The Department of Education (DepEd) has released the guidelines on the implementation of the Expanded Career Progression System for teachers and school heads.

Also known as ECP, the policy is aimed at promoting professional development and career advancement of teachers and school heads, anchored on the set qualifications and professional standards.

DepEd Order No. 24, s. 2025, which was released August ensures that the organization retains its best talents by boosting morale and motivation through clearer career prospects and greater opportunities for advancement, leading to commensurate pay for their qualifications and competencies.

In this article, we’re going to dive deeper on the ECP of DepEd. Let’s learn how to level-up your DepEd position, and how the new guideline works.

New Career Line for Teachers and School Heads

The ECP has provided improvements in the career trajectory of teachers and school heads – providing them more reasonable opportunities to apply for further career progression.

Below are the Classroom Teaching (CT) Career Line which shall be the career pathway for teachers involved in classroom teaching:

• Teacher I
• Teacher II
• Teacher III
• Teacher IV
• Teacher V
• Teacher VI
• Teacher VII
• Master Teacher I
• Master Teacher II
• Master Teacher III
• Master Teacher IV
• Master Teacher V

Meanwhile, here are the School Administration (SA) Career Line which shall be the career pathway for teachers involved in school management and operations, and instructional supervision:

• School Principal I
• School Principal II
• School Principal III
• School Principal IV

Take note that Salary Grades (as indicated in the graph above) and their rates may be updated, adjusted, or modified whenever necessary.

Moreover, upon reaching the Master Teacher I, a teacher may choose to pursue the CT Career Line or the SA Career Line – deciding whether to be promoted next as Master Teacher II or as School Principal.

In addition, switching of career line from classroom teaching to school administration and vice versa shall be allowed once, provided that the individual possesses all the necessary qualifications and expected competencies for the position being applied for in the other career line.

If a position gets vacant for a one (1) year period, let’s say Teacher V, the Schools Division Office shall facilitate the conversion of the dormant item to the entry position of the group, therefore going back to Teacher I. Similarly, a Principal III position that is dormant for one year goes back to Principal I.

Existing DepEd Positions Get Retitled

There are positions, however, that were scrapped and are no longer present in the ECP system. Employees bearing these positions shall have their post retitled to their equivalent SGs.

Positions that were scrapped includes the Special School Principal, Assistant School Principal, and Head Teacher positions.

Take a look at their new positions:

Basis for Promotion Under ECP

Hiring and promotion to positions in the ECP System shall be based on merit, fitness, and competence.

Teachers and school leaders shall be promoted primarily through reclassification of position; without precluding promotion through natural vacancy in the event of newly created items and vacated positions.

Promotion to higher positions shall be non-hierarchical, provided that these conditions are met:

• Career Stage-based Advancement. The guideline does not necessarily state that a Teacher I has to undergo Teacher II to be promoted as Teacher IV. However, a teacher is required to pass through any of the positions under each Career Stage before being promoted to the next. [Note: Career Stage, not teaching position.]
• Three (3) Salary Grade Limitation. DepEd employs the three-salary grade rule; meaning, promotion (either reclassification or natural vacancy) shall not exceed three SGs. For the exemptions to this guideline, refer to CSC’s Omnibus Rules on Appointments and Other Human Resource.

Modified Staffing for Master Teacher & Principal

The education department has likewise modified the staffing standards for Master Teacher Positions.

The changes were made after taking into consideration the schools unique context as well as the broadened expectations and roles of MTs.

This includes instructional supervision, technical assistance, coaching and mentoring, and collaboration with teacher colleagues.

• For Elementary Schools, one (1) Master Teacher item, regardless of position title or level, shall be authorized for every five (5) teachers within the school.
• For Junior High School (JHS), one (1) Master Teacher item, regardless of position title or level, shall be authorized for every five (5) teachers per subject/learning area within the school
• For SHS, one (1) Master Teacher item, regardless of position title or level, shall be authorized for every five (5) teachers per track within the school
• For Regional Science High School (RSHS), one (1) Master Teacher item, regardless of position title or level, shall be authorized for every three (3) teachers per subject/learning area within the school.
• For Special Needs Education, one (1) Master Teacher item with parenthetical item of ‘Special Needs Education Teacher’, regardless of position title or level, shall be authorized for every five (5) SNED Teachers within the schools division.
• For Alternative learning System, one (l) Master Teacher item, regardless of position title or level, shall be authorized for every five (5) ALS Teachers within the schools division.
• For Multigrade Schools and Schools in Hardship Posts, one (1) Master Teacher item, regardless of position title or level, shall be authorized for three (3) teachers within the school.

References

To learn more about the DepEd Expanded Career Progression System, read the official memorandum by [clicking here].