Quality Teacher Education:
More than accreditation
ATEA Annual Conference
Adelaide July 2012
> Endorsed by MCEECDYA in April 2011
> Reflect the shared commitment of:
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The teaching profession
Teacher educators
Employers of teachers
Schools
The wider education community
 Two key objectives:
 improving teacher quality through continuous
improvement of initial teacher education, and
 accountability of providers for their delivery of quality
teacher education programs, based on transparent and
rigorous standards and accreditation processes.
 Continuous improvement
 Outcomes focus
 Flexibility, diversity and innovation
 Partnerships
 Building on existing expertise
 Evidence
1. National Professional Standards for Teachers (Graduate
career stage)
2. National Program Standards
3. National accreditation process
> Undertaken at the jurisdiction level
> Based on judgments about agreed national program
standards using nationally agreed procedures.
> AITSL will
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monitor and evaluate the accreditation process
nominate interstate member to each panel
periodically review accreditation standards and procedures
publish accreditation information and other ITE data
> Further work to clarify the Program Standards and
support panels in the accreditation process:
– Program Standard 1
• With regulatory authorities and others, develop guidelines for
assessing PST achievement against Graduate standards
– Program Standard 2
• Liaising with TEQSA to align institutional accreditation and
professional accreditation
– Program Standard 3
• Working with curriculum authorities to identify Subject Scores
that indicate literacy and numeracy achievement equivalent
to the top 30 per cent of the population
• Working with ACDE to develop principles, benchmarks,
support and assessment for PSTs not identified as achieving
in the top 30 per cent
– Program Standard 4
• Working with ACECQA to develop a consolidated statement
about requirements for early childhood programs
• Working with regulatory authorities and others to develop
agreed elaborations to clarify what the Program Standards
require in priority areas, especially:
– Literacy and numeracy strategies
– Indigenous education
– Students with special education needs
– Classroom management (including bullying)
– ICT in teaching
– Program Standard 5
• Work with regulatory authorities, teacher educators and
others to
– achieve agreed clarification of concepts such as
internship, enduring school partnership and sufficient
evidence
– identify principles for effective professional experience
placements and school partnerships
• Develop a professional learning tool to support teachers who
provide supervision to PSTs, including assessing
achievements against the NPST
– Program Standard 7
• Liaise with regulatory authorities, providers and employers to
clarify the nature of ITE data to be collected and/or published
> Unearthing key issues affecting quality initial preparation
of teachers
> Current national interest and debate
> Productivity Commission Schools Workforce Study Report
(May 2012)
– “High quality teacher education is a foundation stone of a
well-performing teacher workforce”
– Issues identified in initial teacher education
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Insufficient evidence
Imbalance between teacher surplus and shortage
Barriers to alternative pathways into to teaching
Risks in the consistency of implementation of the national
accreditation system
> 2nd International Summit on the Teaching Profession
(New York, March 2012)
– Emphasis on:
• The overarching importance of matching supply and demand
• Getting the balance between theory and practice right within
ITE programs
• More flexibility in ITE structures without compromising the
rigor of traditional routes
> Queensland Review of Teacher Education and School
Induction (October 2012)
– Government agreed to a range of specific
recommendations about the content of ITE programs and
practicum
> Victorian Government discussion paper: New Directions for
School Leadership and the Teaching Profession (June 2012)
– Improving the quality of new teacher entering the profession = 2
months improvement in student learning
– Proposes raising the bar at both entry and exit
– New accountability and review measures for ITE programs
> NSW Minister for Education speech (June 2012)
– Has commissioned paper on teacher quality
– Key questions, including:
• Do entrants to teacher education need more in the way of
prerequisites? Not just English, what about Maths and Science?
• How well do the courses deal with National Priority Areas:
Special Education? Aboriginal education? Classroom
management including bullying? ICT?
• Who should student teachers be placed with? Any teacher who
volunteers? Or a certified expert?
> Opportunities for providers through engaging with the
debate
> Supply and demand
– Quality of entrants
> Quality and structure
– Professional experience
> Evaluation and assessment
– Quality of graduates
– Outcomes of programs
> Diverse pathways
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