DepEd Expanded Career Progression (ECP): The Full Guide

DepEd’s Expanded Career Progression (ECP) System is the promotion ladder for public school teachers and school heads that Executive Order No. 174, s. 2022 created and DepEd Order No. 024, s. 2025 puts into practice. Teacher I to VII, Salary Grades (SG) 11 to 17, form the base. From Master Teacher I a teacher may stay in classroom teaching up to Master Teacher V (SG 22) or move into school administration, School Principal I to IV (SG 19 to 22) (EO 174, Secs. 2–3 and 6; DO 024, Encl. No. 1, Secs. 12 and 23). Teachers and school leaders “shall be promoted primarily through reclassification of position” (DO 024, Encl. No. 1, Sec. 20): each year the division checks applicants’ qualification standards (QS) and performance and scores them out of 100 points, and those it can fund are reclassified once the regional office of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) issues a Notice of Organization, Staffing and Classification Action (NOSCA).

As of October 31, 2026, that process runs under EO 174 and its implementing rules, DBM-DepEd Joint Circular No. 01, s. 2025, DepEd Order No. 019, s. 2025 on QS, and DO 024 as amended by DepEd Order No. 034, s. 2025. Republic Act No. 12288, approved on September 12, 2025, puts the system into law and adds Master Teacher VI and School Principal V, but DepEd has issued no order implementing it, and its FY 2026 memorandum opens reclassification only for “Teacher II–VII; Master Teacher I–V; School Principal I–IV” (DM-OUHRODI-2026-0802, Sec. III(1)). The law’s implementing rules and regulations (IRR) were signed on August 17, 2026. As of October 31, 2026, the IRR had not been published in the Official Gazette or on deped.gov.ph, so its effective date is not yet known.

Below, “the JC” is DBM-DepEd Joint Circular No. 01, s. 2025; “DM 0802” is DM-OUHRODI-2026-0802 (March 13, 2026); “DM 2789” is DM-OUHRODI-2026-2789 (August 5, 2026); and “the FAQ” is DepEd’s FAQs on DO 024 and DO 034 (Annex A to DM-OUHROD-2025-3003, updated November 6, 2025), which is guidance, not an issuance. The DepEd-certified copy of the IRR of RA 12288 is in DepEd’s career progression toolkit folder.

Key findings

• Sixteen positions on twelve salary grades. Teacher I–VII are SG 11–17, Master Teacher I–V SG 18–22 and School Principal I–IV SG 19–22 (DO 024, Encl. No. 1, Sec. 12; DO 034, para. 6). Master Teacher II to V are equivalent to School Principal I to IV (EO 174, Sec. 4).
• At most three salary grades at a time. Promotion “shall not exceed three (3) salary grades higher than the applicant’s present position” unless a CSC exemption applies, and no teacher may skip a career stage (DO 024, Encl. No. 1, Sec. 20.a–b). For principals, DM 0802 suspends career stage-based promotion for now (Sec. V(4)); the Order, which ranks higher, still bars it. JC Form No. 1-B’s transition route from Head Teacher I–II to School Principal I is the one listed move of more than three grades.
• 100 points: 50 to pass for teachers, no cut-off for principals. Teaching applicants are scored on Education 10, Training 10, Experience 10, Performance 30, classroom observable indicators 25 and non-classroom observable indicators 15, and must “meet the cut-off score of 50 points” (DO 024, Encl. No. 2, Secs. 34 and 42). School Principal applicants are ranked “from highest to lowest” with no cut-off (Encl. No. 3, Secs. 32 and 41; FAQ, Q35).
• The yearly clock. The call comes “not later than June 30 of the current year” (Encl. No. 2, Sec. 2). For FY 2026, DM 0802 set August 15 for divisions to endorse to regional offices, November 30 for regions to submit to DBM, and appointments “only within the period of January to March of the succeeding fiscal year” (Sec. III(3)). DM 2789’s new processing timeline for FY 2026 onwards moves NOSCAs and appointments in the six regions with remaining budget to November 2026 (Sec. IV and Annex A).
• Deferred in 11 regions, not canceled. As of July 7, 2026, 11 regions had a combined deficiency of ₱8,678,594,399 (DM 2789, Sec. I, pp. 2–3). DM 2789 deferred their applications without a NOSCA “pending the availability of funds, except for retitling actions”, with priority “under the FY 2027 appropriations” (Sec. III.A, p. 4).
• RA 12288 is law, but not yet in use. It adds Master Teacher VI and School Principal V (Sec. 5), which its IRR places at SG 23 (Sec. 5). DepEd’s August 24, 2026 deck targets their QS, and a DepEd Order on the “Full Implementation” of the Act, for “Q1 of 2027” (slide 34). Those are targets, not results.
• The EO 174 transition ends February 24, 2028 (DO 024, Encl. No. 1, Sec. 31). Head Teachers’ and Assistant School Principals’ route to School Principal (JC, Form No. 1-B) and DO 034’s relaxed performance requirements (para. 33) end with it.

What DepEd’s Expanded Career Progression System is

EO 174 established the system “to promote professional development and career advancement among public school teachers, and define the career lines of teachers within the public school system” (Sec. 1). Its main addition was new rungs: DBM “shall create the new position titles of Teacher IV, Teacher V, Teacher VI, Teacher VII, and Master Teacher V” (Sec. 5). In the FAQ’s words, the system “bridges the gap between Teacher III and Master Teacher I” (Q1).

It replaced three older schemes, which DBM lists as in use before June 4, 2025: the Equivalents Record Form for Teacher I to III (Budget Circular No. 2004-1), MEC Order No. 10, s. 1979 for Master Teacher I to IV, and DO No. 97, s. 2011 for school heads (DBM letter of March 2, 2026, attached to DM 0802, printed p. 2 of 5).

There are two ways up. In reclassification, the teacher’s own item is upgraded under DO 024’s Enclosure No. 2 (teaching positions) or No. 3 (School Principal positions). In natural vacancy, the teacher applies for a vacant item under DO 020, s. 2024 (higher teaching positions) or DO 007, s. 2023 and its later amendments (School Principal positions); DO 024 “shall not govern the hiring and original appointments to vacant Teacher I, higher teaching, and School Principal positions” (Encl. No. 1, Secs. 12 and 21–22). A third action, retitling, gives holders of titles outside the ECP, such as Head Teacher, the ECP title of the same salary grade (Sec. 34).

DO 024 covers permanent teachers and principals from Kindergarten to Senior High School, including Alternative Learning System, Madrasah and Indigenous Peoples Education teachers, Special Science Teachers and Special Needs Education Teachers (Encl. No. 1, Sec. 12). It excludes, among others, guidance and school counselors, school librarians, teaching positions in schools DepEd does not manage, and teaching positions in BARMM, which “may adopt this Order” (Sec. 13).

The rules in force today

Rank decides conflicts: law, then executive order, then the IRR and DepEd Orders, then memoranda, with the FAQ, decks and toolkit, which are guidance, below all of them; at the same rank the later document governs. The JC is a joint DBM-DepEd issuance; no text says whether a DepEd Order alone may amend it, and the safer view is that it cannot.

What RA 12288 changes, and what is still pending

RA 12288 is the Career Progression System for Public School Teachers and School Leaders Act (Sec. 1). It takes effect “fifteen (15) days after its publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation”, “Notwithstanding the non-issuance of the implementing rules and regulations” (Sec. 15). DepEd’s ECP issuances do not give the publication date, and so do not give the Act’s effective date. What is plainly missing is the machinery DepEd needs to apply it:

• No DepEd Order or Memorandum implements RA 12288 as of October 31, 2026. DepEd’s November 2025 call for comments on a draft IRR is not in force.
• No QS exist for Master Teacher VI or School Principal V, and no amended JC has been issued. DepEd’s August 24, 2026 deck targets the QS and a DepEd Order on “Full Implementation” for “Q1 of 2027”, and the “Issuance DepEd-DBM Joint Circular” for “Last Week of November 2026/Q1 of 2027”. It had targeted the “Issuance and Publication of IRR of RA 12288” for the “Last Week of August 2026” (slide 34).
• The FY 2026 cycle stops at Master Teacher V and School Principal IV (DM 0802, Sec. III(1)).

In brief, the Act makes Teacher I to Master Teacher I the base, where “Promotions within the base positions shall be non-hierarchical”, and directs DBM to create Master Teacher VI and School Principal V (Sec. 5); the IRR, not the Act, puts them at SG 23 (IRR, Sec. 5). “All incumbent head teachers may apply to retain their positions” (Sec. 6), and a Standards-Based Assessment becomes a prerequisite to promotion (Sec. 3(i)). DO 024 also calls promotion “non-hierarchical”, but only on its conditions: no jumping “to higher career stage/s” and no more than three salary grades (Encl. No. 1, Sec. 20). Under DO 024, Head Teacher I to V may keep the title; if, by February 24, 2028, they have neither asked for retitling nor advanced to School Principal I, the item “shall be tagged as CTI” (coterminous with the incumbent), and Head Teacher VI “shall be retitled” (Sec. 34(b)–(c)). The point-by-point comparison is in What RA 12288 Changes in Teacher Career Progression.

Two clocks. The head teachers’ three-year filing window counts “from the effectivity of this Act” (Sec. 6); the IRR’s new transition runs three years “reckoned from the effectivity of this IRR”, extendable by at most two (Sec. 17). Neither start date is known yet, and the EO 174 transition still ends on February 24, 2028. When the IRR takes effect, assessments already under way “shall continue to be governed by prior laws, rules, and issuances” unless the applicant withdraws (Sec. 17).

Which governs. Where the Act and DO 024 conflict, as on the base, the Act outranks the Order. For FY 2026, though, DepEd applies DO 024 and DO 034, and DM 0802 tells divisions with calls under way to “continue to follow the procedures set forth in Enclosures 2 and 3 of DO 024, s. 2025” (Sec. III(1)). Until DepEd issues rules under the Act, the safer course is to plan by DO 024.

The two career lines at a glance

EO 174 names Master Teacher I to V as the Classroom Teaching line, School Principal I to IV as the School Administration line, and “Teacher I to Teacher VII” as the base (Secs. 2–3 and 6); DO 024 counts Teacher I to VII in the Classroom Teaching line too (Encl. No. 1, Sec. 14.c).

Sources: EO 174, Secs. 2–3 and 6; DO 024, s. 2025, Encl. No. 1, Secs. 12, 21.b and 22.b; IRR of RA 12288 (DepEd-certified copy), Sec. 5. Pesos per grade are in the salary grade post; RA 12288’s remapped career stages are in the RA 12288 post.

• Choosing a line. The choice comes at Master Teacher I (DO 024, Encl. No. 1, Sec. 23). A switch is allowed “once” (Sec. 24); EO 174 sets no such limit (Sec. 6), so “once” is DepEd’s own rule.
• Entry to School Principal I. JC Form No. 1-B lists Master Teacher I and II as the positions that may be reclassified to School Principal I, plus Assistant School Principal I–II and Head Teacher I–VI during the transition only. A first appointment as principal requires passing “the DepEd-administered school head assessment” (DO 024, Encl. No. 3, Sec. 13); sitting principals moving up to School Principal II to IV are exempt (DO 034, para. 16), though the JC still lists the Certificate of Rating “for School Principal positions only” (Sec. 7.5.2.4), and no amended JC had been issued by October 31, 2026.
• Staffing. One School Principal item is authorized “for every unique school (i.e., school with School ID)” (DO 024, Encl. No. 1, Sec. 28). Master Teacher items run at one for every five teachers, or one for every three in Regional Science High Schools, multigrade schools and hardship posts (Sec. 29).
• Qualifications. In the elementary and secondary tables, a bachelor’s degree is enough up to Teacher VII; Master Teacher I and School Principal I both need a master’s degree and five years of teaching, and School Principal I also one year of relevant experience (DO 019, s. 2025, PDF pp. 12, 15–16).

How reclassification works each year

1. Call. The Schools Division Superintendent (SDS) calls for applications “not later than June 30 of the current year”; later calls depend on funds (DO 024, Encl. No. 2, Sec. 2; Encl. No. 3, Sec. 2).
2. Initial evaluation. The human resource management officer (HRMO) checks the QS first; an applicant who fails any part “shall not advance to the verification of Performance Requirements” (Encl. No. 2, Sec. 13). Teachers then need “A rating of at least Very Satisfactory in the last rating period covering one (1) year complete performance cycle in the current position”, plus the PPST indicator counts of the target position (Sec. 14.a).
3. Comparative assessment. A special Human Resource Merit Promotion and Selection Board (HRMPSB), chaired by the Assistant Schools Division Superintendent and including the “School Head where the vacancy exists”, scores applicants out of 100 (Encl. No. 2, Secs. 21 and 34).
4. Results. The Comparative Assessment Results for Expanded Reclassification (CAReER) is posted by application code “for a period of at least 10 calendar days”; the SDS’s copy ranks teaching candidates with at least 50 points (Secs. 41–42). Rank is not the only order: DO 024 gives transition priority to incumbents of titles that do not conform to the ECP, such as Head Teacher (Encl. No. 1, Sec. 33), and DM 0802 prioritizes three groups “regardless of their rank in the CAReER” (Sec. III(2)). One of them, retirable Teacher I incumbents aged 55 to 64, rests on the memorandum alone.
5. Endorsement. “The Schools Division Superintendent shall recommend to the Regional Director only those candidates who can be accommodated within the available funds” (DM 0802, Sec. IV).
6. DBM. The regional office submits the Plantilla Allocation List “not later than November 30 of each year”, and the DBM regional office issues the NOSCA (JC, Secs. 7.5.3.1–7.5.3.2).
7. Appointment. The division issues appointments and salary adjustments “not later than March 30 the succeeding year” (JC, Sec. 7.5.3.4). For FY 2026, DM 0802 said January to March 2027 (Sec. III(3)(c)); DM 2789 later drew November 2026 for regions with remaining budget (Annex A).
8. Pay. Teachers “appointed to higher level positions through reclassification” receive “a salary rate equivalent to the 1st step of the new position”; retitled incumbents keep “their present salary rate, including step increment” (JC, Secs. 7.6.1.1–7.6.1.2).
9. If funds run out. Unfunded 50-pointers “shall be automatically prioritized in the succeeding fiscal year prior to the consideration of new applicants, without the need to undergo a new assessment”, subject to funds (DO 034, para. 26).

DM 2789 orders a “NEW PROCESSING TIMELINE FOR FY 2026 ONWARDS” (Sec. IV), drawn in its Annex A (pp. 5 and 7). For FY 2026, in the six regions with remaining budget, applications go to the regional office in July–August and to the DBM regional office in September–October, with NOSCAs and appointments in November 2026 and the salary adjustment in December. Annex A also draws, in July–August, the “Submission of Pending Reclass Applications to be charged against FY 2027 Budget” (“Under DBM’s Processing + Remaining in the CAReER”), and the 11 deficit regions’ deferred applications are “prioritized for funding under the FY 2027 appropriations” (Sec. III.A). From FY 2027, calls and processing run at the division from January to June, submission to the regional office in July–August and to the DBM regional office in October–November, with NOSCAs and appointments from January to March of the following year and the salary adjustment in April. Where DM 2789 and DM 0802 differ on FY 2026, the later memorandum governs. The April salary adjustment, however, falls after the JC’s March 30 date for “the necessary adjustment to the salaries”, which only DBM and DepEd together may change “in cases of emergency and unprecedented situations” (Sec. 7.5.3.4). Neither memorandum invokes that clause, a DepEd memorandum does not amend the JC, and the documents do not reconcile the two. Who does what at each step is in The School Head’s Role in ECP Reclassification.

Why 2026 applications were deferred

For January 2025 to June 2026, DepEd counted 91,097 positions reclassified (82,092 with an appointment, 9,005 with a NOSCA) and 101,538 applications pending (25,976 under DBM processing, 75,562 waiting in the CAReER) (DM 2789, p. 2; reported numbers as of July 7, 2026). DepEd’s FY 2026 allocation for reclassification was ₱6,148,433,000 (DM 0802, Sec. I). As of July 7, 2026, 11 regions could not cover from their allocations the salary differentials of teachers already appointed or issued a NOSCA; their deficiency totaled ₱8,678,594,399 (DM 2789, pp. 2–3). DBM covered it with unreleased New School Personnel Positions funds pooled from regional offices “with filling-up rates below ten percent (10%)” (p. 3), through the SARO of August 12, 2026.

That money pays for reclassifications already made. For the rest, DM 2789 (Sec. III, pp. 4–5) ruled:

• CAR and Regions I, II, IV-B, V, VI, VII, IX, X, XI and XII: “All remaining reclassification applications that have not yet been issued NOSCA shall be temporarily deferred, pending the availability of funds, except for retitling actions, which do not involve salary adjustments.” New applications may go “up to the RO level” but not to DBM “until funding becomes available”, and deferred applications “shall be prioritized for funding under the FY 2027 appropriations for the reclassification of positions.”
• NCR, NIR, Regions III, IV-A and VIII, and CARAGA “may continue processing reclassification applications and submitting requests to the DBM until their respective FY 2026 regional allocations are fully utilized”.

FY 2027 funding was then a proposal: DepEd’s August 24, 2026 deck shows a “proposed FY 2027 budget” of ₱12 billion at NEP level (slide 32), not an appropriation.

The details are in Why ECP Reclassification Was Deferred in 2026.

Which rule says what: the rule table

Find your question: the series, post by post

How to Be Reclassified to Teacher IV to VII in DepEd is for teachers seeking Teacher IV to VII: eligibility, QS, PPST indicators, the Commitment Form, documents and priority groups. Teacher IV needs 21 Proficient classroom observable and 16 non-classroom observable indicators at Very Satisfactory (DO 024, Encl. No. 2, Sec. 14.a).

How to Become a Master Teacher Under DepEd’s ECP covers Master Teacher I to V: the master’s degree, indicator counts, the Master Teacher ratio, the choice of line, and the special assessment for Master Teacher III applicants (DM 0802, Sec. V(5)).

ECP Salary Grades for Teachers, MTs and Principals gives the grades, FY 2026 pay, the equivalence of the lines, your step after reclassification or retitling, the three-grade limit, and the last 5,335 old-system applications, due “on or before April 2, 2026 only” (DM 0802, Sec. II(1)).

ECP Qualification Standards Under DO 019, s. 2025 reproduces the CSC-approved tables, including Senior High School and School Principal I to IV, and what they do not cover.

ECP Point System: How the HRMPSB Scores Applicants works both 100-point systems with DepEd’s examples, and the BEI conflict, where the FAQ calls DO 024’s printed 12 “a clerical oversight and a typographical error” (Q42).

School Principal I to IV: Promotion Under the ECP covers Form 1-B, the school head assessment and its exemption, principal scoring, and DM 0802’s interim rule that School Principal I incumbents may “apply for promotion to any higher School Principal positions (i.e., School Principal II–IV)” (Sec. V(4)), a memorandum rule that DO 024’s Sec. 20.a and JC Form No. 1-B, which does not list School Principal I as a source for School Principal IV, point against.

The School Head’s Role in ECP Reclassification covers the HRMPSB seat, assessing, Commitment Forms, rating Master Teachers and the yearly cycle.

Head Teacher Retitling: Options Under ECP and RA 12288 covers Head Teachers, Assistant and Special School Principals. Head Teacher I to IV become Teacher IV to VII, Head Teacher V becomes Master Teacher I, and Head Teacher VI becomes School Principal I or Master Teacher II, each at the same grade (DO 024, Encl. No. 1, Sec. 34).

Why ECP Reclassification Was Deferred in 2026 explains DM 2789, the ₱8,678,594,399 deficiency, the pooled funds, the SARO and the timeline from FY 2027.

What RA 12288 Changes in Teacher Career Progression compares the Act and its IRR with DO 024 point by point, including the remapped career stages.

Department Head, Assistant School Head and MT Duties covers the designations below the principal and a Master Teacher’s duties and teaching load (DO 024, Encl. No. 1, Sec. 36).

Where to find the official files

• On deped.gov.ph: DO 019, s. 2025, DO 024, s. 2025 with its annexes and appendices, DO 034, s. 2025, the IRR of EO 174, the JC, and the FAQ as updated November 6, 2025, with the DM-OUHROD-2025-3003 cover memorandum on its p. 1.
• Official Gazette downloads: EO 174 and RA 12288.
• DepEd’s career progression toolkit folder, tinyurl.com/CareerProgToolKit. DM-OUHROD-2025-3003 lists it as the “Career Progression Toolkit (Annexes, Appendices, Legal Bases, Orientation Slides, and Recording of the Online Orientation)”, and DM 0802 points to it for “forms and templates, presentation slides, FAQs, legal bases, and recorded orientation videos” (Sec. VI). The FAQ, the toolkit for teachers, the decks, DM 2789, the SARO and the DepEd-certified copy of the RA 12288 IRR are there.
• Not on deped.gov.ph as of October 31, 2026: DM 0802, posted by SDO Nueva Vizcaya; DM 2789; the SARO; the decks; and the RA 12288 IRR.
• Questions: BHROD-HRDD, bhrod.hrdd@deped.gov.ph (DM-OUHROD-2025-3003; DM 0802, Sec. VI).

What this means for school heads

1. Work from the documents in force: DO 024 as amended by DO 034, DO 019, the JC and the FY 2026 memoranda, not RA 12288’s unimplemented provisions.
2. Help teachers check their records before the call. The HRMO looks for “at least Very Satisfactory in the last rating period” and the PPST indicator counts of the target position (DO 024, Encl. No. 2, Sec. 14.a). Until February 24, 2028, a teacher in one of DO 034’s four groups who falls short may still apply by committing, on a Teacher’s Commitment Form that the School Principal notes, to improve at most three PPST objectives (DO 034, paras. 28–29 and 33). See the PMES guide.
3. Sit on the HRMPSB prepared. The school head is a member as the “School Head where the vacancy exists” (DO 024, Encl. No. 2, Sec. 21).
4. After reclassification, deploy and rate. “All Master Teachers shall be administratively under the School Head, who shall be the Rater of all Master Teachers” (Encl. No. 1, Sec. 36.b.iv). Department Head and Assistant School Head designations need an Official Designation Order signed by the SDS (Sec. 36.c.ii and 36.d.ii). Keep IPCRFs, observation records, Commitment Forms and designation orders on file.

See also human resource management for school heads, PPSSH Domain 4, developing self and others, and Principal, Head Teacher or Teacher-in-Charge.

How the NASH may test this

The item below is an original practice item in the format of our NASH practice questions, scored 3 (Relational), 2 (Multistructural), 1 (Unistructural) or 0 (Prestructural). An option that breaks a rule scores 0.

Question

Indicator 1.3.1, Policy implementation and review. Career Stage 1, Situational, Moderate.

In September 2026, a Master Teacher V in your school reads that the implementing rules of RA 12288, signed in August 2026, place Master Teacher VI at Salary Grade 23. She asks you to help her apply for Master Teacher VI in the division’s next call for reclassification. What is the most appropriate response?

• A. Explain that Master Teacher VI is in RA 12288 and its IRR but has no qualification standards yet, no DepEd order implements the law, and the FY 2026 memorandum opens reclassification only up to Master Teacher V; advise her to keep her IPCRF ratings and portfolio current and watch for the standards DepEd targets for early 2027.
• B. Explain that Master Teacher VI has no qualification standards yet and that DepEd’s FY 2026 memorandum stops at Master Teacher V, and tell her to wait until DepEd announces the position.
• C. Refer her to the division’s human resource management officer, who evaluates reclassification applications, without discussing the position’s status.
• D. Help her prepare an application for Master Teacher VI for the next call, since the IRR was signed in August 2026 and places the position at Salary Grade 23.

Answer and explanation

Best answer: A. Points: A = 3, B = 2, C = 1, D = 0.

• A (3 points, Relational). It connects the law, the missing standards and implementing order, the FY 2026 list of positions and DepEd’s timetable, and gives her steps that will count when the position opens.
• B (2 points, Multistructural). It states two correct facts but does not connect them to what she can do now.
• C (1 point, Unistructural). The HRMO does conduct the initial evaluation, but the referral leaves her misreading of the law’s status uncorrected.
• D (0 points, Prestructural). It breaks the rules: the position has no QS, every reclassification must “strictly adhere to the amended and newly created QS”, and the FY 2026 memorandum does not list Master Teacher VI.

Why. Indicator 1.3.1 asks the aspiring school head to understand how policy is implemented so that school operations follow the issuances in force. DM-OUHRODI-2026-0802 opens FY 2026 reclassification for “Teacher II–VII; Master Teacher I–V; School Principal I–IV” (Sec. III(1)). The IRR of RA 12288 places Master Teacher VI at SG 23 (Sec. 5) but takes effect only after newspaper publication and filing with the Office of the National Administrative Register (Sec. 20), and as of October 31, 2026 it had not been published in the Official Gazette or on deped.gov.ph. DepEd’s August 24, 2026 deck targets the QS for “Q1 of 2027” (slide 34). Under DO 019, s. 2025, “all appointments, including promotion and reclassification of positions, shall strictly adhere to the amended and newly created QS” (para. 4), and the HRMO evaluates applicants against them (DO 024, Encl. No. 2, Sec. 12).

Indicator 1.3.1: Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of policy implementation and review to ensure that school operations are consistent with national and local laws, regulations and issuances.

Sources: RA 12288, Sec. 5; IRR of RA 12288 (DepEd-certified copy), Secs. 5 and 20; DO 019, s. 2025, para. 4; DO 024, s. 2025, Encl. No. 2, Sec. 12; DM-OUHRODI-2026-0802, Sec. III(1); DepEd orientation deck on funding strategies, August 24, 2026, slide 34.

Nothing in this guide reproduces or predicts examination content.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Expanded Career Progression System in DepEd?

It is the career ladder that EO 174, s. 2022 created for public school teachers and school heads: Teacher I–VII (SG 11–17) as the base, then Master Teacher I–V (SG 18–22) in classroom teaching or School Principal I–IV (SG 19–22) in school administration (EO 174, Secs. 2–3 and 6; DO 024, s. 2025, Encl. No. 1, Sec. 12). It added Teacher IV–VII and Master Teacher V (EO 174, Sec. 5). DO 024 and DO 034, s. 2025 set out how teachers are reclassified.

Is RA 12288 already in effect?

It is law, approved on September 12, 2025, and it takes effect 15 days after publication (Sec. 15), a date DepEd’s ECP issuances do not give. Its IRR was signed on August 17, 2026, but as of October 31, 2026, the IRR had not been published in the Official Gazette or on deped.gov.ph, so its effective date is not yet known. No DepEd order implements the Act, and FY 2026 reclassification still runs under DO 024 and DO 034 (DM-OUHRODI-2026-0802, Sec. III(1)).

What is the highest position a teacher can reach under the ECP now?

Master Teacher V or School Principal IV, both SG 22 (DO 024, s. 2025, Encl. No. 1, Sec. 12). RA 12288 adds Master Teacher VI and School Principal V, at SG 23 under its IRR (Sec. 5), but neither has QS yet, and DepEd’s FY 2026 memorandum stops at Master Teacher V and School Principal IV (DM-OUHRODI-2026-0802, Sec. III(1)).

When does the ECP transition period end?

On February 24, 2028, three years after the IRR of EO 174 was published in the Official Gazette on February 25, 2025 (DO 024, s. 2025, Encl. No. 1, Sec. 31; FAQ, Q16). DO 034’s relaxed performance requirements end with it (para. 33). RA 12288’s IRR starts a separate three-year transition from its own effectivity (Sec. 17), a date not yet known.

Download the data

• ecp-hub-timeline.csv: 13 ECP instruments from June 2022 to August 2026, with the date printed on each, later dates stated in a source, a one-line summary, the type of instrument, and where each date was read (page 1 or the signature page of each document; DO 024, Encl. No. 1, Sec. 31; DBM letter of March 2, 2026).
• ecp-hub-status-board.csv: 17 items grouped as in force, law or its rules not yet operational, or target only, as of October 31, 2026, each with a one-line description and its provision (EO 174; the JC; DO 019, DO 024 and DO 034, s. 2025; DM-OUHRODI-2026-0802 and -2789; RA 12288 and its IRR; DepEd’s August 24, 2026 deck, slide 34).

The CSVs and charts may be reused only with written permission: email support@nash.com.ph. The rules themselves come from DepEd’s issuances, which you can cite directly.

Sources

• Executive Order No. 174, s. 2022, Establishing the Expanded Career Progression System for Public School Teachers, June 23, 2022, Secs. 1–6 (PDF pp. 2–3).
• Implementing Rules and Regulations of EO No. 174, s. 2022, registered with ONAR on August 1, 2024 (PDF p. 1).
• DBM-DepEd Joint Circular No. 01, s. 2025, Modified Position Classification and Compensation Scheme and System of Career Progression of Teachers and School Heads in the Public Basic Education System, February 19, 2025, Secs. 7.5.2.4, 7.5.3.1–7.5.3.4 and 7.6.1.1–7.6.1.2 (PDF pp. 11–12) and 9.2.4 (PDF p. 19); Form No. 1-A (PDF p. 24); Form No. 1-B (PDF pp. 48 and 50).
• DepEd Order No. 019, s. 2025, Amended Qualification Standards for Teacher I-III, Master Teacher I-IV, and School Principal I-IV Positions, and the Qualification Standards for Newly Created Teacher IV-VII and Master Teacher V Positions, June 24, 2025, paras. 2–4 (PDF p. 1); CSC Notice of Resolution No. 2500471 (PDF p. 3); QS tables (PDF pp. 12, 15–16).
• DepEd Order No. 024, s. 2025, Guidelines on the Implementation of the Expanded Career Progression System for Teachers and School Heads in the Department of Education, August 28, 2025: Encl. No. 1, Secs. 12–14, 20–24, 28–29, 31, 33–34 and 36 (PDF pp. 5–6, 12–20, 23–25); Encl. No. 2, Secs. 2, 12–14, 21, 34, 38.d and 41–42 (PDF pp. 30–39, 50–51); Encl. No. 3, Secs. 2, 13, 32 and 41 (PDF pp. 55, 57, 62, 75).
• DepEd Order No. 034, s. 2025, Amendments and Clarifications to DepEd Order No. 024, s. 2025, October 14, 2025, paras. 6, 16, 26, 28–29, 33 and 37 (PDF pp. 2, 4, 7–9).
• DepEd Order No. 020, s. 2024, Guidelines on the Recruitment, Selection, and Appointment to Higher Teaching Positions, December 20, 2024 (named as the natural-vacancy guideline in DO 024, Encl. No. 1, Sec. 21).
• DepEd Order No. 007, s. 2023, Guidelines on Recruitment, Selection, and Appointment in the Department of Education, Encl. No. 3 (named as the natural-vacancy guideline for School Principal positions in DO 024, Encl. No. 1, Sec. 22).
• Republic Act No. 12288, An Act Institutionalizing the Career Progression System for Public School Teachers and School Leaders and Appropriating Funds Therefor, approved September 12, 2025, Secs. 1, 3(i), 5–7 and 15 (PDF pp. 1–5).
• Implementing Rules and Regulations of RA No. 12288, “Done this 17th day of August 2026”, DepEd-certified copy (certified August 24, 2026) in DepEd’s career progression toolkit folder, Secs. 5, 6, 17 and 20 (PDF pp. 4–5, 10).
• DepEd, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on the Expanded Career Progression System for Public School Teachers based on DepEd Order No. 024, s. 2025 and DO 34, s. 2025, updated November 6, 2025 (Annex A to Memorandum DM-OUHROD-2025-3003, October 24, 2025), Q1, Q16, Q35 and Q42 (pp. 2, 5, 9–11); also in DepEd’s career progression toolkit folder. Cover memorandum DM-OUHROD-2025-3003, October 24, 2025, p. 1 of the same file.
• Memorandum DM-OUHRODI-2026-0802, Guidance on the Reclassification of Teaching and School Principal Positions for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026, March 13, 2026, as posted by SDO Nueva Vizcaya, Secs. I, II(1), III(1)–(3), IV, V(1)–(2), V(4)–(5) and VI (pp. 1–8); attached DBM letter of March 2, 2026, printed p. 2 of 5 (PDF p. 19).
• Memorandum DM-OUHRODI-2026-2789, Funding Strategies and Interim Policy Directions for the Continuous Implementation of the Expanded Career Progression (ECP) System, August 5, 2026, Secs. I–IV (pp. 1–5) and Annex A (p. 7), in DepEd’s career progression toolkit folder.
• DBM, Special Allotment Release Order SARO-BMB-F-26-0008170, date of issue August 12, 2026, p. 1, in DepEd’s career progression toolkit folder.
• DepEd, Virtual Orientation: Guidance on the Funding Strategies and Interim Policy Directions for the Continuous Implementation of the ECP System (deck), August 24, 2026, slides 32 and 34, in DepEd’s career progression toolkit folder.

The career progression series

• DepEd Expanded Career Progression (ECP): The Full Guide (this post)
• How to Be Reclassified to Teacher IV to VII in DepEd
• How to Become a Master Teacher Under DepEd’s ECP
• ECP Salary Grades for Teachers, MTs and Principals
• ECP Qualification Standards Under DO 019, s. 2025
• ECP Point System: How the HRMPSB Scores Applicants
• School Principal I to IV: Promotion Under the ECP
• The School Head’s Role in ECP Reclassification
• Head Teacher Retitling: Options Under ECP and RA 12288
• Why ECP Reclassification Was Deferred in 2026
• What RA 12288 Changes in Teacher Career Progression
• Department Head, Assistant School Head and MT Duties

Written by Mark Anthony Llego for NASH Reviewer. Sources: EO 174, s. 2022 and its IRR; DBM-DepEd Joint Circular No. 01, s. 2025; DepEd Orders No. 019, 024 and 034, s. 2025; RA 12288 and the DepEd-certified copy of its IRR; DM-OUHROD-2025-3003, DM-OUHRODI-2026-0802 and DM-OUHRODI-2026-2789; DBM SARO-BMB-F-26-0008170; DepEd’s ECP FAQ and orientation deck. Charts may be reused only with written permission from support@nash.com.ph.