Education is a process of learning knowledge, skills and habits carried out by an individual from one generation to another. The educational process cannot be separated from the role of a teacher. Teacher competence in the learning process is a demand that must be met. Professional competence is teacher mastery of subject matter in a broader and deeper manner. The research was conducted at UPT SMP Negeri 2 Ponggok, Blitar Regency by taking 40 teachers as respondents purposively. The data collection process uses a questionnaire using a Likert scale. The research data were tested using the validity and reliability test and data analysis using multiple linear regression. The results of data processing show that there is an effect of teacher professional competence on teacher performance at UPT SMP Negeri 2 Ponggok, Blitar Regency. Professional competence is not the main factor in teacher performance, there are other factors that affect teacher performance at UPT SMP Negeri 2 Ponggok. The obligation for teachers to pay attention to the 4 competencies that must be possessed by a professional teacher, namely personal competence, pedagogical competence, professional competence and social competence, in order to achieve the National Education Goals.

Keywords: teacher competence, professional competence, teacher performance.