Australian Teacher Performance and
Development Framework
The Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians
makes clear that Australia aspires not to be among the best in the
world, but to be the best. It acknowledges the challenges and
opportunities of the 21st century and provides two simple, but powerful,
goals to guide Australian education:
> Goal 1: Australian schooling promotes equity and excellence
> Goal 2: All young Australians become:
– successful learners
– confident and creative individuals
– active and informed citizens
Melbourne Declaration on Education Goals for Young Australians, 2008
In today’s global economy, countries need high-quality education
systems that will teach their citizens the skills necessary to meet the
challenges of tomorrow
Strong Performers and Successful Reformers in Education, © OECD, 2011
http://www.oecd.org/document/7/0,3746,en_2649_35845621_49428807_1_1_1_1,00.html
What should we be trying to achieve in
our school?
> Internationally, there is unequivocal evidence that the quality of
teaching is the most significant in-school factor affecting
student outcomes
> There is also strong evidence that better appraisal and feedback
leading to targeted development can improve teacher
performance
Studies show that more effective teachers are the key to
producing higher performing students. Conservative
estimates suggest that students with a highly effective
teacher learn twice as much as students with a less
effective teacher.
B Jensen, Better teacher appraisal and feedback, Grattan Institute, 2011
Australian teachers report that they do not
always get the feedback they need to
improve
Teacher performance has been shown to improve when the
following conditions are present:
> Opportunities for teacher self-reflection and objective setting
> Regular classroom observation and provision of constructive
feedback from their school leader, as well as their peers
> Frequent feedback on classroom performance as an ongoing
dialogue, not a once a year discussion
> Shadowing, coaching and mentoring from peers and leaders
> Opportunities to contribute to and engage in teamwork,
collaboration and action learning with other teachers to obtain the
best possible outcomes for students
Growing our potential, Hay Group, 2012
> The Australian Charter for the Professional
Learning of Teachers and School Leaders
> A resource for planning, design and
evaluation
> Companion document to the Australian
Teacher Performance and Development
Framework, National Professional Standards
for Teachers, and the National Professional
Standard for Principals
> The Framework and the Charter work together
> They articulate what teachers require for professional growth and
development
> Assessment, appraisal, feedback and access to high quality learning
opportunities are required for professional growth to occur
> The Charter advises on how professional learning can be most
effective
> Affirms the central importance of professional
learning to teacher quality and student learning
> Recognises the importance of culture and context
> Articulates the expectation that professionals
actively engage in professional learning
throughout their careers
> Describes three key characteristics of
professional learning:
-
relevant
-
collaborative
-
future focused
> Calls on teachers, school leaders and system
leaders to take action
> Don’t fix what isn’t broken
> Stop doing what doesn’t work, and do something
else
> Positive change is happening all the time: our
challenge is to identify and amplify useful
change
Dandenong North Primary School, Victoria
Think, Group, Share
What strategies are contributing to Dandenong North Primary School’s
attempts to build a comprehensive approach to teacher performance
and development?
> Record your responses on the worksheet
> Each group to present their responses
> Consolidate the responses
> Identify those that might be relevant to your school, and what
would need to change
> The Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL)
is working with stakeholders on national consultation on the
implementation Australian Teacher Performance and Development
Framework
> The Framework will strengthen a performance and development
culture in our schools that focuses on improving teaching and,
through this, improving student learning
The Framework seeks to:
create a culture of improvement,
feedback and growth for all teachers
within all schools everyday
> A new resource for Australia’s teachers
> Supports teachers to receive effective performance and
development opportunities
> Ensures that every teacher, in every school receives regular,
appropriate and constructive feedback on their performance
> Provides opportunities to identify areas for development
> Provides effective and ongoing support to further improve
practice
> We will have a national commitment to a clear, shared
and sustained focus on student learning, and on
quality teaching as the means to achieve this
> Through development and implementation of a
national framework Australian education systems
should be well placed to be among the best in the
world
Components of the Framework:
> A culture of performance and
development
> Performance and development cycle
> Essential elements
> Importance of implementation
> Focus on student outcomes
> Clear understanding of
effective teaching
> Leadership
> Flexibility
> Coherence
What would your allocated theme look
like in practice?
> School leadership is essential to creating a culture of
professional improvement, feedback and growth within a
school
> Leadership must come from all levels within a school
> Within the Framework opportunities for shared
leadership exist through the roles of delegate and
mentor/coach
> Principals and other school leaders are entitled to
support to implement performance and development in
their schools
The Standard for Principals takes into
account the crucial contribution made
by principals
The Standards provide a common language for
coming to a shared understanding of what
effective teaching looks like in the context of a
particular school
> Dual purpose:
-
improvement
-
accountability
> Map progression across
career stages:
-
Graduate
-
Proficient
-
Highly Accomplished
-
Lead
> The challenge is to create a school culture that focuses
on improvement in teaching and learning, in a climate
of trust, collaboration and ongoing feedback
> These improvement activities need to align with the
school’s plans
> It is only within this performance and development
culture that a focus on teacher performance and
development can deliver its full benefits
What conditions make the development of
a school culture that focuses on an
improvement in teaching and learning
possible?
>
Performance and development occurs in a cycle which provides a focus for appraising,
developing and refining teaching and recognising the entitlements of teachers to receive
feedback and support
>
Elements of the cycle are interwoven, will not necessarily occur in order and may take more
or less time depending on circumstances
>
However, the cycle provides a useful way of thinking about the process, and assists in
identifying its important elements
The cycle provides a useful way of thinking
about the process of performance and
development and assists in identifying its
important elements
The essential elements are derived from
research and existing effective practice:
> Objectives
> Action & development
> Evidence
> Feedback, including formal review
Research evidence clearly indicates
that an effective and achievable
performance and development cycle
has many elements.
High
2
1
3
4
Impact
Low
Low
Achievability
High
> Matrix base quadrant boards
> 10 cards identifying effective performance and development practices
> 6 spare blank cards
Task:
> Work in groups of 4
> Each person in turn is to place the ten cards in their chosen square for
their school at this time. Take time to explain the reason/s for your
choice
> Together reflect on what you have learnt about your
school’s/organisation’s current structures recording any insights
> Effective, ongoing and constructive feedback on performance
> Access to support and development opportunities
> Increased professional growth through mentoring and coaching
> Enhanced professional satisfaction
> Formal recognition of professional achievements
> Access to networks through school and system wide
collaboration
Links to other processes
> Resources, tools and templates
> Stimulus materials
> Examples of effective practice
> Professional learning modules
> Online communities of practice
> Research
> Form groups of 4
> First brainstorm the challenges
> Now identify any mitigation strategies that your group
can think of
> Finally outline the priorities for support required to
enable effective implementation
> Share with all participants
Ringwood Secondary College, Victoria
> What existing strategies are contributing to your school’s
attempts to build a comprehensive approach to teacher
performance and development?
> What would you like to see in a future video highlighting
your school’s performance and development practices?
Table discussion…
> Look through your card pack which offers a series of hot topics
> Select a hot topic for discussion at your table
> Share your thinking with us
> Share your own hot topics with the Australian educational
community
Contact us: www.aitsl.edu.au
Who dares to teach must never cease
to learn
John Cotton Dana