduates training as
parateachers under the supervision of professional teachers would help the former
gain more teaching experience while the latter benefits from assistance in classroom
management and lesson preparation.
Another option is to move the quality assurance from licensing students to licensing
the TEIs themselves. An example of a country which implements this system is
Australia, where Initial Teacher Preparation (ITP) programs need to be accredited by
regulatory authorities such as state governments, and teacher “registration” instead
of licensing is implemented (Australian Council for Education Research 2016).
25
education, but it also ensures that time and resources are not wasted on TEIs
(especially public TEIs) which do not meet the minimum standards. Ultimately, such
policy on school closures must be coupled with a strategy to aid displaced students
in finding better quality TEIs that they can enroll to. In the case of Mindanao
(especially in BARMM), greater effort and resources must be given to support
selected TEIs in improving their quality of instruction.
Evidence from our analysis suggests that repeaters tend to retake the BLEPT
multiple times given their low passing rates. A 3-strike rule, similar to other
professional board exams, could be implemented to improve passing rates among
repeaters. In this case, those who fail the BLEPT after 3 takes should be compelled to
undertake refresher courses. For example, in medicine, examinees failing the board
exam on the third take are required to submit a Certificate of Completion of a
refresher course in a recognized medical school or college (See Annex 2 for more
examples).
Develop and publish granular and regular data that will help measure the
performance of TEIs.
In addition, there is a need to separate the licensure data of takers with a certificate
in teaching (18 units) and a bachelor’s degree so that further research can be done to
analyze the performance of each group and necessary policies can be
recommended to further improve pre-service teacher quality.
26
5 References
Abdallah, Asma Khaleel, and Borhandden Musah Mohammed. 2021. "Effects of teacher
licensing on educators' professionalism: UAE case in local perception." Heliyon.
Bagadion, Anna Marie, and Tereso Tullao Jr. 2018. Review of Content Analysis of Licensure
Examination for Teachers: Traditional vs Non-Traditional Teacher Assessment. Angelo
King Institute for Economic and Business Studies De La Salle University.
“Statistics - CHED.” 2020. CHED. July 23, 2020. https://ched.gov.ph/statistics/.
David, Clarissa, and Geoffrey Ducanes. 2018. Review of Teacher Education in the Philippines:
Are We Meeting the Demand for Quantity and Quality? UP Center for Integrative and
Development Studies.
https://issuu.com/up.cids/docs/higheredpolicybrief02-06?utm_medium=referral&utm_
source=cids.up.edu.ph.
Generalao, Ian Nicole, Geoffrey Ducanes, Karol Mark Yee, and Clarissa C. David. 2022. "Teacher
Education in the Philippines: Are We Meeting the Demand for Quality?" Philippine
Journal of Public Policy: Interdisciplinary Development Perspectives.
Goe, Laura. 2007. Review of The Link between Teacher Quality and Student Outcomes: A
Research Synthesis. National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality.
http://www.gtlcenter.org/sites/default/files/docs/LinkBetweenTQandStudentOutcomes
.pdf.
Hanushek, Eric A, and Steven G Rivkin. 2006. "Teacher Quality." In Handbook of the
Economics of Education, 1052-1075. Elsevier B.V.
Manasan, Rosario. 2012. Review of Rationalizing National Government Subsidies for State
Universities and Colleges. Philippine Institute for Development Studies.
Orbeta Jr, Aniceto C., and Vicente B. Paqueo. 2022. Philippine Education: Situationer,
Challenges, and Ways Forward. Philippine Institute for Development Studies.
World Bank, and Australian Aid. 2016. Assessing Basic Education Service Delivery in the
Philippines: The Philippines Public Education Expenditure Tracking and Quantitative
Service Delivery Study. Washington, D.C.: Office of the Publisher, The World Bank.
Yambot, John Lorenzo, and Ramoncito Cambel. 2020. Review of Are We Raising the Bar for
Teacher Preparation? BLEPT Performance of Teacher Education Institutions in the
Philippines: 2010-2019. Philippine Business for Education.
27
Annex 1: Supplementary figures
Annex Figure 1: Distribution of BLEPT first-time and repeat takers for March and
September examination schedule: 2010-2022
Note: No exam takers for 2020 due to the cancellation of the PRC licensure exams. The BLEPT was
conducted in April instead of March in 2010 and 2011, January instead of March in 2014, and August
instead of September in 2014. Three rounds of exams were conducted in 2022, where BLEPT was
conducted in January and June instead of March, and October instead of September.
Source: Author’s calculations from the PRC data.
Annex Figure 2: Passing rates in the BLEPT elementary for March and September
examination schedule: 2010-2022
28
Note: The gray dashed line in 2020 indicates the cancellation of PRC licensure exams due to the
COVID-19 pandemic. Data for 2021 only reflects one round of examination. The BLEPT was
conducted in April instead of March in 2010 and 2011, January instead of March in 2014, and August
instead of September in 2014. Three rounds of exams were conducted in 2022, where BLEPT was
conducted in January and June instead of March, and October instead of September.
Source: Author’s calculations from the PRC data.
Annex Figure 3: Passing rates in the BLEPT secondary for March and September
examination schedule: 2010-2022
Note: The gray dashed line in 2020 indicates the cancellation of PRC licensure exams due to the
COVID-19 pandemic. Data for 2021 only reflects one round of examination. The BLEPT was
conducted in April instead of March in 2010 and 2011, January instead of March in 2014, and August
instead of September in 2014. Three rounds of exam were conducted in 2022, where BLEPT was
conducted in January and June instead of March, and October instead of September.
Source: Author’s calculations from the PRC data.
29
Annex 2: Policies on Re-Examination
The following licensure exams require a refresher course for the applicant to retake
the examination after a number of consecutive or cumulative failures:
Medicine 3 An examinee who fails for the third (3rd) time shall
be required to submit Certificate of Completion of a
refresher course in a recognized medical school or
college and current two (2) certificates of Good Moral
Character from the Medical School where he/she
graduated from and Hospital/Institution where
he/she completed his/her internship before he/she
shall be allowed to take the examinations.
30
Naval 3 After three (3) failures - refresher course one year
Architecture before the re-examination
Nutrition An applicant who fails to obtain a passing average but who obtained
and at least seventy-five percent (75%) in each of at least one-half of the
Dietetics total subject given in the examination, may be permitted to take
within two (2) years from the date of his/her examination, another
examination, on the subjects in which he/she obtained a grade below
seventy-five percent (75%). Should the examinee fail in the set of
subjects repeated in the second examination, he/she shall be required
to take all the subjects in the next examination.
31
Annex 3: List of the top 10 and bottom 10 teacher
education institutions based on overall passing rates
The list presents the top 10 and bottom 10 schools in the following ranges: 1) greater
than or equal to 1,000, and 2) 300 to 999 takers. The ranking is based on the average
yearly passing rates of TEIs from 2010 to 2022 to account for variation in yearly
performance.
Note: The passing rates pertain to the average passing rates of TEIs from 2010 to 2022
by region. It is not computed using the total number of passers and takers.
32
CITY COLLEGE OF CALAMBA Other Luzon 433 345 83.9
UNIVERSITY OF SAINT LA SALLE Visayas 572 452 80.4
MINDANAO STATE
Mindanao 458 353 80.0
UNIVERSITY-(MAIGO SAT)
DAVAO DE ORO STATE COLLEGE
(FORMER COMPOSTELA VALLEY
Mindanao 323 262 79.3
STATE COLLEGE) - MONTEVISTA
BRANCH
CEBU TECHNOLOGICAL
Visayas 992 745 77.7
UNIVERSITY-ARGAO(for.CSCST)
33
PANGASINAN MEMORIAL
Other Luzon 427 27 8.3
COLLEGE*
OVILLA TECHNICAL COLLEGE Other Luzon 340 23 9.3
*Insufficient means to verify current status of institution or teaching program due (1) inactivity
of website or social media page in 2022, or (2) unavailability of website or social media page
34
b.2. Bottom 10 Secondary
35