Republic of the Philippines

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 371 JuL 2013
Quezon City, Philippines (ale
SIXTEENTH CONGRESS

First Regular Session

House BILL No, 2123

INTRODUCED BY HON. MARCELINO “MARCY” R. TEODORO

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This measure seeks to create the National Career Assessment Examination
to institutionalize a career direction program for secondary school graduates.

Specifically, the measure will direct all high school graduates seeking
admission to any post-secondary degree or non-degree course, or a
technologicalWvocational course, or an entrepreneurial course to undergo the
National Career Assessment Examination (NCAE). The proposed NCAE shall be
administered throughout the country on the last Wednesday of August of every year,
in the place where the provincial or city Division Office is located.

The NCAE shall serve as a basis to measure the aptitudes and skills of the
students based on the following categories, namely: general scholastic aptitude,
technical-vocational aptitude, entrepreneurial skills, non-verbal ability and
occupational fields of interest. However, it must be emphasized that the results of the
NCAE shall be used only for career guidance and not for any other purpose as for
ranking and in the advertisement of schools.

Ultimately, the primordial objectives of this bill is to guarantee protection and
promotion of the right of all citizens to quality education by providing a fair,
reasonable and equitable assessment of academic requirements for admission to
tertiary education and to assess the academic, technical and vocational aptitudes of
secondary school graduates in order to facilitate and rationalize their placement in
degree and non-degree courses, as the case may be.

In view of the foregoing, immediate passage of this bill is hereby sought

MARCELINO “MARCY” R. TEODORO
Representative, 1“ District
City of Marikina


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Philippines

SIXTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL No._2123

INTRODUCED BY HON. MARCELINO “MARCY” R. TEODORO

AN ACT
CREATING THE NATIONAL CAREER ASSESSMENT EXAMINATION TO
INSTITUTIONALIZE A CAREER DIRECTION PROGRAM FOR SECONDARY
SCHOOL GRADUATES, DEFINING ITS SCOPE AND FUNCTIONS AND FOR
OTHER PURPOSES

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in
Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the “National Career
Assessment Examination Act of 2013.”

SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. — It is hereby deciared the policy of the State to
maintain the highest quality of education for purposes of national development and
to respect the right of every citizen to select a profession or course of study, subject
to fair, reasonable and equitable admission and academic requirements

Towards this end, secondary education shall give emphasis to the development of
different aptitude and interests of the students so as to equip them with appropriate
knowledge and skills that will enable them to become useful, productive and gainfully
employed members of society

It is further declared that an assessment of the career aptitude of secondary school
graduates shall be made as a guide for students when taking up tertiary education
as well as vocational or technological courses where their potentials will be best
developed and where their training and/or education will be needed for national
development

SEC. 3. Nature and Scope. - There is hereby created a National Career
‘Assessment Examination (NCAE) which shall serve as an assessment test that may
determine the potential or aptitude of every secondary school graduate to purse a
four (4)- or five (5)-year college degree course, a technological/vocational course or
an entrepreneurial course.

It aims to maintain the highest quality of education in the Philippines by regulating
and monitoring the flow of secondary school graduates to said courses where they
have better aptitude or potential.

SEC. 4. Purposes and Objectives. — This Act shall have the following purposes
and objectives:

(a) To guarantee protection and promotion of the right of all citizens to quality
education at all levels;

(b) To provide fair, reasonable and equitable admission and academic
requirements;


(0) To reduce wastage in education arising from dropping out, noncompletion
and/or low performance of students in colleges and universities and the
decreasing percentage of successful examinees in professional licensure
examinations;

(d) To assess the academic, technical and vocational aptitudes of high school
graduates in order to facilitate and rationalize their placement in degree and
non-degree courses as the case may be; and

(e) To attain excellence in education within the context of national development,
to open more job opportunities to our labor force and to properly utilize their
productive potentials.

SEC. 5. Scope of Examination. — Beginning school year 2014 to 2015 and every
year thereafter, all high school graduates seeking admission to any post-secondary
degree or non-degree course, or a technologicalivocational course, or an
entrepreneurial course shall henceforth be required to undergo an NCAE.

The results of the test for each examinee shall serve as a guide for him/her to
choose the degree or non-degree course or career after graduating high school
Such test results shall serve as a prerequisite for enrollment by all secondary school
Graduates to any post-secondary degree or non-degree course or a
technological/vocational course or entrepreneurial course, The test results which
indicate the skill/aptitude to which a student may aptly succeed shall be one of the
basis of his/her enrollment in a tertiary course.

SEC. 6. Test Administration. - Tne Department of Education (DepEd) shall
conduct an annual NCAE through the National Education Testing and Research
Center (NETRC) to carry out the provisions of this Act.

SEC. 7. Powers and Duties of the Secretary. — To carry out the purposes and
objectives of the NCAE, the Secretary of Education is hereby vested with the
following authority

(a) To conduct an annual NCAE through the NETRC in order to promote and
implement a program that assesses and evaluates the potential or aptitude of
each and every secondary school graduate to pursue a four (4)- or five(5)-
year college degree course, a technological/vocational course, or a short
entrepreneurial course;

(b) To determine the method, form and content, both the test and the process of
checking and evaluating its results, as well as to fix the date and places(s) of
examination;

(c) To enter, when desirable or necessary, into agreements or contracts with
qualified persons, institutions, organizations, government agencies, entities
and establishments to make payments incidental to such agreements or
contracts, to carry out the purposes and objectives of this Act;

(d) To determine, as the exigencies or national interest may dictate, exemptions
from the provisions of this Act; and

(e) To do such other acts as may be proper and necessary in order to achieve
the policies of the NCAE.

SEC. 8. Content of the Examination. — The NCAE shall measure the following
aptitudes and skills of secondary school graduates, to wit:


(a) General Scholastic Aptitude:

1) Scientific Ability - This is an assessment of the individual's scientific abilities
and skills to adopt scientific methods, procedures and processes in
constructing knowledge and solving experimental or real-life problems
Reading Comprehension — This measures the ability to understand what has
been stated directly; to analyze, interpret and criticize what has been read;
and to recognize reasonable application of principles or opinions expressed
by the author.

Verbal ability — This subtest measures the assertive ability of a person in view
of grammatical rules and logical arrangement of ideas.

Mathematical Ability - This subtest is used to assess quantitative abilities and
computational skills, particularly on working with numbers, perceiving
relationship between two (2) quantities and solving arithmetic problems.
Logical Reasoning Ability — This subtest is used to assess the logical and
critical thinking and reasoning ability,

2)

3

4)

5)

(b) Technical-Vocational Aptitude
1) Manipulative Skills — This subtest measures abilities that require perceptual
and visual judgment in determining figures, symbols, pattems and nature of
space, as well as skills in mentally manipulating objects and concrete
materials.
2) Clerical Ability — This is a test of ability and skill to encode data/information
and file office records, and ability to note details.

(c) Entrepreneurial Skills — This is a test to assess one’s capacity to engage in
business undertakings.

(d) Non-Verbal Ability - This tests a person's reasoning ability to identify the patterns
presented in diagrammatic form.

(e) Occupational Fields of Interest

1) Outdoor interests - This means that one will enjoy working with naturalistic
environments such as plants and animals.
Mechanical interests — This means that one will enjoy working with real-world
materials.
Investigative interests - This means that one will enjoy activities which
require mental work or using thinking skills.
Artistic interests — This means that one will enjoy activities that look at the
artistic side of things such as forms, designs and patterns.
Social interests - This means that one will enjoy work activities that assist
other people and promote learning and personal development.
Enterprising interests — This means that one will like activities that have
something to do with carrying out a project especially on business ventures.
Clerical interests — This means that one will enjoy work activities that follow a
set of procedures and routines.

2)

3)

4

5)

6)

7

SEC. 9. Involvement of Other Agencies. — The Commission on Higher Education
(CHED), the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and the
Department of Science and Technology (DOST) shall implement a program in
accordance with the NCAE results, as follows:

a) To promote prudent and economic use of govemment funds, the
CHED shall utilize the results of the NCAE as basis for the selection of
grantees for its scholarship program:

b) To further promote manpower skills development program, the TESDA
and the CHED shall adopt an educational program attuned with the NCAE
result; and


c) To set the cut-off score for the various courses of the CHED and the
TESDA through their technical panels.

SEC. 10. Examination Centers and Date of Examination. - Unless otherwise
previously announced, the NCAE shall be administered throughout the country on
the last Wednesday of August of every year, in the place where the provincial or city
division office is located: Provided, however, That additional examination centers
may be established in the province as may be determined by the Division
Examination Committee and approved by the Secretary of Education.

SEC. 11. Processing of Examination Results. - The processing of examination
results shall be in the National Capital Region through the NETRC.

SEC. 12. Issuance of Notice and Certification. — The notice and certification shall
be issued under the following circumstances:
a) The certificate of ratings of examinees in the NCAE shall be issued each year
by the Secretary of Education through the NETRC;

=

Each examinee shall be given a Certificate of Rating indicating his/her rating
in the domains of the NCAE;

c) A consolidated master list of the names of examinees shall be made available
in the division office concemed;

d

Questions relating to the results of the NCAE shall be verified from the master
list in the office mentioned in the preceding paragraph and/or with the
NETRC; and

e)

Issuance of a second copy of the NCAE Certificate of Rating can be
requested from the NETRC.

SEC. 13. Limitations. - The results of the NCAE shall not automatically entitle a
student for admission into any particular academic, professional coursed in a higher
learning institution or for a technological/vocational course in post-secondary
institution which can impose its own entrance examination as a requirement for
admission,

Institutional results of the NCAE shall be used only for career guidance and
not for any other purpose, as for ranking and in the advertisement of schools.

SEC. 14. Miscellaneous Provisions. — Any official, employee or teacher who
violates or causes the violation of the provisions of this Act, or commits or causes to
commit acts of dishonesty or misconduct related to the performance of his/her duties
in the administration of the NCAE shall be administratively dealt with in accordance
with existing civil service laws, rules and regulations. Provided, That if the offender is
an official, employee or teacher in the private school institution, the same shall be
dealt with in accordance with applicable laws.

Students who commit or cause the commission of any act of dishonesty or
misconduct conceming their application to, or in taking the NCAE shall be barred
from further taking the same and the correction of their examination papers withheld,
without prejudice to any disciplinary administrative action that may be taken against
them in accordance with existing rules and regulations of the DepEd.

The Secretary of Education may issue from time to time supplementary instructions
or directions and/or amendments to any provision of the rules and regulations
implementing this Act as he/she may deem proper and necessary.


SEC. 15. Implementing Rules and Regulations. ~ The Secretary of Education
shall, within sixty (60) days after the effectivity of this Act, promulgate such rules and
regulations that may be necessary for the implementation of this Act: Provided, That
the initial implementation of the program shall be done for high school graduates for
the school year 2014 — 2015.

The implementing rules and regulations shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
publication in the Official Gazette or in at least one (1) newspaper of general
circulation.

SEC. 16. Separability Clause. — \f any provisions or part hereof, is declared invalid
or unconstitutional, the remainder of the law not otherwise affected shall remain valid
and subsisting.

SEC. 17. Repealing Clause. — Any law, presidential decree or issuance, executive
order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule or regulation contrary to or
inconsistent with the provisions of this Act is hereby repealed, modified or amended
accordingly.

SEC. 18. Effectivity Clause. — This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation.

Approved,