1. In order to promote access to basic education and pursue the constitutional mandate that the State should "establish, maintain and support a complete, adequate and integrated system of education relevant to the needs of the people and society" (Article XIV, Section 2, paragraph 1 of the 1987 Constitution), this Department hereby encourages and supports the establishment of at least one Integrated School (IS) in every region.

2. An integrated School may be established in those areas where any of the following conditions may exist:

2.1 There are no schools offering basic education.

2.2. The only elementary school in the locality is offering multi-grade program.

2.3 The number of elementary graduates does not warrant the establishment of a separate secondary school.

2.4 There are not enough items for teachers and schools heads that would justify the establishment of a separate elementary and a secondary school.

2.5 There is difficulty in acquiring school site for a secondary school.

2.6 There are inadequate equipment and resources to support the operation of separate elementary and secondary schools.

3. The distinctive features of an Integrated School (IS) and the implementation procedures are presented in detail in Inclosures I and 2, respectively.

4. The Bureau of Elementary Education and the Bureau of Secondary Education in collaboration with the DECS regional and division offices shall monitor the schools, provide technical backstopping and assist them towards full integration.

5. Immediate and wide dissemination of this Order to all concerned is desired.

Adopted: 30 Aug. 1999

(SGD.) ANDREW GONZALEZ, FSC
Secretary

Distinctive Features of an Integrated School
An Integrated School has features that distinguish it from other schools in the country. These features include the following: -

I
Structure
An integrated school provides basic education from grade one to fourth year. It is managed by one (1) principal whose basic orientation may be elementary or secondary level. Regional/Division supervisors provide pedagogical assistance to the principal and other academic staff. The school has one (1) set of administrative staff, faculty club and PTCA composed of representatives from both levels. Instructional supervision is done by subject area and cuts across the 10-year instructional program.

II
Staff Qualifications
The staff of an integrated school should possess the following qualifications:

Staff/Position	Professional Preparation/	Civil Service Eligibility	Experience
	Degree Completed
Principal	Bachelor of Educ. BEEd/BSEd	Teacher Eligibility	Must be in accordance with the Qualification Standards Manual
	Bachelor's Degree with 18 prof. units in education M.A. in Education	Career Service Professional
	BSEd/BEEd Degree	Teacher Eligibility	See Qualification Standards Manual
	- Bachelor's Degree plus 18 prof. units in educ.	Teacher Eligibility
	-12 M.A. units or its equivalent
	- Bachelor's Degree plus 18 prof, units in education
	-With appropriate field of specialization
Teacher	Elementary Level BEEd Degree	Teacher Eligibility	See Qualification Standards Manual
	Secondary Level BSEd	Teacher Eligibility
	Bachelor's Degree with 18 prof, units in education and with appropriate major

Teachers with a degree in Bachelor of Secondary Education (BSE) or Bachelor of Elementary Education (BEEd) shall teach in their respective levels. However, teachers with a degree in Bachelor of Science in El ementary and Secondary Education (BS-ESE) may handle both levels of education.

The IS shall have only one (1) principal. In case, there are two (2) principals/school heads, the Schools Division Superintendent shall exercise the authority to adopt any of the following measures:

1. One of the principals may be transferred to the nearest school where there is vacancy, provided, however, that the said principal's consent/waiver has been secured, and the transfer is in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Civil Service and the Magna Carta for Public School Teachers.

2. If the consent/waiver of one of the principals cannot be secured, the two administrative positions may be retained. However, as, soon as one of the items becomes vacant, the same item may be transferred to another school within the Division.

III
Enrollment
Enrolment at the high school level shall come preferably from those who finished six years of education from the same school. However, graduates from other schools may be admitted provided the students undergo transition program based on diagnostic assessment.

A. Organization of Classes/Grouping of Students

Students may be grouped either heterogeneously or homogeneously depending on the policy of the Schools Division having supervision over the school.

IV
Curriculum
A. Learning Competencies

There is a unified instructional program for elementary and secondary levels. The curriculum follows a continuum of competencies arranged from the simplest to the most complex from the elementary to the secondary level. Grade and year level categories may be marked, though, to determine the grade/year level that a student is in, should he/she desire to transfer to a regular school.

B. Instructional Materials

The school shall make use of the instructional materials being adopted in the regular national schools in the country. Other resource materials may be used as references or enrichment.

C. Rating System

The IS shall follow the DECS rating system as articulated in relevant DECS issuances. Policies on promotion and selection of honor students being observed by other regular national schools shall also apply to the IS.

V
Facilities
Resources are shared by all grade/year levels. These include the rooms, instructional materials, equipment, teacher expertise, etc.

The school site in the rural areas should at least be one (1) hectare in size, and may be less in rurban/urban areas.

VI
Budget
The following shall be implemented starting school year 2000-2001.

a. The item of the principal of a newly established integrated school may be reclassified based on the number of teachers being supervised, pursuant to existing DECS and DBM Staffing Standards and subject further to DBM approval and the availability of funds.

b. The funding requirement for the reclassification of the item of the principal in the new IS, if warranted, may be sourced either from the lump sum appropriations for the reclassification of positions of the concerned DECS Regional Office, or drawn from the savings from the abolition of existing vacant positions in the Region, subject to availability of either sources.

c. As a matter of procedure, the payment of salaries and other compensation benefits of teaching and non-teaching personnel, including the funding requirements for maintenance and other operating expenses of the newly established integrated school shall continue to be provided out of the budget allocation for the DECS Division Office where the IS is located until such time that its budgetary requirement is fully incorporated in the General Appropriations Act (GAA).

Inclosure 2

Procedure for the Establishment and Operation of Integrated Schools
1. Elementary schools opting to become integrated Schools should observe the following steps:

a. A year before the planned operation of the IS, the principal should indicate his/her desire or intention to transform the school into an integrated one by securing

- the indorsement of parents in the community;

- the indorsement and support of the local government officials;

- the certification of the Schools Division Superintendent to include the IS in the -Division's Budget and financial plan;

- the recommendation of the Regional Director and his/her commitment for the IS's inclusion in the regional budget; and

- the approval of the DECS Secretary.

b. An IS implementation plan should be drawn. It should cover four years, cite the number of prospective enroiees, teachers, rooms, facilities, budgetary requirements and alternative sources of funding.

c. The school should enrol the graduates of the elementary level and implement the first curriculum year of secondary education. Students coming from other elementary schools may also enrol in the IS.

d. As the first year students get promoted to the second year, the school enrols the next batch in the first year and so on until the first batch finishes fourth year or graduates.

Private schools intending to become integrated Schools may apply at the DECSRO. They shall follow the Guidelines on the Establishment and Operation of Integrated Schools.

2. Existing Integrated Schools must exert effort to upgrade themselves to the full level of integration. The levels of integration are as follows:

1. Partial - A school where the elementary and secondary levels share a common site but with either one (1) or (2) sets of administrative staff, teachers and separate curricula for elementary and secondary education

2. Full - A school where the elementary and secondary levels share a common site, has only one (1) principal and a unified elementary and secondary curricula

3. There shall be summer training program/s initiated by the Regional Office for the Integrated School teachers. The training shall cover new teaching techniques/strategies in the various subject areas. A strong link-up with Teacher Training Institutions (TTis) is recommended to facilitate the training of teachers in order to enable them to become fully equipped to teach both the elementary and secondary levels. The regional/division supervisors shall provide technical assistance in the training of teachers.