ABSTRACT
This research study aims to identify the assessment of teachers in the implementation of Results-Based Performance Management System of the Department of Education and the challenges in its implementation. Quantitative research method was applied by the researcher in this study. It was conducted in the Division of Batangas, Lipa, Tanauan and Batangas City participated by Teachers I-III who belong to the Mega School category. It is revealed that the respondents gave positive feedback on RPMS with regards to the first four Key Results Areas except for Plus Factors. Furthermore, respondents also exposed that they were challenged in its implementation especially in preparing Lesson Plan with integration of Content Knowledge within and across learning areas, and considering of the learners’ individual differences. Gender, length of service and educational attainment dominantly showed up significant differences in their profile in terms of respondents’ assessment of the implementation of RPMS. No significant differences in terms of challenges encountered was seen except for the marital status. Self-structured model for RPMS was developed and it is highly recommended to be reviewed and used by the concerned personnel and teachers to facilitate stress-free RPMS monitoring and evaluation.
Keywords: Assessment and reporting, Content knowledge, Curriculum, Diversity of learners, Learning environment, Pedagogy, Plus factor, RPMS
INTRODUCTION
Teaching, from the start, is the noblest profession of all. There will be no other profession without passing through the hands of teachers. A lot of developments in this field have happened. Quality of education depends greatly to teachers. In this view, that there are different assessment tools used to measure teachers’ performance.
Generally, teachers’ performance assessment is a practice which an institution or school uses to review, assess and rate teachers’ performance and effectiveness in classroom management. The findings from these evaluations are being used by the administrators to provide feedback to teachers and guide their professional development (Sawchuk, 2018).
In the Philippines, there is no exception with this process. The Department of Education also imposed performance assessment to the facilitators of learning known to be the teachers. In fact, DepEd released the DO 2, S. 2015 – Guidelines on the Establishment and Implementation of the Results-Based Performance Management System (RPMS). This department order explains the specific mechanisms, processes and criteria for the performance target setting, monitoring, evaluation and development planning for schools and offices, covering all officials and employees, school-based and non-school-based, in the DepEd holding regular plantilla positions. Personnel under contracts of service/job order and LGU-funded employees are also covered, but for performance evaluation purposes only.
In the advent of the implementation of Department Order 42, series 2017 – National Adoption and Implementation of the Philippine Professional Standards for Teachers was issued. The PPST intends to clarify expectations to teachers to attain their professional development from beginning to distinguished practice. It also engages DepEd teachers to dynamically embrace a continuing effort to attain proficiency, and apply a uniform measure to assess teacher performance, to identify performance needs, and to provide support for professional development.
RPMS aims to assess the personal, social, and professional improvement of teachers. After few years, RPMS had been redesigned. Philippines Professional Standards for Teachers (PPST) - Results-Based Performance Management System (RPMS) has been introduced in 2019.
Moreover, the new RPMS shall be a basis for all learning and development programs for professional educators to guarantee that they are properly armed to implement effectively the K to 12 Program. It is also being used for promotion purposes of teachers. All performance appraisals for teachers shall be based on this set of standards. Likewise, this RPMS includes 12 modules which needs attachments wherein teachers’ grades will be based. Twelve modules is only for school year 2018- 2019; it will be added by another 12 for school year 2019-2020, and another 12 for school year 2020-2021. There was a roll-out done by DepEd to discuss the features of this new performance tool.
In addition, the RPMS has five Key Result Areas (KRAs) which are the target areas on the evaluation for teachers’ performance. It includes the Content Knowledge and Pedagogy that verifies the teacher mastery of the subject matter. The second KRA is the Curriculum and Planning that measures the teachers’ potential in preparing materials about curriculum such as the Lesson Plan or Daily Lesson Log, Intervention Materials, and the ability to show students critical and creative thinking skills. The third KRA is the Learning Environment and Diversity of Learners which assess the teachers ability to create a well-conducive learning environment as well as considering the various attitudes, abilities and intellectual level of the learners. The fourth KRA is Assessment and Reporting that gives emphasis on how the teachers measures the learning of the students and what assessment preparations he made in order to instill the learnings to the learners. The last KRA is the Plus Factor which points out the teachers’ professional expertise and growth. This KRA measures the teachers’ ability to conduct and present Action Researches, to publish articles and research, and even attend various conferences.
These KRAs of RPMS said to have effect on the Schools’ Key Performance Indicators. The schools’ enrolment rate, dropout rate, promotion rate, and even students’ performance are some of the KPIs of each other that may be affected by the RPMS implementation. These KPIs are the target of the RPMS, in order to lower dropouts but to record high enrolment rate, promotion rate and of course to show a high students’ performance. These things create a proposition in connection on the teachers’ performance. Various schools who may have good record of KPIs are supposed to have outstanding and very excellent teachers in the field.
However, RPMS received negative feedbacks from teachers even from its pilot implementation on 2015. The implementation of PPST-RPMS has been an issue in the department. There were organizations or group of teachers who held rallies in the DepEd Central Office just to appeal and request to abolish the RPMS. The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) on their press release firmly stated that RPMS is Junk burdensome, senseless, and unjust teachers’ evaluation system. Sambalud (2014) reported on his news article that teachers’ groups branded RPMS as anti-worker and anti-union to rate teachers. Mateo (2018) published that the DepEd will investigate the reported cases of teacher suicides like the teacher from Cavite who hanged herself, and another suicide case of teacher from Leyte, after being alleged that these have been caused by heavy workload specifically linking to RPMS.
Public school teachers were challenged in the preparation of MOVs for their RPMS. For instance, every activity that they do, they must provide narratives, pictures, documentations, and accomplishment report, and even certificates and activity impact. Once a learner got failing grades, the teacher must provide his valid reasons for failing the said learner, and the teacher shall provide verifications, record, narratives, home visitation records, meeting with other teachers and parents, and others. Additionally, teachers shall give remediation and other intervention activities to those students who are at risk of failing. These are some of the additional workload of teachers in response to the needs of the RPMS.
This scenario motivates the researcher to eagerly conduct this research which aims to identify the assessment of teachers in the implementation of RPMS and the challenges in its implementation. This study wishes to bring out recommendations in the implementation of RPMS in the Philippines that would help every teacher in the public schools to prepare their MOVs during the rating period of their RPMS. It is also aimed that this study can enlighten the proper authorities on how they can help teachers who are experiencing challenges in the RPMS preparation and evaluation phase. This research targeted to be significant also to the field of education as it will be an eye-opener to those who are in the position especially the Human Resource Department of DepEd in order to provide an easy and stress-free evaluation system for the teachers who will of course be physically, mentally, and emotionally ready in RPMS implementation which will give much impact to the DepEd’s clienteles – the learners.
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