Written by: Leandro L. Rosete and Dahlia D. Soriano
Photo Courtesy: BSED Documentation Team
On October 23, 2025, the university’s Teacher Education Programs launched its first-ever Academic Readiness Assessment (ARA) for 94 freshmen—marking a pivotal move toward a more data-driven and student-centered approach to teacher preparation.
“The ARA helps us understand where our future educators are starting from, so we can better guide their growth throughout the program. It’s not about measuring performance—it’s about building potential.”
Dr. Dahlia Soriano
Far from being a traditional test, the ARA is designed as a diagnostic and developmental tool that helps both students and faculty understand where learners stand academically before formal instruction begins. The assessment measures proficiency across specializations—providing a well-rounded view of each student’s strengths and areas for growth.
By establishing this baseline, the ARA empowers faculty to design responsive interventions and personalized learning pathways that cater to individual needs. It also encourages students to take an active role in their learning journey, fostering self-awareness and accountability as they work toward becoming future educators.
“We aim that our students begin their journey with both awareness and support,” said Dr. Dahlia Soriano, one of the lead designers of the initiative. “The ARA helps us understand where our future educators are starting from, so we can better guide their growth throughout the program. It’s not about measuring performance—it’s about building potential.”
The ARA’s value extends beyond individual assessment. The results will serve as a foundation for program-level insights, allowing faculty to align course content, learning materials, and teaching strategies with actual student needs. In the long term, these data points can help shape curriculum revisions, faculty development initiatives, and mentoring systems—creating a continuous cycle of reflection and improvement within the Teacher Education Program.
This process reflects UB’s commitment to evidence-based teaching and learning, where data is not just collected, but actively used to inform action. The approach exemplifies how assessment can function not merely as an endpoint, but as a starting point for meaningful educational transformation.
The readiness assessment is a cornerstone of UB’s BEACON framework—short for Becoming Empowered Advocates of Competence and Outcomes through Nurturing Learning Communities. BEACON embodies UB’s philosophy of cultivating reflective, competent, and community-driven educators who can adapt to the evolving demands of the classroom and the broader education landscape. The framework integrates academic rigor, personal growth, and community engagement, guiding students to become not just effective teachers but also lifelong learners and advocates for social good.
Within BEACON, initiatives like the ARA play a crucial role in ensuring that each stage of teacher formation—from admission to graduation—is informed by real data and grounded in compassionate mentorship.
The initiative aligns closely with the Philippine Professional Standards for Teachers (PPST), particularly in the domains of Content Knowledge, Assessment and Reporting, and Professional Growth. By emphasizing readiness, feedback, and reflection, the ARA also contributes to the realization of Sustainable Development Goal 4 (Quality Education), which calls for inclusive, equitable, and high-quality learning opportunities for all.
Through this alignment, UB reinforces its role as a leader in innovative teacher education, ensuring that its graduates are not only academically prepared but also globally conscious and locally responsive educators.
Ultimately, through BEACON and the ARA, the University of Baguio envisions a seamless feedback loop where student data, curriculum design, and mentoring continually inform and enhance one another. The initiative transforms assessment into a living process—one that supports growth rather than merely evaluates performance.
By anchoring teacher preparation in evidence, empathy, and excellence, UB continues to reaffirm its commitment to shaping educators who teach with purpose, precision, and heart—ready to inspire the next generation of learners and leaders.
AI Declaration: This article was partially assisted by AI
