Republic of the Philippines OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT co Highs, COMMISSION ON HIGHER EDUCATION # %, ROFFICIALS O RELEASE 9 2, CHED Cental ottica ¢ ‘HED MEMORAMDUM ORDER {CMO} Pecones seonion % ; No. TT Yee. Series of 2017 SUBJECT: POLICIES, STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES FOR BACHELOR OF SPECIAL NEEDS EDUCATION (BSNEd) Jn accordance with the pertinent provisions of Republic Act No. 7722, otherwise known as the "Higher Education Act of 1994," in pursuance of an outcomes-based quality assurance system as advocated under CMO 46 s. 2012, and by virtue of ‘Commission en banc (CEB) Resolution No. 724-2017 dated October 3, 2017, the following policies, standards and guidelines (PSG) are hereby adopted and promulgated by the Commission. ARTICLE| INTRODUCTION Section 1. Rationale Based on the Guidelines for the Implementation of CMO No. 46 s. 2012, this PSG implements the “shift to leaming competency-based standards/outcomes-based education” in response to the 21* Century Philippine Teacher Education framework. Furthermore, this PSG is anchored on the salient features of K to 12 Enhanced Curriculum (RA 10533), the Philippine Qualifications Framework (EO 83, s. 2012), the National Competency-Based Teacher Standards (NCBTS) now the Philippine Professional Standards for Teachers (0.0. 42, s. 2017) and other relevant documents. It specifies the ‘core competencies’ expected of Bachelor of Special Needs Education (BSNEd) graduates “regardless of the type of HEI they graduate from.” However, in ‘recognition of the spirit of outcomes-based ‘education and of the typology of HEIs,” this PSG aiso provides “ample space for HEIs: to innovate in the curriculum in line with the assessment of how best to achieve leaming outcomes in their particular contexts and their respective missions.” Quality pre-service teacher education is a key factor to quality Philippine education. The pre-service preparation of teachers is a very important function and responsibility of HEIs. All efforts to improve the quality of basic education in the Philippines are dependent on the service of teachers who are properly trained to undertake various roles and functions. As such, it is of utmost importance that the highest standards are set in defining the objectives, components, and processes of the pre-service teacher education curriculum. Higher Education Development Center Building yan, Quezon Giy, Philippines Wo Sao: avaucherd anu TaN. 44te1177, 985-4901, 441.1160, 447-1 140. 441-1170, 241-1290, 392-5296, 44161220 ‘441-1228, 988-0002, 441-0750, 441-1254, 441-1235, 441-1256, 411-8910, 447-1171, 352-1871Section 2. Developing teachers who have the competence to work with children and youth with additional needs* is the thrust of the field of Special Needs Education. This degree program will enable its graduates to teach subjects in general/regular education settings while addressing learning concems of students with additional needs. Graduates may also teach in special education centers and clinical settings. The Bachelor of Special Needs Education curriculum takes into consideration the various laws and intemational agreements especially the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on quality education for persons with special educational needs, making Filipino mainstream education inclusive and accessible to all ARTICLE I AUTHORITY TO OPERATE Government Recognition All private higher education institutions (PHEIs) intending to offer Bachelor of Special Needs Education (BSNEd) must first secure proper authority from the Commission in accordance with this PSG. All PHEIs with Bachelor of Special Education, Bachelor of Elementary Education with specialization in Special Education, Bachelor of Secondary Education major in Special Education, programs are required to shift to an outcomes-based approach based on this PSG and must secure approval for such a shift. State universities and colleges (SUCs), and local colleges and universities should likewise strictly adhere to the provisions in these policies and standards. ARTICLE tit GENERAL PROVISIONS Per Section 13 of RA 7722, the higher education institution shall exercise academic freedom in its curricular offerings but must comply with the minimum requirements for specific academic programs, the general education distribution requirement and the specific professional courses, Section 3. The articles that follow give minimum standards and other requirements and prescriptions. The minimum standards are expressed as a minimum set of desired program outcomes which are given in Article 1V Section 6. CHED designed a curriculum to attain such outcomes. This curriculum is shown in Article V Section 9 as a sample curriculum. The number of units in this curriculum is here prescribed as the “minimum unit requirement’ under Section 13 of RA 7722. In designing the curriculum, CHED employed a curriculum map which is shown in Article V Section 10 as a sample curriculum map. Using a learner-centered/outcomes-based approach, CHED also determined appropriate curriculum delivery methods shown in Article "The terms “learners with additional nods”, “leamers with special educational needs”, “learners with cexceptionalities” and “learners with spectal hi sds” are used interchangeably inthis document, Page 2 of 84Section 4. Section 5. \V Section 11. The sample course syllabus given in Article V Section 12 show some of these methods. Based on the curriculum and the means of its delivery, CHED determined the physical resource requirements for the. library, laboratories and other facilities and the human resource requirements in terms of administration and faculty. See Article VI. HEls are allowed to design curricula suited to their own context and mission, provided that they can demonstrate that the same lead to the attainment of the required minimum set of outcomes, albeit by a different route. in the same vein, they have latitude’ in terms of curriculum delivery and in terms of specification and deployment of human and physical resources as long as they can show that the attainment of the program outcomes and satisfaction of program ‘educational objectives can be assured by the altemative means they propose. HEls can use the CHED Implementation Handbook for Outcomes- Based Education (OBE) and the Institutional Sustainability Assessment (ISA) as guide in making their submissions for Article Vil ARTICLE IV PROGRAM SPECIFICATION Program Description 5.1 Degree Name The dearee program deserbed hercin shi be called Bachelor of Special Needs Education (Generalist) 3. Bachar of ‘Special Needs Education with specialization in: Early Childhood Education Teaching Leamers with Visual Impairment ‘Teaching Deaf and Hard-of Hearing Learners Elementary School Teaching 5.2 Nature of the Field of Study The Bachelor of Special Needs Education (BSNEd) is an undergraduate degree program which specializes in special needs education 5.3 Program Goals The Bachelor of Special Noods Education (BSNEd) program prepares teachers who will instruct and manage students with additional needs in inclusive and segregated educational settings. lis graduates will be equipped to teach the basic education curriculum and alternate curricula depending on the needs of the Page 3 of 84