Rationale

The basic education system of the Philippines was plotted with two year in

preschool and/or kindergarten, six years in elementary, and four years in high school.

The said arrangement in the basic education curriculum paved way for students to enter

the college level relative to the set goals and thrusts of the Department of Education, then

by the Commission on Higher Education.

With ample discussion, the enforced Basic Education Act of 2013 has created a

move to add two more years to the already existing number of years in the educational

system in the Philippines. In doing so, the number of skill-oriented curricular offerings

and output-based subjects has dramatically changed for reasons that revolve around the

development of each individual who gets to be subjected to the said platform, now

commonly known as the K to 12 Program.

The program centers on the holistic development of Filipinos with 21 st century

skills, namely: learning and innovation, life and career, effective communication,

information, media and technology. These skills can become achievable because the

program itself thrives in being referred to as learner-centered, inclusive and research-

based, flexible, ICT-based, global, standard, competence-based, seamless and

decongested. These features of the system provide a curriculum support so as to meet the

goals of the national and global community.

But in this regard, a bigger question is to be resolved. It is yet to be determined

how ready these students are to pursue and communicate truth in academic freedom in
higher education, that is the tertiary level. In an attempt to respond to the issue, the

College Readiness Standards came to be crafted.

The College Readiness Standards (CRS) combines knowledge from content,

competencies from tasks and activities, and reflective thinking from experience. It is

deemed to be necessary for high school students, especially senior high school students,

to participate and succeed, with the hopes of eliminating remediation in undergraduate

courses in higher education.

The CRS focuses on Science, Mathematics, English, Filipino, Literature,

Humanities, and Social Studies. These subject areas are seen to the core subjects that have

provided a clear construct on the creation of the different Curriculum Guides. Given the

number of core subjects, the CRS expects the K to 12 curriculum to connect students with

local, national and global communities concerns and challenges.

With this in mind, this research paper wants to determine how prepared the

students are of Holy Name University for college and the careers of the future.

Considering the learning, literacy, and life skills of the 21st century learners of the

institution, this paper felt the need to assess how equipped they are relative to the given

competencies of the program.