Click here to download the Position Paper (150Kb pdf file). The unformatted text is published below.

This statement addresses:

(i) matters relating to professional standards and accreditation,

(ii) related matters of concern identified for further exploration

Based on workshops held at the 2008 National Conference in Perth and discussions at the ASPA Executive in November 2008 Agreed at ASPA Executive Meeting November 2008. Adopted by SASPA Board in May 2009.

PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS AND ACCREDITATION
The Australian Secondary Principals' Association believes that:

1. To achieve its goals in relation to the education of our young people, Australia should commit to a long‐term, broad‐ranging process of re‐defining and re‐invigorating the teaching profession. Central to this process is the development by the profession of:

a. an extensive, evidence‐derived knowledge base,

b. a code of professional practice including a set of aspirational standards for teaching and school leadership,

c. a range of high‐quality professional learning opportunities and resources

2. A key element of such a process is the establishment of a national framework and procedures for the professional accreditation of teachers and school leaders.

(Accreditation = A formal process by which a recognised and authorised professional body assesses and certifies that an
individual meets the applicable standards for membership of the profession and/or a particular level of standing
within the profession. The use of the term here is distinct from "registration" "or "licensure" by which an
accredited member of the profession is granted (usually by a governmental agency) the legal authority to operate
as a practitioner of the profession within a particular jurisdiction.)

3. The accreditation processes should take proper account of school‐level evidence; however the certification authority should be independent of and external to the school, the employer and the registration authority.

4. The framework should provide for all teachers and teacher trainees:

a. Initial, entry‐level accreditation via the accrediting of teacher education courses and providers.

b. A confirmatory accreditation determined after a relatively brief, but sufficient period of successful professional practice.

c. An advanced accreditation determined after a further period of successful professional practice and recognising professional leadership characteristics and further professional learning in addition to teaching practice.

and for school leaders:

d. A differentiated leadership accreditation determined after suitable periods of successful school leadership.

5. The standards should articulate the professional aspirations for each level and explicitly describe the attributes expected for accreditation.

6. The accreditation process should be rigorous and transparent, taking account of a range of professional practice indicators with sufficient flexibility to allow for a variety of school contexts.

7. Accredited status should attract remuneration and benefits consistent with the recognition and reward of high‐level professional skills.

8. Accreditation should be determined solely by reference to agreed professional standards and should not be competitive or quota‐based.

9. The proposal by the Business Council of Australia is an appropriate starting point for developing a national model. The general concept of Accomplished/Leading Teacher proposed in the BCA scheme is supported, however since ASPA's goal is the improvement of standards for all teachers and school leaders, an initial level of accreditation and the nature of the training courses leading up to it are of primary concern. ASPA also believes that the recognition of school leadership as a related, though distinct, segment of the profession is long overdue.

ISSUES FOR FURTHER EXPLORATION

THE CHANGE PROCESSES PROPOSED BY ASPA AND BCA WILL NECESSITATE AND CREATE A MAJOR SHIFT IN CULTURE THROUGH THE SCHOOL EDUCATION WORKFORCE IN AUSTRALIA. WHILE THE GOALS ARE CLEAR, NOT ALL OF THE STRATEGIES, DEVELOPMENTAL STEPS AND IMPLICATIONS CAN BE CLEARLY ARTICULATED AT THIS TIME.

Commitment to the change process will need the willing engagement of government, employers and all stakeholder groups in order to, among other things:

1. ensure a strong supply of high‐quality teachers generally and in particular to attract high performing teachers: a. to rural, remote and other difficult to staff schools b. into particular subject disciplines.

2. retain excellent teachers in the profession by providing salary structures and incentives which value their work as professional educators.

3. provide career paths and appropriate rewards for both classroom roles and leadership roles.

4. learn from and build on the experience in some states (eg Institutes of Teachers in New South Wales and Victoria) and internationally where accreditation/registration systems are already in place.

5. determine regulatory issues such as whether accreditation of individuals and courses, should be subject to periodic review and the nature of any such review.

6. Examine the interaction between school context and the accreditation process/opportunities, with a view to ensuring that aspirants are neither advantaged nor disadvantaged by virtue of the particular attributes of their school.

7. Manage emergent effects of the change process as it unfolds, including but not limited to:

a. Finding appropriate relativities between leadership and management positions

b. Managing the complexity and costs of the accreditation process so that aspirants are not deterred from engaging with it.

c. questions of providing the time and resources to implement the change so that the teaching of students is not compromised.