Proponent Agency

Philippine Science High School System (PSHS)

Date

August 5 to 9, 2019

Theme

Performance Management

General Description

With the need for the whole “Pisay community” to work closely in fostering positive student wellbeing, the PSHS would like to establish an improved collaborative platform of communication and engagement. Thus, the Pisay CARES will be divided into two main thrusts: Curriculum Redesign; and School Information System

Project Background

Mandated to offer scholarship in secondary education with special emphasis on subjects pertaining to sciences, the Philippine Science High School System (PSHS) prepares its students rigorously for a career in science and technology. PSHS aims to prepare its scholars to be globally competitive with 21st century skills, values of truth, excellence, and service to the nation.

Without doubt, students of the PSHS have exceptionally high aptitude in science and mathematics. In an environment where excellence is regarded as a virtue, PSHS would like to further strengthen its pedagogical approach and highlight an education that is humanistic in spirit, global in perspective, and patriotic in orientation.

Sifting through the complexities of the PSHS’ context, the Innovation Team generated a program to bridge the gaps and address the issues with the existing system. For their innovation challenge, the team aims to: Strengthen the PSHS Community (students, parents, faculty, and staff) to ensure a happy student experience (healthy mind, heart, body, and spirit). 

After numerous rounds of coming up with a concrete solution with the maximal benefit, the team came up with Pisay Cares: Systems approach in addressing student wellbeing.

Potential Impact:

  1. Strengthen the “Pisay community”: improve student school experience (academics, social, and mental well-being), improve teacher and staff workload to be more student-centered, improve and sustain school-parent engagement
  2. Embed mental well-being in all aspects of the PSHS outcomes: remove stigma on mental health and well-being, redefine “success” to be geared towards collaborative learning, and foster a more positive “Pisay culture”
  3. Provide an avenue in gathering information to identify and address challenges and opportunities for improvement in the school systems

Project Features

  1. Curriculum Redesign
  • Through its continuous commitment to improvement towards excellence, the curriculum revision happens every two years.
  • For 2019, PSHS would like to embed mental well-being in all aspects of learning.
  • Through this strategic direction, the PSHS would like to ‘redefine’ success from an approach that is highly competitive to one that is geared towards collaboration.
  • This program aims to foster a more positive Pisay culture: from a competitive and demanding culture to a more accommodating and friendlier.
  • In general, the curriculum redesign aims to streamline curricular content in subjects, keep extra-curricular activities in check, modify non-academic programs that impact the PSHS’ student experience (JS prom, convocation, sportsfest, etc.) to foster a more positive Pisay culture.

2.  School Information System (SIS)

  • The Pisay Cares School Information System will introduce a new platform for parent and school personnel for communication and engagement.
  • This information technology solution aims to facilitate ease in communication within the Pisay community: students, parents, faculty, and staff.
  • As intervening work has been determined as a major deterrent to student-centered learning among faculty and staff, the SIS also aims to streamline the processes towards efficiency.
  • The platform will provide a multi-modal platform (designed to accommodate the various types of communication the users are accustomed to) for the Pisay community. The system will use a multi-modal mode of communication (letter, text, e-mail, etc.)
  • The SIS will also feature an anonymous feedback system that can help improve the Pisay community dynamics. 
  • The targeted features of the website are the following:
  • Students: Class standing (grades, attendance, etc.), calendar of school activities and events, freedom wall, 
  • Parents/ legal guardians: Viewing of class standing of students (grades, attendance, etc.) notifications on other concerns (guidance, discipline office, adviser, dormitory concerns, health, etc.),  appointment schedules (with faculty, personnel, guidance counselor, dormitory manager, etc.) modules on how to be supportive ‘Pisay parents’
  • Homeroom advisers: class standing, generate report card, parents and student notification through letter templates
  • Guidance counselors: Students’ cumulative reports, call slips for students, parents, and teachers
  • Discipline officer: Notification for students, parents, guardians, and teachers
  • Health services: Notification for students, parents, guardians, and teachers.

Project Milestones

Planned Curriculum re – design for execution for August 2020

Innovation Team

  • Innovation Team Name: TORCH
  • Innovation Champion: Dr. Rod Allan A. De Lara
  • Innovation Manager: Rommel Oba
  • Team Members: Kristine Bartolome, Cary Von Alano, Jason Alcarez, Maria Aileen Pesino

Activities

Materials

Outputs