The Department of Education (DepEd) is rolling out a comprehensive package of reforms and support measures for this school year.

These major reforms will benefit more than 26 million learners, strengthen the delivery of education across over 45,000 public schools, and provide greater support to nearly 900,000 teachers nationwide.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara has issued guidelines on the implementation of the three-term school calendar, learning continuity in emergencies, revised lesson planning and learning design, updated assessment and grading policy, and the nationwide rollout of the strengthened senior high school curriculum.

Angara said the reforms are meant to help schools focus on what matters most: better learning and stronger support for teachers.

Among the key changes is the shift to a three-term school calendar, which provides longer and more coherent learning periods, better pacing of lessons, and dedicated time for consolidation, remediation, and enrichment activities.

DepEd is also implementing the learning continuity in emergencies policy, which provides schools with clear protocols for sustaining learning during disruptions such as typhoons, floods, extreme heat, earthquakes, and other emergencies.

To help teachers focus more on instruction, DepEd has simplified lesson planning requirements through the ILAW Framework—Intentions, Learning Experience, Assessing Learning, and Ways Forward. The policy streamlines documentation, prohibits additional templates beyond prescribed standards, and allows the responsible use of artificial intelligence as a support tool while preserving teacher judgment and accountability.

DepEd has likewise revised its assessment and grading guidelines to place greater emphasis on learner progress, meaningful feedback, and instructional support. The updated policy strengthens formative assessment practices, introduces phased descriptive grading in the early grades, and promotes the use of assessment results to guide remediation and enrichment interventions.

The strengthened senior high school curriculum will be implemented nationwide beginning this school year. The curriculum offers more flexible learning pathways, strengthens foundational competencies, expands elective options, and better prepares graduates for higher education, employment, entrepreneurship, and lifelong learning.

Alongside learning reforms, DepEd is also strengthening support for teachers. Public school teachers are set to receive a P10,000 Teaching Allowance in accordance with the Kabalikat sa Pagtuturo Act or Republic Act No. 11997, increasing classroom support and helping defray out-of-pocket expenses for teaching supplies and learning materials. Angara was one of the authors of the measure during his tenure in the Senate.

“These reforms go hand in hand with our commitment to improve the welfare of our teachers,” Angara said.

DepEd has conducted nationwide orientations for field offices, school leaders, and teachers to ensure smooth implementation of the new policies. The agency will continue providing technical assistance, learning resources, monitoring support, and feedback mechanisms throughout the school year.