New law scraps mandatory spiral progression, gives DepEd full rein on K-12 teaching methods

A new law has lifted the legal requirement for public schools to use the “spiral progression” approach in teaching, giving the Department of Education (DepEd) full authority to adopt whatever method it deems most effective for students to master the K-12 curriculum.

Republic Act No. 12322, principally sponsored by Sen. Bam Aquino as chairperson of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, lapsed into law on Aug. 2 without President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s signature after amending Section 5 of Republic Act No. 10533, or the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013.

“Under this law, the spiral progression approach will be removed to give DepEd the flexibility to choose the most effective teaching methods for our students,” Aquino said.

RA 12322 is a consolidation of Senate Bill No. 1899 and House Bill No. 5939, which the Senate and the House passed on May 5 and May 6, respectively.

The enrolled bill was submitted to Malacañang on June 30 and, under Article VI, Section 27(1) of the 1987 Constitution, automatically became law after Marcos failed to act on it within 30 days.

Spiral progression is a teaching method that revisits key topics in subjects such as Science and Mathematics across grade levels, with lessons meant to build on previous ones with increasing depth and complexity.

Under the amended provision, Section 5, paragraph (g) of RA 10533 was updated to remove the statutory reference to spiral progression, meaning teachers are no longer legally bound to follow it.

Aquino stressed that spiral progression itself is not banned, since schools and teachers may continue using it if they find it effective for their students.

“What the bill does is remove the legal requirement to follow this particular teaching method,” he said in his privilege speech on the measure in March.

The law also directs DepEd to conduct a comprehensive review of the basic education curriculum at least once every five years to ensure its continued relevance and effectiveness.

Aquino said the reform would help ensure that students achieve mastery of lessons before advancing to the next grade level, calling it “a crucial step toward resolving the education crisis” and improving proficiency and literacy in schools.

The measure is Aquino’s second education law enacted in the 20th Congress, following Republic Act No. 12321, or the Last Mile and Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDA) Schools Act.

Aquino’s push for the amendment drew heavily on findings from the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2), whose reports over the past three years had repeatedly flagged the mandatory use of spiral progression as a source of learning gaps rather than mastery.

In its final report released in January, EDCOM 2 said the mandated approach had “failed to ensure the intended cumulative learning across grade levels” and had forced teachers to become generalists rather than subject specialists, particularly in Science and Mathematics.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara, who had expressed DepEd’s support for the measure while it was still pending in Congress, welcomed its enactment as consistent with Marcos’ directive to improve the quality of basic education.

“This update is about maintaining the flexibility our curriculum experts and field officers need to address learning gaps,” Angara said.

He added that any changes to instructional delivery would still be “subject to review, pedagogical evidence, and practical considerations, including teacher training and supply of textbooks.”

With the statutory mandate lifted, Science and Mathematics teachers are now allowed to adopt mastery-based learning or other alternative methods intended to help students grasp foundational concepts before moving forward.

RA 12322 is set to take effect 15 days after its publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.