National Professional Standards for Teachers - AITSL, Australian ...

aitsl.edu.auNational Professional Standardsfor TeachersFrequently Asked QuestionsFebruary 2011

Frequently Asked Questions1. What are the NationalProfessional Standards forTeachers?The new National Professional Standards forTeachers make explicit what effective teachersshould know and be able to do.The Standards describe what is expected ofteachers across three domains: ProfessionalKnowledge, Professional Practice andProfessional Engagement; and at fourcareer stages: Graduate, Proficient, HighlyAccomplished and Lead.The Standards and their descriptors representan analysis of effective, contemporarypractice by teachers throughout Australia.Their development included a synthesis of thedescriptions of teachers’ knowledge, practiceand professional engagement used by teacheraccreditation and registration authorities,employers and professional associations. Eachdescriptor has been informed by teachers’understanding of what is required at differentstages of their careers. An extensive validationprocess involving almost 6,000 teachersensured that each descriptor was shaped by theprofession.The Standards are designed to provide acontinuum of capabilities and expectations anda nationally consistent basis for valid, fair andreliable identification and recognition of theteachers who meet them.2. Why national Standards?Education systems are working in a new contextof collaboration and national agreement acrossthe country. The National Partnership onImproving Teacher Quality, in particular, setsnew challenges in terms of national consistencyof teacher Standards, teacher registrationand accreditation of initial teacher educationprograms to support teacher mobility and cooperativeefforts to learn from each other toimprove quality even further.National Standards will provide consistentbenchmarks to help teachers assessperformance, identify further learningrequirements and will provide a means ofidentifying and recognising teachers who excelagainst the national Standards.The national consistency inherent in theStandards will contribute to the ease of mobilityof the Australian teaching workforce. TheStandards will increase public confidencein the professionalism of teachers,providing a public statement of whatparents and the community can expectof effective Australian teachers.3. What is the purpose ofstandards?Professional standards are a public statement ofwhat constitutes teacher quality. They presenta common understanding and language forprofessional discussions between teachers,principals, teacher educators, professionalassociations and the public.Standards provide a framework that offers adirection and structure to guide the preparation,support and development of teachers. Theyreflect a continuum of a teacher’s developingprofessional expertise, from undergraduatepreparation to being a leader in the teachingprofession. Standards are intended to supportteachers’ career-long development. Teacherscan use the Standards to recognise theircurrent and developing capabilities, professionalaspirations and achievements.Because the Standards are explicit andpublic they allow teachers to demonstratelevels of professional knowledge,professional practice and professionalengagement. In this way teacherstandards contribute to theprofessionalisation of teachingand raise the status of theprofession.National Professional Standards for Teachers 2.

Frequently Asked Questions4. How will the National Professional Standardsfor Teachers be used?The National Professional Standards for Teachers are a centrepieceof national reforms being implemented under the National Partnershipon Improving Teacher Quality and will be used by all employers andregulatory authorities, with progressive implementation to be determinedin jurisdictions following appropriate consultation and the development ofsupport material.The Standards align with the career pathways of the teaching professionand form the basis for attracting, preparing, developing and supportingteachers. Through this alignment, the Standards will be used to form thebasis for;• accrediting initial service teacher education programs;• reliable, fair and nationally consistent registration; and• recognising and certifying exemplary teacher practice.The Graduate and Proficient career stages of the Standards aremandatory. These set out the requirements for entry to the profession - forbeginning teachers to gain provisional registration and for teachers withthe requisite experience to gain full registration.The Highly Accomplished and Lead levels of the Standards are voluntary:that is, teachers may choose to be assessed against these Standards butare not required to do so.5. What are the components of the Standards?The Standards identify what is expected of teachers across three domainsof teaching:• Professional Knowledge• Professional Practice• Professional EngagementThe Standards comprise seven broad statements identifying whatteachers should know and be able to do. The Standards are:Standard 1:Standard 2:Standard 3:Standard 4:Standard 5:Standard 6:Standard 7:Know students and how they learnKnow the content and how to teach itPlan for and implement effective teaching and learningCreate and maintain supportive and safe learning environmentsAssess, provide feedback and report on student learningEngage with professional learningEngage professionally with colleagues, parents/carers and thecommunityDescriptors identify the components of the Standards at four careerstages:• Graduate Teachers• Proficient Teachers• Highly Accomplished Teachers• Lead TeachersNational Professional Standards for Teachers 3.

Frequently Asked Questions6. How have the nationalStandards been developed?This has been an extensive national processdrawing on external research as well as expertknowledge from key educationalists acrossAustralia.In 2010, under the auspice of the AustralianEducation, Early Childhood Developmentand Youth Affairs Senior Officials Committee(AEEYSOC), a draft of the National ProfessionalStandards for Teachers was finalised. Thedraft Standards were the subject of extensiveconsultation and a rigorous validation process.Almost 6,000 teachers participated in thisprocess. The analysis of this feedback informedthe final version of the Standards.ConsultationStakeholder consultations were designedto provide the opportunity for all interestedparties to shape the development, content andstructure of the Standards, and in turn to supportlong-term engagement from the teachingprofession. Consultations were conducted withinjurisdictions, through arrangements determinedby jurisdictional authorities, major employingauthorities and teacher regulatory authorities,and for stakeholders nationwide (includingteacher unions, professional associations andparent/community groups) by the AustralianGovernment.The draft Standards were made available onthe Ministerial Council for Education, EarlyChildhood Development and Youth Affairs(MCEECDYA) website, which afforded anopportunity for interested individuals to makesubmissions.Submissions were received from the AustralianGovernment, State and Territory Governmentsand their regulatory authorities, educationunions, professional peak bodies and individualschools and teachers. In total 120 submissionswere received, which included consolidatedand joint submissions as well as thosereceived through the MCEECDYA website fromindividuals and organisations.With the approval of AEEYSOC, the followinginformation can now be found at http://www.aitsl.edu.au/ta/go/home/pid/775:Submissions: Except where those providingthe submission indicated they wishedtheir submission to remain confidential, allsubmissions have been published.Consultation Report: A report on the outcomesof the consultations undertaken between Marchand May 2010 on the draft National ProfessionalStandards for Teachers.Adjunct Paper: A document designed to supportthe new National Professional Standards forTeachers by providing information about thecontext in which they have been developed, theprocess through which they were developed, theplan for their implementation and the purposesfor which they may be used.ValidationFollowing the consultation period, the Standardswent through a rigorous psychometric validationprocess. The validation was conducted for theAustralian Institute for Teaching and SchoolLeadership (AITSL) by the University of NewEngland’s National Centre of Science, ICT,and Mathematics Education for Rural andRegional Australia (SiMERR National Centre).The validation ensured appropriateness andreliability of the Standards with teachersacross primary and secondary schools andgovernment, Catholic and Independent sectors.Authority for the NationalProfessional Standards forTeachersThe draft Standards were revised based on theoutcomes of the consultation and validationprocesses. The validated Standards werenoted and approved by the Board of AITSL andAEEYSOC, and were presented to MCEECDYAin December 2010. The National ProfessionalStandards for Teachers were endorsed byMCEECDYA Out of Session on 22 December2010.National Professional Standards for Teachers 4.

Frequently Asked Questions7. What do the new Standardsmean for the frameworksdeveloped by professionalassociations?A range of existing standards have previouslybeen developed by various professionalassociations as well as organisations such asTeaching Australia, the predecessor of AITSL.The expert working group developing thedraft national Standards has in the course oftheir work looked at as many of these existingstandards as possible.The national Standards are intended as ahigh-level, over-arching set of standards. Allother standards should align with the NationalProfessional Standards for Teachers.8. How will teachers becomefamiliar with the Standards?The Standards are available on the AITSLwebsite. Information regarding the Standardswill also be forwarded to all employing bodies,regulatory authorities and professionalassociations across all systems and sectors.AITSL will work with all systems and sectorsin responding to further Frequently AskedQuestions, and to plan, develop and implementonline modules to acquaint users with theStandards.AITSL will also work closely with stakeholdersto develop a range of support materials and willelaborate and provide examples of effectivepractice against the descriptors in a range ofcontexts, to support the implementation of theStandards across Australia.9. What happens from here?During 2011 AITSL will collaborate withjurisdictions, sectors, regulatory authorities,professional associations and unions tosupport the transition to and implementationof the Standards in jurisdictions and sectors,taking account of the different industrial,legislative and policy arrangements andpractice in and between jurisdictions andsectors.Principles and frameworks will bedeveloped to guide and support theassessment processes associatedwith the use of the Graduate Standards inthe accreditation of initial teacher educationprograms and the Proficient Standards in theregistration of teachers, as well as the voluntaryuse of Highly Accomplished and Lead Standardsfor the certification of teachers.The development and collation of supportmaterials will also be undertaken.10. Must all states andterritories use the Standards?Yes.It is expected that, over time, jurisdictions,systems, sectors, regulatory and employingbodies will work with the Standards in a range ofways.The Graduate Teacher Standards will beadopted throughout 2011 as part of theaccreditation of Initial Teacher EducationPrograms process.The Proficient Teacher Standards will be usedas a basis for nationally consistent registrationand the Nationally Consistent TeacherRegistration Policy Framework Group andNationally Consistent Teacher RegistrationWorking Group will continue to work withjurisdictions, systems and sectors on theprocesses involved with this.Work that commenced in 2010 regarding thecertification of Highly Accomplished and LeadTeachers will continue throughout 2011.National Professional Standards for Teachers 5.

Frequently Asked Questions11. What happens to our existingStandards?Until such time that agreement has beenreached with employers, regulatory authorities,systems and sectors on the processesassociated with the Standards, teachers shouldcontinue to work within the existing guidelines,standards and processes that their jurisdictionrequires.Implementation plans will be negotiated withjurisdictions regarding this transition.12. What is the relationshipbetween the Standards andperformance management andappraisal?It is expected that in-school performancemanagement and appraisals processes will useand link to the National Professional Standardsfor Teachers and supporting documentationdeveloped to inform these processes. Thereis no link between performance pay, careerstructure and the Standards as these aremanagerial and industrial issues to bedetermined within individual jurisdictions, sectorsand employers.13. What is the role of state andterritory regulatory authoritiesand how will they use theStandards?The Australasian Teacher Regulatory Authoritiescontinue to play the same role they have in eachjurisdiction. The regulatory authorities havebeen a significant partner in the developmentof the National Professional Standards forTeachers and will be heavily involved in all futurework regarding the development of processes tosupport nationally consistent registration.14. Are teachers expected towork with all of the focus areasand descriptors?The National Professional Standards forTeachers are a public statement of whatconstitutes teacher quality. They define thework of teachers and make explicit the elementsof high quality, effective teaching in 21st Centuryschools which results in improved educationaloutcomes for students.Because of this, and the agreed reform areasof the Australian Government including closingthe gap for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanderstudents, improving literacy and numeracyoutcomes for all students, the AustralianCurriculum and the Digital Education Revolution,the inclusion of the following focus areas areparamount to the outcome of improving teacherquality:• strategies for teaching Aboriginal and TorresStrait Islander students;• curriculum, assessment and reporting;• literacy and numeracy strategies; and• using ICT safely, responsibly and ethically.National Professional Standards for Teachers 6.