Unit 6:

Ensure Teacher Quality through

Competency Framework and
Standards
Introduction:
One of the biggest challenges of ensuring teacher
quality is the attractiveness of the teaching profession.
The teaching profession is not as attractive like the
other professions that is why it does not always get the
best material. This is the cause of concern in many
countries around the world, as exemplified in the Global
Teacher Status in 2013.

The educational landscape continues to progress for

the benefit of the learners. Teachers undergo series of
trainings in their field of specialization to be qualified in
molding learners based on the changing needs of time
to complement with the need for efficient global
workforce. But is it enough that they undergo trainings?
How can we assure that a teacher is competent
enough?
A. Quality Teacher and Teacher Quality Defined
• Quality teachers are characterized by the different teachers
needed in the 21st century education. Partnership 21 identifies
themes that are relevant to the changing times. These are: 1.
Global awareness, 2. Financial, Economic, Business and
Entrepreneurial Literacy, 3. Civic Literacy and 4. Health literacy.
Also included are knowledge and values

Clusters of 21st Century Skills Framework

 Learning and Innovation Skills Framework include Critical

Thinking and Problem Solving, Creativity and Innovation and
Communication and Collaboration and Technology Skills
 Information, Media and Technology Skills Framework
include Information Literacy, Media Literacy, ICT (Information,
Communications and Technology Literacy)
 Life and Career Skills Framework
Quality teachers are competent teachers. Teachers with global
competence are able to demonstrate knowledge, skills, values and
dispositions as described below:

1. understand one’s own cultural identity and its influence on

personal dispositions and classroom practices;
2. know and integrate global dimensions in the subject one teaches;
3. engage students in learning;
4. uses real-life local and global examples;
5. value the inputs of culturally and linguistically diverse learners;
6. create environment that encourage positive cross-cultural
interactions;
7. model social responsibility in local and global context; and
8. help learners find appropriate actions to improve local and global
conditions.
 As proposed by OECD, the core elements of teacher-quality standard
should include:
 Planning and Preparation: including knowledge of content and
pedagogy, knowledge of students, coherent instructional plans, and
knowledge on how to assess student learning;
 Classroom environment: including creating a culture for learning
and managing student behavior;
 Instruction: including communicating effectively, using appropriate
discussion techniques, engaging students, and providing responsive
feedback to learners; and
 Professional responsibilities: including reflecting on teaching,
communicating with families, contributing to the school and
community and developing professionally. (Teacher Quality, 2013)
 There is no universal standard of teacher quality since there
are differences in the context of how teacher quality is defined.

Quality teachers are defined by their attributes and

characteristics while teacher quality is defined by the standards
set for the profession and are validated by the student learning
outcomes.
B. The Competency Framework for Teachers in Southeast Asia (CFT
SEA)
 SEAMEO Regional Center for Educational Innovation and
Technology (INNOTECH) and SEAMEO Secretariat (SEAMES)
initiated the Competency Framework for Teachers in Southeast
Asia which was developed in 2017 in collaboration with
Thailand’s Teacher Education Council.
 Its purpose was to revitalize teacher education and to promote
teaching as a profession of first choice by professionalizing
teacher’s pre-service and in-service development.
 There are four (4) essential competencies and 12 general
competencies in the framework. There are 31 enabling
competencies and 136 success descriptors.
 The enabling competencies are a set of performance criteria
with success descriptors that describe observable behaviors
expected for teachers to perform.
Four Essential Competencies

1. Knowing and Understanding what to teach. It is the ability of

teachers to deepen and broaden their knowledge on what to teach,
understand education trends, policies and curricula and be updated on
local, regional, national and global developments.
2. Helping students to learn. It is the ability to know students, use the
most effective teaching and learning strategies, assess and give back on
how students learn.
3. Engaging the community. It is the ability to partner with parents and
caregivers, involve the community to help students learn, and encourage
respect and diversity.
4. Becoming a better teacher everyday. This is the ability to know
oneself and others, practice human goodness and then master the
teaching process.
In the matrix that follow, you will find the four Essential Competencies,
12 General Competencies and the Corresponding 31 Enabling Competencies.
The Competency Framework for Teachers in Southeast Asia
C. Philippine Qualifications Framework

The PQF is a quality assured national system for the development,

recognition and award of qualifications based on standards of
knowledge, skills and values acquired in different ways and methods by
learners and workers educated/trained in the Philippines.

As part of the ASEAN convergence and in the light of globalization,

each country in the ASEAN including the Philippines adopts national
standards and levels for outcomes in education. This is the Philippine
Qualifications Framework (PQF) which is provided by law. (RA 10968, s.
2018). Based on the level of education as PQF Level 6, the PQF
describes the career path for baccalaureate degree programs including
teacher education degrees. All graduates from the baccalaureate
degrees are expected to exhibit outcomes as described in the table
below.
PQF 6 Level of Outcomes
Knowledge, Skills and Values
Application (of Knowledge, Skills and Application of professional work
Values)
Degree of Independence
PQF 6 Descriptor of Outcomes
Graduates possess a broad level of
coherent knowledge and skills in their
field of study for professional work
(teaching) and lifelong learning.
(teaching) in a broad range of
discipline and/or for further study.
Independent (as a teacher) and/ or in
teams of related field.
D. Philippine Professional Standards for Teachers (PPST)

Philippine Teacher Education is defined as a lifelong journey from entry to basic

education in the DepEd to entry to Teacher Education Institutions of the CHED
to licensing as professional teachers of the PRC to employment to DepEd with
attestation of the Civil Service or private basic education based on the Teacher
Education and Development Map in 2006.

 In the middle of the teacher’s professional lifelong cycle are the professional
standards, known before as National Competency Based Teacher Standards
(NCBTS, 2006) and now known as the Philippine Professional Standards for
Teachers.
 The PPST, 2017 define teacher quality in a broader perspective attuned to
the current demand and changes in the educational local and global
landscape to include the reforms of K to 12, the Outcomes-Based Education
of Higher Education, the ASEAN integration, the UNESCO’s SDGs 2030 and
the Ambisyon Natin 2040.
 There are seven (7) Domains in the PPST. The seven domains,
collectively comprise 37 strands to refer to more specific dimensions of
teacher practice. Each strand is calibrated according to the professional
development scale or as described Career Stage 1. Beginning Teachers,
Career Stage 2: Proficient Teachers, Career Stage 3: Highly Proficient
Teachers, and Career Stage 4: Distinguished Teachers.

Let us focus on the PPST, 2017 particularly on the Beginning Teacher’s

Competencies for Career Stage Level 1.
 Career Stage 1 or Beginning Teachers have gained the qualifications
recognized for entry into the teaching profession. They have a strong
understanding of the subjects/areas in which they are trained in terms of
content knowledge and pedagogy. They possess the requisite knowledge,
skills and values that support the teaching and learning process. They
manage learning programs and have strategies that promote learning based
on the learning needs of their students. They seek advice from experienced
colleagues to consolidate their teaching practice.

However, since they are new to the teaching profession, Beginning

Teachers are expected to seek advice and assistance from their peers and
experienced colleagues to continuously improve their teaching.
Let us look at the detailed competencies on the domain and strands for
the Beginning Teachers.
 END OF THE PRESENTATION
References
Bilbao, P., Corpuz, B., Llagas, A., Salandanan, G. 2018. The Teaching Profession. 4 th Edition. Lorimar Publishing
Bilbao, P., Corpuz, B., Llagas, A., Salandanan, G. 2015. The Teaching Profession. 3 rd Edition. Lorimar Publishing
Cortez, A., Cortez,B., Esguerra,D., Molano,T.,Alonzo,E. 2019. The Teaching Profession (OBE and K-12 Compliant). St.
Andrews Publishing House
https://www.deped.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/DO_s2017_042-1.pdf
https://pqf.gov.ph/
http://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/downloads/2018/01jan/20180116-RA-10968-RRD.pdf