The Department of Education imposed a requirement that the SHS level be
included in the ALS program through DepEd Order 13, Series 2019. The study
examined the Alternative Learning System (ALS) Junior High School (JHS)
students preferred SHS tracks and strands and association with their
demographics. This study applied a convergent parallel mixed-method design.
The seventy (70) ALS JHS completers of El Salvador City Division were the
respondents to this study, selected using random sampling. Results showed that
the academic track is the most chosen track among the SHS tracks, and the
general academic strand (GAS) is the most preferred stand. Furthermore, no
association was found between the demographics in terms of age, sex, marital
status, socio-economic status, and preferred SHS tracks. However, there is a
significant association between the working status of the respondents and their
preferred SHS tracks. Moreover, different perceptions as perceived by the ALS
JHS completers in selecting their preferred SHS tracks were consolidated, which
include (1) accessibility, (2) interest and capability, (3) curiosity, (4) selfdevelopment, and (5) indecisiveness. As suggested in the action plan proposed in
this study, the plan highlights the training of ALS teachers on career coaching and
mentoring, knowledge of SHS, and identification of learners’ strengths and
weaknesses as a basis for career needs and gaps. This study concludes that the
selection of the preferred SHS tracks is associated with their working status,
considering that there are working students in ALS. Further, JHS ALS completers
did not receive any expert guidance when it comes to career paths.