Great teaching, Inspired Learning

1. Great teaching, Inspired Learning A blueprint for action

2. Consultation began 31 July 2012 – ended 2 November 2012 • 98 formal responses were received. • 577 comments were made to the on-line discussion forum. • Greatest number of contributions came from individual teachers. • Feedback was analysed and grouped into key themes.

3. Key themes from the consultation were: The quality of graduate teachers, the supply of graduate teachers, and the preparation of teachers including the practical placement. Support for beginning teachers, mentoring and induction School leadership, professional learning, professional standards and accreditation, and teachers not meeting the required standards. Identifying and developing excellent teachers, encouraging, recognising and rewarding excellence, and incentives for teachers.

4. The Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation prepared a report Great Teaching, Inspired Learning – What does the evidence tell us about effective teaching?The report confirms that quality teaching matters, and it summarises the research on those areas that afford the greatest opportunity for action

5. Research findings - Initial Teacher Education; • Entrants into teacher training should be high academic performers • Teacher trainees need strong subject matter preparation • Teachers need to learn good classroom management skills • Teachers need to be taught how to use assessment data • Good teacher preparation requires quality practicum experience

6. Research – beginning teachers • Effective recruitment and placement processes • Effective induction and mentoring • Research – teaching careers • Effective professional development • Rewarding effectiveness

7. Great Teaching, Inspired Learning a blueprint for action Summary of the actions

8. Initial Teacher Education Entrants into teacher education will be high academic performers, have well-developed literacy and numeracy skills and show an aptitude for teaching. Teaching will attract more of the brightest and motivated school leavers and career changers. NSW teacher education programs will produce high quality graduates with personal attributes suited to teaching. All teacher education students will receive high quality professional experience as part of their teacher education programs. The quality of the teaching workforce in NSW will be informed by a strong evidence base.

9. Initial Teacher Education Outcome Actions • Entrants to undergraduate programs will require 3 HSC Band 5 results, including English. • They will need to pass a literacy and numeracy assessment before their final-year placement. • Develop a framework of attributes to assess suitability for teaching. • Entrants into teacher education will be high academic performers, have well-developed literacy and numeracy skills and show an aptitude for teaching.

10. Initial Teacher Education Outcome Actions • Teaching will attract more of the brightest and motivated school leavers and career changers. • Incentives to attract more of the best and brightest school leavers into teaching. • More options offered for the qualification and employment of teachers and attraction of career changers into teaching.

11. Initial Teacher Education Outcome Actions • NSW teacher education programs will produce high quality graduates with personal attributes suited to teaching. • Annual public reporting on the quality of ITE courses. • Stronger ITE training in the use of student assessment data. • Teachers better able to engage with parents and the school community.

12. Initial Teacher Education Outcome Actions (part 1) • All teacher education students will receive high quality professional experience as part of their teacher education programs. • New framework to strengthen the professional placement. • Matching supply of graduate teachers with demand for graduate teachers. • Specialist professional experience schools. • Supervisors will need to undertake professional learning.

13. Initial Teacher Education Outcome Actions (part 2) • All teacher education students will receive high quality professional experience as part of their teacher education programs. • Accredited Highly Accomplished and Lead Teachers will lead the professional experience activities of schools. • ITE staff with recent teaching experience. • Consistent and rigorous assessment of professional placements. • Seek Commonwealth support for improving placements.

14. Initial Teacher Education Outcome Actions • The quality of the teaching workforce in NSW will be informed by a strong evidence base. • Data collected and shared to create a workforce profile of the NSW teaching profession. • Information about the quality of ITE programs publicly reported. • The extent and quality of online study in teacher education examined.

15. Entry into the profession • All beginning teachers will receive a high quality induction program to support their entry into the teaching profession. • All beginning teachers will receive high quality support to enhance their teaching skills during their first year of teaching. • Teachers returning to the profession will be required to refresh and update their knowledge of curriculum, pedagogy and educational expectations. • Accreditation and probation processes in NSW government schools will be aligned to create one system for beginning teachers.

16. Entry into the profession Outcome Actions • All beginning teachers will receive a high quality induction program to support their entry into the teaching profession. • Strengthen the induction for permanent beginning teachers. • Casual and short-term temporary teachers able to access better induction support.

17. Entry into the profession Outcome Actions • All beginning teachers will receive high quality support to enhance their teaching skills during their first year of teaching. • The responsibilities or teaching loads for permanent beginning teachers should be restructured so they can be supported by mentoring and collaborative practices. • Casual and short-term temporary beginning teachers supported.

18. Entry into the profession Outcome Actions • Teachers returning to the profession will be required to refresh and update their knowledge of curriculum, pedagogy and educational expectations • All teachers returning to the profession after an absence of five years or more required to complete a refresher course.

19. Entry into the profession Outcome Actions • Accreditation and probation processes in NSW government schools will be aligned to create one system for beginning teachers. • Processes for teacher probation and provisional accreditation will be aligned to the Institute’s processes for accreditation and the Department’s performance management processes. • Streamlined reporting to make it easier for government teachers to satisfy the requirements of both the Institute and the Department.

20. Develop and maintain professionalpractice • The Australian Professional Standards for Teachers will apply to all NSW teachers. • All teachers will be supported by high quality performance and development processes. • The processes of the Institute and school authorities will be streamlined to reduce duplication and give greater recognition to school-based, classroom-focused professional learning. • Underperforming teachers and school leaders will be treated in an efficient and fair way.

21. Develop and maintain professionalpractice Outcome Actions • The Australian Professional Standards for Teachers will apply to all NSW teachers. • Legislation and policy amended to bring all NSW teachers within the scope of the Institute of Teachers Act 2004. • Early childhood teachers in NSW considered for inclusion within the scope of the Institute of Teachers Act 2004.

22. Develop and maintain professionalpractice Outcome Actions • All teachers will be supported by high quality performance and development processes. • Annual teacher performance management and development explicitly linked to the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers and the Australian Teacher Performance and Development Framework. • Streamlined reporting requirements for maintaining accreditation. • The decision as to whether teachers should be accredited as Proficient should be made at the school level.

23. Develop and maintain professionalpractice Outcome Actions • The processes of the Institute and school authorities will be streamlined to reduce duplication and give greater recognition to school-based, classroom-focused professional learning. • Greater recognition given to professional learning undertaken in school. • Simplify processes for the registration of school-based professional learning and endorsement of schools as providers of professional learning. • Streamlined processes for recording and evaluating professional learning for accreditation purposes.

24. Develop and maintain professionalpractice Outcome Actions • Underperforming teachers and school leaders will be treated in an efficient and fair way. • Existing professional management policies and processes dealing with underperformance simplified. • Teachers found unable to meet the Professional Teaching Standards removed from the profession. • Professional support provided for a strengthened annual performance management and development process.

25. Recognise and share outstanding practice • Teaching excellence will be recognised and rewarded through mechanisms that include remuneration and new leadership responsibilities for accredited Highly Accomplished and Lead Teachers. • Teachers who aspire to be principals will have achieved the higher levels of teacher accreditation and undertaken professional learning to prepare them to be leaders of a school. • Excellence in teaching and professional learning will be identified, shared and developed through professional collaboration and learning.

26. Recognise and share outstanding practice Outcome Actions • Teaching excellence will be recognised and rewarded through mechanisms that include remuneration and new leadership responsibilities for accredited Highly Accomplished and Lead Teachers. • Teacher career pathways should be expanded to provide new responsibilities and salary progression based on the attainment of the Professional Teaching Standards. • Accredited Highly Accomplished and Lead Teachers should be recognised so they can contribute to the development of other teachers.

27. Recognise and share outstanding practice Outcome Actions • Teachers who aspire to be principals will have achieved the higher levels of teacher accreditation and undertaken professional learning to prepare them to be leaders of a school. • Succession planning for school leaders. • School leaders better supported so they can drive great teaching in their schools. • New school leadership credentials developed to provide pathways to employment as a school leader.

28. Recognise and share outstanding practice Outcome Actions • Excellence in teaching and professional learning will be identified, shared and developed through professional collaboration and learning. • Teachers should learn through observing others. • Evidence used to determine what professional learning improves student outcomes. • Research evidence applied to determine what professional learning is registered. • Professional bodies supported to inform and provide registered teacher professional learning.