The Performance of Basic Education Learners in the National Achievement Test

Abstract

National Standardized Assessments are vital tools for determining the success of the institutions’ achievement of educational outcomes. This study described the performance of basic education learners in the elementary and secondary levels in the National Achievement Test and compared their NAT performance when grouped according to school size and division. The study also explored the factors that lead to the NAT performance of basic education learners based on the perspectives of their teachers and school administrators. The NAT Examinees of SY 2017-2018 comprised 349 elementary and 1 158 secondary learners in the selected schools of the City Divisions of the Province of Bukidnon, Philippines, provided by the Bureau of Educational Assessment BEA, and 91 teachers and eight school administrators participated in the interview. The Basic Education Learners in elementary and secondary levels generally performed low in the NAT, having low proficiency in critical thinking, problem-solving, and information literacy. However, the elementary learners were nearly proficient in Filipino, particularly in problem-solving and information literacy. The secondary learners were nearly proficient in the three skills in Filipino; and two skills (information literacy and problem-solving) in Araling Panlipunan.   The secondary learners were also nearly proficient in problem-solving in the English subject. There is a significant difference in the NAT performance of the basic education learners when they are grouped as to school size. However, the results were similar by city division. Several factors were found to have contributed to the low performance of learners in the NAT.