Chapter 5

CURRICULUM IMPLEMENTATION

This chapter discusses the process of implementing curriculum as presented by

different scholars in curriculum studies especially in the field of curriculum leadership
and supervision. This chapter is especially designed for educators and pre-service
teacher education students to understand how a curriculum is implemented in the
Philippine context. In this chapter you will able to:

 Identify different curriculum workers;

 analyze different levels of curriculum implementation in the Philippine context;

and

 Discuss the factors to consider in implementing a curriculum.

Curriculum Implementation

Curriculum implementation, from the term itself, focuses on the actual

implementation of the curriculum from the national level to the local school context. It
describes the dynamics of how various curriculum workers strive to do their functions in
order to attain educational goals, programs, and policies set by the country, region,
division, district, and down to the local school level. Each of these levels has specific
functions to do.

Ideally, the implementation of the curriculum is influenced by the educational goals set
by the government or schools. However, the process of curriculum implementation is also
guided by an educational or curriculum philosophy.

In practice, curriculum implementation is highly influenced by different curriculum

workers: people influence the process. Consequently, not all curricula are perfectly
implemented as planned. In the process of curriculum implementation, there are always
problems encountered.

Curriculum Workers

The success or failure of any curriculum depends on the people working for its
implementation. Oliva (2005) identified these people as curriculum workers. At any level
of curriculum implementation, curriculum workers, through their expertise, creativity, and
dedication, make sure that the curriculum is implemented as planned.

Teachers- the most visible among the curriculum workers. Their roles as implementers
of the curriculum are very crucial. It is through their expertise, creativity, and commitment
that any curriculum success is attributed. Teachers develop lesson plans, unit plans,
yearly plans, and syllabi for each subject they teach. They prepare instructional materials,
select method and strategies, and assess student progress. Every day teachers are given
teaching loads to each different subjects. Their educational background, educational
philosophy, teaching style, and personality affect the implementation of the curriculum.

Principals- the chief academic and administrative officer of the school. They provide
curricular and instructional leadership and supervision to the teachers and other school
personnel in the local school context. It is they who lead teachers in planning different
school activities and make sure that all educational goals set by the Department of
Education are met. Principals check the lesson plans developed by each teacher, prepare
the school calendar, supervise instruction, and prepare school report. Principal also work
with parents and community leaders and win their support to any school activities and
project.

Curriculum consultants- individuals with rich experience on doing curriculum projects

related to curriculum planning, curriculum development, and curriculum evaluation.

District Supervisors- responsible for supervising the implementation of the curriculum

in the district level. They help public school principal in ensuring that the programs of the
Department of Education are implemented in their respective schools. They also
implement policies and programs of the Department of Education in private schools.

Education Supervisors- assigned to specific subject areas in basic education. They help
the district office of the Department of Education in supervising the implementation of
projects and programs specific for its subject area.

Division Superintendents- the chief academic officer of each division. They supervise
the implementation of the DepEd curriculum, programs and project in the division level
for both public and private schools. Usually each province or a city is considered a division
for DepEd.

Regional Directors- manage the programs and projects of the Department of Education
in the regional level.

Education Program Specialist- work at the national level or at the central offices of the
Commission on Higher Education and the Department of Education. They assist the two
government agencies in the development of curriculum policies that will help teachers
and other curriculum leaders in the implementation of the curriculum leaders in the
implementation of the curriculum.

Technical Panels and Technical Committees- professors and individual experts from
different disciplines and fields that assist the commission on Higher Education in
developing curriculum, formulating curriculum policies, evaluating the compliance of
higher education institution to CHED.

Activity 22. Reflect on and address the following.

1. Identify the name of the school officials in your district or division.

2. Set an interview schedule with one of these officials to know more about the
following:
 What are the priority programs and projects that DepEd implemented this
school year?

 What are the challenges, issues, and problems they met in their division or
district in relation to curriculum implementation?

 What are the strategies they are implementing to address these issues,
challenges, and problems?

Posner (1995) pointed out that in analyzing a curriculum, a careful examination of the
background philosophy, expertise and the level of involvement of different curriculum
workers are important. Walker (1971) made observations that in the process of curriculum
development, various curriculum workers bring with them their philosophies, beliefs,
expertise and other concerns when they plan and develop curriculum. Consequently,
these are also influential in the implementation of curriculum.

Glatthorn, Boschee and Whitehead (2006) emphasized that curriculum workers are
curriculum leaders too. As they implement the curriculum at any level, these curriculum
workers take the role of curriculum leaders providing directions, guidance and supervision.
They manage people and programs at any level of education and in any school.

The problem, however, in that many individuals and groups establish schools by
business purposes. With limited or no background at all in education, they establish
schools and employ teachers and other experts to manage the implementation of the
curriculum. The problem in this situations comes when these schools compete with each
other to increase the rate of enrollment. They implement curricular innovations usually
adopted from abroad and duplicate good programs of other schools. At times, the
competition is not healthy at all as there are schools that do not give emphasis on quality.

LEVELS OF CURRICULUM IMPLEMENTATION

To ensure the smooth implementation of curriculum, each department or ministry of

education or any country has established a system that will take charge of the whole work
of planning, development, implementation and evaluation of the curriculum. Integrated in
this system are the curriculum workers mentioned earlier in this chapter who work in
different levels of bureaucracy.

As shown in figure 14. The Philippines follow a centralized system of curriculum

development and implementation that starts from the national level down to the school
level. Although the regional, division, district and school levels are empowered to plan,
monitor and evaluate programs, projects and plans, the central office of the Department
of Education still does most of the policies and curriculum

National level

Regional level

Division level

Distinct level

Local School level

Figure 14. Levels of Curriculum
Implementation at Basic Education Level

Republic Act 9155, also known as the Governance of Basic Education Act of 2001,
Chapter 1,Section 7 defines the function of each levels as follows:

A. National Level

Through the leadership of the Secretary of Education, the Undersecretaries, Assistant

Secretaries and different Bureau officers are responsible for the following:

* formulating national educational policies;

* formulating a national basic education plan;

* promulgating national educational standards;

* monitoring and assessing national learning outcomes;

• undertaking national educational research and studies;

• enhancing the employment status, professional competence, welfare and working

conditions of all personnel of the Department; and

• enhancing the total development of learners through local and national programs
and/or projects.
B. Regional Level

Consistent with the educational policies, plans, and standards, The regional
office under the Regional Director shall be responsible for the following:

• Defining a regional educational policy framework which reflects the values, needs,
and expectations of the communities they serve;

• Developing a regional basic education plan;

• Developing regional educational standards with a view toward bench marking for
international competitiveness

• Monitoring, evaluating, and assessing regional learning outcomes;

• Undertaking research projects and developing and managing region-wide projects

which may be funded through official development assistance and/or other funding
agencies;

• Ensuring strict compliance with prescribe national criteria for the recruitment,
selection, and training of all staff in the region and division;

• Formulating, in coordination with the regional development council, the budget to

support the regional educational plan which shall take into account the educational
plans of the division and districts;

• Determining the organization component of the divisions and districts and approving
the proposed staffing pattern of all employees in the division and districts;

• Hiring, placing, and evaluating all employees in the regional office, except for the
position of assistant director;

• Evaluating all school division superintendents and assistant division superintendents in

the region;

• Planning, and managing the effective and efficient use of all personnel, physical and
fiscal resources of the region office, including professional staff development;

• Managing, the data base and management information system of the region; and

• Approving the establishment of public and private elementary and high schools and
learning centers.
C. Division Level

A division consists of a province or a city. Consistent with the national

educational policies, plans, and standards, the division level through the leadership of the
division Superintendents shall be responsible for the following:

• Developing and implementing division education development plans;

• Planning and managing the effective and efficient use of all personnel physical, and
fiscal resources of the division, including professional staff development.

• Hiring, placing, and evaluating all division superintendents and school districts
supervisors as well as employees in the division, both teaching and non- teaching
personnel, including school heads, except for the assistant division superintendent;

• Monitoring the utilization of funds provided by the national government units to the
schools and learning centers;

• Ensuring compliance of quality standards for standards for education programs and for
this purpose strengthening the role of division supervisors as subject areas specialists;

• Promoting awareness of and adherence by all schools and learning centers to

accreditation standards prescribe by the Secondary of Education; and

• Supervising the operations of all public and private elementary, secondary and
integrated schools, and centers.

D. School District Level

A school district through the leadership of the District supervisor is responsible for
the following:

• Providing professional and instructional advice and support to the school heads and
teachers /facilitators of schools and learning centers in the district or cluster there of; and

• Curricula supervision.

E. School Level

Consistent with the national educational policies, plans and standards the school level
through the leadership of school heads is responsible for the following:
• Setting the mission, vision, goals, and objectives of the school;

• Creating an environment within the school that is conductive to teaching and learning;

• Implementing the school curriculum and being accountable for higher learning
outcomes;

• Developing the school education program and school improvement plan;

• Offering educational programs, projects, and services which provide equitable

opportunities for all learners in the community;

• introducing new and innovative modes of instruction to achieve higher learning

outcomes;

• administering and managing all personnel, physical, and fiscal resources of the school;

• recommending the staffing complement of the school based on its needs;

• Encouraging staff development

• establishing school and community networks and encouraging the active participation
of teachers organization, non-academic personnel of public schools, and parent-
teachers-community associations; and

• accepting donations, gifts, bequests, and grants for the purpose of upgrading teacher's
learning facilitators' competencies, improving and expanding school facilities , and
providing instructional materials and equipment.

Currently, the different offices of the Department of Education are doing their best in
ensuring a smooth and efficient implementation of the K-12 Education Program of the
Philippines. Under the Republic Act 10533 or the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013,
Kindergarten and Senior High School were added to the Philippine basic education
system. This ensures that our education system for basic education is at with the
international standards and to prepare Filipino students to meet the needs and demands
of a knowledge-based society.

For higher education institutions (HEIs) in the country, the Commission on Higher
Education (CHED) was established under Republic Act No. 7722, otherwise known as
the Higher Education Act of 1994. Contrary to DepEd, the CHED has two levels; the
Central Office (national level) and the Regional Offices. The CHED Central Office focuses
on the development of policies and sets and national direction for higher education in the
country.

The CHED Office for Program Standards (OPS) is responsible for curricular matters.
The CHED issues a memorandum order (CMO) per program to serve a guide to HEIs on
the courses that should be offered per program, admission and retention policies,
administrative requirements, faculty requirements, library and laboratory requirements,
and others. Experts in different in different academic fields and disciplines are invited to
become members of different Technical Panels and Technical Committees to help the
Commission in the development of these CMOs per program. All curricular changes and
application for new curricular offerings from HEIs are received and recommended for
approval by the OPS to the Commission en banc.

The Regional Offices of CHED is responsible for the monitoring and implementation of
the policies and guidelines developed by the Central Offices are monitoring work is done
with the help of regional experts on different fields known as Regional Quality Assurance
Team (RQuAT). It is their duty to ensure that all HEIs in their regions comply with CHED
requirements and policies.

State colleges and universities must seek the approval of their academic councils and
their corresponding board of regents for any curriculum changes and curriculum
proposals before these curriculum proposals are sent to CHED for approval.

Exempted in this process is the University of the Philippines System. The UP System
does not follow the CHED prescribed curriculum. For UP, any curriculum proposal must
be approved by its university council and the UP Board of Regents.

Private HEIs may also add more subjects as institutional requirements per program
based on the mission, vision, and philosophy of the HEI concerned. For state universities
and colleges, their individual charters guide their program offerings. This process is
shown in Figure 15. The regional offices of CHED check the compliance of these HEIs to
the CMO issued by the Commission.

Commission on Higher Education

(National Level)
 CHED Regional Offices

Higher Education Institutions

(Colleges, Professional Institutes, Universities)

Figure 15: Levels of Curriculum Implementation at the Higher Education Level

The academic freedom of individual HEI and faculty members also highly
influences curriculum development in higher education. Curricular revisions are
presented and approved by the university council in the case of state universities and
colleges. For private HEIs, the curriculum committee and the council of deans presided
by the Vice President for Academic Affairs approve any curriculum proposal made in any
department or college. Each faculty member, whether in public or private HEI, develops
a syllabus for his or her subject guided by the faculty expertise and their academic
freedom.

For vocational and technical courses, the Technical Education Skills Development
Authority (TESDA) is the government agency that prescribes the curriculum and other
requirements for the implementation of the program. Each course is implemented through
modules, designed and implemented based on specific competencies prescribed. All the
specific requirements and facilities, including the required training and certification for
each faculty who will teach each course are prescribed to TESDA.

Activity 23. Reflect on and address the following.

1. Describe the process of curriculum development practiced your college or

university.
 2. Develop a flowchart describing how a curriculum proposal reaches the level
of approval your college or university.

3. Identify the people involved and their level of involvement.

4. Discuss how your college/ university addresses several issues and

challenges and integrates them in the curriculum.

Things to Consider in Implementing the Curriculum

Curriculum implementation must be systematically planned. At any level, it

requires careful consideration of several factors and variables.

1. Government Requirements – include memoranda, policies, guidelines, and

requirements from the department of Education, Commission on higher Education, and
technical Education skills Development Authority. The competencies required by the
board exams are also considered.

2. School Philosophe ,Vision and Mission, and Core Values- must be considered at the
school level especially when selecting the specific contents and learnings experiences
for all students enrolled in each program.

3. Learning Environment- Includes the various school facilities required for

implementation of each programs. These facilities include laboratories, classrooms,
libraries, sports facilities, instructional technologies, and other facilities prescribed by the
government for each program. In some schools, colleges or universities, housing
facilities for faculty and students are also provided.

4. Needs and Demands of the society- are the needs and demands of the society that the
curriculum must respond to. Curriculum can address these needs and demands in the
macro level by adding subjects or contents, or in the local school level by integrating
specific competencies, in the various syllabi for each course.

5. Needs of the Students- including interest, are considered when the schools develops
academic policies and in the preparation of course syllabi. At the least, the school, college
or university should have an idea of the general profile of students including their needs
and interests when the planning and implementing the program.

6. Faculty Expertise- The faculty is considered as the most important assets of each
school, college or university. They also play an important role in the implementation of
the curriculum.

7. The Changing Nature of Knowledge- includes the theories and research from different
areas and professional organizations in the academe that are also influential in the
implementation of the curriculum. It could result to the integration of important topics or
subjects, and additional facilities.

These factors are emphasized by different curriculum expert (Tyler, 1949; Sowell,
1996; Ornstein & Hunkins, 1993; Marsh, 2004; Tanner and Tanner, 2007;) as influential
in planning, developing, impending, and evaluating curriculum. In the context of
curriculum implementation, curriculum leaders and curriculum workers consider these
factors in making curricular and instructional decisions.

At any level of the educational bureaucracy, the success of curriculum

implementation can be attributed to how curriculum leaders and workers plan, design,
and develop the implementation of the curriculum. School resource and the implementers
at the school level are also contributory to the success of curriculum implementation.

Activity 24. Refllect on and address the following.

1. Collect samples of syllables in your school.

 2. Examine how each syllables consider the various factors affecting the identified
curriculum implementation.

• Curriculum implementation is important to ensure the success of particular curriculum.

• The implementation of a curriculum involves various peoples known as curriculum

workers. Each curriculum worker has special task to do to ensure the success of the
curriculum.

- Teachers

- Principals

- Curriculum Consultant

- District Supervisors

- Education Supervisors

- Division Superintendents

- Regional Directors

- Education Program Specialists

- Technical Panels and Technical Committees

• There are different levels of Curriculum implementation in the Philippine context.
Each level has its own function to fulfill.

- National level

- Regional level

- Division level

- District level

- Local School level

• There are important things to consider in implementing the curriculum.

- Government Requirements

- School Philosophy, Vision, and Mission, and core values

- Learning Environment

- Needs and Demands of the Society

- Needs of the Students

- Faculty Expertise

- The Changing Nature of Knowledge