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How to Compute Your Grades Under DepEd's System

By SchoolFinderPH TeamAugust 16, 20269 min read
How to Compute Your Grades Under DepEd's System

TL;DR: DepEd computes a grade in five steps: total the raw scores per component, convert each to a percentage score, multiply by the component weight, add the weighted scores to get the Initial Grade, then convert that through the transmutation table to get the Term Grade on the card. The governing issuance for school year 2026-2027 is DepEd Order No. 015, s. 2026, which repealed DepEd Order No. 8, s. 2015. The component names, the weights and the conversion table all changed with it.

If you want to check the number on a report card, you need the method DepEd actually prescribes, not a formula copied off a template. This walks through it with a worked example you can pattern-match against your own class record.

One thing to settle first: the rules changed this school year. DepEd Order No. 015, s. 2026, signed 4 June 2026, repealed DepEd Order No. 8, s. 2015 and took effect from school year 2026-2027 in public elementary and secondary schools. Guides describing Written Work, Performance Tasks and Quarterly Assessment are describing the repealed order. Our guide to the new grading order covers the reform as a whole.

What Goes Into a Grade, and What Does Not

Grades come only from summative assessment. The order names three components:

ComponentWhat it covers
Written or Oral Works (WWs)Essays, journals, written reports, structured presentations and similar tasks that scaffold into performance tasks
Product or Performance Tasks (PTs)Projects, portfolios, investigations, culminating presentations, anything applying knowledge in an authentic context
Examinations (EXs)Two Summative Tests and one Term Examination per learning area, per term

What does not go into the grade is just as important. Paragraph 15 states that formative assessment "shall be used to monitor learning progress but shall not be used for grade computation." Exit tickets, recitation checks, seatwork used diagnostically, practice quizzes: those inform teaching, not the number.

Homework sits in between. It supports practice and retrieval, and if a teacher uses it as summative evidence the order requires authenticity checks first, such as an in-class follow-up task, oral questioning or a demonstration.

The Weights, by Learning Area

Weights differ by subject group. These are the current tables.

Grades 4 to 10 (Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 3):

Learning areaWWsPTsEXs
English, Filipino, Mathematics, Science, Araling Panlipunan, GMRC / Values Education20%50%30%
EPP / TLE, and MAPEH20%60%20%

Grades 11 to 12 (Key Stage 4):

Subject groupWWsPTsEXs
SHS Core Subjects, other SHS Academic Electives20%50%30%
Field Exposure, Arts Apprenticeship, Creative Production and Innovation15%70%15%
Arts, Sports, and Health and Wellness Electives20%60%20%
Research Electives, and Design and Innovation40%60%
TechPro Electives15%65%20%
Work Immersion20%80%

Two structural details inside those numbers:

  • The Examinations component splits internally: 30% for the first Summative Test, 30% for the second, 40% for the Term Examination. You compute a composite first, then apply the subject's EXs weight to it.
  • Some subjects have no Examinations component at all. Research Electives, Design and Innovation, and Work Immersion are graded on WWs and PTs only. For Work Immersion the 80% performance component corresponds to the industry evaluation or the grade given by the workplace supervisor.

Grade 12 is the exception this year. Paragraph 49 states that Grade 12, which has not yet moved to the Strengthened SHS Curriculum in school year 2026-2027, uses the component weights from DepEd Order No. 8, s. 2015 together with the new adjusted transmutation table. Old weights, new table.

The Five Steps, Worked Through

The example below is illustrative. The scores are constructed to demonstrate the method, not taken from any real class record. The formulas, weights and conversion are the ones prescribed in DepEd Order No. 015, s. 2026.

Setup: Grade 8 Science, one term. Science in Key Stage 3 is weighted 20% WWs, 50% PTs, 30% EXs.

Step 1: Total the raw scores per component

ComponentLearner's total raw scoreHighest possible score
WWs6880
PTs132150
ST11825
ST22025
Term Examination3950

Step 2: Convert each total to a Percentage Score

Percentage Score = (raw score ÷ highest possible score) × 100

  • WWs: (68 ÷ 80) × 100 = 85.00
  • PTs: (132 ÷ 150) × 100 = 88.00
  • ST1: (18 ÷ 25) × 100 = 72.00
  • ST2: (20 ÷ 25) × 100 = 80.00
  • TE: (39 ÷ 50) × 100 = 78.00

Step 3: Multiply by the component weights

The Examinations component is combined first, using its internal 30 / 30 / 40 split:

EXs composite = (72.00 × 0.30) + (80.00 × 0.30) + (78.00 × 0.40) = 21.60 + 24.00 + 31.20 = 76.80

Now apply the subject weights:

ComponentPercentage ScoreWeightWeighted Score
WWs85.0020%17.00
PTs88.0050%44.00
EXs76.8030%23.04

Step 4: Add the weighted scores to get the Initial Grade

17.00 + 44.00 + 23.04 = Initial Grade of 84.04

Step 5: Apply the transmutation table

For school year 2026-2027, the adjusted table in Annex D of the order puts the band 82.98 to 84.15 at a transmuted grade of 86.

Term Grade: 86.

Notice how much work step 5 is doing. The learner's raw weighted performance is a little over 84; the reported number is 86. That gap is exactly what DepEd is phasing out. From school year 2027-2028, under zero-based grading, the Initial Grade is reported directly with no conversion, so the same performance would show as 84. Our transmuted grades guide carries the full adjusted table.

From Term Grade to Final Grade to General Average

LevelHow it is computed
Term Grade (TG)The grade at the end of each term based on all summative results in that period, rounded to the nearest whole number
Final Grade (FG)The average of the term grades in a learning area at the end of the school year, rounded to the nearest whole number
General Average (GA)The average of the Final Grades in all learning areas taken during the school year, expressed as a whole number

Carrying the example forward: if Science produces term grades of 86, 84 and 88, the Final Grade is (86 + 84 + 88) ÷ 3 = 86.

Three is not a typo. School year 2026-2027 runs on a three-term calendar rather than four quarters, so a final grade averages three numbers. Our school calendar guide has the term dates.

For Grades 11 and 12 the general average is different: the order says it shall be computed using the equivalent units of each subject, that is, unit-weighted rather than a straight average, with detailed specifications to follow in a separate issuance on the Strengthened SHS Curriculum. This is not the same as a college GWA, which is computed from a different scale entirely; see our GWA computation guide if that is what you are after.

What the Numbers Mean

Numerical grades come with qualitative descriptors under the current order:

GradeDescriptorWhat it signals
90-100Advancing (Namumukod-tangi)Consistently meets or exceeds standards with independence and depth
80-89Benchmarking (Napamamalas)Demonstrates expected grade-level skills competently and independently
75-79Connecting (Natutungo)Sufficient understanding with occasional guidance and support
65-74Developing (Napauunlad)Partial understanding, requires targeted support and scaffolding
0-64Emerging (Nagsisimula)Does not yet demonstrate foundational skills, requires intensive support

A Final Grade of 75 or higher means the learner met the minimum standards. Below 75 triggers remedial intervention or academic support rather than an automatic consequence.

Checking Your Own Numbers

You cannot audit a grade from the report card alone. SF9, the Learner's Progress Report or Performance Report, carries the output: term grades, final grades, descriptors. The inputs live in the class record.

If something looks wrong, ask for the specifics rather than the conclusion:

  1. The raw score and the highest possible score for each component. Both numbers, not just the percentage. A percentage with no denominator cannot be checked.
  2. Which learning-area weights were used. Science and MAPEH are weighted differently, and a Grade 12 subject uses a different set again.
  3. The Initial Grade before transmutation. This is the number that tells you where the learner actually is. Two learners on the same reported 75 can be a full four raw points apart.
  4. Whether formative work was counted. It should not be.

The order requires teachers to keep complete and accurate class records to support grading decisions, and to retain supporting documents including assessment tools, rubrics, raw scores and feedback records for at least one school year, or longer if needed for audit, validation or appeals. Those records are subject to validation by school heads and instructional supervisors. So the material to answer your question exists; you are asking for something the teacher is already required to have.

For the broader picture of how the system fits together, see our DepEd grading system guide.

Sources


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Frequently Asked Questions

What are the five steps to compute a DepEd grade?

Annex D of DepEd Order No. 015, s. 2026 sets them out in order. Add up the raw scores for each component. Convert each total to a percentage score by dividing by the highest possible score and multiplying by 100. Multiply each percentage score by the weight assigned to that component for the learning area to get the weighted score. Add all weighted scores to get the Initial Grade. Then apply the transmutation table, if one still applies to that grade level and school year, to get the Term Grade.

What are the grading components now called?

Written or Oral Works, Product or Performance Tasks, and Examinations. The Examinations component is itself made up of two Summative Tests and one Term Examination, weighted 30 percent for the first summative test, 30 percent for the second, and 40 percent for the term examination. These replaced the Written Work, Performance Tasks and Quarterly Assessment labels used under the repealed DepEd Order No. 8, s. 2015.

How do I get the final grade from the term grades?

The Final Grade in each learning area is the average of the term grades for that learning area, rounded to the nearest whole number. Because school year 2026-2027 runs on a three-term calendar rather than four quarters, that is an average of three numbers, not four.

How is the general average computed?

By averaging the Final Grades in all learning areas taken during the school year, expressed as a whole number. For Key Stage 4, meaning Grades 11 and 12, the order says the general average shall be computed using the equivalent units of each subject, so a unit-weighted average rather than a straight one, with detailed specifications to come in a separate issuance on the Strengthened Senior High School Curriculum.

Can I compute my own grade from the report card alone?

No. The report card carries term grades and final grades, which are the output of the computation, not the raw scores that go into it. To check the arithmetic you need the class record: the raw scores per component and the highest possible score for each. Teachers are required to keep those records and retain the supporting documents for at least one school year.

Do quizzes and homework count toward the grade?

Formative assessment does not. The order states that formative assessment shall be used to monitor learning progress but shall not be used for grade computation. Homework counts only when a teacher uses it as summative evidence, and in that case the order requires authenticity checks such as in-class follow-up tasks, oral questioning, supervised checks or demonstrations.

Is there a computation for Kindergarten to Grade 3?

Not once descriptive grading reaches that grade level. Kindergarten and Grade 1 report progress through descriptors and narrative feedback from school year 2026-2027, Grade 2 follows in 2027-2028 and Grade 3 in 2028-2029. Until a grade level switches over it keeps the numerical computation described here.