MELCs Walkthrough

MOST ESSENTIAL LEARNING COMPETENCIES
By the end of this Module, you will be able to:
1. explain the background and development of the MELCs

2. unpack the MELCs
3. combine related competencies into learning objectives
DEVELOPMENT AND DESIGN OF THE MOST ESSENTIAL LEARNING COMPETENCIES (MELCs)
Rationale
The education sector is not spared from the COVID-19 pandemic which continues to gravely affect
various governments and economies around the world. The current global health crisis poses a profound
impact on the basic education system, as approximately 87% of the world’s student population, or 1.5
billion learners, have been affected by school closures (UNESCO, 2020).
In the Philippines, ensuring the welfare of more than 27 million learners in basic education alone
requires indomitable commitment especially amidst this crisis. However, UNESCO reiterates its stand in
spite of the circumstances: “Education cannot wait. If learning stops, we will lose human capital. ”
(UNESCO, 2017).
The Department echoes UNESCO’s belief that educational quality, access, and system strengthening
cannot be compromised in times of crisis (UNESCO, 2017) and that doing the opposite will negatively
affect human capital. Thus, the Department of Education affirms its commitment to sustaining the
delivery of quality, accessible, relevant, and liberating Philippine basic education services anchored on
the Sulong Edukalidad framework.
Working on the said premise, the Department came up with the Most Essential Learning Competencies
(MELCs) to be used nationwide by field implementers for SY 2020-2021. The release of the MELCs is not
just a response to addressing the challenges of the current pandemic but is also part of the
Department’s long-term response to the call of SDG4 (Sustainable Development Goal) to develop
resilient education systems, most especially during emergencies.
The MELCs can be used under similar circumstances as a mechanism to ensure education continuity
(curriculum dimension). However, releasing the MELCs does not downplay the standards set by the K to
12 curriculum guides. Rather, they serve as one of the guides for teachers as they address the
instructional needs of learners while ensuring that curriculum standards are maintained and achieved.
Furthermore, the MELCs intend to assist schools in navigating the limited number of school days as they
employ multiple delivery schemes by providing them ample instructional space.
Background on the Identification of the MELCs
The Department, through the Bureau of Curriculum Development–Curriculum Standards Development

Division, in collaboration with the Assessment Curriculum and Technology Research Centre (ACTRC),
started working on the identification of essential learning competencies in the middle of 2019 as part of
its review of the intended curriculum. Bureau specialists, academic experts, and field implementers
worked together to reach a consensus regarding the criteria to be used and mechanisms to adopt in
determining these competencies.
The review focused on articulation within and across learning areas and grade levels, which led to the
identification of gaps, issues, and concerns. Moreover, areas for improvement that would enhance the
learning engagement, experience, and outcomes were identified and consequent solutions were
recommended.
Results of the review from the workshop series provided an overview of the articulation of learning
competencies in each learning area. Specifically, the review covered the following:
● Mapping of the essential and desirable learning competencies within the curriculum;
● Identification of prerequisite knowledge and skills needed to prepare students for essential learning
competencies; and
● Analysis of the interconnectedness of prerequisite knowledge and skills among the learning
competencies for each subject area.
Essential learning competencies were defined as what the students need, considered indispensable, in
the teaching-learning process to build skills to equip learners for subsequent grade levels and
consequently, for lifelong learning. On the other hand, desirable learning competencies were defined as
what may enhance education but may not be necessary in building foundational skills.
A list of the characteristics of essential learning competencies was provided to help participants decide
which among the learning competencies are deemed most important.
From ELCs to MELCs
The number of the identified essential learning competencies per quarter were further reduced, thus
the term “most essential learning competencies.”
In determining the criteria for the selection of the MELCs, the Department collaborated with
stakeholders from ACTRC, during which the descriptor – ENDURANCE – was considered the primary
determining factor. A learning competency is considered enduring if it remains with learners long after a
test or unit of study is completed or if it is useful beyond a single test or unit of study. Examples of such
learning competencies include research skills, reading comprehension, writing, map reading, and
hypothesis testing, which are essential in many professions and in everyday life (Reeves, 2002; Many &
Horrell, 2014). The Department then identified the MELCs across all learning areas through the
application of these understandings.
Necessary in this process is the decision whether a learning competency is to be retained, merged,
dropped, or rephrased. As a general rule, a learning competency is retained if it satisfies the endurance
criterion which greatly contributes to life-long learning and is a prerequisite skill to the next grade level.
Two or more learning competencies are merged or clustered if they have the same objective or learning
intention and can therefore be combined into one comprehensive learning competency. However,
learning competencies are removed/dropped due to the following reasons:
● They are too specific (and the articulation is similar to that of a learning objective).
● They are deemed appropriate to be introduced in an earlier quarter or grade level or moved to a later
quarter or grade level.
● They are recurring.

● They are subsumed in another learning competency.
Finally, a learning competency is rephrased to be more concise.
Examine the examples that follow:

The content and performance standards are directly lifted from the curriculum guides. Its inclusion is to
emphasize that the identification of MELCs is anchored on the prescribed standards and not a departure
from the standards-based basic education curriculum. Thus, teachers are encouraged to refer to the
2016 Curriculum Guides in unpacking the MELCs.

UNPACKING AND COMBINING THE MOST ESSENTIAL LEARNING COMPETENCIES (MELCs)
The identification of MELCs intends to provide instructional space among field partners/implementers to
deliver quality instruction amidst the limited learning modalities and shortening of the school year.
Likewise, the release of the MELCs does not confine teachers in navigating the peculiarities of the
learning landscapes. Just like in the pre-COVID years, you are highly encouraged to unpack the
curriculum standards into learning objectives through the MELCs, in order to systematize learning
activities and effectively address the varying needs of learners and the challenges of instructional
deliveries.
In unpacking the MELCs into learning objectives, you need to consider the following:
● Alignment on the Content and Performance Standards - The MELCs are not a departure from the
standards-based design, which is one of the main features of the K to 12 Curriculum. In fact, there are
no MELCs without the content and performance standards.
● Prerequisite knowledge and skills - It is worth noting that the identified MELCs cater to highe-rorder
cognitive demands. As such, lower cognitive demand may be considered first in creating learning
objectives. This ensures that prerequisite knowledge and skills that would enable the achievement
of MELCs, and eventually the content and performance standards, are addressed.
● Logical sequence of learning objectives - Since the intention of unpacking the MELCs is to provide
systematic learning experiences for learners, it is incumbent that the unpacked learning objectives
follow a logical sequence.

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MOST ESSENTIAL LEARNING COMPETENCIES

By the end of this Module, you will be able to:

1. explain the background and development of the MELCs

3. combine related competencies into learning objectives

DEVELOPMENT AND DESIGN OF THE MOST ESSENTIAL LEARNING COMPETENCIES (MELCs)

The Department, through the Bureau of Curriculum Development–Curriculum Standards Development

From ELCs to MELCs

● They are recurring.

Finally, a learning competency is rephrased to be more concise.

Examine the examples that follow:

2016 Curriculum Guides in unpacking the MELCs.

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