Examining the Secondary English Curriculum in the Philippines: A Step to Move Forward

In the past years, data shows that the performance of students in the Philippines in the National Achievement Tests (NAT) across subjects remain to be way below the target of the Department of Education. This, along with the introduction of ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) integration pushed the Philippine government to implement the Enhanced K-12 Basic Education Program. With this reform is the enhancement of the English curriculum. Hence, it is timely to assess the content of the new English curriculum (known as the Language Arts and Multiliteracies Curriculum or LAMC) to help teachers implement it according to its intention. Thus, this paper sought to examine its clarity and specificity and alignment to the 21st century principles and established language teaching and learning principles. Using content analysis and Vidovich’s (2002) policy cycle as the theoretical framework, the findings revealed that there are several elements that need to be clarified and specified. The findings also indicate the lack of integration of some 21st century principles and language teaching and learning principles into the LAMC. The paper concludes with the implication of the findings in the Philippine education system, recommendations for future revisions, and suggestions for future studies.