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SIXTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
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OF THE PHILIPPINES 
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First Regular Session 
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13 IIUG15 1'3:26 
SENATE 
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Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
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EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The Constitution, Article 2, Section 20 provides that: 
SEC. 20. The State recognizes the indispensable role of the private sector, 
encourages private enterprise and provides incentives to needed investments. 
Information technology is one of the fastest rising industries in our country. In many 
countries around the wodd they have started using and encouraging the use of this technology to 
improve the quality and efficiency of their education system. It is clear that the Internet is one of 
the most fashionable areas of computing. It is affecting all subjects in Higher Education, not only 
altering teaching opportlmities because of its new perspectives on communication and 
dissemination, but also opening up exciting new resources for students and lecturers alike. The 
Internet provides academics with an opportunity to make their teaching better, to allow them to 
teach in different ways to the standard one-to-many lecture, and to reach more students. Simply 
put, it allows for the "maximization" of learning. 
This bill mandates the Department of Education to work with private institutions to 
accelerate the development of information technology to assist and improve the methods of 
teaching and our education system in general. By providing grants to eligible consortia, the 
government can not only promote the development of this technology but also encourage private 
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sector partIcIpatIOn . 
• This bill was originally filed in the Fourteenth Congress, Second Regular Session. 
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SIXTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
First Regular Session 
) 
SENATE 
S.No. 1331 
Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
AN ACT 
AUTHORIZING A PROGRAM TO PREPARE TEACHERS 
FOR DIGITAL AGE LEARNERS 
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AUG 15 P3 :26 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
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SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Preparing Teachers for 
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Digital Age Learners Act." 
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SECTION 2. Definition of Terms. - For purposes of this Act, the tenn: 
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A. 
ARTS AND SCIENCES - means--
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I. 
when referring to an organizational unit of an institution of higher 
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education, any academic unit that offers one (1) or more academic majors 
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in disciplines or content areas corresponding to the academic subject 
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matter areas in which teachers provide instruction; and 
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2. 
when referring to a specific academic subject area, the disciplines or 
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content areas in which academic majors are offered by the arts and 
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sciences organizational unit. 
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B. 
HIGH-NEED SCHOOL - means a public elementary school or public secondary 
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school that--
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I. 
is among the highest twenty-five percent (25%) of schools served by the 
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local educational agency that serves the school, in terms of the percentage 
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of students from families with incomes below the poverty line; or 
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2. 
is designated with a school locale code of Rural: Fringe, Rural: Distant, or 
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Rural: Remote, as determined by the Secretary of Education. 
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C. 
POVERTY LINE - means the poverty line as determined by the Department of 
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Social Welfare and Development and applicable to a family of the size involved. 
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D. 
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E. 
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following: 
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SECRETARY - means Secretary of Education. 
ELIGIBLE CONSORTIUM -
a consortium of members that includes the 
1. 
At least one (1) institution of higher education that awards baccalaureate 
or masters degrees and prepares teachers for initial entry into teaching. 
2. 
At least one (I) national educational agency or local educational agency. 
3. 
A department, school, or college of education at an institution of higher 
education. 
4. 
A department, school, or college of arts and sciences at an institution of 
higher education. 
5. 
At least one (I) entity with the capacity to contribute to the technology-
related reform of teacher preparation programs, which may be a 
professional association, foundation, museum, library, for-profit business, 
public or private nonprofit organization, community-based organization, 
or other entity. 
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SECTION 3. Program Authority. - The Secretary is authorized to award grants to, or 
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enter into contracts or cooperative agreements with, eligible consortia to pay the government 
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share of the costs of projects to: 
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A. 
graduate teacher candidates who are prepared to use modern information, 
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communication, and learning tools to--
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B. 
1. 
2. 
improve student learning, assessment, and learning management; and 
help students develop skills to succeed in higher education and enter the 
workforce; and 
strengthen and develop partnerships among the stakeholders in teacher 
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preparation to transform teacher education and ensure technology rich learning environments 
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throughout a teacher candidate's pre~service education, including clinical experiences. 
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SECTION 4. Duration. - A grant, contract, or cooperative agreement under this Act shall 
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be for a three (3)-year period, and may be renewed for one (I) additional year. 
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SECTION 5. Non-Government Share Requirement. - The government share of the cost 
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of any project funded under this Act shall not exceed seventy-five percent (75%). The non-
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government share of the cost of such project may be provided in cash or in kind, fairly evaluated, 
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including services. 
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SECTION 6. Use of Funds. - An eligible consortium that receives a grant or enters into a 
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contract or cooperative agreement under this Act shall use funds made available under this Act to 
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carry out a project that: 
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IS 
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A. 
develops long-term partnerships among members of the consortium that are 
focused on effective teaching with modern digital tools and content that substantially connect 
pre-service preparation of teacher candidates with high-needs schools; or 
B. 
transforms the way departments, schools, and colleges of education teach 
classroom technology integration, including the principles of universal design, to teacher 
candidates. 
SECTION 7. Uses of Funds for Partnership Grants. - In carrying out a project under 
Section 7 (A), an eligible consortium shall: 
A. 
provide teacher candidates; early in their preparation, with field experiences in 
educational settings with technology; 
B. 
build the skills of teacher candidates to support technology-rich instruction, 
assessment and learning management in content areas, technology literacy, an understanding of 
the principles of universal design, and the development of other skills for success in higher 
education and for entering the workforce; 
C. 
provide professional development in the use of technology for teachers, 
administrators, and content specialists who participate in field placement; 
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D. 
provide professional development of technology pedagogical skills for faculty of 
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departments, schools, and colleges of education and arts and sciences; 
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E. 
implement strategies for the mentoring of teacher candidates with respect to 
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technology implementation by members ofthe consortium; 
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F. 
evaluate teacher candidates during the first years of teaching to fully assess 
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outcomes of the project; 
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G. 
build collaborative learning communities for technology integration within the -
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consortium to sustain meaningful applications of technology in the classroom during teacher 
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preparation and early career practice; and 
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H. 
evaluate the effectiveness of the project. 
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SECTION 8. Uses of Funds for Transformation Grants. - In carrying out a project under 
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Section 7 (B), an eligible consortium shall: 
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A. 
redesign curriculum to require collaboration between the department, school, or 
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college of education faculty and the department, school, or college of arts and sciences faculty 
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who teach content or methods courses for training teacher candidates; 
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B. 
collaborate between the department, school, or college of education faculty and 
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the department, school, or college of arts and science faculty and academic content specialists at 
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the local educational agency to educate pre-service teachers who can integrate technology and 
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pedagogical skills in content areas; 
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c. 
collaborate between the department, school, or college of education faculty and 
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the department, school, or college of arts and sciences faculty who teach courses to pre-service 
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teachers to--
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1. 
develop and implement a plan for pre-service teachers and continuing 
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educators that demonstrates effective instructional strategies and 
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application of such strategies in the use of digital tools to transform the 
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teaching and learning process; and 
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2. 
better reach underrepresented pre-service teacher populations with 
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prograrns that connect such pre-service teacher populations with 
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applications of technology; 
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D. 
collaborate among faculty and students to create and disseminate case studies of 
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technology applications in classroom settings with a goal of improving student achievement in 
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high-need schools; 
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E. 
provide additional technology resources for pre-serVIce teachers to plan and 
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implement technology applications in classroom settings that provide evidence of student 
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learning; and 
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F. 
bring together expertise from departments, schools, or colleges of education, arts 
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and science faculty, and academic content specialists at the local educational agency to share and 
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disseminate technology applications in the classroom through teacher preparation and into early 
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career practice. 
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SECTION 9. Application Requirements. - To be eligible to receive a grant or enter into a 
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contract or cooperative agreement under this Act, an eligible consortium shall submit an 
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application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the 
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Secretary may require. Such application shall include the following: 
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A. 
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project will--
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B. 
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A description of the projectiWi; be carried out with the grant, including how the 
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1. 
develop a long-term partnership focused on effective teaching with 
modern digital tools and content that substantially connects pre-service 
preparation of teacher candidates with high-need schools; or 
2. 
transform the way departments, schools, and colleges of education teach 
classroom technology integration, including the principles of tmiversal 
design, to teacher candidates. 
A demonstration of--
1. 
the commitment, including the financial commitment, of each of the 
members of the consortium for the proposed project; and 
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2. 
the support of the leadership of each organization that is a member of the 
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consortium for the proposed project. 
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C. 
A description of how each member of the consortium will participate in the 
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project. 
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D. 
A description of how the national or local educational agency will incorporate the 
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project into the agency's technology plan, if such a plan already exists. 
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E. 
A description of how the project will be continued after government funds are no 
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longer available under this part for the proj ect. 
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F. 
A description of how the project will incorporate--
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1. 
Govermnent teacher technology standards; and 
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2. 
Govermnent student technology standards. 
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G. 
A plan for the evaluation of the project, which shall include benchmarks to 
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monitor progress toward specific project objectives. 
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SECTION 10. Appropriations. - To carry out the provisions of this Act, such amount as 
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hereby necessary is hereby authorized to be appropriated from the National Treasury. 
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SECTION 11. Separability Clause. - If any provision or part hereof is held invalid or 
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unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision not otherwise affected shall remain 
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valid and subsisting. 
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SECTION 12. Repealing Clause. - Any law, presidential decree or issuance, executive 
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order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule, or regulation contrary to or inconsistent 
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with the provision of this Act is hereby repealed, modified, or amended accordingly. 
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SECTION 13. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
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publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved, 
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