THE QUANTUM ACADEMY, A Private Basic Education School 

The school implements the Department of Education’s K to 12 Basic Education Program and anchors its academic and non-academic designs on the Department’s Basic Education Development Plan (BEDP) 2030 as the medium- term plan covering all formal education from Kindergarten, Elementary, Junior High School, to Senior High School. The BEDP 2030 is rooted in DepEd aspirations and priorities, national government development agenda, international commitments, and global trends in education adapted to the Philippine context. (DepEd ORDER No. 024, s. 2022) The entire K to 12 Basic Education Curriculum or the Most Essential Learning Competencies (MELC) may be accessed at deped.gov.ph. 

The Quantum Academy is a private basic education school. It does not have an institutionalized religious identity, no private or governmental affiliation, and is not subsidized or funded by the government or any private organization. Its academic instruction is designed to prepare students for college. The community has given the school a mixed progressive-traditional character and an elite reputation which the school never intended to be as its clienteles come from across social dynamics. DepEd evaluations and national assessments proved the school’s reputation of academic excellence, high standard, and resilience in challenging times. 

Based on its unconventional administrative principles and liberal approach in teaching and program implementations, the school may be considered an unorthodox exclusive school. It has a structured education focus without fully practicing traditional educational leadership, instructional methods, assessments, activities, academic contents, and learning deliveries. 

21st Century Skills  

The Quantum Academy is a 21st century school. It provides students with the skills they need to become responsible global citizens and to succeed in the modern world by helping them grow the confidence to practice those skills. 

The school believes that 21st century skills consist of content knowledge, literacies, skills, character qualities, and technologies that prepare students to meet the challenges and circumstances of today’s world. 

The areas of development across the TQA academic program are collaboration, teamwork, creativity, imagination, critical thinking, and problem solving. These areas cover flexibility, adaptability, global and cultural awareness, information and technology literacy, leadership, civic literacy and citizenship, oral and written communication skills, social responsibility and ethics, and initiative.  

School Departments 

Lower School Department:  

Preschool (Nursery and Kindergarten) Primary School (Grades 1, 2, and 3) Intermediate School (Grades 4, 5, and 6) 

Upper School Department:  

Junior High School (Grades 7, 8, 9, and 10) Senior High School (Grades 11 and 12)  

English as the School Language 

English, the school’s official language, is the medium of instruction in most academic subjects. English is the required means of communication among teachers and students inside and outside the school. It is important that students follow the “speak English policy” because using English while inside the campus is considered a graded application of the language skills learned in all English and Reading classes from Grade 4 to Grade 12.  

Filipino Instruction 

DepEd requires K to 12 subjects like Filipino, Araling Panlipunan (Social Studies), Edukasyon sa Pagpapakatao (Values Ed.), Edukasyong Pantahanan at Pangkabuhayan (Home Economics and Livelihood Educ.), and other minor subjects to be in Filipino. However, depending on the results of CEM (Center for Educational Measurement) Filipino yearend test, TQA may or may not adopt English or Filipino as the medium of instruction in these subjects. This is to give the students, who are mostly non-Filipino (or non-Tagalog) speakers, an opportunity to develop Filipino skills in preparation for the required college Filipino subjects and college admission tests. 

Learning Management Systems: Microsoft Teams/Genyo e-Learning 

During the new normal, the school implements its own “contextualized HyFlex learning.” Because of this, the school has adopted blended or hybrid as its form of learning delivery. To deliver effective face-to-face and online learning, the school uses two major learning management platforms: the Genyo e-Learning and Microsoft Teams.  

The Genyo e-Learning is a fully integrated online learning platform that offers a curriculum aligned with the DepEd’s K to 12 Program (Mathematics, Science, English, Filipino, and Araling Panlipunan). It provides rich and engaging interactive multimedia content for the students so they can have more opportunities to learn while enhancing their academic performance whether face-to-face or online. (“Chapter 1.docx | Educational Assessment | Teachers – Scribd”) It helps the teachers plan their lessons well and execute more online and offline learning tasks. The Genyo e-Learning aids the teachers in preparing and administering scientific assessments and evaluations with data analytics and immediate results and item analysis. 

Microsoft Teams on the other hand is a digital hub that creates the school’s virtual classrooms. It brings conversations, content, assignments, and apps together in one place, letting educators create vibrant learning environments. (“Get started with Microsoft Teams for remote learning – Microsoft Teams”) Through the MS Teams, teachers and students can build collaborative classrooms, connect in learning communities, connect with classmates, connect with anyone in the school community within the Teams. Within Teams, teachers can quickly converse with students, share files and websites, create lessons and tasks, and distribute and grade assignments. (“Microsoft shares guide for using Microsoft Teams to implement Remote …”) The MS Teams allows students, parents, teachers, and staff to stay up-to-date and collaborate.  

Silver Education Program (Silver Ed.)  

In 2023, The Quantum Academy celebrates its 25 years in educating Filipino children. SILVER is TQA’s response to the challenges in teaching and learning towards an effective, connected, digitized, globalized, and humanized approach in basic education. SILVER stands for “School Integration of Lifelong-skills and Values Essential to Realizing 21st Century Education”.  

SILVER or “Silver Ed.” is anchored on TQA’s Contextualized HyFlex Learning. This means that the teacher accommodates students and meets their learning needs via essential 21st century skills, values, educational technology tools, and learning platforms. 

Silver Ed. is a modern and progressive academic program offered to Quantum students on top of the DepEd- required minimum competencies, standards, and curriculum. 

Integrated Interdisciplinary Approach  

In integrated interdisciplinary approach, teachers collaborate to create more effective ways of teaching by combining the subjects and activities in the lesson presentation. This approach is applied at least twice per quarter, by class, grade level, or department.  

Interdisciplinary team-teaching involves a conscious effort to apply knowledge, principles, and values to more than one academic discipline simultaneously. The disciplines may be related through a main theme, issue, problem, process, topic, or experience. (“Instructional Process – Planning Instruction Flashcards | Quizlet”) The school’s interdisciplinary organizational structure is called a theme or a thematic unit which is a framework with goals and outcomes that specify what students are expected to learn and to develop because of team-teaching class discussion and learning experiences. 

Interdisciplinary teaching addresses the fragmentation and isolated skill instruction and develops the students’ ability to transfer learning and to reason and think critically. Interdisciplinary teaching provides a meaningful way in which students can use knowledge learned in one context as a knowledge base in other contexts in and out of school (Collins, Brown, & Newman, 1989).  

Immersive Learning 

Augmented reality and virtual reality or AR/VR technologies are an excellent addition to educational technology or edtech due to their immersive nature. The teachers’ ability to share information in new and engaging ways is enhanced and enriched through virtual experiences. 
Although Quantum is still in its early stage of immersive learning, there are many promising examples of this technology already in use from Kindergarten to Grade 12. 

AR/VR can provide our teachers with interactive tools for face to face and online learning. These include libraries of immersive content, experiences for specific subjects or learning objectives, and digital learning tools for students. (“THE PROMISE OF IMMERSIVE LEARNING – ITIF”) AR/VR can help learners grasp abstract concepts and gain hands-on experiences in secured virtual settings. (“What is the Metaverse and how can we protect children in it?”) This can enhance STEM subjects, arts, history, humanities, and technical education. 

Quantum believes that teaching will stay for an exceptionally long time. Virtual learning, when used together with face-to-face learning will open limitless innovative ideas and new possibilities in education—ones that can be integrated in an educational design when teachers and students are fully equipped and resourced with 21st century technology and professional development.  

Adaptive Teaching and Learning  

The school believes that embracing more creative and meaningful learning paths will enhance student development. This is the reason TQA has its own contextualized adaptive learning known as HyFlex. 

The use of technology and in-person learning in Quantum has been contextualized in a sense that it is not only being used but has also been deepened by the school’s tried and tested supplementary learning programs such as the Genyo e-Learning, Merge EDU, ClassVR, and Core Knowledge. 

Science Enrichment Program (SEP) 

The Lower School SEP is based on the school’s adaptation and contextualization of the Core Knowledge Science Curriculum. It aims to offer comprehensive materials to teach scientific concepts and develop scientific practices through hands-on activities. It helps students build knowledge in the life, physical, and earth/space sciences, as well as engineering design. (“Curriculum – Core Knowledge Foundation”) 

The Junior High School SEP is designed to enhance the current K-12 science curriculum. It aims to focus on the most important lessons and topics that each subject in the traditional science sequence is addressed and covered. SEP will respond to the issues of rigor and focus that may be lacking or missing in the K-12 science curriculum. Each SEP subject is rigorous, focused, and coherent. It should effectively integrate lab work and must be delivered interdisciplinary and explore current issues in science and society. This program prepares high school students for senior high school and for college. 

Advanced Mathematics Program (AMP)  

The Lower School AMP is based on the school’s adaptation and contextualization of the Core Knowledge Mathematics Curriculum. It does not necessarily mean that the lessons are advanced or higher level. The AMP in the lower school aims for students to learn math the fun and straightforward way without too many complexities. AMP offers students the opportunity to develop conceptual understanding and procedural fluency while they work with the teacher to apply math in the real world. (“Core Knowledge Middle School Materials in Development”)  

The Junior High School AMP provides more in-depth and focused lessons on assigned math subjects. It also serves as an enhancement of the students’ mathematical fluency. This program prepares high school students for senior high school and for college.  

Reading and Math Remedial Program for Lower School  

Adaptive learning and teaching are when teachers immediately adapt with customized or real-time feedback, strategies, and resources to help address the unique needs of a learner. Adaptive learning and teaching deviates from the usual one-size-fits-all teaching and learning method.  

This program is divided into two: Reading Clinic and Math Clinic. The school conducts a remedial program that aims for an early intervention that can impact the progression of reading and math difficulties among young students. This helps struggling pupils to improve their reading fluency, reading comprehension, and math skills. 

Global Citizenship Education (GCE) 

The Lower School GCE is an adaptation of the Core Knowledge History and Geography Curriculum. It is flexible and contextualized. It aims to give the young children an idea of the bigger world outside their homes. GCE prepares the children to understand the world, history, and geography with integrated topics in civics and the arts.  

It will help students build knowledge and concepts of diverse civilizations, cultures, and the modern world.  

The Junior High School GCE is an adoption of UNESCO’s response to the challenges and issues of the modern world regarding peace and sustainability. It empowers learners to understand global issues and to become promoters of more peaceful, tolerant, inclusive, secure, and sustainable societies. (“Global citizenship education – UNESCO”) It aims to instill in learners the values, attitudes and behaviors that support responsible global citizenship: creativity, innovation, and commitment to peace, human rights, and sustainable development. 

Junior High School Electives 

The JHS Elective Subjects aim to broaden the students’ general knowledge and understanding of the world that will relate to their everyday lives, their homes, families, interest, talents, other people, the local environment, and community and the wider world. Electives are selected senior high school subjects not part of the STEM Strand.  

School Clubs and Organizations (Extra and Co-curricular Activities) 

These activities offer opportunities for students to learn the values of teamwork, individual and group responsibility, physical strength and endurance, competition, diversity, and a sense of culture and community. (“Extracurricular Participation and Student Engagement”)  

Extra and co-curricular activities provide a channel for reinforcing the lessons learned in the classroom, offering students the opportunity to apply academic skills in a real-world context, and are thus considered part of a well-rounded education. The school believes that participation in extracurricular activities develops fundamental skills and increases students’ sense of engagement or attachment to education. 

Extracurricular activities help: 

-develop communication skills 

-teach teamwork and leadership 

-encourage time management 

-boost confidence  

-give students responsibilities

-teach students to face failure and overcome adversity

-create a sense of community

-get student that coveted letter of recommendation for college

-cut down risky behaviors  

Quality Education and Academic Excellence 

The school has shown a record of stability and excellence. Its reputation speaks for itself by becoming an institution with a child-centered and enhanced core curriculum, focusing on innovative learning with the following aspects: Mathematics, Science, Reading, Social Studies, Language, and Technology. These subject areas have committed teachers who are dedicated and fully aware of the time on task and quality policy to teach and make services beyond expectations for the welfare of the students. 

The school’s consistency in winning academic and non-academic contests and the outstanding performance in the local, national, and international assessments and evaluations are manifestations of an excellent school. Contrary to this fact though, the school refuses to believe that winning competitions joined by a few chosen students is the true measurement of quality education. (“About Us – The Quantum Academy, Inc.”) TQA believes that quality education evolves in teaching and practicing the knowledge through hands-on in basic and life skills, academics, and technology integration coupled with discipline or valued citizenship. Quantum emphasizes the processing of knowledge through evaluation using motivation, inspiration, visionary ambitions, creativity, risk, ability to bounce back from failure, and rising from varied experiences. These skills are associated with understanding the value of knowledge which will help the students prepare for life, work, globalization, and rapid technological advancements.  

The school believes students should engage in the learning process for real achievement to take place, and the student’s chance to excel will be rewarding to increase self-confidence. The best measurement of the quality of Quantum’s basic education is how well the school has prepared the students for college, how successful they will become in the real world of life and work, and how they can contribute to their own community and to the society.  

Standards 

In TQA, standards are guideposts set by the school for all the academic and non-academic personnel, parents, and students. Standards spell out how every member of the school community, especially the teachers, the staff, and the students, should work, perform, manage, behave, and carry on with their day-to-day duties and responsibilities.  

On the other hand, unwritten standards have also been set by the members of the larger community because of their expectations, the school’s character, and achievements. Whatever the case may be, it is true that these standards have brought TQA to the reputation of quality and excellence where it has been known for.