Teacher Certification
Assessor Information Session
November 27, 2014
Welcome & Introductions
• AISSA: Mary Pickett, Mandy Hore, Rosemary Kadow
• CESA: John Smith
• DECD: Dianne Coady, Belinda Radcliffe
Today’s Agenda
1. General Information
2. Becoming an Assessor
3. Being an Assessor
4. Questions
5. Discussions in sector groups
Questions
1. General
2. Becoming an Assessor
3. Being an Assessor
Please post on the relevant poster
4.
Sector specific – in group discussion
Federal Education Reform
Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians (2008 )
Support all young Australians to become successful learners, confident and creative
individuals and active and informed citizens
ACTION: Australian governments commit to working with all school sectors to attract,
develop, support and retain a high-quality teaching and school leadership workforce in
Australian schools.
• National Partnership Agreement on Improving Teacher Quality
• National Partnership Agreement on Rewards for Great Teachers
• National Plan for School Improvement
Objective: promoting excellence in the profession of teaching and school leadership
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7.
Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (2011)
Australian Professional Standards for Principals
Nationally Consistent Teacher Registration
Certification of Highly Accomplished and Lead Teachers (April 2012)
Accreditation of Initial Teacher Education Programs
Performance and Development Framework
Charter for Professional Learning for Teachers and School Leaders
Australian Professional Teaching Standards
AITSL
SATCC
Chairperson
Executive
Officer
(Administration
Officer)
The role of AITSL
 National consistency & quality
 Quality Assurance
 Common national process:
• Consistent, valid, rigorous and credible
 Assessor training program
 National moderation
 Support materials and advice
 Evaluation, review and improvement
The role of the SATCC
SA Teacher Certification Committee
 Promote Certification across SA
 Conduct nationally consistent to assessors
 Monitor and moderate assessment processes and sector
recommendations
 Endorse sector recommendations for HA and Lead
 Collect and report data to AITSL
 Participate in quality assurance and review processes to
support national consistency
Within each sector
 Promote and support certification in their schools and teachers
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Conduct information sessions and disseminate materials
Select and support suitable applicants to become Assessors
Support their applicants for Certification and Assessors
Manage a nationally consistent Certification process
Appoint their assessors to applicants within their sector
Report data to SATCC
Manage any appeals within their own sector
Variation with:
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Timelines and deadlines
Assessor selection process and criteria
Reimbursement for costs and time
Support for applicants for Certification
Cost for applicants to apply for Certification
Certification: Primary Purpose
1. Recognise and promote quality teaching
2. Provide an opportunity for teachers to reflect on
their practice
3. Provide a reliable indication of quality teaching that
can be used to identify, recognise and/or reward
Highly Accomplished and Lead teachers (excellent
practitioners)
Certification Outcomes
 Professionalism of teachers and teaching
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Encourage teachers to strive for excellence
Develop collaborative learning professionals
Advancement of schools
Recognition of quality teaching
Career progression
Improve outcomes for students
Benefits for Teachers
 Recognition of professional achievement
 National recognition and portability
 Constructive feedback on performance
 Access to networks and communities of practice
 Enhanced collaboration and support from colleagues
 Enhanced professional satisfaction
 Career pathways
Benefits for School Leaders
 Retain effective teachers in the classroom
 Promote excellence in teaching
 Source of external feedback for staff
 Increased collaboration within and across schools
 Shared discourse on effective teaching
 Enhanced performance culture
 Increase modelling and leading by teachers
Benefits for Assessors
 Partake in a rigorous and challenging professional
learning, assessment and moderation process
 Develop a deeper and more practical understanding of
the Standards, evidence and effective teaching
 Shared discourse on effective teaching
 Increased collaboration within and across schools
 Access to networks and communities of practice
Becoming an Assessor
• In the future teachers certified as HA or Lead will
be trained as Assessors
• Cannot undertake assessor training and
certification at the same time
Becoming an Assessor
• AITSL Assessor Training Program
• Key Dates
• Benefits and Expectations
Benefits to Assessors
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Completion of a nationally recognised assessor
training
Gaining a comprehensive knowledge of the
Standards
Being capable of making valid and consistent
judgements
Being capable of undertaking classroom
observations and documentation
Being able to effectively communicate the
rigour and expectations of national certification
to applicants and colleagues
Benefits to Assessors
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Completion of a nationally recognised assessor
training
Gaining a comprehensive knowledge of the
Standards
Being capable of making valid and consistent
judgements
Being capable of undertaking classroom
observations and documentation
Being able to effectively communicate the
rigour and expectations of national certification
to applicants and colleagues
The Process
National Certification
of
Highly Accomplished
and
Lead Teachers
Not sequential
BEING AN ASSESSOR
TWO MAIN AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY
You are contributing to the nature of
change that applies to education in a time
of social reform
BEING AN ASSESSOR
Questions relating to education provision change to
reflect this:What does the Australian public require of its
educators and education system?
Within education:What does this mean for the work of teachers?
AITSL as the vehicle of change:-
AITSL Documentation
• Australian Professional Standards for Teachers
• Australian Professional Standard for Principals
• Australian Charter for the Professional Learning of
Teachers
• Certification of Highly Accomplished and Lead
Teachers
• Australian Teacher Performance and Development
framework
• Accreditation of initial Teacher Ed. Programs
BEING AN ASSESSOR
Responsibility for recognising and
ascertaining the required skill level
demonstrated by applicants through the
certification process.
BEING AN ASSESSOR
• Celebration of a teacher’s career journey.
• Positive work model – assisting them to
meet this level of recognition.
• Celebrating with them at the point of
satisfactory completion.
• Assistance to those, through correct
feedback, who don’t meet the standard.
BEING AN ASSESSOR
The following points are examples of things
that need to be considered:
• What does support for candidates look
like?
• Playing it by the rules to ensure the fairest
outcome
• Conflict of interest
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BEING AN ASSESSOR
Level of commitment
Adhering to time deadlines
Relationship with other assessor
Don’t be swayed by emotion
Reward evidence
Non biased approach
Commonality of language
BEING AN ASSESSOR
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Work things into your own time schedule
Ensure you don’t find yourself rushing
Responsible in turn to a higher authority
Seek assistance from the relevant people
Confidentiality associated with the position
Looking for evidence
Consistency
Process stands up to verification