The 2015 Principals’ Test is based on the seven (7) domains of the National Competency-Based

Standards for School Heads (NCBSSH). The 21stCentury Managerial Skills are already integrated in
the said 7 domains. Furthermore, there will be no more items on communication skills.

1. Informal Education – This refers to the lifelong process of learning by which every person
acquires and accumulates knowledge, skills, attitudes and insights from daily experiences at
home, at work, at play and from life itself.
2. Integrated Schools – Schools that offer a complete basic education in one school site and
has unified instructional program.
3. Basic Education – It covers early childhood education, elementary, high school, alternative
learning system and special needs education.
4. Operating Officers – DepEd officials who are directly involved in the implementation,
evaluation and monitoring plans, programs and projects of the department.
5. Adults Learners – These are learners who are aged 25 years old and above who are
illiterates or neo-literates who have either no access to formal education or have reverted to
illiteracy.
6. Schools Division Superintendent – He/she can appoint only teachers, school
heads/principals and division education supervisors.
7. Regional Director – He/she can direct the establishment of another new district upon the
recommendation of the Schools Division Superintendent.
8. Regional Director – He/she can exercise disciplinary action over the teaching personnel
only.
9. Republic Act 9155 – An act that renamed the DECS into DepEd abolished the BPESS
(Bureau of Physical Education and School Sports) and the transfer of the Komisyon ng
Wikang Pilipino, national Historical Institute, Records Management and Archives to the
National Commission for Culture and Arts (NCCA).
10. Republic Act 9155 – Known as the Governance of Education Act of 2001
11. Republic Act 8980 – Known as the Early Childhood Care and Development Act
12. Republic Act 10157 – Known as the Kindergarten Education Act
13. Republic Act 8525 – Known as the Adopt-a-School Act of 1998
14. Republic Act 7836 – Known as the Philippine Teachers Professionalization Act of 1994
15. Republic Act 8190 – Known as the Localization Law
16. Republic Act 4670 – Known as the Magna Carta for Public School Teachers
17. Republic Act 6713 – Known as the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public
Officials and Employees
18. Republic Act 7160 – Known as the Local Government Code of 1991
19. Republic Act 7041 – Known as the Publication Law
20. Republic Act 9184 – Known as the Government Procurement Reform Act
21. Republic Act 7610 – Known as the Special Protection of Children against Abuse,
Exploitation and Discrimination
22. Republic Act 7880 – Known as the Fair and Equitable Allocation of the DECS Budget for
Capital Outlay
23. Republic Act 7877 – Known as the Anti-Sexual Harassment Act of 1995
24. Batas Pambansa 232 – Known as the Education Act of 1982
25. Presidential Decree 603 – Known as the Child and Youth Welfare Code of the Philippines
26. Community Linkages – It is the learning environments that respond to the aspirations of the
community domain of the NCBTS.
27. Career Service – It is based on merit and fitness determined as far as practicable by
competitive examinations as based on highly technical qualifications.
28. MT 1 for 3 years and MA academic requirements – Qualifications to become a Master
Teacher II.
29. Transfer – It is the movement of the employee from one position to another which is of
equivalent rank level or salary without break in the service.
30. Promotion – It is the advancement of the employee from one position to another with an
increase in duties and responsibilities and usually accompanied by an increase in salary.
31. Reinstatement – It is the issuance of an appointment to a person who has been previously
appointed to a position in a career service and who has through no delinquency or
misconduct, been separated therefrom exonerating him specifies restoration to his previous
position.
32. Reassignment – It is the movement of one employee from on organizational to another in the
same department or agency which does not involve a reduction in rank, status or salary.
33. Six (6) months only – An additional period given to a public employee who is already 65
years old but not achieved 15 years in the service.
34. Eight (8) hours and five (5) working days – It is the number of hours and days a teacher
should render his/her services.
35. Six (6) teaching hours and two (2) working hours – It is the complete teaching and
working hours of a teacher in a day.
36. Technical Skill – This is a management skill given to employees who are unfamiliar with
their job or present assignment.
37. Strategic Planning – It is the process of setting directions for an institution to realize what it
wants to achieve and to go where he wants to go.
38. 25 points in leadership and potential – A minimum point required to a Master Teacher
candidate in order to be promoted.
39. “The road to excellence starts here.” – A battle cry of every public school which means
excellence is management that orchestrates diverted at the different aspects of principal
operations to achieve the instructional goals of the school.
40. Portfolio Assessment – A diagnostic tool which provides pupil’s profile and the emerging
skills that will help him become increasingly independent learner and evaluate his possession
of knowledge.
41. Fifteen (15) days – Number of days a receipt of request by the school to the issuance of
official school certificates, diplomas, transcript of records, grades, transfer credentials and
similar documents and records.
42. Civil Service Manual – It contains the basic regulations, institution and information which
guide DepEd Central Office and the field personnel in carrying out the teacher of the
department.
43. DepEd Order, Memoranda and Bulletins – These are issued by the DepEd for directions
and regulations for the information of or compliance by the field.
44. Recruitment – It refers to the process of searching for and identifying job candidates in
sufficient quality and quantity.
45. Merit Promotion Plan – This provides guidelines, policies and procedures for recruitment,
selection and appointment.
46. Learning Management Plan – It is a document focused in learning composed of the
Professional Development Plan of school head, professional development plan of teachers
and student development activities.
47. Community of Practice (COP) – It is a group of professionals/workers bound to one
another based on common problems and pursuit of solutions.
48. Instructional Development – It is a means of determining the extent to which the
application of a new skill/competency learned contributed to improving teaching and
learning.
49. National Educators’ Academy of the Philippines (NEAP) – Formerly known as the
National Education Learning Center (NELC). It provides continuing strategic human
resource development programs for school managers and leaders within the context of
emerging legitimate demands.
50. Mentoring – It is developmental, caring, sharing and helping relationships where one person
invests time, know-how and effort in enhancing another person’s growth, knowledge and
skills.
51. Code of Ethical Standards – It defines the administrative disciplinary case as one wherein
an official or employee of the government is prosecuted for an act or omission punishable as
a non-penal offense as provided for in the Civil Service Law, Administrative Law and other
laws.
52. Grievance Procedure – It is referred to as workable procedure for determining or providing
the best way to remedy the specific cause or causes of the grievance.
53. Property Accountability – It is the obligation imposed by law on an official for keeping
accurate records of property.
54. The Principal’s Guidelines Regarding Standard Operating Procedures for Teachers
and Accounting of Government Property – This is to enable the principal to group
property management as applied to teachers in her particular school.
55. Performance Indicators – It refers to the several key indicators that can be computed and
utilized for evaluating the educational systems performance at various levels.
56. Participation Rate – It is the ratio between the enrolments in the school age range to the
total population of that range.
57. Growth Enrolment Rate – It refers to the total enrolment in a given level of education as a
percentage of a population which according to national regulations should be enrolled at this
level. It is the measure of the capacity of a regional elementary and secondary school.
58. Cohort Survival Rate – It is the proportion of enrollees at the beginning grade or year who
reach the final grade or year at the end of the required number of years of study.
59. Completion Rate – It is the percentage of first year entrants in a level of education who
completes/finishes the level of accordance with the required number of year of study.
60. Drop-out Rate – It is the proportion of pupils who leave the school during the year as well as
those who complete the grade/year level but fail to enroll in the next grade/year following the
school year to the total number of pupils during the previous school year.
61. Transition Rate – It is the percentage of pupils who graduate from one level of education
and none on the higher next level.
62. Achievement Rate – It refers to the degree of performance in different study areas in various
levels of education.
63. Mean Performance Score (MPS) – It indicates the ratio between the number of correctly
answered items and the total number of test questions or the percentage of correctly answered
item in a test.
64. Teacher-Pupil Ratio – It is the proportion of enrolment at a certain level of education in a
given school year to the number of authorized nationally-paid positions.
65. M2 (moderate) Maturity Level of Teacher – A maturity level of teacher who does not need
only direction and supervision but needs encouragement or support and recognition for a job
done.
66. Encouraging Style of Leadership – It is described as a combination of high directive (task)
and high supportive behavior and is most appropriate to be used to people who have some
competence but lack of commitment.
67. DepEd Order No. 28, 2005 – It recognizes the Red Cross Youth (RCY) as official co-
curricular organization in the school and encourages every elementary and secondary student
to enlist as members of the Junior Red Cross Youth (JRCY) and the Senior Red Cross Youth
(SRCY).
68. Republic Act 8190 – The law that provides that teachers-applicant or teachers-transferee for
that matter given priority if they are bonafide residents of the barangay, municipality or
province where the school recipient is located.
69. DepEd Order Number 22, series 2005 – It includes the BSP, GSP, PNRY, and Anti-TB
Education Drive as voluntary basis of contribution.
70. Peer Supervision – It is being done to Teacher 1 and Teacher 2.
71. Intensive-Guided Supervision – It is being given to new teachers in the school.
72. Collaborative Supervision – It is given to teachers who prefer to work cooperatively with
the supervisor in developing a supervision form.
73. Registry of Qualified Applicants – It refers to the list of applicants deemed to have met the
qualifications required by law based on the evaluation and selection guidelines for teacher
positions in the elementary and secondary public schools.
74. Management – It is a way the principals use themselves to create a school climate
characterized by staff productivity, pupil productivity and creative thought.
75. Managerial Acumen – It is the systematic application of an array of skills that provide an
orderly, efficient and effective school environment.
76. Potential – This takes into account the employee’s capability not only to perform the duties
and assume the responsibilities of the position to be filled but also to those of higher and
more responsible positions.
77. School Climate – It refers to the sum of all values, cultures, safety practices and
organizational structures within a school that cause it to function and react in particular ways.
78. Alternative Learning System (ALS) – It is a parallel learning system to provide a viable
alternative to the existing formal education.
79. Quality Education – It is an appropriateness, relevance and excellence of the education
given to meet the needs and aspirations of an individual in a society.
80. DepEd Subsidized Program – It is known as the pre-school education funded by the PTA
and other organizations.
81. Principle of Shared Governance – It is the principle which recognizes that every unit in the
education bureaucracy has a particular role, task and responsibility inherent in the office.
82. Inferring – It the process of reading between the lines or drawing of implications.
83. School-Based Management – It enables and empowers stakeholders to manage their own
affairs for improved delivery of educational services in a sustainable manner.
84. Accountability Mechanism – It is the criteria and quality dimensions of the school-based
management that includes resourcing, classroom structuring and pupil/student achievement.
85. Crisis Management – It is a term generally applied to critical situation, a turning point
characterized by a sense of urgency.
86. Threat – An element of crisis management which is a potential hindrance to some state of
goal desired by an organization or individual.
87. Decision – This element of crisis management refers to time in short when the situation will
be altered in the near future after which no decision can be made only under less favorable
circumstances.
88. Surprise – The element of crisis management which refers to lack of self-awareness by those
affected by the crisis, is likely to occur, but is not equated with the lack of planned response
to the situation.
89. Brainstorming – It involves the spontaneous identification of alternatives by individuals
interacting in an unrestrained setting.
90. Synectics – This is a creativity technique that involves the identification of novel alternatives
through the joining together of different and apparently irrelevant elements.
91. Normal Grouping – It is the identification of alternatives through a highly structured
procedure that purposely attempts to restrict verbal interaction.
92. School Plant – It refers to the school facilities of the school consisting of the site, buildings
and other structures.
93. Republic Act 9155, Section 14 – It refers to the implementing rules and regulations known
as Authority, Responsibility and Accountability (AuRA).
94. Technical Competencies – This refers to the development of the curriculum and supervision
to ensure the full implementation of the curriculum.
95. Human Resource Competencies – This refers to the role of the principal on the
collaborative method which is complex and it involves many variables; issues deal with
human factor affecting the staff, attitudes and perception of the staffs, climate conducive to
productive work and emphasis on interpersonal issues.
96. Political Competencies – It is a role which refers to limited resources, principals will either
have to use for some resources; the principal develops ways to collaborate and cooperate in
sharing those resources.
97. Architectural Competencies – This is the process by which the administrators use to
frame/construct roles and relationships that will allow organizations to get things down.
98. Bank – It refers to World Bank (WB), the lending agency for the NPSBE Project.
99. National Program Support to Basic Education (NPSBE) – A 200 million US dollars
program support loan secured by the government from the World Bank to finance in part of
the various key reform thrusts outlined in the BESRA.
100. Support to the Philippine Basic Education Reforms (SPHERE) – A grant fund
from the Australian AID Trust Fund amounting to 41 million Au$.
101. School Based Management – The decentralization of decision-making authority
from central, regional, and division levels to the individual schools with the intent bringing
together the school heads, teachers, students as well as the parents, the local government
units, and the community at large in bringing improved learning outcomes through effective
schools.
102. Grant – The funding facility authorized to be used by the schools in SBM operations,
also known as the SBM Support and Installation Fund or the SBM Grant.
103. School Improvement Plan – An education development plan that shows the intent
and design that the schools will undertake to introduce improvements in learning outcomes
within the context of SBM in prescribed period and at a given cost.
104. Annual Improvement Plan – It identifies the problems and objectives for one
school year and the intervention programs that include strategies and learning activities, time
frame for implementing the activities, persons responsible, and resources needed which are
appropriate to achieve the objectives set.
105. Qualified Recipient Schools – These are public elementary and secondary schools
with grant applications submitted to their respective Division Offices and found to be eligible
under the terms and conditions of this set of guidelines.
106. Eligible Activities and Expenditure Items – These are activities and expenditure
items within the parameters set out in the NPSBE Loan Agreement and which are recognized
as reimbursable by the World Bank.
107. School Grant Proposal – A school program/or project proposal that primarily
focuses on the development of ideal or educationally maximal learning environment for
children based on the accepted/approved SIP/AIP submitted to the Division Office that
outlines a proposed project and shows budgetary requirements and requests monetary
assistance in the form of a grant.
108. Implementing Units – It refers to the secondary schools that maintain separate book
of accounts.
109. Non-implementing Units – It refers to public elementary and secondary schools
without separate book of accounts that are under the direct supervision of the division offices.
110. High Priority Divisions – These refer to the 40 highly challenged DepEd divisions
whose performance indicators have been computed as way below standards.
111. 4Ps Program – It is a poverty reduction measure of the Philippine government that
focuses on human capital investment in the poorest of the poor households in the country.
112. 4Ps Schools – These are public elementary schools within the municipalities covered
by the 4Ps program managed by DSWD.
113. 7m x 9m classroom – The conventional design of classroom to be adopted for all
public elementary and secondary schools regardless of its location and class size.