Standards-based Quality Assurance Instrument for Elementary Schools (SQAI-ES)

Background and Rationale

In general, the 2022 Private Education Assistance Committee or PEAC Standards-based Quality Assurance Instrument for Elementary Schools or SQAIES aims to provide school heads and concerned administrators of private elementary schools a tool that will enable them to systematically and comprehensively self-assess their performance in the various programs and services they provide.

What does the instrument contain? First, this instrument consists of indicators of quality school practices that are specific to the elementary level. These are concrete and observable indicators. that indicate alignment with and accomplishment of requirements and standards set by the Department of Education for the K to 12 elementary school program.

Second, this instrument incorporates selected standards of compliance from the 2018 Certification Assessment Instrument (CAI) used by PEAC for the certification of Junior High Schools participating in the DepEd’s Education Service Contracting (ESC) program. These items have been included in response to concerns raised by administrators of Junior High Schools with an Elementary department regarding the consistency and continuity of quality and standards-based practices in both departments. Although private elementary schools do not as of this writing participate in the ESC program and do not undergo certification to qualify for government subsidy, private elementary schools stand to benefit from looking at items in areas that apply to both elementary and secondary levels (e.g. academic support and school budget and finances).

Third, in the light of disruptions to school life such as the pandemic, the instrument presents quality indicators regarding school readiness and recovery and continuity of learning. These indicators are also drawn from DepEd’s various Orders (DO 12, s. 2020) and Memos on the adoption of a learning continuity plan and delivering instruction in different modalities (DO 32, s. 2020). The indicators are also based on the PEAC Recovery and Readiness Plan which the DepEd has accepted as a learning continuity plan for PEAC’s ESC participating schools.

Since as of this writing private elementary schools do not qualify for government subsidy via a certification process, the SQAIES is not in its present form a certification instrument. Private elementary school administrators though can use the SQAIES for self-assessment and quality assurance purposes. With these quality indicators, private elementary school administrators can examine the design of their curriculum and instruction, supervise the faculty and staff in academic support units, monitor their work, and assess learning outcomes. As a result, school administrators can determine their school’s strengths and identify areas for continuous improvement. School administrators can also coordinate their policies, programs and plans with the Junior High School to facilitate and ensure a seamless flow in the delivery of educational services.

 

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