Managing school personnel profiles and instructional workloads is a critical aspect of modern educational administration. For the school year (SY) 2025–2026, the Bureau of Human Resource and Organizational Development (BHROD) and the School Effectiveness Division have rolled out the latest Electronic School Form 7 (2026.v1). This tool digitizes the documentation of school personnel profiles and teaching loads, aligning administrative workflows with national data-driven human resource goals.
The updated template integrates structural updates from the Expanded Career Progression (ECP) Policy and refined teaching load computations. This comprehensive guide outlines the major updates, system rules, validation workflows, and system requirements for the 2026 framework.
I. Understanding the Electronic School Form 7 (eSF7)
Historically, managing School Form 7 via analog or non-standardized formats limited macro-level analysis across various governance tiers. This created visibility gaps regarding actual classroom workloads, specialization mismatches, and structural hiring challenges.
The eSF7 system standardizes data capture across schools to provide clear administrative insight. Operating under the strategic objectives of the MATATAG Agenda, the digitized tool targets specific operational outcomes:
Equitable Load Distribution: Verifies that instructional hours conform to regulatory limits to protect teaching personnel from overallocation.
Granular HR Profiles: Combines personal demographic details, fund sources, and formal designations into a single verifiable database.
Strategic Resource Allocation: Generates objective data matrices to justify requests for additional teaching and non-teaching positions at the institutional level.
Unified Macro Analysis: Facilitates data consolidation through the InsightED platform, enabling regional and national offices to identify and resolve local staffing constraints.
II. Updated eSF7 Templates for SY 2025-2026: Technical Specifications & Instructions
The updated eSF7 2026.v1 template introduces significant modifications to dropdown values, nomenclature, and calculation logic. Schools may choose to input data directly into this updated template or upload their existing SY 2025–2026 files, as post-submission editing capabilities are available via the InsightED platform.
A. Core System Dropdown Updates
1. Learning Area Recalibrations
To align with updated national curricular programs, specific subjects have been renamed within the data schema:
2. Position and Designation Schema Expanded
The position dropdown menu now includes revised titles reflecting the Expanded Career Progression (ECP) guidelines alongside various Officer-in-Charge (OIC) designations:
Teacher IV, V, VI, and VII
Master Teacher V
OIC SH - Guidance Coordinator / Guidance Counselor
OIC SH - Planning Officer / Information Technology Officer
OIC SH - Education Program Specialist / Senior Education Program Specialist
OIC SH - Education Program Supervisor / Chief Education Supervisor
OIC SH - Assistant Schools Division Superintendent / Public Schools District Supervisor
OIC SH - Director / Other Positions
Technical Note: Teaching position titles retain specific local variations based on designated administrative roles, such as Teacher-in-Charge (TIC) or Alternative Learning System (ALS) Teacher designations.
B. Shift to Total Teaching Load Logic
The field previously labeled "Total Actual Load" is now designated as Total Teaching Load. This change clarifies that the automated summary cells calculate instructional time exclusive of non-classroom duties.
$$Total\ Teaching\ Load = Classroom\ Teaching\ Hours + Class\ Advising + Remediation/Enhancement$$
Computation Inclusions (DepEd Order No. 005, s. 2024)
Only the following items contribute numerical minutes to the automated Total Teaching Load metric:
Actual classroom instruction per assigned learning area.
Formally assigned class advising duties.
Designated remedial or learning enhancement sessions.
Computation Exclusions (Ancillary & Administrative Tasks)
While the following tasks display their assigned time allocations within the interface for scheduling transparency, they are mathematically excluded from the calculated Total Teaching Load:
Administrative Frameworks: Personnel Administration, Property/Physical Property Custodianship, General Administrative Support, Financial Management, Records Management, and Program Management.
School Coordination Roles (TR): Reading/Literacy & Numeracy, Research, Special Needs Education, ICT, Guidance & Counseling, and Inclusive Education.
Extracurricular Supervision: School Paper Trainer/Adviser, Sports Development Trainer/Adviser, and SELG/SSLG Trainer/Adviser.
Institutional Leadership: Grade Level Chairperson, Learning Area Chairperson, and general Coaching/Mentoring duties.
Instructional Notice: Under DepEd Order No. 005, s. 2024, coaching and mentoring assignments given to Master Teachers and Head Teachers are classified as non-teaching loads. The system displays their scheduled durations for reference, but does not include them in the total teaching load calculation.
C. System Validation Messages and Error Resolution
To prevent the submission of incomplete or mathematically impossible schedules, the eSF7 platform runs real-time data validation scripts. The following table explains the standard error responses and their corresponding fixes:
| Validation Error Message | Root Cause Analysis | Corrective Action Protocol |
| "Not a Teaching Load" | The chosen Subject or Task parameter falls under administrative, ancillary, or coordination categories. | No correction required if scheduling non-teaching tasks. For instructional duties, select an approved learning area from the dropdown menu. |
| "Error, check inputs" | Crucial cells within the row schema contain blank values, missing characters, or conflicting text strings. | Verify and complete data across four required columns: Category, Level (Lvl), Subject/Task, and Schedule. |
| "Subject/Task not covered for this level/personnel" | The task selection conflicts with the staff member's core assignment level or profile metadata due to a mismatch or recent profile update. | Re-evaluate the employee's structural profile. Reselect a valid, permissible Subject/Task matching their designated assignment level. |
| "Invalid time allotment" | The aggregated session durations enter an impossible timeframe or exceed the maximum daily limits allowed by the system configuration. | Check the daily calendar matrix. Review the start times, end times, and day selections to make sure they match the actual schedule. |
III. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1: Is the updated eSF7 template mandatory for all SY 2025–2026 data submissions?
No. Schools can upload an already completed eSF7 file for SY 2025–2026. The updated version is provided to simplify manual updates for schools with teaching personnel affected by the newly introduced ECP position titles.
Q2: Can personal information and position titles be amended directly within InsightED after file submission?
Yes. The InsightED app allows post-submission modifications for core data fields. School administrators can manually update an employee's Name, Birthday, Employee Number, Position Title, TIN, Appointment Date, Gender, Civil Status, Fund Source, and Item Deployment Status. Detailed instructions are available at bit.ly/InsightED-eSF7Guide.
Q3: What is the specific data collection window or reference period required for this file?
There is no fixed reporting window constraint (such as strict BOSY or EOSY boundaries) for SY 2025–2026. The eSF7 functions as a dynamic ledger for school personnel profiles and assignments. It should be updated and re-submitted whenever institutional staffing changes occur.
Q4: How should Senior High Schools (SHS) manage reporting across different semesters?
Purely SHS institutions and integrated schools managing an SHS department must upload the latest version of their 2nd Semester eSF7. However, pilot schools implementing the Strengthened SHS Curriculum during SY 2025–2026 must submit both distinct semestral eSF7 data files.
Q5: Should integrated schools compile separate files for different educational levels?
No. If an institution operates under a single unique School ID, it must generate only one consolidated eSF7 file encompassing all applicable tiers (Elementary, JHS, and SHS).
For Integrated Schools with SHS: Two semestral files are required due to the high school curriculum structure. For the second semester file, administrators should update SHS-specific workloads and personnel records while keeping the existing elementary and JHS baseline records intact.
For Integrated Schools up to JHS: Only one annual file is required, as these levels do not follow a semestral schedule.
Administrative Tip: Large institutions can generate separate sub-files (e.g., individual files per grade level) and merge them into a single master file using the built-in "BROWSE FILE – BEGIN COPY" feature detailed in the main user documentation at bit.ly/eSF7.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD eSF7 TOOL KIT
Q6: How should personnel on prolonged leave or substitute teachers be recorded?
All personnel on an extended leave of absence must remain documented within the ledger. For these individuals, leave the workload input fields entirely blank. Active substitute teachers must be entered as distinct records with their corresponding schedules, as they are physically reporting to the school.
Q7: Where should Alternative Learning System (ALS) Mobile Teachers be recorded?
The current version of the eSF7 tool accommodates only school-based personnel. Consequently, only school-based ALS teachers who physically report to an institutional campus should be documented within the form.
Q8: Is it necessary to input scheduling blocks for Non-Teaching Personnel (NTPs)?
Yes. The daily time schedules for all non-teaching staff must be fully documented in the form. Note that while their hours are tracked for scheduling visibility, the built-in calculation scripts will not add these hours to the Total Teaching Load summary metric.
Q9: How should multigrade instructors teaching multiple subjects within the same time slot be handled?
Data entry for multigrade teachers follows the standard scheduling workflow. To ensure proper data grouping, select "multigrade" from the options in the Level dropdown menu for each row entry.
Q10: What option should be selected under the "Level" field for School Heads?
School Heads should select either monograde or multigrade based on the primary instructional models offered by the school they supervise.
Q11: What should administrators do if the system runs out of rows when logging complex schedules, such as Senior High School PE classes?
When a single instructor handles multiple class sections that meet at the exact same time slot on alternating days, these sessions can be combined into a single data row. List the various section names clearly within the Description column to maintain proper records.
IV. Operational Checklist for Data Submission
To ensure error-free data uploading, verify that your data entry team follows these system requirements before starting the export process:
Step 1: Verify Core Profile Dropdowns – Check that all modernized position titles (Teacher IV–VII, Master Teacher V) and updated learning areas (ARAL Program) match the official placement orders.
Step 2: Audit Day Selections – Verify that specific weekday checkboxes are selected for every row entry. Leaving these blank results in a zero value for time calculations.
Step 3: Resolve Validation Messages – Scan the validation column for "Error, check inputs" or "Invalid time allotment" flags. Correct entries in the Category, Level, Subject, and Schedule columns before continuing.
Step 4: Consolidate Integrated Campuses – For single School ID institutions, use the "BROWSE FILE – BEGIN COPY" tool to merge separate grade-level sheets into a unified database file.
Step 5: Upload to InsightED Portal – Upload the final system file to the InsightED web portal. Secure the automated success receipt and use post-submission tools if any minor field corrections are required.
