Julian, Anna Grace B.

September 21, 2017

BEE31 Prof. Royce A. Salva

SPED111 Curriculum in SPED 2

As I had asked some of the students who had taken special education and had
recently graduated, some of them said that special education is not affected by the K to
12 Program, primarily because their curriculum is different from that of general
education. However, some of the teachers in this field said that yes, the K to 12
curricula has affected the delivery of special education services in the Philippines, due
to the fact that the new curriculum now is performance-based, unlike the situation
before wherein conventional manners and expectations in teaching were used. This is
good and can be a help for students with special needs to be more productive in their
respective classes.

Since 2012, the Department of Education issued an article that the public special
education schools must abide by the rules of K to 12 to further enhance the curriculum
of the SPED. As said by then Education Secretary Armin Luistro, the SPED schools will
be given the same education or lesson modules that are similar to those used by
regular students, but teachers will provide modifications that will ensure that it would be
suited to every individual, each with unique learning needs. Also, for children who were
said to be gifted, they will be given accommodations that will more enhance the learners
beyond the regular curriculum. They will also imply various task analyses to every child
with special needs. For children who cannot keep up with the pace of other children,
they will extend the learning days for the child.
In 2014, the Department of Education released Department Order 46, s. 2014,
entitled Guidelines on the Implementation of the Alternative Learning System for
Persons With Disability (ALS for PWD) Program. This order empowers the Education for
All advocacy by the DepEd. Also, the ALS Basic Literacy Program and the Accreditation
and Equivalency Program are designed to stretch out an arm to the people with hearing
and visual impairment and give suitable learning interventions for them.
 In 2015, the Department of Education released a Department Order 38, s. 2015-
Guidelines on the Utilization of Support Funds for the Special Education (SPED)
Program. This order will help the Special Education to enhance and to support fund
aims to further growth of the operation of programs and will add a regular maintenance
and to other operating expenses of the every Special Education Centers that are
recognized and have classes in elementary and secondary for children with special
needs. It has the desire to strengthen the access and for the SPED programs and
services to have a good quality and upgraded one.

However, before the K to 12 Program was implemented, there were many

teachers and parents who are not in agreement with the K to 12 curricula
implementation, because of various problems, including the lack of teachers that are
able to educate the students in the respective fields, especially in Senior High School.
Also, there are certain issues regarding the outdated and overcrowded facilities in the
school. Despite the shortcomings, the DepEd is trying to augment it by building brand
new facilities and purchasing equipment that will be beneficial for these students.

In line with this, DepEd, in its plan to spearhead the improvement of the country’s
education system, has made measures for them to be able to push inclusivity for people
with special needs. Based on their capabilities, they are given programs of instruction
that will allow them to be assimilated with other students in a general setting in the long
run, as well as building the capabilities of the teachers to do these measures in the
future. These measures started two years ago, and is still being implemented today,
along with various partners in this specific field.

References:

Philstar.com (2012). Public SPED schools to follow enhanced curriculum of K + 12.

Retrieved September 21, 2017 from http://www.philstar.com/education-and-
home/2012/06/28/822098/public-sped-schools-follow-enhanced-curriculum-k-12
Department of Education (2014). DO 46, s. 2014 - Guidelines on the Implementation of
the Alternative Learning System for Persons With Disability (ALS for PWD)
Program. Retrieved September 21, 2017 from
http://www.deped.gov.ph/orders/do-46-s-2014

Department of Education (2015). DO 38, s. 2015 - Guidelines on the Utilization of

Support Funds for the Special Education (SPED) Program. Retrieved September
21, 2017 from http://www.deped.gov.ph/orders/do-38-s-2015
Philstar.com (2015). The challenges of basic education: dealing with K-12.

Retrieved September 21, 2017 from

http://www.philstar.com/opinion/2015/06/15/1466151/challenges-basic-
education-dealing-k-12

Department of Education (2017). DepEd ensures inclusive education for learners with
special needs. Retrieved September 21, 2017 from
http://www.deped.gov.ph/press-releases/deped-ensures-inclusive-
education-learners-special-needs