The Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) showed significant learning improvements among 15-year-old students in the Caraga Region, according to a report from the Department of Education (DepEd) Region 13.

PISA, a global assessment conducted by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), evaluated students’ skills in reading, mathematics, and science across 81 countries in 2022, including the Philippines. Results were released last year.

During the Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas here on Tuesday, DepEd-13 Director Maria Ines Asuncion said in reading, scores rose from 300 points in 2018 to 321 points in 2022.

Similarly, math scores improved from 306 to 340 points and science scores from 318 to 337 points over the same period.

Asuncion also noted gains in the National Achievement Test (NAT) for Grade 10 students in School Year 2022-2023 from 2019-2020.

Problem-solving skills improved by 43.31 percent, compared to 43.08 percent; information literacy increased to 41.96 percent from 41.5 percent; and critical thinking to 39.61 percent from 35.46 percent.

“The mission of DepEd is to provide quality basic education that is equitably accessible to all and to lay the foundation for lifelong learning,” Asuncion said.

NAT is an exit assessment to determine if Grade 10 learners are meeting the standards of the Junior High School curriculum.

The Caraga Region serves 764,864 learners across 2,356 public schools and 256 private schools, supported by 36,047 public school teachers and 3,099 private school teachers.

Enrollment in the region’s Alternative Learning System increased for School Year 2023-2024 with 1,518 learners enrolled in the Basic Literacy Program, up from 1,223 last year. (PNA)