Teacher Accreditation Authorities and schools

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1 Professional Teaching Standards Advice for Teacher Accreditation Authorities and schools Supporting casual, temporary and part-time teachers to achieve Accreditation at Professional Competence 3 NSW INSTITUTE OF TEACHERS

2 Advice for Teacher Accreditation Authorities and schools PREAMBLE Teachers who first commence teaching after 1 October 2004, or who return to teaching in NSW after an absence of more than five years, (new scheme teachers) need to be accredited against the Professional Teaching Standards at the point of employment and achieve accreditation at Professional Competence in a specified timeframe. This applies regardless of whether they are working on a permanent, casual, temporary or part-time basis. Casual, temporary and part-time new scheme teachers who are provisionally accredited have a maximum period of five years to be accredited at Professional Competence and, if conditionally accredited, have a maximum period of six years to be accredited. The Institute issues teachers with annual accreditation cards which indicate their accreditation status. The NSW Institute of Teachers is aware that the majority of new scheme teachers commence their teaching career in either a casual, temporary or part-time capacity and that the employment patterns of these teachers can make their accreditation process more complex. This brochure aims to help teacher accreditation authorities (TAAs) and schools to better understand how teachers working in a casual, temporary or part-time capacity can be accredited at Professional Competence. In particular it explains the role of the teacher accreditation authority and the school in both facilitating and completing that process. It should be read in conjunction with the Policy for the Accreditation of Casual, Temporary and Part-Time Teachers and the Teacher Accreditation Manual which are available on the Institute s website at Teacher accreditation authorities and schools should inform and provide teachers with any of their own policies, procedures and information for the application of the Institute s policies regarding accreditation. The role of casual, temporary and part-time teachers in schools The Institute recognises the important role of casual, temporary and part-time teachers in enabling schools to provide continuity of quality learning opportunities to their students. In many instances, these teachers are replacing a full-time or permanent teacher who is on leave or undertaking professional development, and therefore face particular expectations and challenges. Many teachers work in a casual, temporary or part-time capacity or a mix of these in one school or across a number of schools. While some teachers may be offered a long term temporary teaching engagement of twelve months or more, what is common to the majority of casual teachers is the fact that they do not have the security of ongoing permanent employment in a particular school and are most likely gaining teaching experience across more than one school. The Institute acknowledges that many casual, temporary and part-time teachers balance their current teaching employment with family, other employment or additional tertiary study commitments. Nevertheless, casual, temporary or part-time new scheme teachers are responsible for demonstrating the Professional Teaching Standards and gaining accreditation at Professional Competence within their specified timeframe 1. 1 Provisionally accredited teachers have a maximum period of five years to be accredited at Professional Competence. Conditionally accredited teachers have a maximum period of six years to be accredited 2

3 Over time the accreditation of casual, temporary and part-time teachers will provide schools with greater confidence in the capacities of the casual, temporary and part-time teachers they employ. The accreditation process Casual, temporary and part-time teachers have responsibility for understanding the Professional Teaching Standards and considering and evaluating their practice in terms of the Standards. They are responsible for managing their progress towards accreditation at Professional Competence. Schools have a role in supporting these teachers and giving them feedback and guidance. Schools should identify which staff may be able to supervise and support these teachers during their employment at the school. Teachers should be informed as to who is available to support them. Supervising teachers in schools should establish systems to observe the teaching practice of casual, temporary and parttime teachers and provide them with support and feedback. The provision of support and feedback to these teachers can play a crucial role in the development of their skills as teachers and help to ensure the quality of their teaching practice. The Institute acknowledges that the level of support that a school can provide to casual, temporary and part-time teachers is related to the period they are employed at the school. Both the teacher and the teacher accreditation authority or school share the professional responsibility for developing the collegial and professional relationships that are necessary for the accreditation process to occur. The teacher accreditation authority and school have a professional obligation to ensure that the casual, temporary or part-time teacher who is employed for any period other than a day here and there, has access to both the necessary support and the formal accreditation process. They may also liaise, where called on to do so, with another school or teacher accreditation authority that has the responsibility for the accreditation decision. Schools should be encouraged to ensure that appropriate induction, supervision and professional support practices are in place to support casual, temporary or part-time teachers to achieve accreditation. How can casual, temporary and part-time teachers be accredited? The essential aspects of accreditation involve teachers collecting evidence that they are demonstrating all of the Professional Competence Standards and, at the appropriate time, having an Accreditation Report completed about their teaching by supervising teacher. The report is then authorised by a TAA. A decision to finalise the accreditation of casual, temporary or part-time teachers can only be made after a reasonable period of employment 2 which includes a block of continuous employment in a single school. This block does not necessarily need to be full time but may comprise working three days per week over, say, two terms, or two days per week over, say, three terms. The block of employment, along with the guideline of 180 days, is viewed as the minimum timeframe within which a valid and reliable decision can be made for accreditation purposes. It also provides these teachers with an opportunity to demonstrate the full range of Standards, particularly those relating to planning, programming and assessment and communication with colleagues, parents and the community. 3 2 The Institute s Policy for the Accreditation of Casual, Temporary and Part-Time Teachers describes a guideline of 180 days of employment. 3 The requirements for 180 days and a block of teaching do not necessarily apply to teachers returning after an absence of five or more years. 3

4 The important point about the period of time of the block and the 180 days is that there is some degree of flexibility that recognises the nature of these forms of employment. However, there is a requirement that the period of time is sufficient for a teacher accreditation authority to be confident that the teacher meets the Standards consistently. The accreditation of a casual, temporary or part-time teacher relies on the school where the block of employment has been undertaken, having the confidence that the teacher has demonstrated all of the Professional Competence Standards and that there is a range of available evidence to support that decision. How will casual, temporary and part-time teachers collect evidence for accreditation? As casual, temporary or part-time teachers work in schools, they will need to collect evidence to support their accreditation against the Professional Competence Standards. Collecting evidence is an ongoing process, and can be collected from all schools a casual teacher works in. This evidence will assist in self-analysis and can be used as the basis for discussions with colleagues and supervising teachers. The Information for New Scheme Teachers booklet includes tables showing how the Standards are aligned to practice and describes a range of evidence that teachers could collect. Evidence can be used to demonstrate certain Standards or combinations of Standards. The Casual, Temporary and Part-Time Teacher s Evidence Diary (TED) provides advice on how teachers undertaking various forms of employment can gather evidence to demonstrate achievement of the Standards. The TED is available on the Institute s website Casual, temporary and part-time teachers need to ensure that any evidence they collect in a school is signed and dated by the supervising teacher at that school. This includes any records of observations undertaken by the supervising teacher. Can evidence a teacher collects across a range of schools be used in an accreditation decision? Evidence that a casual, temporary and part-time teacher has collected across a range of schools can be considered by the school that is supporting the completion of their accreditation report. As this school has full responsibility for confirming whether the casual, temporary and part-time teacher is demonstrating all of the Professional Competence standards it has the discretion to consider whatever evidence is available to support that decision. This may include some or all of the evidence that has been collected at other schools as well as the evidence collected at the current school. The extent to which this school relies on the evidence that has been collected at other schools, in order to make its decision, may relate to the length of employment and the quality of evidence collected at the current school and the length of employment and quality of evidence collected at other schools. The school may also decide to consult with other schools in which the casual, temporary or part-time teacher has taught on some aspects of the evidence collected at those schools. How is the accreditation report finalised? Casual, temporary and part-time teachers, in consultation with supervising teachers, will need to use their professional judgement as to what evidence will be included with the completed report. The Information for New Scheme Teachers booklet provides advice on the amount of evidence to be included and on annotating that evidence. 4

5 Advice for Teacher Accreditation Authorities and schools When the report is completed and signed by the teacher, it should be forwarded to the relevant teacher accreditation authority to make the final accreditation decision. Completed accreditation reports and supporting evidence for casual, temporary and part-time teachers should be forwarded to the Institute in the normal manner. Can casual, temporary and part-time teachers apply for an extension of time? There are some circumstances under which a casual, temporary and part-time teacher may apply for an extension of time to complete the accreditation process. These include lack of reasonable opportunity to present for accreditation, child rearing responsibilities, home care responsibilities, sickness or misadventure and other appropriate professional circumstances. To apply for an extension of time these teachers should write to the Manager, Standards and Accreditation at the NSW Institute of Teachers. Can casual, temporary and part-time teachers apply for a Leave of Absence? The Institute also has a Leave of Absence process to accommodate accredited teachers who have a period outside teaching of at least six months where they are either not working as a teacher, are undertaking child rearing responsibilities or travelling interstate or overseas. What happens if a teacher is unable to complete the accreditation process in the 5 or 6 year period? Where a teacher is unable to complete the accreditation process within the required time and they have not applied for an extension of time, and are unable to show cause, their accreditation will be revoked by the teacher accreditation authority. What related resources are available? The following Institute documents are available to support casual, temporary and part-time teachers through their accreditation: Policy for the Accreditation of Casual, Temporary and Part-Time Teachers The Professional Teaching Standards Information for New Scheme Teachers An Evidence Guide for Accreditation at Professional Competence for Casual, Temporary and Part-Time Teachers. There may be additional policies and resources that have been developed to implement the Institute s policies by various TAAs, systems and schools. 15

6 Professional Teaching Standards For further information Contact the NSW Institute of Teachers PO Box A976 Sydney South NSW 1235 Phone: