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TAA Accreditation Decision Guide – Proficient Teacher Page 2 of 16
Table of contents
Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 3
Who is the TAA? .................................................................................................................................. 3
Table 1: TAAs in NSW schools and services ................................................................................ 3
What does an Authorised Delegate do? .............................................................................................. 4
Proficient Teacher accreditation .......................................................................................................... 4
Overview of process ....................................................................................................................... 4
Reviewing submissions ........................................................................................................................ 5
Documentary evidence and annotations........................................................................................ 5
Observation report .......................................................................................................................... 7
Proficient Teacher Accreditation Report ........................................................................................ 8
Making the accreditation decision........................................................................................................ 8
Guiding questions ........................................................................................................................... 9
Decisions not to accredit .................................................................................................................... 10
Refusal to accredit ........................................................................................................................ 10
Not able to make a decision ......................................................................................................... 11
Implications for teachers ............................................................................................................... 11
Immediate Proficient Teacher accreditation decisions ..................................................................... 11
NESA online account (eTAMS) ......................................................................................................... 12
Authorised Person dashboard ...................................................................................................... 12
Glossary .............................................................................................................................................. 14
*Current version published August 2020
TAA Accreditation Decision Guide – Proficient Teacher Page 3 of 16
Introduction
The NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) Teacher Accreditation Authority (TAA)
Accreditation Decision Guide – Proficient Teacher is for TAA Authorised Delegates who make
accreditation decisions for teachers at the Proficient Teacher level of the Australian
Professional Standards for Teachers (the Standards). This guide will help you understand the
processes, requirements and responsibilities of this important role.
A TAA is a person or body authorised to accredit teachers at specified levels of accreditation.
The process for achieving accreditation at Proficient Teacher is workplace-based and
developmental. The process provides a structured induction into the teaching profession and
gives teachers opportunities to develop and consolidate their practice. Provisionally and
conditionally accredited teachers start developing their practice and working towards Proficient
Teacher accreditation when they begin work in a NSW school or centre-based early childhood
service (service).
To be eligible to teach in NSW, teachers need to gain Proficient Teacher accreditation over a
maximum timeframe by consistently demonstrating teaching practice at the Standards for
Proficient Teacher and collecting evidence of this practice. To achieve this they need regular
advice, support and guidance.
Use this guide in conjunction with the:
Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (the Standards)
Proficient Teacher Accreditation Policy
Proficient Teacher Evidence Guide
Proficient Teacher Evidence Guide – Casual Teachers
Proficient Teacher Evidence Guide – Early Childhood Teachers
eTAMS Help pages (accessible from any page after logging in to eTAMS)
NESA Proficient Teacher webpages.
Who is the TAA?
Table 1 shows who the TAA is for teachers in different schools/services in most cases.
Table 1: TAAs in NSW schools and services
Government schools
Catholic systemic schools
Individual non-government schools
Early childhood services
The principal The relevant Diocese The legal entity that
owns and operates
the school or an entity
with whom it has a
written agreement
NESA (excluding
services attached to a
school or those that
have nominated another
TAA)
TAA Accreditation Decision Guide – Proficient Teacher Page 4 of 16
What does an Authorised Delegate do?
Authorised Delegates are appointed by TAAs to make accreditation decisions for teachers.
Specifically, they are responsible for:
reviewing Proficient Teacher evidence and Proficient Teacher Accreditation Reports
making a holistic judgement about a teacher’s practice in relation to the Standards
making accreditation decisions (accredit, not to accredit or cannot make an accreditation decision at this time)
making decisions for immediate accreditation at Proficient Teacher.
Proficient Teacher accreditation
As provisionally and conditionally accredited teachers start developing their practice and
working towards accreditation at Proficient Teacher, they receive regular advice, support and
guidance from teachers accredited at Proficient Teacher or above. The accreditation process
for teachers should be transparent and consultative. It should at all times be focused on
supporting and assisting the teacher to achieve accreditation.
Teachers working towards Proficient Teacher accreditation work with their supervisor1 who
supports and guides them through the process.
A teacher’s development and progress towards demonstrating the Standards will vary
according to their individual experience and circumstances. Factors influencing a teacher’s
progress may include any previous teaching experience, support from their supervisor,
colleagues and the school/service, engagement in professional development, and the
teacher’s knowledge, skills and engagement.
Teachers start the process of finalising their accreditation when they determine their practice
meets all of the Standards for Proficient Teacher and their supervisor agrees.
Overview of process
1. In consultation with their supervisor, the teacher selects and annotates 5-8 items of documentary evidence. They submit their documentary evidence along with a report on a teaching observation done by their supervisor.
2. The supervisor reviews and verifies the teacher’s evidence, completes the Proficient Teacher Accreditation Report (within 21 days of step 1) and declares the report and evidence accurately represent the teacher’s practice.
3. The teacher reads the Proficient Teacher Accreditation Report and acknowledges they have read it.
4. The principal or equivalent for early childhood teachers and non-school/service based teachers2 attests the accuracy of the Proficient Teacher Accreditation Report.
5. The TAA reviews the evidence and Proficient Teacher Accreditation Report and makes the decision (within 28 days of step 3).
If you are the principal and the Authorised Delegate, you will complete steps 4 and 5 at the
1 The NESA Supervisor Guide has more information about the role of supervisors and the process of supporting teachers through the Proficient Teacher accreditation process. 2 All TAAs need to have internal policies and procedures in place that enable an attestation to be made for teachers who work in contexts where there is no principal, or for teachers who are the principal.
TAA Accreditation Decision Guide – Proficient Teacher Page 5 of 16
same time.
If you are not the principal, your TAA’s internal processes must ensure the principal completes
the attestation in enough time for you to make the decision within the 28 days.
Reviewing submissions
Your decision about whether or not a teacher’s practice meets the Standards for Proficient
Teacher will be based on:
the teacher’s documentary evidence
a report on an observation of the teacher’s practice; and
the Proficient Teacher Accreditation Report.
When you are reviewing a teacher’s evidence and making a holistic judgement about their
practice in relation to the Standards, you need to consider whether:
the evidence demonstrates that the teacher’s practice meets the Standards for Proficient Teacher
there is evidence relating to at least one Standard Descriptor from each of the seven Standards
the teacher’s documentary evidence:
˗ is drawn directly from their day-to-day teaching practice
˗ is annotated to explain how it demonstrates their practice aligns with 2-4 Standard Descriptors
˗ reflects their engagement in a range of professional activities
˗ includes evidence of their impact on child/student learning
the supervisor’s Proficient Teacher Accreditation Report reflects their knowledge of the teacher’s work over time.
Documentary evidence and annotations
Summary of requirements for teachers
Choose 5-8 items of documentary evidence of practice to submit to inform the accreditation decision.
Ensure documentary evidence does not exceed 35 single-sided pages in total.
Annotate each selected item against 2-4 Standard Descriptors for Proficient Teacher.
De-identify any items, as necessary, to preserve confidentiality of children/students, colleagues, parents, community members etc.
Teachers have the option to have items authenticated by a colleague to confirm it is their own work (not mandatory but particularly valuable for casual teachers).
Evidence for every Standard Descriptor is not required.3
3 While documentary evidence for every Standard Descriptor is not required, supervisors and TAAs must be confident that a teacher’s practice meets all of the Standard Descriptors.
TAA Accreditation Decision Guide – Proficient Teacher Page 6 of 16
Effective documentary evidence
Teachers should aim to include evidence from a number of the evidence categories outlined in
the Proficient Teacher Evidence Guides so that their evidence reflects the breadth of their
practice. The evidence categories are:
1. Learning and teaching programs
2. Observations of teaching children/students
3. Reflection and feedback on teaching practice
4. Assessment and reporting on child/student learning outcomes
5. Collaboration and communication
6. Professional learning
Evidence that is effective in demonstrating practice at Proficient Teacher can be defined by
specific characteristics (see Table 2).
TAAs can use this guide to inform judgements about whether the collection of documentary
evidence a teacher submits to finalise their accreditation at Proficient Teacher exhibits the
characteristics that effectively demonstrate practice at the Proficient Teacher level.
Table 2: Characteristics of effective documentary evidence
Characteristic Effective evidence Ineffective evidence
Accurate
reflection of
the Standard
Descriptors
Each item of documentary evidence
accurately reflects the practice described
in the selected Proficient
Teacher Standard Descriptors.
The documentary evidence does not
consistently reflect the practice of
the selected Standard Descriptor/s.
Examples The evidence illustrates the teacher’s
practice across the entirety of the selected
Standard Descriptors, ie the focus area
and the actions identified by the verbs in
each of the selected Standard Descriptors.
There is misalignment between the
practice demonstrated in the documentary
evidence and the practice described in the
selected Standard Descriptor/s.
Visible
demonstration
of teacher
practice
Application of the teacher’s practice at
Proficient Teacher is visible in each item of
documentary evidence.
Application of practice is not visible in the
documentary evidence, eg
plans/lessons have not been
evaluated/analysed and there is no
evidence they have been implemented.
Examples Plans/lesson notes where the teacher has
evaluated the learning experience/lesson
based on the achievement of learning
goals could effectively show application of
the teacher’s practice.
Plans/lessons have not been
evaluated/analysed and there is no
evidence they have been implemented.
Impact on
child/student
learning
Examples of the teacher’s impact on
child/student learning are included in the
teacher’s collection of documentary
evidence.
There is little or no evidence of the impact
of the teacher’s practice on child/student
learning.
TAA Accreditation Decision Guide – Proficient Teacher Page 7 of 16
Characteristic Effective evidence Ineffective evidence
Examples Work samples that include the teacher’s
feedback about the child/student
contributions or achievements relative to
their learning goals could show impact of
the teacher’s practice on child/student
learning.
There is no inclusion of assessment
information that demonstrates
child/student contributions or
achievements relative to their learning
goals.
Reflective
practice
Examples of professional reflection are
included in the teacher’s collection of
documentary evidence and/or the
annotation.
There are no examples of professional
reflection in the teacher’s documentary
evidence and/or the annotation.
Examples A teacher’s reflections on the quality of
child/student engagement and learning
could demonstrate that the teacher has
reflected on their practice for
developmental purposes.
Plans for learning/lessons have not been
evaluated/analysed and there is no
evidence that the teacher has reflected on
their practice.
Annotations
Effective annotations explain how the teacher has used evidence to demonstrate the practice described in selected Standard Descriptors at the Proficient Teacher level.
A teacher’s annotations should be detailed enough that teachers outside their context can
clearly understand the evidence and practice. Effective annotations may also demonstrate a
teacher’s reflection on their practice.
Annotations should:
identify the 2-4 Standard Descriptors that the evidence relates to
provide the context for the evidence and explain how it has been used; how, what, who, when, why
explain how the evidence demonstrates the practice described in the selected Standard Descriptors
explain the impact of the teacher’s practice on child/student learning, relevant to the selected Standard Descriptors.
be between 100 and 500 words (teachers need to write 600-3000 characters in their NESA online account).
Ineffective annotations can be identified as discrete examples or combinations of the following:
a description of the learning environment context only
a paraphrasing of the Standard Descriptors
contain limited/no explanation of how the documentary evidence demonstrates the teacher’s practice aligns with the practice in the selected Standard Descriptors
a misalignment between the practice demonstrated by documentary evidence and the practice in the selected Standard Descriptors.
Observation report
In addition to the 5-8 items of annotated documentary evidence, teachers need to submit a
TAA Accreditation Decision Guide – Proficient Teacher Page 8 of 16
report on an observation of their practice done by their supervisor.
Teachers may have their practice observed by other colleagues during their accreditation
timeframe, however, the observation report they submit to finalise accreditation must be done
by the supervisor writing the Proficient Teacher Accreditation Report.
The observation report should help you gain a clear understanding of the teacher’s practice in
action.
The observation report must include:
a record of the discussion between the supervisor and the teacher before the observation, including details of the negotiated and agreed lesson/teaching and learning experience to be observed
reference to the 2-4 Standard Descriptors the supervisor and the teacher have agreed will be the focus of the observation
a written account by the supervisor on the observation of the teacher’s practice, referencing the agreed Standard Descriptors
the teacher’s reflection on their teaching practice
the supervisor’s written feedback to the teacher following the observation.
An observation report template is available on NESA’s website. Using the template is optional,
however it may assist supervisors to ensure they meet the requirements for the observation, as
listed above.
Proficient Teacher Accreditation Report
The Proficient Teacher Accreditation Report is written by the teacher’s supervisor and provides
principals and TAAs with a description of how the teacher’s practice relates to each of the
seven Standards.4
The report should reflect the supervisor’s knowledge of the teacher’s work over time and give
you a clear understanding of the teacher’s practice in relation to the Standards.
The supervisor’s comments should be specific to the teacher rather than broad overview
statements. Supervisors do not need to refer specifically to a teacher’s documentary evidence,
however there should be a clear alignment between the supervisor’s evaluative comments
about the teacher’s practice and the quality of the teacher’s annotated evidence.
Teachers need to acknowledge having read their supervisor’s report before submitting it for an
attestation and accreditation decision. This requirement acknowledges the professional and
collegial nature of the relationship and gives the teacher an opportunity to read the supervisor’s
comments about their practice before the application is submitted. At this stage, teachers can
speak with their supervisor to request edits to the final report before they submit it.
Making the accreditation decision
Your accreditation decision must be based on whether or not a teacher has met all
requirements for accreditation at Proficient Teacher as outlined in the Proficient Teacher
Accreditation Policy.
4 A sample Proficient Teacher Accreditation Report is available on the NESA website.
TAA Accreditation Decision Guide – Proficient Teacher Page 9 of 16
You have 28 calendar days from the date a teacher acknowledges their Proficient Teacher
Accreditation Report in which to make the accreditation decision.
If you are not the principal, you will refer to the principal’s attestation when making your
judgement and decision. Your TAA’s processes should include timeframes for principals or
equivalent for early childhood teachers and non-school/service based teachers5 to make their
attestation in enough time for you to make the accreditation decision by the end of the 28-day
period.
The 28-day period does not include public holidays, school holidays or employer shutdown
periods. For example, if a teacher in a school acknowledges their Proficient Teacher
Accreditation Report on the last day of a school term, the 28 days that the TAA has to make
the decision does not start until the first day of the following term.
After reviewing a teacher’s documentary evidence, observation report and Proficient Teacher Accreditation Report, you can decide that:
the teacher meets all the requirements for accreditation
the teacher does not meet one or more requirements for accreditation
you can’t confidently make a decision about whether or not the teacher meets all the requirements for accreditation, including after consulting any previous TAA/s.
Guiding questions
When accrediting a teacher at Proficient Teacher you are determining whether the teacher’s
practice is consistent with the practice described in the Standard Descriptors for Proficient
Teacher.
The following questions will help guide your judgements and decisions about accreditation at
Proficient Teacher. However, the collection of evidence submitted by a teacher may not
address them all.
Does the teacher:
create effective teaching and learning experiences?
know the unique backgrounds of children/students and adjust their teaching to meet individual needs and diverse cultural, social and linguistic characteristics?
develop safe, positive and productive learning environments where all children/students are encouraged to participate?
design and implement engaging teaching programs/learning experiences that meet curriculum, assessment and reporting requirements?
use feedback and assessment to analyse and support their children/students’ knowledge and understanding?
use a range of sources, including child/student results, to evaluate their teaching and to adjust their programs to better meet child/student needs?
work collaboratively as part of a team?
work with colleagues to identify, plan and evaluate their own professional learning
5 All TAAs need to have internal policies and procedures in place that enable an attestation to be made for teachers who work in contexts where there is no principal, or for teachers who are the principal.
TAA Accreditation Decision Guide – Proficient Teacher Page 10 of 16
needs?
seek out and respond to advice about educational issues regarding their teaching practice?
communicate effectively with children/students, colleagues, parents/carers and community members and behave professionally and ethically in all forums?
Decisions not to accredit
If a teacher does not meet one or more of the requirements for accreditation at Proficient
Teacher as outlined in the Proficient Teacher Accreditation Policy, you may refuse to accredit
them.
If you cannot confidently make a judgement about whether or not a teacher meets all
requirements for accreditation at Proficient Teacher, you can decide that you are not able to
make a decision about their accreditation.
Refusal to accredit
Teachers should be given as much feedback as possible as early as possible, if there is a risk
you will refuse to accredit them.
Before you can record a decision to refuse to accredit a teacher you must give the teacher 28
days written notice of your intention to refuse to accredit them, including your reasons.
Giving the teacher 28 days warning allows the teacher to provide you with more information or
raise any issues relating to their accreditation that may impact the outcome. When you advise
the teacher of your intention, you may request that they amend or provide additional
documentation in support of their accreditation during the 28 days. At the end of the 28-day
notice period, if your judgement has not changed, you will record your decision not to accredit
the teacher.
You can only refuse to accredit a teacher if:
the teacher has completed at least 160 days of teaching;6
the supervisor has complied with your TAA’s internal policies and procedures7, including that:
˗ they have been provided with adequate supervision, feedback and support during their accreditation period; and
˗ they have been informed of Standard Descriptors they are not meeting and provided advice on how to address them;
you have contacted any other TAA/s, where relevant and following consent from the teacher, to assist you in making the accreditation decision;
the teacher has failed to amend or provide additional supporting documentary evidence that demonstrates they satisfy the requirements for accreditation at Proficient Teacher;
the teacher is unable to meet the requirements for accreditation at Proficient Teacher;
6 Not applicable to decisions about immediate accreditation for returning teachers – see the section in this guide on immediate accreditation at Proficient Teacher for returning teachers. 7 TAAs for non-government schools must refer to NESA’s Guidelines for the Regulation of Teacher Accreditation Authorities for Non-government Schools and Early Childhood Education Centres (the TAA Guidelines) for requirements in relation to internal policies and procedures.
TAA Accreditation Decision Guide – Proficient Teacher Page 11 of 16
and
you have given the teacher 28 calendar days written warning of an intention to refuse their accreditation, including your reasons.
Once you have recorded your decision you must advise the teacher of your decision in writing,
including your reasons for the decision. If a teacher you have refused to accredit is at or near
the end of their timeframe, you should inform NESA.
Not able to make a decision
Before you can record that you are not able to make an accreditation decision for a teacher,
you should seek their consent to contact any previous TAA/s for more information that may
assist you in making a decision.
If the teacher has no previous TAA/s, or does not consent to you contacting them, or consulting
any other TAA/s does not help you to make a decision, you may record that you are not able to
make a decision.
You can only decide that you are unable to make a decision for a teacher if they have:
done fewer than 160 days of teaching during their accreditation period
not worked in the school/service for long enough to allow you to make a judgement about their practice, including following consultation with the teacher’s previous TAA/s, following consent from the teacher, where applicable.
You must record that you are not able to make a decision within 28 calendar days of the teacher’s acknowledgment of their Proficient Teacher Accreditation Report, including your reasons.
Implications for teachers
If you decide not to accredit a teacher, either because the teacher does not meet requirements
or you can’t confidently make a judgement, the teacher will remain accredited at
conditional/provisional until the end of their maximum accreditation timeframe.
Teachers in these cases may continue to work towards achieving Proficient Teacher with any
TAA. They may request an accreditation decision from any TAA any time after your decision to
not accredit them and before the end of their accreditation timeframe.
Teachers who do not gain accreditation at Proficient Teacher by the end of their maximum
timeframe will cease to be accredited. The ceasing process is managed by NESA.
Immediate Proficient Teacher accreditation decisions
You can decide to accredit an eligible, returning teacher at Proficient Teacher without
documentary evidence, an observation report and a Proficient Teacher Accreditation Report
if their practice meets the Standards for Proficient Teacher.
This option is only available to teachers with provisional accreditation who:
taught in a NSW school before 1 October 2004 or an early childhood service before 18 October 2016; or
have previously been accredited at Proficient Teacher or above in NSW.
Your accreditation decision for an eligible returning teacher must be based on whether or not
TAA Accreditation Decision Guide – Proficient Teacher Page 12 of 16
the teacher’s practice meets the Standards for Proficient Teacher.
The application and decision process for immediate accreditation is currently offline.
Teachers can email NESA to confirm their eligibility and request an application form.
You must make a decision about immediate accreditation at Proficient Teacher and record
your decision within 28 calendar days of the returning teacher submitting their request.
If you submit a decision to immediately accredit a teacher at Proficient Teacher who is not
eligible, they will not be accredited at Proficient Teacher.
Your judgement about a returning teacher’s practice against the Standards will be made in
line with the requirements of your TAA’s internal procedures.
In addition to the guiding questions above, you should consider the following when making a
decision about immediate accreditation at Proficient Teacher for a returning teacher:
the teacher’s previous level of accreditation
the length of time away from teaching
the length of employment as a teacher before their absence
the nature of any employment undertaken during their absence from teaching in NSW, including employment as a teacher
any relevant further tertiary study completed during their absence
other appropriate professional or personal circumstances.
NESA online account (eTAMS)
Authorised Person dashboard
You complete all tasks related to accreditation decision making in your NESA online account.8
When a teacher submits their Proficient Teacher Accreditation Report after reading and
acknowledging it, an accreditation decision task will appear in your Authorised Person
dashboard in your NESA online account. You will also receive an email notification.
Other tasks related to the Proficient Teacher accreditation process, including assigning
supervisors, are also completed in your NESA online account. If you are responsible for
assigning supervisors, you will receive notifications to assign supervisors to conditionally and
provisionally accredited teachers who are linked to your school or service.
Please refer to the eTAMS Help page for instructions on how to make Proficient Teacher
accreditation decisions in your NESA online account.
8 Please note NESA will still accept Proficient Teacher applications completed following the offline process, however, all teachers are encouraged to finalise their accreditation following the online process.
TAA Accreditation Decision Guide – Proficient Teacher Page 14 of 16
Glossary
Term Definition
annotation (of
documentary
evidence)
A written description by the teacher that explains how an item of documentary
evidence relates to the two to four Standard Descriptors identified, and how
the teacher has successfully integrated the identified Standard Descriptors in
their teaching practice.
approved early
childhood service
(service)
A centre-based early childhood education service, approved under the
Children (Education and Care Services) National Law NSW or the Children
(Education and Care Services) Supplementary Provisions Act 2011.
authentication (of
documentary
evidence)
Confirmation by a teacher’s colleague, who is accredited at Proficient Teacher
or above, that the documentary evidence is the teacher’s own work. The
teacher’s colleague is not confirming whether or not the teacher’s
documentary evidence meets the Standards. Teachers should ensure that
any authentication of their evidence is completed within a reasonable time of
the evidence being collected. A teacher’s evidence may be authenticated
electronically through their NESA online account or in hardcopy. Evidence
authenticated in hardcopy must be signed, dated and include the NESA
account number of the authenticator. Authentication of documentary evidence
occurs throughout a teacher’s accreditation period and before annotation.
Authorised
Delegate
An officer of the TAA, such as a member of the governing board of the TAA or
the chief executive officer, director or other executive role within the TAA, or a
position within the school or early childhood education centre, such as a
Principal (or equivalent), that has been delegated authority by the legal entity
of the TAA to exercise the functions of the TAA.
calendar days For the purposes of Proficient Teacher accreditation, any reference to
calendar days excludes school holidays and employer shutdown periods, as
applicable. If the last day of a specified number of calendar days is a
Saturday, Sunday or Public Holiday, the last day is calculated as the first
school/work day following.
casual teacher A teacher employed by a school/service/employer on a casual basis.
colleague A colleague is a teacher accredited at Proficient Teacher or above who works
in a professional capacity with a teacher and/or supervisor and who has an
understanding of the relevant context. Colleagues can also authenticate items
of documentary evidence for a teacher, see ‘authentication (of documentary
evidence)’
documentary
evidence
Primary evidence of the teacher’s practice that they produce in the course of
their work that illustrates practice at the Standard Descriptors for Proficient
Teacher.
TAA Accreditation Decision Guide – Proficient Teacher Page 15 of 16
Term Definition
immediate
accreditation at
Proficient Teacher
The accreditation at Proficient Teacher of a ‘returning teacher’ at any point
during their provisional (re-)accreditation timeframe without the need to fulfil
the requirements set out in Section 4.2 of the Proficient Teacher Accreditation
Policy.
NESA online
account (eTAMS)
A teacher’s accreditation record and profile in NESA’s online teacher
accreditation database, the electronic Teacher Accreditation Management
System (eTAMS).
observation report A report written by a supervisor after doing an observation of practice for a
teacher who is working towards accreditation at Proficient Teacher.
principal The most senior member of the teaching staff of a school, with responsibility
for the effective and efficient day-to-day operations of the school, including
compliance with the Education Act 1990.
professional
activities
The activities that teachers undertake in the course of their teaching practice
in relation to the Standards’ three domains of Professional Knowledge,
Professional Practice and Professional Engagement.
professional
development
Processes, activities and experiences that provide opportunities to extend
teacher learning and support accreditation against the Standards.
Proficient Teacher
Accreditation
Report
The report that a supervisor writes when a provisionally or conditionally
accredited teacher is finalising their accreditation at Proficient Teacher. It is a
description of how a teacher’s practice holistically meets the 7 Standards.
returning teacher A teacher who has previously been accredited at Proficient, Highly
Accomplished or Lead Teacher, or is eligible to be accredited at Proficient
Teacher and has had more than five years away from teaching in NSW.
Standard
Descriptors
The organisers within the Standards that describe professional knowledge,
practice and engagement at four career stages – Graduate, Proficient, Highly
Accomplished and Lead.
the Standards the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers
supervisor For the purposes of Proficient Teacher accreditation, the term supervisor
refers to a teacher who has been delegated in line with the TAA’s procedures
to support a provisionally/conditionally accredited teacher to develop their
practice against the Standards and to fulfil the roles and responsibilities
described in Section 10.2 of the Proficient Teacher Accreditation Policy.
Supervisors must be accredited at Proficient Teacher or above. It is not
required that a teacher undertaking the supervision as described in this Policy
hold a formal supervisory or management role.
TAA Accreditation Decision Guide – Proficient Teacher Page 16 of 16
Term Definition
Teacher
Accreditation
Authority (TAA)
A person or body authorised to accredit teachers at specified levels of
accreditation, in accordance with Part 4 of the Teacher Accreditation Act
2004.
In government schools the TAA is the principal.
In Catholic systemic schools the TAA is an officer appointed by the Diocese.
In most independent schools the TAA is the principal.
For most early childhood teachers, NESA is the TAA. (NESA is not the TAA
for early childhood teachers employed in a service operated by a school).
verification (of
documentary
evidence)
Confirmation by the supervisor that the teacher’s annotated documentary
evidence addresses the Standard Descriptor/s identified. Verification of
evidence serves also to confirm that the evidence is the teacher’s own work.
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