FEATURES OF THE RETENTION POLICY OF SELECTED TOP PERFORMING SCHOOLS IN THE

PHILIPPINES 1

Chapter 1- Introduction

The Problem and Its Setting

The degree Bachelor of Science in accountancy has been one of the most in
demand course through the passage of time. The increasing demand for the profession
paved its way to the prominence of this course. Nevertheless, a passer of this degree
doesnt only bring recognition to his name but also to his alma mater.

The colleges and universities offering the BSA program have a rigorous admission
policy set by the Commission on Higher Education. The admission is one of the most
crucial points, for it tests the ability of the incoming student whether they could fit into the
environment. Through this standard, the school could already assess the capabilities of
the student wanting to be part of the department of accountancy. Once the student passed
the admission requirement, the struggle doesnt end there. At first this come easy and light
but when the level goes up it gets harder all the way due to the retention policy of the BSA
program.

All colleges and universities offering the BSA program must have its own retention
policy for compliance set by the Commission on Higher Education. The level of the
difficulty of the retention rates differs because each colleges and universities has its own
perspective and the retention policy that they adopt must be reflective of their mission,
vision and goals.

Retention is widely used as a remedy for poor academic performance. This

strategy has been implemented mostly by universities and colleges strongly believing that
it has been the reason why they would be able to test the capabilities of students and in
order for them to produce top performing graduates. The main rationale why most of the
school opted to have a strict retention policy is seeing that they could produce topnotchers
on the CPA Board Examination. However, the mere existence of retention policy doesnt
instantly guarantee a successful performance in the Board Licensure Examination for
CPA. In this study, the proponents will conduct profiling and comparison of the retention
policies of the top performing schools nationwide to prove its effect in the students and
schools performance in the BLECPA.
 BONCODIN, MALAGUEO 2

Statement of the Problem

Accountants are in demand these days due to their vital role in our society. In order
to produce competent and well-trained professional accountants, universities provide
emphasis on molding those aspiring CPAs. Universities offer high standard education and
implement strategies that can help them meet their objectives. This paper aims to conduct
a profiling and comparative study of various retention policies of the selected top
performing schools in the Philippines. In the process, the following problems are proposed
to be answered:

1. What is the operational status of the retention policies of the selected schools
offering BS Accountancy?
2. What are the implications of the operational status of the retention policy to their
board performance?
3. What policy direction can be adopted by other schools to enhance their retention
policy and to produce more passer in the BLECPA?

Scope and Delimitations

The general purpose of this study is to delve into the Retention Policies of the
department of accountancy of selected schools nationwide that has consistently
performed well in the CPA licensure examination. The proponents selected ten top
performing schools (five SUCs and five Private schools) within the past 5 years based on
the data provided by the PRC, those are University of the Philippines-Diliman, University
of Santo Tomas, Bicol University, De La Salle University, Polytechnic University of the
Philippines, Far Eastern University, University of the East, Lyceum of the Philippines
University and Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila.

We delimit our study to the effect of retention policy in the performance in the
BLECPA. This study will not speak of the other aspects that affect the performance of the
student and the school in the Board Examination for CPA.

Significance

This study, entitled Features of the Retention Policy of Selected Top Performing
Schools in the Philippines is conducted for the intention of being beneficial to a wide
FEATURES OF THE RETENTION POLICY OF SELECTED TOP PERFORMING SCHOOLS IN THE
PHILIPPINES 3

scope of people and for main purpose of giving further information and a better
understanding regarding the subject matter.

Bicol University. This study aims to know the effects of the retention policy of the
Department of Accountancy to the schools performance in the CPA licensure
examination. It sought to assimilate whether the implications of the retention policy
increase the number their schools board passers. Moreover, it provides us the list
of the gains the university derived from the said strategy for the past 5 years.
The Department of Accountancy. Through this study the department could gather
information on how to enhance more of their policy besides it could also be the
start of the development of other helpful strategy not just for the school but also for
the students.
Bicol University BS Accountancy and BS Managerial Accounting Students.
The main objective of this study is to appraise whether the retention policy is being
advantageous for all of its students. Over and above, the researchers collect data
in order to increase the number of successful board passer in the CPA licensure
examination.
Other Institutions, Universities, Colleges. This study is beneficial to other
institutions, universities and colleges for it will be their guiding basis when they
want to adopt a certain policy of such school.
Business Communities. The study to be conducted is advantageous for the
business community, for the following schools will provide globally competitive
professionals. This in turn, promotes for the economic growth of the business
community.
Society. This study will benefit the society for will be having responsible and
knowledgeable individuals. And through the study of retention policy, there is the
possibility of increase of competency level in each society.

Review of Related Literature and Related Studies

Defining Retention Policy

As defined in the presentation Effectiveness of Retention Policy among

Accountancy Students, retention policy is implemented set of guidelines which requires
a minimum grade for each accountancy students to proceed to the next level. Retention
 BONCODIN, MALAGUEO 4

has been likely synonymous to survival of the fittest. To reach the final level, students
must be focused and full of determination.1

The Difference between Grade Retention and Course Retention

Distinguishing course retention from grade retention, the former refers to repeating
the failed subjects in the academic year, while the latter refers to keeping students at the
same school year.2 Another key distinction of the two is that course retention refers to the
higher education while grade retention pertains to primary and secondary level of
education.

The Rationale behind Retention Policy

The primary objective of the implemented retention policy is to produce

topnotchers and maintain a high percentage in passing the CPA Board Examination.3 The
main point is that retention will give students an additional year to master the subject that
they fail to master in the previous year, so students will be at less risk of failure when they
proceed to the next year. Due to increasing attention on standards and accountability,
numerous districts are making decision on retention based on students course or
standardized tests. The presumption is that by catching up on prerequisite skills, students
should be less at risk for failure when they go on to the next grade.

Retention Policy of other schools in their BS Accountancy program

Retention policy is widely implemented among state universities and colleges in
the country. In Far Eastern University BSBA-IA student must meet the following
requirements to be retained in the program. Students must not have 12 units of
accumulated total failure in any accounting, law and taxation courses. There should be no
subject enrolled twice because failed subject must be passed on the second attempt.
Comprehensive examination will be given at the end of each academic year which covers
all major subjects which students must pass. Unsuccessful examinees may be advised to
re-enroll some courses, or retake the examination. Students not meeting the grade
requirement are barred from taking the comprehensive examination. All BSBA-IA students
who have completed all course requirements shall be eligible for graduation with the
BSBA-IA degree. To be at BSA 5th year, the student must pass a written comprehensive
examination, non-qualifiers may take it any number of times until finally qualified for 5th
year, non-passer may retake the exam, but students who fail for the third time shall reenroll
at least 6 units of 5th year subjects as recommended by the Dean or Associate Dean.
FEATURES OF THE RETENTION POLICY OF SELECTED TOP PERFORMING SCHOOLS IN THE
PHILIPPINES 5

In Ateneo De Zamboanga, after the admission to the BSA program, the student
must meet certain requirements to stay in the program and obtain corresponding BSA
degree. His/her minimum GPA for every semester or summer of study is 2.0, for business
education subject it must be 1.5 or 1.0. When a BSA student obtains a GPA less than 2.0,
he/she is disqualified to continue in the BSA Curriculum and is advised to shift to another
course. When his/her final grade in Board related subject is less than 2.0 but not 0.0 (fail)
the student is given the chance to retake the said subject, however student is allowed to
retake the subject once and is allowed only a maximum of two major subjects to be retaken
from third year to fifth year. Same action if the student fails to meet the required grade of
1.5 in any Business Education subjects and English subjects. But once a student receives
a 0.0 (fail) grade in any of the subjects enrolled, he/she is disqualified to continue in the
BSA curriculum and advised to shift to another course.

In Central Philippine University, a BS Accountancy student must obtain an average

of at least 1.75 in Accounting 111 and Accounting 122 in order to take a qualifying
examination. Passing the test will allow the student to proceed with Accounting 213. Then
he/she must obtain at least 2.0 in Accounting 213, 224, and 230 to allow him to take the
next qualifying examination which will be given at the end of 2nd year. Passing this
requirement allows him to proceed with Accounting 315. Beginning with Accounting 315,
student will be required to repeat subjects if he/she obtains a grade lower than 2.0 for all
accounting and other Board related subjects. Failing grade in any subject disqualify a
student from continuing in the program.

In De LaSalle University, a first year BSA student must obtain an average grade
of 2.0 and above for Fundamentals of Accounting 1 and Fundamentals of Accounting 2 to
continue in the next level. At year 2 the required grade is 2.0 for each Financial Accounting
Theory and Practices P1 and P2 and proceeds to year 3. A student who got a grade of
1.5 and below will e=retake the subject with a 1 retake per subject limit and must get at
least 2.0 grade otherwise he/she will be advised to shift. At 3rd year the retention policy is
the same with the required grade of 2.0 except that there is no limit in the number of
retakes. At 4th year same retention grade applies. At 5th year, an integrated review will be
undertaken by 5th year students at the accredited review centers or accredited institution.
They are graded based on attendance, quizzes, first and final pre-board exam
administered by the review center. A candidate who obtain 80% based exam which is
 BONCODIN, MALAGUEO 6

equivalent to 60% zero based percent in DLSU grading system on each subject will
receive a passing mark, otherwise he will repeat the failed subject.

In Holy Angel University, the retention policy in the BSA Program is that students
are required not to have a WPA of 2.5 in all accounting related subjects. Undergraduates
must take a qualifying exam to enter the 5th year of the program and must have a WPA of
2.5 for all accounting and law subjects taken in the prior years of the program.

In University of the East (Manila and Caloocan Campus) first year students must
not have a grade lower than 2.5 both in Fundamentals of Accounting I and II. At 2nd year
(1st semester) students must obtain a GPA of 2.23 higher and minimum grade of 2.0 in the
Financial Accounting 1, Economics, Calculus and Mathematics of investment while in 2nd
semester a GPA of 2.5 and above must be obtained and final grade of not less than 2.5
in all CPA Board related subject including economics and business statistics. In 3 rd year
(1st and 2nd semester) the GPA must be 2.5 and above and a final grade of 2.5 in all CPA
Board related subjects including Economics and Quantitative Techniques on Business at
1st semester. Then a comprehensive examination will be given wherein a student must
get 70% of raw score. At 4th year the GPA must be 2.5 and above and the grades for board
related subjects must not be lower than 2.5. At 5th year, a BSA student must pass the
internship and must attain at least 75% of the raw score in all quizzes and major
examination in order to pass. Non-passers will be advised to shift to another course.

Theoretical Framework
This study entitled Features of Retention Policy of Selected Top Performing
Schools in the Philippines was initiated by the theory of quality. This theory focuses on
delivering services with due reliability, safety, efficiency and effectiveness. It tries to close
the gap between unreliable and reliable performance. This theory perceives long term
success by means of providing satisfaction to the customer. To do so all the members of
the organisation must participate in improving the process, services, product and culture.
They should implement strategies to integrate discipline in the culture and activities of the
organization.
FEATURES OF THE RETENTION POLICY OF SELECTED TOP PERFORMING SCHOOLS IN THE
PHILIPPINES 7

Determinant 1
Retention Policy

Determinant 2 Determinant 3

Theory of Quality
(Reliability, Efficiency and Effectiveness)

Conceptual Framework
The respondents of this study are the selected schools in the Philippines that have
been performing well in the CPA licensure examination. Firstly, the proponents gathered
data of the result of the BLECPA from the PRC website. Then we ranked the top 20
schools from year 2012 to 2016 and choose only the top ten schools which had stood up
among the other schools nationwide. To proceed with the data gathering procedure, the
online information, documents and related articles on the operational status of their
retention policy will make our study feasible. Those documents will be analyzed and
correlated to the schools performance whether its rigorousness increases the number of
board passer each year.
BONCODIN, MALAGUEO 8

PRC result of the BLECPA

20 top performing schools nationwide based on

the data from the PRC

Five SUCs and five Private schools that has

consistently nailed it to the top in the BLECPA
for the past five years (2012-2016)

Gather data and related documents on the

retention policies of the selected schools and
universities in the Philippines

Identify features of each retention policy and

compare it with that of Bicol University

Extract policy direction that can be adopted by Bicol

PRC result of the BLECPA
University to enhance its existing retention policy.

20 top performing schools nationwide based on

the data from the PRC

Five SUCs and five Private schools that has

consistently nailed it to the top in the BLECPA
for the past five years (2012-2016)

Gather data and related documents on the

retention policies of the selected schools and
universities in the Philippines

Identify features of each retention policy and

compare it with that of Bicol University
FEATURES OF THE RETENTION POLICY OF SELECTED TOP PERFORMING SCHOOLS IN THE
PHILIPPINES 9

Synthesis

As defined, retention policy is implemented set of guidelines which requires a

minimum grade for each accountancy students to proceed to the next level. Retention has
been likely synonymous to survival of the fittest. Course retention as compared to grade
retention, refers to students repetition of the failed subject in a given academic year while
the latter refers to keeping students in the same academic year. The purpose and aim of
retention policy is to develop and produce topnotchers and high percentage in CPA
examination.

The strict implementation of the retention policy in Accountancy program can really
be observed from other colleges and universities around the country. They may differ in
the required grades per course and in the minimum general weighted average that must
be obtained, but that is only a scant variance which implies that BS Accountancy program
entices with it a lot of hard work to meet the required grade in order to be retained in the
program and achieve the CPA degree.

Gap to be Bridged by the Study

The related literatures presented in this study are more on the rationale of the
implementation of retention policy on students perspective. It merely encompasses the
effect and coping strategies applied by the students with regards retention policy.

This study is way more different from other conducted studies because the
proponents will gather documents relating to the retention policy of selected colleges and
universities offering BS Accountancy course that had consistently nailed it to the top
performing schools in the BLECPA. This will then provide a comparison of the degree of
difficulty present in the implemented retention policies of the selected schools. From that
comparison we can extract provisions that have effectively contributed to the passing rate
in the board examination so that the direct beneficiaries can adapt it to enhance its
performance in the succeeding years.
 BONCODIN, MALAGUEO 10

Definition of Terms
BLECPA- Board Licensure Examination for Certified Public Accountant. The CPA
board examination result that was covered in this study is only for the past 5 years,
starting from May 2012 to October 2016 and only among the schools here in the
Philippines.
Higher Education Institutions- refer not only to public but also to private
institutions of higher learning at which instructions are given in a particular disciple.
In this study the selected HEIs are only those offering BS Accountancy course
within the Philippines that has performed well in the CPA licensure examination.
Policy the set of basic principles and associated guidelines, formulated and
enforced by the governing body of an organization, to direct and limit its actions in
pursuit of long-term goals.5 It deals with the set of rules and guidelines enforced
by the governing body in charge which focus particularly on achieving long-term
goals.
Retention, in regards to school, means repeating an academic year of school.
Retention in school is also called grade retention, being held back, or repeating a
grade.4 As defined in the context, it is the policy in which the school sets a certain
ceiling that must be complied by the students in order to remain in the pursuit
course.
FEATURES OF THE RETENTION POLICY OF SELECTED TOP PERFORMING SCHOOLS IN THE
PHILIPPINES 11

Bibliography
1
https://prezi.com/cisj6-mgje7w/effectiveness-of-retention-policy-among-accountancy-
students/.
2
Retaining Students in Grade by Nailing Xia & Shiela Nataraj Kirby, p.ix, 2009

3
https://prezi.com/cisj6-mgje7w/effectiveness-of-retention-policy-among-accountancy-
students/.
4
http://www.healthofchildren.com/R/Retention-in-School.html#ixzz4WvPYMyLn
5
http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/policy.html
 BONCODIN, MALAGUEO 12

Chapter II

Research Design and Methods

Research Methods

This chapter presents the research design and method used, sources of data,
respondents of the study, and data gathering instrument.

Research Design

The researcher will be using the Descriptive Evaluative-Survey method for finding
the necessary data needed for this study. According to Robin Hubbard, PhD, descriptive
research is a process of collecting data with regards certain phenomenon by means of
close-ended scales, open-ended survey questions, observations, and interviews, and then
it is evaluated to extract results against hypothesized standard.
FEATURES OF THE RETENTION POLICY OF SELECTED TOP PERFORMING SCHOOLS IN THE
PHILIPPINES 13

The proponents will be gathering data from the PRC of the CPA examination result
for the years 2012-2016 to find out the top performing schools that has consistently show
progressive results in the said examination. After we come up with the selected schools,
the next step is to visit their schools websites and gather information about their retention
policy and other related documents that we can find online.

Sources of Data

This study will be more of the secondary source data which pertains to documents
that will mostly come from the website of the selected colleges and universities nationwide.
The proponents will also make use of the results and information provided in the PRC
website. We will still be using interview questionnaires and send it to some key informants
of each school through their email.

Respondents of the Study

The ten selected colleges and universities that had consistently excelled in their
performance in the CPA board examination are University of the Philippines-Diliman,
University of Santo Tomas, Bicol University, De La Salle University, Polytechnic University
of the Philippines, Far Eastern University, University of the East, Lyceum of the Philippines
University and Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila. They will be the key respondents in
this study because they had showed progressive results in honing student who eventually
became capable of passing the difficult examination for becoming a Certified Public
Accountant. Due to our primary aim of profiling and comparing various retention policies
of these selected schools, we will make use more of online information of their operational
status on their existing retention policies.

Research Instrument

This study will be more of a document analysis research because the data
gathering procedure focuses on the secondary document sources. But in order to
obtain more reliable information we had still formulated interview questionnaires
which will be sent online to some key respondents in the selected colleges and
universities offering BS Accountancy that has nailed it to the top performing
schools nationwide.

Data Gathering Procedure

 BONCODIN, MALAGUEO 14

To identify the respondents and the scope of this study, the proponents
collected data of the BLECPA results from the PRC website. We then ranked the
top 20 schools for each examination date, starting from May 2012 to October 2016.
After that we got the average of their ranking and selected only the top ten schools
from the list. To proceed with the data gathering procedure, the proponents will be
extracting information online and from the websites of the selected schools offering
BS Accountancy course. The result of the board examination will be correlated to
the existing retention policy of their school. Another means for us to gather data is
by sending questionnaires online with key informants for each school. Lastly we
will find out the relationship or influence of their retention policies to their grading
system, examination system and to the support system.

APPENDIX A
College of Business Economics and Management
Department of Accountancy
Daraga, Albay
Academic Year 2016-2017
May 17 , 2017

_________________________
_________________________
Bicol University CBEM
Daraga, Albay

Sir/Madam:

Greetings!

We, 3rd year Bachelor of Science in Accountancy students of Bicol University, are
conducting our undergraduate thesis entitled Features of Retention Policy of Selected
FEATURES OF THE RETENTION POLICY OF SELECTED TOP PERFORMING SCHOOLS IN THE
PHILIPPINES 15

Top Performing Schools in the Philippines in partial fulfillment of the requirement in

Bachelor of Science in Accountancy program. In this regard we are asking for your
permission to conduct a survey for our data gathering for the completion of our study.

Rest assured that all data gathered will be treated with utmost confidentiality and will be
solely used for academic purposes.

We are looking forward for your favorable response to our request.

Thank you very much and more power!

Respectfully Yours,

LINDSAY B. BONCODIN

KIMBERLY ROSE C. MALAGUEO

BS Accountancy Student

Noted by

ANALIZA O. PABILONA, CPA, MaEd

Adviser

MARK FRANCIS G. NG, CPA, MBA

Program Chairperson

EDDIE S. SEE, RPAE, MBA, Ed. D.

Dean, BUCBEM
APPENDIX B
Respondent Questionnaire for Faculty Members of the Accountancy Department
of the Selected Schools

Name (optional):
_____________________________________________________________

School: _________________________ No. of years in service in the school: ______-

______

KEY INFORMANTS

1. Operational Status

1A. What is the VMGO of the school?

Vision
BONCODIN, MALAGUEO 16

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

Mission

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

Goal

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

Objectives

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________
FEATURES OF THE RETENTION POLICY OF SELECTED TOP PERFORMING SCHOOLS IN THE
PHILIPPINES 17

1B. Performance in the BLECPA (Document Analysis)

YEAR TOTAL TOTAL RATING PERCENTAGE

NUMBER OF NUMBER OF
EXAMINEES PASSER

2012

MAY

OCTOBER

2013

MAY

OCTOBER

2014

JULY

OCTOBER

2015

MAY

OCTOBER

2016

MAY

OCTOBER

2. What suggestions can you provide to improve/enhance the retention

policy?

Admission

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________
 BONCODIN, MALAGUEO 18

Selection

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

Retention

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

Reclassification

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

APPENDIX C

Respondent Questionnaire for Faculty Members of the Accountancy Department

of the Selected Schools

Name (optional): _______________________________________________________

School: _____________________ No. of years in service in the school: ___________

1. What is the coverage of the retention policy?

2. What are the rationale for the high standard of retention?

3. What is its impact on admission policies?

4. How often do you review or revise the policy?

5. Who reviews the retention policy?

6. What changes were made in the past that contributed to a higher passing rate?

7. What difficulties were encountered in the implementation of retention policies and its
revisions?
FEATURES OF THE RETENTION POLICY OF SELECTED TOP PERFORMING SCHOOLS IN THE
PHILIPPINES 19

8. Are your retention policies benchmarked with other schools or were they part of their
initiatives?

9. What future revisions are likely to be introduced and why?

10. Aside from retention policies, what are the other factors that contribute to their good
passing rate?

Respondent Questionnaire for Students of the Accountancy Department of the

Selected Schools

Name (optional): _______________________________________________________

School: _____________________ Year Level: _____________

1. Is your course offered with other business-related courses or do you have your own
separate campus for accountancy program?
2. Is there a maximum number of students that can enroll in the accountancy program
for each school year?
3. Are your professors handling students taking up other courses?
4. Are you aware of your retention policy?
5. What is the required grade for you to pass all your major subjects?
6. What will happen if you didnt meet the required grade?
7. Are there revisions in your retention policy?
8. Is the retention grade fixed for each year level?
9. If a student failed, is there any tutorial offer of the said subject?
10. What reference materials are allowed/ required to be used by the professors?
11. Does your school library provide reference for board related subjects (major
subjects) that can be used?
12. Do you think that your school retention policy, helps increase the performance in the
CPA board exam?
13. What aspect of the retention policy, contributed to the success of your schools
performance?
 BONCODIN, MALAGUEO 20

14. Do you think that your existing retention policy must be enhanced?
15. If it must be enhanced, in what aspect should it be enhanced?
16. What other aspects contributed to the high passing rate of your college/ university?
17. What is the rationale for the high standard of retention policy?
18. Does the entrance exam in your college/ university is related to accounting subjects?
19