The school principal is the highest-ranking administrator in an elementary, middle,

or high school. Principals typically report directly to the school superintendent, but
may report to the superintendent's designee, usually an associate superintendent,
in larger school districts. The highest-ranking school level administrator in some
private schools is called the head master.
Head masters have many of the same responsibilities as principals, but they may
engage in additional activities such as fund-raising. In some school districts, a single
person functions as superintendent and principal. Principals, head masters, and
others who are responsible for the overall operation of a school are often called
school leaders. In an era of shared decision-making and site-based management,
the term school leader may also be used in reference to other school administrators
and leaders within the school such as assistant principals, lead teachers, and others
who participate in school leadership activities.
The teachers, for instance, should look into the multi-faceted relationship of pupils
with them as teachers, and with their parents and peers, because this relationship
influences their learning, daily styles life, and even their self-perception. The
students problems affect not on

The teachers have a vast and broad opportunity for inspiring the youth to learn and
to grow, and be worthy members of society. They can use personal approaches that
create a conducive-environment for learning. They can make the students' life
miserable or joyous, can torture or inspire, humiliate or induce humor, hurt or heal.
It is imperative, then, to love the teaching profession which may not be financially
rewarding, but the dedication in molding the youth and services the nation, is
invaluable. The teacher should be concerned with other things, other than the
preoccupation with students classroom experiences, teaching methods, and
enrichment of subject-matter content. This is so because teaching is a personalized
matter.

No factor is so vital to the students welfare as the impact of the teachers upon the
total development of the students. Since teaching is a multi-tech job, the teachers
need help in the task of making students become responsive, well-adjusted
individuals. One such help concerns looking into students' problems, for this is an
avenue by which the teacher can understand the students better. Obviously, such
an understanding will facilitate the teaching-learning process.

The above accounts provide a framework of information into this study, it will look
into the effect of family and environment in terms of family structure, social
economic status, educational aspiration, sibling relationship, parental attitude and
size of the family to the National Achievement Test (NAT) performance of second
year students in Santa Maria high schools. An achievement test is a standardized
test used to measure acquired learning, in a specific subject area such as reading or
arithmetic, in contrast to an intelligence test, which measures potential ability or
learning capacity (WebMD, 2010).Most students view taking exams such as
achievement tests as a frightful experience. They experience different levels of
nervousness and stress. Exams are used for assessing the students in a competitive
arena right through this scheme. Students either move ahead to a higher level or
repeat their scholastic undertaking based on achievement test results. However,
there is quite a controversy regarding the importance of these achievement tests.

Criticisms come from educational managers and policymakers. These exams are
deemed to improve the accountability of students and schools. Nevertheless, it is
not easy to make an accurate judgment whether it is practical to put an end to this
system or not. These views have elements of impartiality on their varied claims. The
contrasting arguments carry must be taken into consideration. It is mastery of the
basic learning in school that enhances ingenuity and advances satisfaction in
learning, because useful creativity sprouts from obeying the scholastic rules rather
than letting the mind think without a directing force.

In the Philippines, the agency responsible in the implementation of achievement

tests is the National Educational Testing and Research Center (DepEd, 2011). The
National Educational Testing and Research Center is an attached agency of the
Department of Education which leads in research, evaluation and measurement of
the efficiency of education and teaching which provide information vital of the
formulation of educational policies geared towards the realization of an empowered
and globally competitive Filipino. The key programs of the agency are the National
Achievement Tests which come in two types: (1) the National Elementary
Achievement Test (NEAT), (2) the National Secondary Achievement Test (NSAT), and
(3) the Philippine Validating Tests(PVT).

The National Achievement Tests (NAT) are aimed in assessing the abilities and skills
of graduating high school students to assess their knowledge and capabilities in five
(5) disciplines such as English, Filipino, Science, Mathematics and Araling
Panlipunan (Social Studies). The Division and Regional Achievement Tests are
derivatives of the NAT. High school students from all over the Philippines take NAT
as part of their curricular requirement, including the high schools in the District of

Santa Maria in the Division of Bulacan. There are four public secondary education
institutions in the area which uses the prescribed 2010 secondary education
curriculum by the Department of Education. These schools are: Catmon National
High School