Guitar Babe took the ALS A&E exam last Sunday, January 25, 2015. I may have mentioned in the past that she is already in college and is doing very well – she’s on the Dean’s List for the last two trimesters, however she got into her college without the benefit of her high school diploma. “What?! How did that happen???” You may be wondering. So let me back track a bit. Online casino Ireland. ###
My children have not been enrolled with any homeschool provider for the last two years. Because of this, Guitar Babe does not have a high school transcript / diploma. I found out from a teacher friend of mine about DepEd Alternative Learning System (ALS). ALS allows out-of-school youth 15 years and above and adults who did not have the benefit of studying in a formal high school a chance to earn their high school diploma. This was a God-send to us because it solves our problem of a high school diploma.
At that time, I was not aware that there were already ALS centers near where we live. So I went in search of ALS online. I found ALS Modules in English and Filipino, printed these for ther to study. However, I was a little worried because Guitar Babe was already 18 years old and it was time for her to be in college. One day, I decided to visit a college near our home and inquire. There I explained that my daughter was homeschooled and that she is still working on her ALS diploma. In the meanwhile, would they accept her into their college so she could start earning her college credits. They agreed but with the condition that she can only get her grades from the college when she completes her (ALS) requirements. At this time, she is already at the start of the third trimester of her first year in college. So there, I am sharing this with you as this may be something some of you can do for your college-age children while waiting for the ALS exam and result.
Back to the ALS A&E exam last Sunday. I learned of the date of the exam from another homeschool mom. Immediately I went online and made a search. I saw that the exam last Sunday for NCR was the last and only one for last year. I also found out that DepEd had a site dedicated to the ALS (link above) and that our city has a DepEd ALS site as well. I called up the number on this site and found out the following:
- My daughter can take the exam as a walk-in examinee. Walk-ins are given a slot to take the exam when another registered student did not arrive to take the exam.
- The requirements to take this exam are only three things: a photocopy of her NSO birth certificate, 2 pcs 2×2 ID with nametag and a filled-up application form.
- Walk-ins are given a slot on a first come, first serve basis so we had to be at the exam venue as early as 5:00AM.
The exam is scheduled to be 4.5 hours long and is given in Tagalog. The first part is essay and the second part is multiple choice. The essay part can be answered in Tagalog or English, but not Taglish.
We arrived at the testing center at 5:30AM and there were already a lot of students milling about. Everyone was in a white shirt which concerned me so we decided to go home so Guitar Babe can change into a white shirt. When we got back, a line had already formed for the walk-ins. A nice lady was giving instructions to the walk-ins. She also had control of the line, telling everyone where to line up and to not let anybody cut the line. All of the people from DepEd were very helpful and answered all my questions. The test started for the registered examinees as soon as they arrived. At 8:30 am, they started counting how many slots were still available. They said that there were many examinees who did not come so all of the walk-ins will be accommodated. It’s a good thing that I decided to stay to ensure that Guitar Babe will be given a slot. Because while all the other DepEd staff were strict with the first come, first serve rule, one guy from the DepEd office started pulling examinees from the line and created a second line for them. A lot of people were already complaining that he made others cut the line. Of course this was very frustrating and together with the other teachers and parents, we spoke up and complained. He denied it and tried to fix the mess he created. Finally, all the examinees were inside. I heaved a big sigh of relief.
At noontime, I went back to the testing center and waited for my daughter to finish. Since she went in at 9:20AM, I knew she would maximize the full 4.5 hours alloted to them. I was surprised when she came out after 3 hours but assumed that she must have found the test easy and finished early. However, the first thing she asked me was what time she should have finished it. I said, you should still have about an hour to finish your test. She was a little agitated and said that the proctor asked all of them to turn in their exam booklets even if they were not yet finished. She said that a few of them were asking the proctor to let them finish the exam, but the proctor was firm and insisted that the instructions given to them was that they should be finished by 12:45PM. We went back inside to look for the DepEd staff that I met earlier. Good thing they were all just inside the gate. When my daughter told them what happened and that she wasn’t able to finish the exam, they were aghast and went with my daughter to look for the proctor. They said that the instructions for the walk-ins was that their time should be adjusted according to whatever time they started their test. With their help, my daughter was able to finish her test. Apparently, the proctor did not understand the instructions about the walk ins, as she claimed. It may be that, or she may also be in a hurry to go home since it was a Sunday.
Guitar Babe said that the essay part was very easy for her. The question was “Ano ang epekto ng cellphone sa buhay mo?”. The other questions were also easy. What she found harder were the other Tagalog words that she did not understand. That’s why it was important for her to finish the whole test because there were quite a number of questions where she wasn’t sure if she understood the questions or not.
We’re happy that she was able to take the ALS Accreditation and Equivalency Exam. This is a huge help to her. The results will come out some time in April. In the meanwhile, she’s happily back to her studies in college.
I already registered my other daughter in ALS so she can take the next exam. But that’s for another post. I hope this will help you in making a decision for your own homeschooled high school child.
Some links to check out:
- Department of Education Alternative Learning System
- ALS Reviewers and Sample Essay Questions
- ALS Modules in English and Filipino
- ALS Online Reviewer and Exam Results
- ALS Result
Want to know how Guitar Babe fared in her ALS exam? Read my update next.
A very helpful post, good job!
Good day Ms. Michelle!
Thanks very much for your post.
May I ask, what College is Guitar Babe in right now?
Hi Eunice, she went to AMA College.
Hello po gusto ko lang po itanong kung ano po ang website ng ALS for registration. Interesado po kasi ako mag aral through online. Thank you po
Ask ko lng po sana mam michelle kung saan po pwede magparegister ang walk in examinee at saan mkakakuha ng form?…gustong gusto q kc mkakuha n agad ng diploma within this year..sana po mtulungan nyo aq thanx po ng marami….
Pakibasa na lang ang sagot ko sa una mong tanong.
Same tayo gurl…gustong gusto kuna dn mag exam..pumayag palng teacher ko ngayon bago lang kasi ako sa als.nagpareguster ako as walk in.
Hi I’ve read your blog and I’m one of a few who did not finish elementary but want to study again. May I ask where can I get an application for ALS? Or can you teach me how to register for it by details? Sorry I’m very new and Unknowledgeable about this deped program. And may I ask if u have a news when is the next sched for this program? I missed the January test. Thanks a lot!
Hi Kat! Thanks for your reply and sorry for the delayed reply. You can go to the public school nearest you and inquire. Please go and do that now because there is news that this year may just be the last year that Deped will offer ALS. God bless your endeavor. You can write me again if you need more help.
I heard this (the last hurrah for ALS A&E this year) and I panicked. So what happens to our homeschooler if he can’t take the exam this year or he fails to pass the test? Where have you heard this sad news? Hopefully, they are ending it only because they have another option available.
Thanks
Due to the changes in our educational system (K-12), there will probably be changes, too, in the ALS. Until DepEd puts out their memo for next year, we really woudn’t know. As of now, this is what teachers are saying.
Hello mam good pm po .im marilyn sal
Hello Kat!
Thank you for writing. You can either go to the nearest public school or to DepEd Complex, Meralco Avenue, Pasig City. Here is their website: http://www.deped.gov.ph/als. I believe that you can now enroll for this year’s batch of ALS.
Michelle Padrelanan recently posted…POST-EVENT THOUGHTS ON TMA HOMESCHOOL 2015 PARENTS CONFERENCE
Hi Kat nkapag registered kana ba? Kasi ako gusto ko sana .pwede pa ba?
Jj recently posted…Family Discipleship – For Such A Time As This
Ma’am pwde pa po ba mag pa registered this year at maka take ng exam? 26 na ako pero hindi ko natapos high school … gustong gusto ko mag aral.
Jj recently posted…Family Discipleship – For Such A Time As This
sir/madam, if you still haven’t registered, do it now While the the exam date still hasn’t been finalized.
hi po meron po ba kayo dito sa laguna ng als tnx po…..
This is a very encouraging post, Michelle. Too many times, news on how DepEd makes it harder for home schoolers can be so daunting, but stories like these only show that God does provide ways for his children. Thanks for this!
You’re welcome May. Daughter no. 1, (who also happens to be your disciple, too) is ready to transfer. She’s choosing between Treston International College and San Beda.
Treston is so near here! She can always come by. We might even see each other every Thursday, the kids go there for their MAPEH at Homeschool @ the Fort.
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Thanks for the post. Big help for us homeschoolers. Am just wondering what were the subjects that were included in the ALS exam? Were they the same as the PEPT ( Math, Science, English, Araling Panlipunan and Filipino )? Thanks for your reply.
hi… i just want to ask if you have new reviewers for ALS exam that can be downloaded???
The reviewers are already linked in the blog post.
Hi, I just found out that the Registration period is held from July 16 to August 15, 2015. Apparently, I was not able to search for this until now. Is there anyway for a late registration? Thanks!
Hi, mam michelle wala na po bang next exam this yr.?
you can. I just started this early February although I’m having trouble getting registered as the teachers-in-charge always seem to forget the form and such.
Hi Michelle,
I’m currently enrolled in the ALS program and I would just like to ask how you were able to enroll through AMA while still waiting to take the test for the ALS program. I would like to get my college credits started and when I came across your blog, it gave me hope. Thank you so much!
Hope you can help me with my inquiry. Thank you, again.
It’s best to go to your desired school for inquiries to get accurate response if they will accept your registration. Some schools do accept as long as you can provide forms from ALS. Best of luck!
I just talked to the school and asked them to accept my child. She is capable anyway. They agreed on the condition that her grades will not be released until we can submit the results of her ALS Exam. Which is exactly what we did. After one year at AMA College, where she has done very well, she transferred to another school, this time with credentials. Happily, she was accepted as a scholar at that school.
Michelle Padrelanan recently posted…What I Learned From Five Days Without My Phone
hello….. what kind of exam
Sana naman po meron pa huhuhu””:(
Meron pa ngayong April 2016! Tumuloy ka na sa DepEd Pasig o sa pinakamalapit ng public school at magtanong kung paano ka makakasali sa exam.
mam michelle ask ko lng sna kung pwede p ako mkapag walk-in..pano po ang proseso at saan po ang lugar ng exam?…thanx po…
Depende, Jonek, kung taga saan ka. Pumunta ka lang sa pinaka malapit na public school at magtanong tungkol sa ALS. Kausapin mong mabuti yung teacher na tulungan kang makapag exam ng ALS. Dati, tumawag ako sa Bureau of ALS sa city namin at binigyan lang ako ng instructions sa phone. PInapunta kami ng 5:00am sa school sa araw ng exam para makapila sa walk-in examinee. Sinunod namin lahat at nakapag exam nga ang anak ko.
This year, dahil alam ko na nga ang tungkol sa ALS, maaga pa lang naka register na yung pangalawang anak ko. Pero late pa rin at for walk in pa rin siya. Sabi ng teacher, ang maganda lang nakapila na sa kanila na walk in ang anak ko. E sana nga, tingnan na lang natin. Pero kami, siguradong 5:00AM pa lang nasa school na kami.
very helpful madam michelle….I hvnt fnsh my highschool.nsa 4rth year hs naq nung nahnto at hndi nkagrad..gusto ko uling mgaral kaso nhhiya po ako mgtnong sa dti nmng school kng paano..meron pa po bng ibng praan pra mpgtnungan q kng paano mkkpgenrol dito sa ALS?mrming slmat
mix recently posted…What I Learned From Five Days Without My Phone
Subukan mo nang dumiretso sa pinaka malapit na public school at magtanong tungkol sa ALS. Ngayong buwan na ito at pwede namang mag walk-in. Sana makasama ka sa test.
The deped made an announcement that the ALS AE exam this january and february 2016 are postponed indefinite date ,i am scheduled to take this exam and im wondering if this exam will still push trough..
Sadly, what you said is true. They have postponed it indefinitely. We’ll just have to keep waiting for when they will hold the exam.
According to DepEd website:
WAVE 1: Regions I, II, III, IV-A, IV-B, V, NCR, and CAR
Regular Testing Center: April 17, 2016
Extension Centers: April 16, 2016
WAVE 2: Regions VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XII, Caraga, and ARMM
Regular Testing Center: April 24, 2016
Extension Centers: April 23, 2016
See URL: http://www.deped.gov.ph/als-ae
I am a friend of a Filipina I have supported and sent to study at ALS in Dumaguete. As an American, I can tell you that ALS here is a complete joke. They constantly cancel classes, you are lucky if classes are held twice a week, and if they are held, you arrive at 8:30 or so, and get sent home by 10:30! Oh, and I hope you can study with all your classmates playing music and texting, because most of the time the teacher doesn’t care. Oh and many times the teacher rambles on about things that have nothing to do with the reason you are there- study. They are not organized, misinformation is given to students depending on the teacher about which study materials are to be used, and where to find them be it online or handout. How about the fact that ALS keeps cancelling or postponing the exam dates. But they always have time to hold a fiesta! Like expecting my Filipina to bus five hours each way, to sleep on a concrete floor, all so they could have some stupid event! How about having an event called- ‘THE EXAM!’ I think they should just charge a fee and let people take it when they need to, it would create jobs and let students get their diploma so they can also get the job they want, so stupid. God Bless America!
That was happen in our school.maybe thats why my teacher dont want me to take an exam this coming sunday
hi! I just would like to ask whether you can truly answer the essay purely in English as I’m more proficient in English than in Filipino.
Hello! Yes you can answer in English. The rule is not to switch from English to Tagalog when writing your essay.
..sana talaga makasama.ako sa exam this coming sunday