Scheme scrapped for realistic grades

The Department of Education (DepEd) is phasing out the old grading “transmutation” system. The goal is to make grades reflect what students actually learned, not an adjusted score.

The change comes under Department Order 015, the Revised Guidelines on Classroom Assessment, Grading System and Awards and Recognition for the K to 12 Basic Education Program.

It introduces a standards-based grading system meant to fix grade inflation, inconsistent promotion rules, and unreliable student data.

“Advancement to the next grade level should be based on genuine learning. By removing transmutation, we are strengthening accountability across the entire system — from curriculum implementation and classroom instruction to assessment and academic support for learners,” Education Secretary Sonny Angara said.

Under the previous system, raw scores were converted through a transmutation table, allowing lower raw grades to be adjusted upward.

DepEd said the revised policy will gradually eliminate this practice so that grades directly correspond to learners’ actual performance.

For School Year 2026-2027, transmutation will remain in place, using an adjusted table in which a raw grade of 70 will still translate to the passing grade of 75.

Beginning School Year 2027-2028, however, transmutation will be removed for learners in Grades 4 to 12, meaning that a raw grade of 75 will correspond directly to a term grade of 75 without any mathematical adjustment.

Briefings held

The agency said it has already conducted orientations for regional offices, schools division offices, school leaders, and teachers to ensure consistent implementation of the new policy nationwide.

DepEd emphasized that the change is not intended to make grading more difficult or increase student failure rates. Instead, officials said the revised system is designed to provide a more accurate picture of learners’ progress and allow schools to identify learning gaps earlier.

The department also clarified that existing promotion and retention policies remain in effect and that the removal of transmutation should not automatically lead to higher retention rates.