Voluntary Accreditation at Proficient Teacher Policy September 2016
Contents 1 Background... 1 1.1 Teacher Accreditation Act 2004... 1 1.2 Policy for Accreditation at Proficient Teacher... 1 2 Purpose of Voluntary Accreditation at Proficient Teacher... 1 3 Summary of the Voluntary Accreditation Process... 2 4 Requirements of Voluntary Accreditation at Proficient Teacher... 2 4.1 The Accreditation Timeframe... 3 4.2 Sources and Collection of Evidence... 3 4.3 The Accreditation Report... 3 4.4 The Accreditation Decision... 3 4.5 Recognition of Accreditation... 4 4.6 External Validation... 4 4.7 Casual and Part-Time Teachers... 4 4.8 Maintenance of Accreditation... 4 4.9 Failure to Meet the Standards at Proficient Teacher... 4 5 Roles and Responsibilities... 4 5.1 Role of the Teacher Accreditation Authority (TAA)... 4 5.2 Role of the Teacher... 5 5.3 Role of the Referee... 5 5.4 Role of the Principal... 5 5.5 Role of NESA... 5 5.6 Role of the External Assessor... 6
1 Background This policy has its foundation in the Teacher Accreditation Act 2004 (the Act) and the Policy for Accreditation at Proficient Teacher. Relevant sections from these documents are set out below. The Policy for Voluntary Accreditation at Proficient Teacher forms part of matters to be dealt with by the professional teaching standards in sections 19 and 20 of the Act. 1.1 Teacher Accreditation Act 2004 The Act allows for the voluntary accreditation of teachers at Proficient Teacher: Division 5 / Voluntary accreditation Voluntary accreditation of teachers at various levels (Section 39) (1) This section applies to any person who is a teacher (other than a new scheme teacher within the meaning of Division 3 or a transition scheme teacher within the meaning of Division 4). (2) A teacher accreditation authority may, on application by a person to whom this section applies: (a) Accredit the person at any one or more of the following levels: (i) proficient teacher level (ii) highly accomplished professional accomplishment level (iii) lead teacher professional leadership level. 1.2 Policy for Accreditation at Proficient Teacher The Policy for Accreditation at Proficient Teacher gives effect to the relevant provisions in the Act for new scheme teachers. The policy forms part of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (the Standards) as approved by the Minister. It is designed to support teacher accreditation authorities and new scheme teachers gaining accreditation at Proficient Teacher. The process of accreditation requires new scheme teachers to meet all the Standards at Proficient Teacher with the evidence coming from the teacher s practice. 2 Purpose of Voluntary Accreditation at Proficient Teacher The Policy for Voluntary Accreditation at Proficient Teacher is for teachers who commenced employment before 1 October 2004, but wish to have their skills, practice and expertise recognised or confirmed by the teaching profession, by seeking accreditation at Proficient Teacher on a voluntary basis. This policy will be superseded by the legislative requirement for all teachers in NSW to be accredited at Proficient Teacher from 1 January 2018. This policy supports teachers in taking responsibility for gaining accreditation at Proficient Teacher on a voluntary basis. It describes the professional responsibilities and the processes Voluntary Accreditation at Proficient Teacher September 2016 1 of 6
associated with voluntary accreditation at Proficient Teacher. It is important to note that seeking accreditation at Proficient Teacher will always be voluntary for teachers who began teaching in NSW before 1 October 2004, provided they have not had a break from teaching in NSW of 5 years or longer. In addition, gaining accreditation at Proficient Teacher is neither a prerequisite for, nor guarantee of, gaining accreditation at Highly Accomplished Teacher or Lead Teacher. 3 Summary of the Voluntary Accreditation Process The accreditation process for voluntary accreditation at Proficient Teacher can be summarised as follows: the teacher engages with the Standards at Proficient Teacher and determines his/her level of practice against the Standards and the sources of evidence available the teacher discusses his/her intention to proceed with voluntary accreditation with his/ her principal the teacher establishes an online account with NESA the teacher collects evidence and identifies relevant Standards, bearing in mind that he/she must demonstrate achievement of all Standards (see 4.1) the teacher completes the Accreditation Report. The authenticity of the practice described in the report is verified by his/her principal1 (see 4.3) the Accreditation Report and the evidence are submitted to NESA by the teacher. NESA forwards the report, evidence and the External Assessor s advice to the teacher accreditation authority (TAA) or their delegate (see 4.4) the TAA makes the accreditation decision and the teacher is accredited at Proficient Teacher the teacher will be required to maintain their accreditation under Policy f or the Maintenance of Accreditation at Proficient Teacher and pay the annual fee. 4 Requirements of Voluntary Accreditation at Proficient Teacher Teachers must demonstrate achievement of all the Standards at Proficient Teacher. Voluntary accreditation at Proficient Teacher differs from mandatory accreditation in several ways. The most notable differences are that the teacher will be responsible for managing his/her own progress towards accreditation at Proficient Teacher and that the process itself does not form part of an induction or introduction to the teaching profession. As this accreditation is voluntary, teachers may withdraw from accreditation at any stage of the process before the accreditation decision is made. Voluntary Accreditation at Proficient Teacher September 2016 2 of 6
4.1 The Accreditation Timeframe The time needed for teachers to demonstrate achievement of the Standards may be relatively short. There is no minimum or maximum timeframe. 4.2 Sources and Collection of Evidence This process requires the teacher to provide evidence of achievement of all Standards at Proficient Teacher. The sources of evidence will comprise documents from the teacher s practice and referee reports. This assists teachers in submitting evidence that is a genuine representation of their practice. The documentary evidence will relate to two descriptors in each Standard and the referee report will make reference to all descriptors in each Standard. Teachers may use documentation from previous years teaching in their evidence. Documentary evidence must be relevant to the Standards, based on current syllabus and policies and, in general, developed no longer than three years prior to the teacher presenting for accreditation. A brief annotation should be included to describe the relationship between the documents and the Standards. Referee reports may attest to the current or previous practice of the teacher. Referees will attest that they have seen evidence of a teacher s capacity to meet the Standards over a period of time. Referees may include, but are not limited to, classroom teachers, executive staff, principals, education consultants, teacher educators, specialist or itinerant staff, members of the community and representatives of external organisations. A teacher s participation in further study and/or related activities that can be directly associated with education and the school setting (for example, active involvement in teaching associations or any other relevant professional organisations) may contribute to their demonstration of achievement of the Standards at Proficient Teacher. 4.3 The Accreditation Report The Accreditation Report is written by the teacher seeking accreditation. The seven Standards of the APST provide a framework for the report. Within this structure the teacher provides a statement about his/her teaching philosophy, explaining how it is reflected in their practice and how it relates to and is referenced to the Standards. This statement will also include a context for the evidence. 4.4 The Accreditation Decision The teacher submits the report and evidence to NESA. The report will be reviewed to ensure that it has been correctly completed and that the evidence relates to the Standards. The report and evidence are then forwarded to an external assessor who will review both and provide a report to NESA. The report, evidence and subsequent advice from the NESA will be sent to the teacher s TAA or delegate who will make the accreditation decision. Voluntary Accreditation at Proficient Teacher September 2016 3 of 6
4.5 Recognition of Accreditation All teachers who meet the Standards at Proficient Teacher will receive a Certificate of Accreditation. NESA s record of the teacher will recognise Proficient Teacher status. 4.6 External Validation External assessors who are trained by NESA will review Accreditation Reports and evidence. They will provide a report to NESA. 4.7 Casual and Part-Time Teachers Casual and part-time teachers may undertake voluntary accreditation at Proficient Teacher. These teachers may collect and use evidence from the different schools in which they teach. They will be required to request a TAA who will endorse their report. Separate, more detailed advice about accreditation is available in the Policy for Accreditation at Proficient Teacher. 4.8 Maintenance of Accreditation Teachers who are accredited at Proficient Teacher on a voluntary basis will be required to maintain their accreditation. Accredited teachers will be required to: undertake mandatory professional development to maintain their accreditation; and pay the annual accreditation fee. The Policy for Maintenance of Accreditation at Proficient Teacher describes in detail the requirements for maintaining accreditation. 4.9 Failure to Meet the Standards at Proficient Teacher A teacher who elects to undertake voluntary accreditation at Proficient Teacher cannot be subject to the same consequences as a new scheme teacher if they should fail to meet the Standards at Proficient Teacher. Only new scheme teachers can have their right to teach removed under the Act. Any material submitted to NESA that does not meet the requirements for accreditation will be returned to the applicant. It will not be forwarded to the TAA or their delegate. 5 Roles and Responsibilities Teachers, teacher accreditation authorities, referees, principals, NESA and external assessors all have a role in the process for voluntary accreditation at Proficient Teacher process. 5.1 Role of the Teacher Accreditation Authority (TAA) The TAA is a person or body authorised to determine if a teacher meets the requirements for accreditation at any level within the Standards. The final decision with regard to a teacher s accreditation rests with the TAA. Voluntary Accreditation at Proficient Teacher September 2016 4 of 6
The role of the TAA in voluntary accreditation at Proficient Teacher is to make the accreditation decision based on the evidence and NESA s advice. Where the advice from NESA differs from the TAA s conclusion, the decision of the TAA is final. The TAA notifies NESA of the accreditation decision. Teacher accreditation authorities are not obliged to accredit a teacher if the evidence submitted does not support such a decision. Each TAA is to have a documented internal review process. A teacher can use this process to request a review of the decision on the basis of procedural fairness. 5.2 Role of the Teacher Any teacher who is not classified as a new scheme teacher 1 or transition scheme teacher 2 may seek accreditation at Proficient Teacher on a voluntary basis. Voluntary accreditation at Proficient Teacher is fully self-managed by the individual teacher. When the teacher decides to proceed with accreditation, he/ she should discuss this with his/her principal (or manager). This creates an opportunity for the teacher to receive advice. The teacher is responsible for collecting samples of his/her work, organising referee reports as evidence for accreditation, annotating documentary evidence and writing and submitting their Accreditation Report to NESA. 5.3 Role of the Referee The role of the Referee is to write a report attesting to the current or previous practice of the teacher making reference to all descriptors in each of the Standards. 5.4 Role of the Principal The role of the principal is to discuss with the teacher his/her intention to proceed with voluntary accreditation and to verify the teacher s evidence and Accreditation Report. The process of voluntary accreditation at Proficient Teacher does not form part of an induction or introduction to the teaching profession. 5.5 Role of NESA NESA oversees the system of accreditation and recognition of teachers professional capacity against the Standards. NESA advises and assists TAAs in accrediting teachers and monitors the consistent application of the accreditation process across all schools in the state. NESA supports the fair application of the Standards for each teacher. In the case of voluntary accreditation at Proficient Teacher, NESA is responsible for checking 1 A new scheme teacher is any teacher who first started teaching after 1 October 2004 or who has returned to teaching following an absence of five or more years away from teaching. 2 A transition scheme teacher is a teacher who, before 1 October 2004, was employed to teach and was not the holder of a teaching qualification or a degree relevant to the area in which they were employed to teach. Voluntary Accreditation at Proficient Teacher September 2016 5 of 6
the evidence against the Standards, organising the review by the external assessor and forwarding the report, evidence and advice to the TAA or their delegate for their decision. NESA is also responsible for collecting and storing the teacher s Accreditation Report and evidence and for the development and maintenance of the online account. NESA manages the use of external assessors in the accreditation process. 5.6 Role of the External Assessor External assessors will review and comment on the evidence and the Accreditation Report. The external assessor will not observe the applicant s teaching directly. The external assessor will submit a review of the Accreditation Report and evidence to NESA. The TAA will be sent a copy of the external assessor s conclusions as part of NESA s advice. The external assessor is selected by NESA and will come from the same school sector as the teacher. Voluntary Accreditation at Proficient Teacher September 2016 6 of 6