ICCS Hosts Specialized Seminar to Help Educators Master HOTS in Test Design

Immaculate Conception Cathedral School (ICCS) became a hub for professional teacher development as it hosted a seminar focused on the Use of HOTS in Writing Test Questions. Held on 15 July  2026, at the ICCS–Instructional Media Center (ICCS-IMC) in Cubao, Quezon City, the event was organized in partnership with Diwa Learning Systems Inc., the Diocesan Parochial Schools Association of Cubao (DOCES), and the Bato Balani Foundation Inc. (BBFI).

The seminar served a large gathering of eager educators looking to upgrade their classroom assessment strategies under the guidance of resource speaker and facilitator Ms. Mary Grace R. Espiel, MAEd. As an award-winning education researcher, textbook author, and 18-year teaching veteran recently recognized with the Quezon City Science High School Alumni Achievement Award, Mrs. Espiel gave participants invaluable, practical insights into modern testing standards.

Throughout the training event, the lecture sessions focused heavily on the practical application of Higher-Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) when constructing student evaluations. Attendees deep-dived into foundational educational frameworks, exploring both Bloom’s Taxonomy and the SOLO (Structure of Observed Learning Outcome) Taxonomy to better evaluate student cognitive development.

To put these theories into practice, the program concluded with hands-on workshop activities where the teachers actively collaborated with one another. This interactive portion allowed the participants to draft effective, high-impact assessment questions that are directly and strictly aligned with their target learning outcomes.