Melvin A. Garcia¹, Ernie C. Cerado^2,

The study aimed to formulate a credible evaluation tool for the Continuous Improvement (CI) Program of School-Based Management (SBM) schools in the Philippines. Participants involved 6 CI Masters and 30 program implementers of the Department of Education in SOX Region. Self-survey questionnaires and an evidence-based evaluation tool were utilized in data gathering. The research was carried out through mixed methods that essentially pooled quantitative and qualitative data. Findings indicated that the developed evaluation tool demonstrated a high validity suggesting its suitability and accuracy. Generally, the CI teams viewed their programs as very well implemented along with these dimensions, namely: strategic management, operational management, change adoption, stakeholder analysis, and CI sustainability. With the use of the evidence-based tool, the researcher’s assessment showed that schools have remarkable implementation as manifested by its well-presented, organized, and functional documents across all dimensions. The statistical test concluded that the researchers’ program evaluation is quite higher than the CI teams’ perceptions. The direct observation and knowledge of the researcher on the actual evidence are more independent, accurate, and objective than the mere perceptions of the implementers themselves. Ultimately, the best practices of schools were articulated in effectively executing and sustaining the continuous improvement initiatives.

continuous improvement, secondary schools, school-based management (SBM), evidence-based evaluation, validity, best practices