Policy, purpose, and test role
- The order is anchored on the Department’s thrust to improve the quality of elementary education and provide a basis for measuring such improvement.
- The NEAT is required for all Grade VI pupils and is used as a measure to determine the rate of improvement in elementary education, with respect to the individual schools.
- NEAT is designed so that its construction is similar to the National Achievement Tests previously given on a regional pilot basis, ensuring continuity over time.
- The NEAT results function as part of the basis for graduation evaluation through integration into the pupil’s general average.
NEAT coverage and exam format
- The NEAT covers four areas: (1) English, (2) Mathematics, (3) Science, and (4) Heograpiya/Kasaysayan/Sibika.
- Each component test lasts 40 minutes.
- The NEAT is a battery of achievement tests of the multiple choice type covering the four stated areas.
- Taking the NEAT is a requirement for graduation for Grade VI pupils.
- A low NEAT score by itself does not necessarily prevent graduation because it only forms part of the general average of each pupil.
- The NEAT score contributes with the weight of one academic subject transmuted into percentage.
- The NEAT grade is the last entry in the listing of subjects in Forms 137-E and 138-E of Grade VI pupils.
- NEAT results must be made available before the end of the school year to all schools.
Public-private administration rules
- For private elementary schools offering Grade VII, NEAT is given to their Grade VI pupils to compare similar classes.
- Grade VII pupils in private schools are not required to take the NEAT in SY 1993-1994 or in later years.
- A graduation and NEAT requirement operates for Grade VI pupils in both public and private elementary schools.
Implementing agencies and supervision
- The National Educational Testing and Research Center (NETRC) undertakes NEAT design, implementation and assessment in cooperation with the Bureau of Elementary Education (BEE) and the Regional Offices.
- All bureaus, centers, regional and division offices of the Department and other government agencies shall assist in the undertaking.
- Regional Directors take charge of effective and efficient administration of the NEAT in their regions.
- The NEAT guidelines apply through layered administration at the regional and division levels, followed by school-level examination center operations.
Regional and division structures
- At the regional level, the Regional Director is responsible to the Secretary for systematic and effective administration of the NEAT in the region.
- The Regional Director must adopt appropriate measures to ensure the smooth conduct of the test.
- The Regional Director designates the Chief of the Elementary Education Division as Regional Testing Coordinator.
- The Chief of the Elementary Education Division, as Regional Testing Coordinator, must:
- consolidate data and reports from school divisions and furnish copies to the NETRC as deemed necessary; and
- serve as liaison between the NETRC and school divisions regarding administration.
- At the division level, the Schools Division Superintendent (SDS) organizes and chairs a Division Examination Committee (DEXCOM).
- The DEXCOM is composed of:
- (1) the Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Education;
- (2) the Provincial PNP Superintendent;
- (3) a representative of the private school sector; and
- (4) a representative of state colleges and universities, if there is any in the division.
Personnel roles and security of materials
- The SDS (Chairman) is responsible for:
- smooth conduct of the test in the division;
- defining DEXCOM members’ responsibilities; and
- coordinating with the Provincial PNP Superintendent regarding security of test materials and smooth testing activities.
- The SDS must designate the Assistant School Division Superintendent for the elementary as Division Testing Coordinator (DTC), or designate another DECS personnel in the absence of such a post.
- The SDS must designate the examination centers in the division.
- The SDS must apply the principle that no faculty or non-teaching personnel of any school participates in actual NEAT conduct in that school; the SDS assigns:
- Chief Examiners and Room Supervisors from the promotional/supervisory staff; and
- Room Examiners for public school examinees from private school teachers, and Room Examiners for private school examinees from public school teachers.
- The SDS must designate additional examiners from the public schools of another district, supervised by responsible private officials, when private school teachers are not enough.
DTC duties and pre-dispatch deadlines
- The Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Education of the Regional Office, acting as DTC, must:
- consolidate district reports on the number of examinees for immediate dispatch to the NETRC not later than June 30, 1993;
- inform school heads that their schools are included in the list of testing centers before that list is officially released;
- assign examination rooms in each testing center;
- receive and distribute forms;
- distribute test materials to Chief Examiners on schedule;
- check the number of test materials before retrieving them from Chief Examiners for submission to the SDS for storage until retrieved by an NETRC representative;
- prepare post-examination reports and forward them to concerned offices; and
- prepare other required reports and furnish concerned offices.
PNP, private school monitoring, and examiners’ duties
- The Provincial PNP Superintendent, upon proper representation of the DECS Division Office, must enlist all local PNP units in the division to ensure security of test materials and smooth conduct of the test.
- Private and chartered state school representatives must assume responsibility for effective, systematic conduct of the test in the schools they monitor and supervise on examination day.
- The Chief Examiner must:
- coordinate with the school head for preparation of examination rooms at least three days before examination day;
- receive test materials from the DTC and distribute to Room Examiners not later than 7:00 o’clock A.M. on examination day;
- check the number of returned test materials after the test;
- check examiner reports and consolidate them as required; and
- prepare reports and accomplish forms contained in the Chief Examiner Transmittal Report Envelope (CETRE).
- The Room Supervisor must:
- monitor and supervise the conduct of the test in at least six (6) rooms;
- assist the Chief Examiner in distribution and retrieval of materials before and after the test;
- collect unused test booklets during the test and deposit them with the Chief Examiner, and return them to Room Examiners just after the test for checking;
- act as liaison for problems during testing; and
- assist in checking retrieved materials and accomplishing reports.
- The Room Examiner must:
- be in the assigned examination center to receive materials not later than 7:00 A.M. on examination day;
- check the number of materials received before proceeding;
- prepare boardwork;
- ascertain identity of examinees through Form 1 (List of Examinees) before letting them in;
- distribute test materials individually and administer strictly per the Examiner’s Handbook;
- retrieve materials individually before dismissing examinees;
- return test materials to the Chief Examiner; and
- prepare reports and accomplish the Examiner’s Transmittal Report Envelope (ETRE) for submission to the Chief Examiner.
Required forms and envelopes
- NEAT requires accomplishment and submission of the following NEAT Forms:
- NEAT Form 1: List of examinees by school (3 copies);
- NEAT Form 2: List of examination centers (4 copies);
- NEAT Form 3: Test Materials Accounting Form (4 copies); and
- NEAT Form 4: List of Examinees per room in each testing center (4 copies).
- ETRE (Examiner’s Transmittal Report Envelope) must contain:
- used answer sheets consecutively arranged by serial numbers; and
- the Room Examiner’s copy of NEAT Form 4 bearing the Answer Sheet Number of each examinee.
- CETRE (Chief Examiner’s Transmittal Report Envelope) must contain:
- unused answer sheets returned by the Room Examiners;
- NEAT Form 3 test materials accounting form;
- a report on the actual number of examinees in the designated testing center; and
- an Evaluation Report.
- NEAT materials include answer sheets and test booklets with serial-number integrity requirements for matching and accounting.
Pre-test activities and scheduling
- The school principal/head teacher must prepare a complete list of examinees (NEAT Form 1) by sex (males followed by females) based on actual enrollment per school in three (3) copies.
- The deadline for submission of NEAT Form 1 is not later than June 25, 1993 to the Division Office through the District Supervisor/Principal-In-Charge of the District.
- The DTC must assign 40 examinees in a room, with corresponding room number per testing center, based on the forms.
- The DTC must return one (1) copy of NEAT Form 1 to the school principal/head teacher and keep the last copy with the DEXCOM Chairman as the division file.
- The SDS designates testing centers based on DTC recommendation, considering number of examinees and the testing centers used in the 1991 National Achievement Test (NAT) for Grade VI pupils in both public and private schools.
- The DTC must prepare NEAT Form 2 in four (4) copies distributed to:
- one (1) copy to the Regional Office;
- one (1) copy for the DEXCOM; and
- two (2) copies directly to the NETRC-DECS, Mabini Building, UL Complex, Meralco Avenue, Pasig, Metro Manila not later than June 30, 1993.
- Examinees from a particular school must be assigned to only one testing center.
- Examinees whose school is not designated as a testing center must be assigned to the testing center most accessible to them.
- The DTC prepares NEAT Form 4 in four (4) copies, distributed to:
- one (1) copy to the Regional Office;
- one (1) copy for the DEXCOM; and
- two (2) copies handed over to the Chief Examiner one day before examination day.
- One Chief Examiner copy of NEAT Form 4 must be posted at the examination room door the day before examination for examinees’ information and guidance the next morning.
- The other copy must be given to the Room Examiner to indicate examinee numbers for the room.
Post-test packing, distribution, and retrieval
- Test booklets are in booklet form with each booklet having a 7-digit serial number.
- Test booklets are packed in groups of 40s and 5s according to their serial numbers and sealed in plastic bags with a sheet indicating serial numbers and the pack’s sequence number.
- Plastic bags are bundled by testing centers and placed in crates or cartons; when materials for two (2) or more testing centers are placed in one crate, each carton/bundle must be properly labeled, numbered, and strapped using plastic and metal bands.
- For centers with more than one crate/carton, the answer sheets must be placed inside the last crate/carton.
- Answer sheets are computer-printed, each with a 7-digit number, and answer sheet serial numbers must tally with test booklet serial numbers.
- If a test booklet or answer sheet is defective, both must be replaced with a new set from the buffer pack.
- Answer sheets are sealed in plastic bags of 40s and 5s with a batch slip indicating inclusive serial numbers and the pack sequence number to facilitate matching and distribution.
- Answer sheet plastic bags are bundled by testing centers and placed inside crates or cartons containing test booklets; for centers with more than one crate/carton, answer sheets and other forms are placed inside the last crate/carton.
Distribution phase obligations
- The NETRC delivers test materials in crates or cartons to Regional Directors or School Superintendents, depending on consignment.
- When materials are consigned directly to the provincial distribution center, the Regional Director delegates the relevant Schools Division Superintendent to receive and secure the materials.
- The packing guide accompanying the materials is the reference for determining allocations per testing center.
- After receipt by the DEXCOM Chairman or duly authorized representative, materials are deposited at the provincial headquarters for storage and security in coordination with local PNP, AFP or NICA offices.
- The DEXCOM Chairman and/or DTC retrieves materials from the local PNP, AFP or NICA station for distribution to testing centers on examination day, verifying carton/crate count against delivery forms and packing guides in the presence of DEXCOM members.
- The DEXCOM Chairman and/or DTC must devise a distribution scheme observing strict security measures, including determining when to turn over materials to the Chief Examiner if a testing center is far from the distribution center.
- The Chief Examiner verifies the correct number of materials received from the DEXCOM and matches TB and AS serial numbers before distributing to examiners.
- The plastic bags containing TBs and ASs must be opened in the examination room in the presence of examinees.
- After the test starts, the Room Supervisor collects and turns over unused TBs and ASs from Room Examiners to the Chief Examiner during the test and then returns the unused items to Room Examiners just after examination for checking purposes.
Retrieval phase obligations
- After the examination, the Room Examiner collects test materials individually before dismissing examinees.
- Room Examiners arrange used and unused test booklets consecutively by serial number before returning them into plastic bags for submission to the Chief Examiner.
- After accounting for TBs, plastic bags must be stapled/sealed in the presence of the Chief Examiner.
- The Chief Examiner verifies contents of the ETRE and data entries with assistance of the Room Examiner before sealing with an NETRC-DECS paper seal, and the Examiner signs across the seal extending to the envelope at least three times.
- Room Examiner submits to the Chief Examiner:
- test booklets; and
- ETREs with the contents specified on the envelope itself.
- Chief Examiner submits to the DTC:
- plastic bags containing used and unused test booklets;
- ETREs;
- CETREs; and
- Examiner’s Handbooks and DEXCOM copies of NEAT Form 4.
- The DEXCOM Chairman and members supervise sorting, ensuring plastic bags are properly packed in crates or cartons.
- ETREs and CETREs must be packed in separate cartons, securely bundled, properly labeled, and then placed inside the crates or cartons.
- Crates or cartons must then be delivered to the Regional or Division distribution center for retrieval by NETRC personnel.
Orientation seminar requirement
- A national/regional orientation/seminar must be held one month prior to the examination date.
- The orientation seminar is implemented upon issuance of a separate DECS Memorandum.