To:   Bureau/Regional Directors
Schools Superintendents
Private Elementary and Secondary School Principals
Chairman, CHED

1.   Some constraints have affected the desired effective and efficient administration of national examinations to physically handicapped children (crippled, “neurologically” handicapped – (cerebral palsy) visually and hearing impaired) as duly attested by a competent attending physician, thereby affecting the performance assessment of special schools, private and public elementary and secondary schools.

2.   These constraints include lack of facilities and lack of trained facilitators and testing aides to attend to the needs of the handicapped examinees.

3.   Effective immediately, graduating physically handicapped pupils and students shad be exempted from the requirement of taking the National Elementary Achievement Test: (NEAT) and the National Secondary Achievement Test (NSAT).

4.   This Order supersedes Item 1 of DECS Order No. 78, s. 1999 requiring all Grade VI pupils and Fourth Year students in all private and public elementary and secondary schools to take the NEAT and the NSAT respectively.

5.   A Certificate of Exemption may be obtained from the National Educational testing and Research Center (NETRC) upon endorsement of the Regional Director concerned.

6.   Immediate dissemination of this Order is desired.

Reference:

 Allotment:       1—(D.O. 50-97)
To be indicated in the Perpetual Index
under the following subjects:EXAMINATION
POLICY
SPECIAL EDUCATION