Senate President Pro Tempore Sherwin Gatchalian is pushing for an investigation into the Department of Education’s (DepEd) grade transmutation policy, raising concerns that it may allow students to advance to the next grade level without fully meeting academic requirements.
In Senate Resolution No. 429, the legislator urged the appropriate Senate committee to review existing grading policies, in aid of legislation, to determine whether current systems accurately reflect student learning outcomes before promotion.
He cited DepEd Order No. 8, s. 2015, which provides a transmutation table for Grades 1 to 12, where raw or initial grades based on weighted assessments are converted into higher quarterly grades through a formula. He noted that under the system, a raw score of 60 can be transmuted into a passing grade of 75.
The senator explained that the final grade is computed from the average of quarterly grades, and learners who obtain at least 75 are promoted to the next grade level. He warned that this structure may allow students with low initial scores to pass despite not fully mastering key competencies.
“This practice could allow students to advance to the next grade without fully mastering key lessons,” the Valenzuela lawmaker said, stressing the need to ensure that student performance is properly measured in addressing the country’s education challenges.
The Department of Education recently issued updated guidelines under DepEd Order No. 015, s. 2026, adjusting the transmutation table for select grade levels and preparing for a transition toward a zero-based grading system by School Year 2027–2028, where grades will no longer undergo transmutation.