Professional Documents
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1
ARTICLE I
Philosophy, Goals and Objectives
Section L The state shall protect and promote the right to quality education at all levels and
shall take appropriate steps to make such education accessible to all. {Sec. l, Art.
XIV-1987 Phil. Constitution)
Section 2. The State shall promote the right regardless of sex, age, breed, socio economic
status, physical and mental condition, social or ethnic origin, political and other
affiliation. The State shall therefore promote and maintain equality of access to
education as well as the enjoyment of the benefits of education by all its citizens.
(8.P. Blg.232)
Section 3. The State shall protect and promote the right of all cltizens lo quality basrb
education and to make such education accessible to all by providing all Filipino
children a free and compulsory education in the elementary level and free
education in the high school level" (Sec. 2, R.A. 9155)
Section 4. Every child with special needs has a right to an educational program that is suifa0le
to hislher needs. Special Education shares with regular education basic
responsibilities of the educational system to fulfill the right of the child to develop
his/her capabilities.
Section 5. Special Education shall aim to develop the maximum potential of a child with special
needs to enable him to become self-reliant and shall be geared towards providing
him with the opportunities for a full and happy life.
Section 6. The objectives of Special Education shall be the development and maximization of
leaming competencies as well as the inculcation of values to make the learners with
special needs useful and effective members of society.
Section 7. The policy on lnclusive Education for All shall be adopted to accelerate access to
educate among children and youth with special needs.
Section 8. The ultimate goal of Special Education shall be the inclusion of learners with special
needs into the school system and eventually in the community .
Section 2. These policies and guidelines shall apply to all schools, centers and classes
{national or local, public or private, formal or nonformal} established under the
educational system of the Philippines for the education of children with special
needs.
ARTICLE III
Assessment
Section 1. Educational Assessment of children with special needs shall be the responsibility of
the school to evaluate developmental domains as well as specific areas of concern
which shall include the following:
1.2 Collaboration with families and other professionals involved in the amount of
individuals with exceptional learners shall be established in the information
gathering and decision-making process.
1.2.1 The team shall be composed of a special education teacher and persons
from different disciplines with working knowledge and understanding of
children with special needs.
1.3 Aspects to be covered in the assessment of children with special needs shall
cover the following:
1.5 lnformation from formal and informal assessment instruments and procedures
shatl be interpreted to determine appropriate educational placement and
services.
L
I
ARTGLE rv I
School Admission and Organization of Classes- ,, J
Section 1. Children with special needs shall enjoy equality of access to formal education and
altemative leaming sYstem.
1.1 Every school division shall organize special classes and provide special
services for children with special needs (PD 603)
1.2 All schools at the pre-elementary, elementary, secondary and tertiary levels
shall admit children and youth with special needs in an inclusive set-up.
1.3 Educational help for the child with special needs shall be made available as
early as possible
1.5 The school entrance age of a child with special needs to formal academic
instruction shall follow the current regulation of the Department of Education.
1.5.1 The child may be admitted anytime during the year, if circumstances
warrant such admission.
1.5.2 No age requirement nor time limitation shall be imposed for attendance
to alternative delivery mode.
1.6 Only individuals with special needs shall be eligible for enrolment in special
schools. Age appropriate placement shall be considered for effective teaching
learning.
1.7 Adults with special needs who have undertaken the functional/basic curriculum
and could not pursue the elementary/ secondaryl tertiary levels shall be placed
in TransitionA/ocational Programslsheltered Workshop for self-sufficiency and
independent living.
1.8 Special educational provisions shall be made available to children with special
needs during treatment/confinement in hospitals"
1,12 lnclusion or exclusion of students with special needs from participating in state
and national testing program shall be guided by the following:
1.12.1 lnclude in testing any student with special needs who have been
exposed to the content of the basic cuniculum.
1.12.2 Exclude from testing any child with special needs who is on highly
individualized program.
1.12.3 lnclude children with special needs whom evaluators consider the test
shall yield a reliable and valid measures of the students performance.
Section 2. For maximum efficiency, class sizes at any given time shall be as follows:
2.1 Placement in a special class shall be temporary and not terminal, thus the
assessment should be continuous.
2.2 A maximum of only 2 children with the same or different type of handicapping
condition shall be integrated in a regular class at any given time.
2.4 Class size of children with special needs with multi-level abilities shall be
according to severity of disability.
2.5 lntegration of the learning disabled, emotional and behavioral disorders and
those with special and language disorders is suggested instead of special
classes.
2.6 An itinerant teacher shall have a case load of not more than five children with
special needs.
2.7 The special education teacher shall be assisted by one or more teacher
aide/para teacher when necessity demands.
Section 3. Promotion of children with special needs shall basically follow the promotion policy in
the regular school.
3.1 The promotion from grade to grade or from level to level shall take into account
satisfactory performance in the special learning areas.
3.1.1 The promotion of special learners in inclusive and full mainstream follow
the promotion policy of the regular school.
ARTICLE V
Curriculum Content, lnstructional Strategies and Materials
Section 1. The curriculum for Special Education shall be based on the curriculum prescribed for
the regular schools by the Department of Education . lt should be individualized and
modified to suit the unique needs of the leamers.
1.1 Options may range from the regular, modified and special cuniculum with
adaptations to meet the needs of exceptional children.
1.2.2 The curriculum for children with learning disabilities shall consider an
environment that is most enabling and meet the unique academic,
social and behavioral needs of the children who belongs to this
especially heterogeneous population.
1"2.3 The cuniculum for children with emotional and behavioral disorders
shall include physical environment intervention, academic and
instructional environment and behavioral and cognitive-behavioral
intervention.
1.2,4 The curriculum for the gifted and talented shall be rigorous and
intellectually challenging, complex and abstract than that provided to
their typical peers.
1.2.5 The curriculum for children with speech and language impairment shall
include considerations on seating arrangement, reducing distributions in
the physical environment and interactive techniques to enhance the
teaching-learning process.
1.2.6 The curriculum for children with hearing impairment shall emphasize
language development and utilization of residual hearing. It should use
different various methods that include oral, audition verbal, sign
language, augmentative and total
communication including intense
visual language reinforcement for the instruclion of grammar and
syntax. The natural sign language shall be considered in the foundation
for language instruction.
1.2.7 The curiculum for learners with visual impairment addresses the
following concem for the total educational program: basic cognitive and
academic skills. sensory perception skills, orientation and mobility skills,
social and emotional skills, daily living skills, communication skills
(Braille reading, writing) vocational skills, self-help and advocacy skills,
recreation and leisure time skills and transition education.
1.2.8 Curriculum for children with autism shall include early intervention,
special adaptation in teaching to address communication deficits and
behavioral problems, therapy to address motor and sensory integration
difficulties, functional independent living skills and transition program.
1.2.9 The curriculum for children with physical or health disabilities shall
include modifications in physicallhealth monitoring modifications and
adaptations including assistive technology specialized instructional
strategies and specialized expanded curriculum areas.
1.3 Transition education program shall be an integral part of the cuniculum for
special children. Arrangements shall be made to enable the child with special
needs to attend special cour$es offered in the regular vocational schools
whenever practical.
2.2 Selection of devices. training to use such devices and continuous technical
support shall be addressed properly.
2.3 Low cost and indigenous instructional materials shall be developed for the use
of children with special needs"
Article Vl
Organizational Patterns
Section 1. Children with special needs shall be provided with variety of educational patterns and
services.
1.1 The assessed needs of each child shall be the primary consideration in
determining his/her particular program and services.
1.2"3 Resource Room PIan. ln this scheme, the child with special needs is
enrolled in the regular school program but goes to a resource room to
use the specialized equipment either in a tutorial situation or in a small
group. The resource room teacher functions both as an instructor and
as a consultant.
1.2.6 Distance Education Program for Children with Special Needs. This
is an alternative mode of education that can serve out-of-school youth
with disabilities (ages 6-19 year old) without having to go to school
regularly. Usually the lessons are taught at home or in any environment
place in the community through the use of modules.
1.2.11 Specral Day School. This type of school serves specific types of
children with moderate to severe disabilities. lt offers a range of trained
special educators and a comprehensive array of medical, psychological
and social services.
1.3 A combination of plans may be considered where special children are not
concentrated in a particular geographic area; where there are not enough children to
justifu employing more than one teacher or where the spread is great; and / or
where a variety of services is not feasible.
1.3.1 A Resource Room Plan may be established and the special education
teacher works as a resource room para teacher or an itinerant teacher, since
the children in the Resource Room Program attend the regular class.
1.3,2 ln the Cooperative Class Plan, the special teacher could serve as an itinerant
teacher at the same time.
1.4 Appropriate refenal system shall be established if the result of an assessment merits
residential school placement, e.g. for the child who lives too far from existing special
education services. Otherwise, homebound instruction shall be provided.
1.5 Special programs for the gifted, talented and creative shall be developed and
maintained.
1.5.1 Special provisions for the gifted, talented and creative may take the following
prototypes, singly or in combination:
Section 2. Special support services for children with special needs shall be extended when
necessary.
2.1 Special support services like readers, interpreters, notetakers, and other
auxiliary services shall be provided.
2.2 The school division shall extend such services as orientation and training of
administrators, teachers, other school personnel, regular pupils and parents
on specialeducation.
ARTICLE VII
School Plant Facilities
Section 1. Adequate physical facilities and equipment shall be provided to assure quality
education for all children with special needs.
1.1 The school system shall assign buildings and resource rooms and adapt physical
facilities to suit the educational needs of special children.
1.2 The school system shall provide appropriate specialized equipment, instructional
materials and supplies.
1.3 Requirement for school site, school plant, physical facilities and classroom size
shall be for the purpose of securing permit for operation of special schools
rnodified in accordance with the types of exceptionality and enrolment size.
1.4 The minimum requirement for basic classroom equipment for children with
special needs prepared by Department of Education including medical and dental
facilities shallbe comptied with.
Section 2. Buildings and facilities shall be made accessible to persons with special needs.
Section 1. For the effective implementation of the special education program, the education
welfare and training of personnel shall be given priority.
1.1 All personnel involved in the education of children with special needs shall
have adaptive and appropriate educational background training and personal
qualities specified as follows:
1.2 Regular teachers with training and who have demonstrated/ commitment shall
be administered to teach children with special needs in the absence of qualified
special education teacher.
1.4 The salary grade of special education teachers shall be three (3) grades higher
than that of teachers in the regular school.
1.5 The salary grade of special schools principal shall be at least three (3) grades
higher than that of the principal in the regular schools with provisions of
upgrading of positions depending on qualifications and performance.
1.7.1 The Hiring rate of special education teachers shall be three (3) grades
higher than that of teachers in the regular school.
1.8.2 Priority in step increment for consistent outstanding rating for the last 3
years.
Article lX
Administration and Supervision
Section 1. The Department of Education shall have overall responsibility for the administration
and supervision of special education in the country.
1.1 The Bureau of Elementary Education through the Special Education Division
shall provide leadership and guidance over the Special Education program for
learners with special needs in the elementary level. The Bureau of Secondary
Education shall likewise establish a division or unit that shall provide similar
functions and responsibilities over learners with special needs in their
respective levels.
1 .1.2 supervision of programs for children with special needs" lt shall provide
assistance in planning, establishing and maintaining such programs and
for the interpretation of the needs of such programs;
1.2 The implementation of these functions shall be canied out by the Special
Education Division in the following ways:
1.3 The Regional and Division Offices shall have the primary responsibility for the
initiation and implementation of programs for children with special needs.
The Regional Director shall have the overall responsibility for the
administration and supervision of special education in the region.
The Schools Superintendent shall have the overall responsibility for the
administration and supervision of special education in the division. He
shall be assisted preferably by a Division Supervisor who had training in
special education whose responsibility of the prograrn shall include the
following:
The District Supervisor shall have the overall responsibility for the administration
and supervision of special education in the district.
The principal and other school administrators shall help maximally in the
development and continuing success of an effective special education program
by:
3.5.2 including the special education teacher in all staff activities and programs
in the school
3.5.3 coordinating the program with other programs offered by the school
including guidance services, physical education activities, music,
activities, home economics and other programs;
3.5.5 securing necessary equipment and materials which are available within
the school building for the special education teacher;
3.5.7 assisting the special education teacher with scheduling classes for each
child;
3.5.9 notifying the special education teacher (especially the itinerant teacher) in
advance when special activities or programs will prevent children from
following their regular schedule;
3.5.10 visiting the special education program as he does the regular classroom
program,
3.5.11 ananging for classroom teachers to visit periodically the class for children
with special needs; and
3.5.12 ananging for the special education teacher to talk with parents, teachers
and other community groups about his program.
Section 3. TeacherResponsrbilities
It is important to the effective functioning of a school program for children with speciat
needs to have the full cooperation of all teachers in the school.
3.1.1 Be alertto the behavioral signs and physical symptoms of difficulties in all
children" Be sure that proper refenals have been made and everything
possible has been done to conect or ameliorate the problems;
3.1.2 Accept and provide for a wide range of individual differences on many
dimensions among the children with special needs;
3.1.3 View the physical, mental and social limitations of the child as only one of
his attributes;
3.1.4 Accept the child as much as you would do to any other child;
3.1.7 Arange preferential seating for the child in terms of his needs;
3.1.9 Help the child to develop concepts meaningful to himself and in line with his
own reality;
3.1.10 lf possible, provide first-hand experiences for the child rather than vicarious
ones; and
3.1.11 Do not expect the special education teachers to re-teach what has been
taught in the regular classroom. The itinerant teacher's role is to facilitate
leaming {more than to teach directly) through assistance to the regular
teachers and to the child.
3.2.1 share the responsibility for program planning and scheduling with the
classroom teacher, principal, guidance counselor, and other appropriate
school personnel;
3.2.2 interpret the child's needs to the classroom teacher and other school
personnel who will be working with him;
3.2.3 advice the classroom teacher as to the best seating arrangement for the
visually impaired or hearing impaired child;
3.2.4 interpret to the classroom teacher and other school personnel, practices
and procedures which make learning tasks easier for the child;
3.2.6 see that the child is provided with the necessary materials, in appropriate
media, for full participation in the regular classroom.
3.3.1 share the responsibility for program planning and scheduling with
teachers, principals, guidance counselors and other school personnel;
3.3.3 reinforce the work of the classroom teacher and do intensive teaching of
certain phases of a subject as the need arises;
a) working with the child with the least intenuption of his class
participation
b) keeping travel time to the minimum
c) conferring with teachers, parents and other personnel
d) preparing and delivering needed materials and equipment
3.9.5 maintain records and exchange information about the child with the
classroom teacher on a regular basis;
9.3.G prepare a master schedule to be given to his superior and the principal of
each building in which he works;
3.3.7 work within the framework and policies of the school in which he serves
children;
3.3.9 prepare appropriate materials for the handicapped child being served;
and
3.3.10 assist in the initiation of new services and coordinate existing ones for
use in the educational program; interpret to the general educators
resourc€s of value in the education of children with special needs"
9.4.2 be responsible for the overall educational program for each child;
3.4.3 determine the amount of participation each child can manage in the
regular classes;
3.4.4 teach much of the subject matter and arrange with the classroom teacher
and other school personnel (principal, guidance counselor, and other
appropriate school personnel for pupils to participate in some of the
activities of the regular classroom and of the entire school; and
The special education teacher is responsible for teaching the basic academic
subjects with minimum integration with the non-handicapped in physical
education, for socialization purposes. He must interpret the child's needs and
abilities to the regular classroom teacher or any other school personnel. Her must
work closely with all personnel in the school in planning a program which wilt be
beneficial to these special children.
ARTICLE X
Evaluation of Program and Services
1.2 Private schools for children with special needs shall comply with the minimum
standards prescribed by the Department of Education.
1.3 Results of evaluation and feedback shall be used for program improvement and
decision making.
ARTICLE XI
Research and Special Studies
t.
Section t. Research relevant to the education of children with special needs shall be conducted
to provide empirical basis for the improvement of instruction at all levels.
1.1 Research on the theory and practice of special education in the country and
abroad should be given equal opportunity.
1.3 Research proposals shall come from all sectors of society, e.g. govemment
ministries including the Department of Education, non-government organizations,
the academic community, research centers and private persons.
1.4 A scheme for the dissemination and utilization of research findings should be
evolved and applied.
Section 2" Special studies shall be made in other areas not specified but needed in the
development of the special education program.
ARTICLE XII
Parent Education and Community lnvolvement
Section 1. Parents of children with special needs are valuable members of the educational team
in the program of habilitation and rehabilitation for independent living of their children.
c) The guardian or custodian, but not the state if the child is a ward of the
state
1.3 Parents of children with special needs shall be directly involved in the planning
of educational and special services for their children. They shall be helped to
develop confidence in their abilities to cope with, care for and teach their
disabled children.
1.4 The family of the child shall be involved in the process of habilitation and
rehabilitation. lt shall be encouraged as the major rehabilitation unit.
1.5 The training of trainers from among community volunteers, including parents
and family members of children with special needs, in basic special education
techniques as part of the community-based or home-based rehabilitation
services shall be conducted to promote programs on early identification and
intervention and to enhance home-school relationships.
1.3 Carefully designated pilot programs that shall demonstrate the effective
collaboration of education, medical, health care, and social services shall be
undertaken.
1.4 A system of referral, collaboration and follow-up among various disciplines and
services for specific areas shall be established and intensified.
1.5 A directory or service information center that lists all rehabilitation services
available in a particular geographical area and the types of children with special
needs that can be served shall be prepared and made available"
1.6 The school shall exert effort to link with the community in providing wholesome
recreational and other facilities that would enable children with special needs to
interact with their normal peers.
Article XIV
Public lnformation, Education and Communication
1.1 Mass media shall be utilized to make the public aware of the importance and
availability of services for children with special needs.
1.2 Short radio and TV messages that are easy to grasp shall be aired utilizing
language that parents and laymen can understand to change and improve public
attitudes towards children with special needs.
Section 1. The cost of educating children with special needs shall be borne by the national and
local govemments.
1.1 The national government shall provide for the items and salaries of special
education teachers and other school personnel.
1.2 The national government shall authorize the reclassification of the present items
of personnel presently involved in special education to special education items at
all levels whenever requiremenis are met.
1.3 The national government shall provide for the construction of appropriate
buildings and the procurement of special equipment, tools and supplies.
1.4 The regional office shall allot funds for research and evaluation, the training of
special education personnel, the cost of special equipment, facilities and
instructional materials and travel allowance of their own personnel.
1.5 The division office and local government units shall allot funds for the travel
allowance of itinerant teachers and division supervisor in-charge of the program
and, where possible, transportation for pupils.
1.6 The City and/or Provincial school board shall provide for additional funds for
facilities and instructional materials, and for yearly in-service training of teachers
and scholarship grants to qualified teachers and administrators.
Article XVI
Policy Support Legislation
Section l. Legislative measures to strengthen the special education program shall be passed.
These shall be geared towards:
1.1 Maximization of (1) teacher salaries and other benefits, and opportunities for
professional growth.
1.4 Establishment of special day and residential schools, work training centers,
recreational facilities, and d iag nostic ce nters.
1.6 lnclusion of children with special needs in the least-restrictive school environment
1 .11 Provision of grants and/or subsidies to deserving and needy learners with special
needs in terms of resources, funds, equipment, materials, supplies, etc., subject
to the availability of such items.
Article XVll
Section 1. Special Schools shall expand their role from being primarily an educational institution
to that of a resource development research, and service center for the special
education program in the community.
Section 2. Special schools shall provide the following levels of instruction by themselves or in
consortia with other institutionslagencies:
. Early lntervention
r Preschool
r Elementary
. $econdary
. Continuing education for technical, technological, and vocational/livelihood
training, if faculty and facilities are available and upon approval by proper
authorities.
e Tertiary level
r post Tertiary
Section 3. Special schools shall serve in a variety of alternative settings wlrich may be one or
more of the following:
r Residentialschool
. Day school
. Hospital school
. Homeboundinstruction/Home $choolprogram
Sl 4. Special schools shall make special provisions to address the unique and different
needs of the leamers through the utilization of adaptivelassistive equipment,
cunicular modifications, and multiple-leaming styles strategies.
Scdion 5. Criteria for admission to a government dormitory/residential facility for children with
special needs shall take into account the following factors:
Section 5. The quality of instruction in special schools shall be comparable to or higher than that
of the general education system, and the curriculum and approaches should be
collaborative.
Section 6. The curriculum models, instructional approaches, and provision of services in the
special schools shall be collaborative with those of general education.
Section 7. Special schools shall provide other educationally relevant and specialized services,
such as assessment, career guidance and counseling, staff training, linkages and
collaborations, research support services and resources and materials development
that will serve to enhance its primary programs and services.