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Teachers given more opportunities to professionally grow with NESA changes
Freya Lucas
Sep 25, 2024
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New South Wales teachers, including those with early childhood degrees, will be given more opportunities to enhance their teaching and grow as expert educators through meaningful changes to professional development requirements.
The changes mean that NSW teachers maintaining their accreditation will:
- No longer be forced to undertake 50 of their 100 hours of accredited professional development in previously mandated areas.
- No longer need to write time-consuming evaluations for the professional development they complete.
- Be able to identify the professional development that is relevant to their teaching and the education of their students.
- Be supported by NESA to identify effective professional development with the introduction of a new framework and a list of Recognised Providers.
- Be able to include compliance training towards their 100 hours, provided it aligns with The Australian Professional Standards for Teachers.
The changes aim to make professional development more valuable and ensure teachers are undertaking relevant, high-quality professional learning that benefits students in the classroom.
Teachers will still be required to complete 100 hours of professional development every five years (or seven years for part-time or casual teachers) to maintain their accreditation.
The changes followed a review of accreditation requirements by NESA into whether they were limiting opportunities for teachers to strengthen their practice.
Under the previous NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) structure some teachers felt restricted by the limited range of what could be counted towards their 100-hours of mandated professional development - a requirement which will now be removed. In doing so, it will bring NSW into line with the rest of the country and “remove unnecessary red tape” that was adding to teachers’ administrative workloads.
The move was a central recommendation to the NSW Government by NESA, which oversees accreditation for public, independent and Catholic education sectors.
Despite the changes the professional development undertaken by teachers will still need to be aligned to the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers, which includes professional development to address student wellbeing and equity cohorts, particularly those called out in the Disability Royal Commission.
The changes also include measures to ensure the quality of professional development, with a framework to be developed to support teachers in identifying effective learning, as well as a list of providers recognised by the NESA.
An expert advisory panel will be established to oversee the professional development process and, to ensure accountability, NESA will undertake random audits.“These changes will ensure that every hour of professional learning that our teachers undertake is valuable to their classroom and their students,” Deputy Premier and Minister for Education and Early Learning Prue Car said.
“To improve student outcomes we need to provide high-quality, evidence-based professional learning for teachers, not tie them up in red tape and restrictive requirements that do not add value to their teaching.
“Professional development shouldn’t be about box ticking, it should be supporting our expert educators to enhance their practice.”
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