National Competency Based Teacher Standards (NCBTS)

What is the NCBTS?

The NCBTS is an integral theoritical framework that defines the different dimensions of effective teaching, where effective teaching means being able to help all types of student learn the different learning goals in the curriculum.

Why Do We Need the NCBTS?

Filipino teachers often got mixed signals about what it means to be an effective teacher. What may have been taught definitions of good teaching in their pre-service education seem to be different from what their principals and supervisors expect them in their schools or teachers are taught new teaching approaches that seem inconsistent with the Performance Appraisal Sysyem. The NCBTS provides a single framework that shall define effective teaching in all aspects of a teacher's professional life and in all phases of teacher development. The use of a single framework should minimize confusion about what effective teaching is. The single framework should also provide a better guide for all teacher development programs and projects from the school level up to the national level.

Who Should Use the NCBTS?

Anyone who is interested in improving teaching practicesshould refer to the NCBTS. Thus teacgher education institutions shall use the NCBTS to design and implement effective pre-service teacher education curricula. The PRC shall refer the NCBTS in designing the Licensure Exam for Teachers. Organizations and agencies that implement in-service education for teachers (INSET) shall refer tho the NCBTS in developing their interventions. Award-giving bodies shall refer to the NCBTS in defining their criteria for outstanding teachers. The DepED shall use this in formulating its hiring, promotion, supervision, and other policies related to the teaching profession. It shall use the NCBTS to guide its INSET programs for teachers.

How Should Teachers Use the NCBTS?

Teachers can use the NCBTS in many ways:

• As a guide on their current teaching practices
• As a framework for creating new teaching practices
• As a guidepost for planning and professional development goals
• As a common language for discussing teaching practices with other teachers 

The best way to begin using the NCBTS is to use the competency-based framework as the guide for thinking critically about whether the teacher's current practices are helping students  attain  learning goals in the curriculum.

This competency-based teachers stnadards are organized hierarchically. The "basic" level categories of the standards are seven domains. A domain is defined as a distinctive sphere of the teaching-learning process, and is also well-defined arena for demonstrating positive teacher practices. Each domain  is defined in terms of a principle of ideal teaching associted with enhanced student learning.

Under each domain, there are standards. Strands refer to more specific dimensions of positive teacher practices under the broad conceptual domain.

At the lowest level of the hierarchical organization, under the strands, specific indicators are defined. These indicators are concrete, observable and measurable teacher behavior, actions, habits, routines, and practices known to create, facilitate, support and enhanced student learning.

A teacher can use various elements of the NCBTS to determine whether their different  actions and strategies as teachers are effective in helping their students learn the desired curriculum objectives. Thus. the NCBTS can be used as a self-assessment tool.

This self-assessment can help teachers plan for their professional development in the short-term and in the long-term. For example, using the NCBTS the teacher can be aware of her strengths as a teacher and ensure that she becomes more consistent in demonstrating her strengths. At the same time, she can plan on   professional development strategies so that she can improve on her weaknesses.

Thus, the NCBTS can help each Filipino teacher become a better teacher, and assist each teacher to continuously think about improving professionally to become even better and beter as facilitaors of student learning.

With NCBTS, all Filipino teachers also share common vocabulary for discussing their teaching practice, for defining their ideals as teachers, for negotiating and creating strategies to improve their practice, and for addressing their various stakeholders regarding the improvement of the teaching profession.

What Are These Seven Domains?

1. Social Regard for Learning
2. Learning Environment
3. Diversity of Learners
4. Curriculum
5. Planning, Assessing, and Reporting
6. Community Linkages
7. Personal Growth and Professional Development

Source: Experiential Learning Courses Handbook, a Project of Teacher Education Council (TEC), Department of Education (DepED), and Commission On Education (CHED)

Reflection/Insights

Kudos to all the educators whose aspiration is to achieve quality basic education in all Phillipine schools. You have done a great job! The development of NCBTS is a very helpful tool to all teachers who desire to become effective facilitators of student learning.Through NCBTS teachers can reflect on their current teaching practices or create new teaching practices. It serves as a common language to discuss teaching practices with other teachers. Further, NCBTS is a guidepost for planning and developing personal and professional goals.

Back in my teaching days, there was no NCBTS. I rely on what I have  learned in our pre-service teacher education curricula. The teaching experiences also contributed to my analysis of strengths and weaknesses as a teacher. I did readings and attended seminars to learn new approaches in teaching to be effective.

Now, here is NCBTS. The good thing is Teacher Education Institutions (TEI), PRC, organizations and agencies that implement in-service (INSET) education for teachers refer their interventions in developing their interventions. Award giving bodies refer NCBTS in defining their criteria for outstanding teacher. DepED uses NCBTS in formulating its hiring, promoting, supervising and other policies related to the teaching profession and in conducting INSET for teachers.

Teachers, nowadays, should learn many new ideas that the NCBTS is emphasizing. Teachers should learn practices found in the NCBTS that help students learn better, that way she will become competent, she will be an effective teacher.

On my part as a school head, I will influence my teachers to use NCBTS for their professional development activities. I will use NCBTS in providing instructional supervision for my teachers. Together, we will work to help different types of learners learn better.