THE Department of Education (DepEd) has started nationwide monitoring visits to public and private schools participating in the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA).
The process, conducted by monitoring teams and testing coordinators, includes field dialogues across regions.
DepEd said the Philippines’ PISA scores improved in 2025 from 2022, noting the country had emerged as the fastest-improving nation in Reading performance in the 2025 PISA.
”PISA does not only measure where a country stands across different domains; it reminds us of what we can achieve when everyone takes part in moving education forward and helping every Filipino learner reach their dreams,” Education Secretary Sonny Angara said.
”Under the leadership of President ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr., we will continue building on this momentum. But sustaining progress will require more than one program, one administration or one assessment cycle. It will require all of us,” he added.
DepEd said the goal is to anchor academic gains into permanent systems through core learning recovery initiatives, including the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning Program.
”By strengthening ties with local government units, local school boards and community partners, DepEd aims to bridge remaining learning gaps and accelerate basic education quality nationwide,” it said.
Angara said that the country’s average score in Science increased by 17 points to 373 from 356 in 2022. He said that in Reading, the score improved by 16 points to 371 from 355. He said the highest increase was in Math — a 20-point rise to 367 from 347.
The country ranked 77 of 91 in Science, 74 of 90 in Mathematics and 72 of 90 in Reading for 2025, meaning it was not in the bottom 10 in all three. In 2022, the country ranked 79 of 81 in Science and 76 of 81 both in Mathematics and Reading. Its ranking in 2018 was 78 of 79 in Science and in Mathematics, and 79 of 79 in Reading.
The Philippines was represented in the 2025 PISA by 8,702 learners from 208 public and private schools, DepEd said.
The PISA is undertaken by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.
The DepEd said on Wednesday that in Soccsksargen, dialogues “among school heads, assessment coordinators, teachers and parents highlighted strong community involvement and heightened digital testing readiness.” The department said that in Eastern Visayas, “regional monitoring teams and division leaders conducted a series of school-level monitoring sessions to ensure data-driven literacy programs and support structures are firmly established.”
“The visits showcased how global assessment insights are being directly translated into localized learning strategies,” DepEd said.
