Teachers face assessment from the time they commence training. They continue this when they take up their first position, during their probationary period and through the rest of their career, irrespective of whether they remain in the classroom or move into leadership positions which do not involve a formal teaching component.

During their career they face varying forms of assessment. The first is as part of registration, then their probationary process. Others may include assessment for promotion, as part of professional development in the school setting or with further education, when seeking specialist positions, … . Assessment in some form accompanies teachers throughout their careers.

Assessment types may include formal, structured assessment, peer assessment, self-assessment, teaching standards, the mentoring process and many less formal areas.

This page gives access to procedures and programs used in each state & territory, special reviews and reports and more. It includes aspects such as peer reviewing and self-assessment where used.

For further information, visit the Professional Development pages and the Teacher Employment page.

States & Territories

Australian Capital Territory

• Professional Conduct
  Includes several PDF documents on Professional Practice and Ethics.
• School Improvement Framework
  Document covering relevant information and roles of all members of staff in achieving this.
• Self Assessment Matrix
  ‘Self assessment is a process that supports schools in improving learning and teaching through ongoing reflection and review. School self assessment is a whole school process of goal-setting regarding student learning, and sets in motion a continuous cycle of internal self-review’.

New South Wales

• Appraisal Services
  ‘The AIS provides staff appraisal services for member schools primarily in the areas of : Teacher Appraisal, Principal Appraisal and Appraisal of non-teaching staff. Please click on the menu items on the left for more information on these areas’.
• Case Studies Of Mentoring
  Beginning Teacher Induction Programs. ‘Provides a framework for orientation to teaching practice in public education, orientation to work in each school as well as induction into the teaching profession generally’.
• Independent Schools Teacher Accreditation Authority
  ‘Established by AIS NSW in support of raising the professional status of teachers in the NSW and ACT independent sectors. This Authority formally recognises the achievements of teachers within the classroom, school and educational community’. Part of the wider Teacher Accreditation section of the AIS.
• New South Wales Institute of Teachers
  Now does the initial and ongoing registration of teachers.
• Professional Teaching Standards
  ‘Describe[s] what teachers need to know, understand and be able to do as well as providing direction and structure to enhance the preparation, support and development of teachers’. You can download a copy of the Professional Teaching Standards here.
• Promotion and Transfer
  Merit Selection, Promotion & Transfer. Includes documentation. NSW Department of Education and Training.
• Other Government Reports, Reviews & Inquiries

Northern Territory

• Accomplished Teachers - Professional Standards
  Information about the standards and ethics for this program which replaced the Teachers of Exemplary Practice system.
• Accountability and Performance Improvement Framework
  ‘The Accountability and Performance Improvement Framework is an initiative to improve employment, education and training outcomes in the Northern Territory. It provides a system of accountability for the whole department including schools, and allows us to monitor and improve the quality of services we provide’. Includes an Overview and Guide for Schools.
• Competent Teachers
  From the Teacher Registration Board.
• Graduate Teachers
  From the Teacher Registration Board.
• Graduate, Competent and Accomplished Teachers
  From the Teacher Registration Board.
• Standards Project
  From the Teacher Registration Board. Also available in RTF format.
• Teacher Registration Board
  Involved in assessment prior to, and after, being employed. Their Professional Standards and Ethics information is worth considering.

Queensland

• Achieving School Improvement
  Through Challenging and Changing Teachers’ Schema. Article by Helen Timperley and Viviane Robinson.
• Applying for Teacher Employment 2008
  Document includes information on assessment.
• Draft Expectations of Teachers
  Word document. Only available to registered IDEAS Connect Schools. You must be able to log in.
• Employee Professional Development and Training
  Part of Department of Education Manual.
• New Professionalism
  ‘A teacher recognition program designed to recognise the exemplary work of teachers, enhance the status of the teaching profession and highlight innovative practices’.
• Professional Standards for Queensland Teachers
  Includes information from both Education Queensland and the Queensland College of Teachers in downloadable documents.
• Professional Practice, Guidelines
  Document that ‘describe[s] the knowledge, skills and abilities that teachers demonstrate while providing relevant and worthwhile learning experiences for individuals and groups of students’.
• Professional Standards …
  Documents on the development and implementation of professional standards. [Learning and Development Foundation]
• Performance and Professional Development
  Home page for a range of information on multiple aspects of this area.
• School Planning, Reviewing and Reporting Framework
  A copy of the 2011 Framework can be downloaded here.

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South Australia

• Advanced Skills Teachers
  Information about ASTs and AST1 and AST2 positions. Check menu on the left for further details.
• Creating and Sustaining a Performance Development Culture
  Covers a range of performance and development areas. The Performance and Development Policy and the Partnerships for Performance brochure are both available from this site.
• Managing Underperformance Procedures - Teachers
  ‘Provides guidance on the process of addressing underperformance for [this group] in the Department’. In addition there are a range of documents covering Natural Justice and Procedural Fairness [Overview] and Natural Justice and Procedural Fairness [Checklist] available here.
• Professional Development User Guide
  Document from Human Resources which also includes information about Performance Management and links to a Personal Development Plan.
• Selection Policies and Procedures
  Word and PDF documents on merit selection. Click on Procedures.
• School Staff Information
  Click on Human Resources for the following.

• Performance Management;
• Roles;
• Registration;
• Further information.

Tasmania

• Code of Professional Ethics
  For The Teaching Profession in Tasmania.
• Discipline & Inquiries
  Covers the relevant part of the Act as well as information on the conduct of investigations, hearings and inquiries.
• Tasmanian Professional Teaching Standards Framework
  Information plus various downloads including the Competence Standard.
• Teachers Registration Board
  ‘As well as registering teachers, the Board promotes the teaching profession, takes action to improve professional teaching standards … and develops and maintains a code of professional ethics for the teaching profession’.

Victoria

• Human Resources - Teacher Registration
  Information on Teachers Registration, including forms and resources.
• Human Resources - Resources & Manuals
  Online, Word or PDF versions of documents for both school staff and Public Service staff. Select appropriate link.
• Human Resources - Workforce Management
  Access Performance Management, selecting and appointing staff and handling excess staff.
• Human Resources - Workforce Management, Dimensions of Work
  ‘Within each category of employment, roles and responsibilities expected are defined at each classification level’.
• Human Resources - Workforce Management, Performance Management
  Performance Management for all staff groups.
• Human Resources - Workforce Management, Unsatisfactory Performance
  What is involved when there is unsatisfactory staff performance.

Western Australia

• Competency Framework for Teachers
  Also check the PDF version here.
• Employee Performance Policy
  ‘Policy Statement, Background, Scope’. Download a copy of the policy from here.
• School Improvement and Accountability
  ‘Policy Statement, Background, Scope’ Covers areas such as self-assessment and review. You can download a copy of the School Improvement and Accountability Framework here.
• Senior Teachers
• Staff Conduct
  Check the PDF version as it is no longer available in HTML.
• Western Australian College of Teaching
  Teacher Registration body.

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Other Information

Australian Research :

• Estimating Teacher Effectiveness
  From Two-Year Changes in Students’ Test Scores. ‘A paper [2007] on teacher effectiveness [ ]. So far as I know, it’s the first value-added study to be conducted outside the United States’. Other comments can be found at the author’s blog.
• Is Too Little Teacher Evaluation Better Than Poor Teacher Evaluation ?
  ‘Evaluating the work of teachers in Australian schools - Vision and Reality’, a paper from Edith Cowan University for the AARE Conference, Brisbane, 2002.
• Review of Teacher Education in New South Wales
  Quality Matters. The Ramsey Report.
• Teaching Standards and Teacher Evaluation
  Access multiple research information collated by ACER.

General Sites

• Assessing the Effectiveness of School Leaders
  New Directions and New Processes. ‘A 15 page US paper describing the elements of a possible new direction in school leader assessment - what should be assessed, and how’. PDF format.
• Draft National Professional Standards for Teachers 2010
  Find details of the process, download the document, provide feedback during the consultation period till 7 May 2010.
• A National Framework for Professional Standards For Teaching 2003
• Exploring Teacher Peer Review
  Teavhers Evaluating Teachers. Research covering what it is and providing examples of how it can be implemented.
• Evaluation and Rewards
  Brief article compiled by the OECD with a link to information on international practices.
• Professional Teaching Standards for Literacy
  Report by Mandy Paske, Tasmanian Department of Education, for the 2001 AATE/ALEA Joint National Conference.
• Peer Review of Teaching
  For Flinders University staff. Details valuable aspects in the process.
• RateMyTeachers Australia
  A different kind of assessment ! ‘Teacher ratings by students and parents’.
• Reflections on Quality Teaching
  Article looking at different definitions of quality teaching and what occurs when these don’t match up.
• Review of Teachers’ Standards : The Department for Education UK
  ‘This section contains information about the review, including links to the new teachers’ standards and to both reports including the proposed Master Teacher standard; the review’s terms of reference; information about the teachers’ standards review group; and questions and answers ’.
• Spotlight on Teacher Evaluation
  ‘The Education Week Spotlight on Teacher Evaluation is a collection of articles hand-picked by our editors. You get these eight articles and a resource guide in a downloadable PDF’. There is a charge but it is very reasonable [US$4.95]
• Top Teachers To Get Financial Rewards
  ‘One in ten, or 25 000 primary and secondary teachers, will benefit from the plan which will cost $1.3 billion to 2018. Teachers will be assessed through student performance data, lesson observations, parental feedback and teacher qualifications’. ABC News,
• Why Assess Teachers - Rethinking Schools Online
  US based. Education articles include this one on ‘Why Assess Teachers ?’, covering principles and essential questions.
• Self- and Peer-Assessment
  Guidance on Practice in the Biosciences. You can download the guide this link. Part of a series of guides.

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