Changes to accreditation processes for ACHPER NSW and teachers
In response to an internal review of NESA’s processes for endorsing professional development (PD) providers and feedback from stakeholders, NESA are limiting their accreditation of courses to four priority areas that provide effective professional learning. The priority areas are:
- delivery and assessment of NSW Curriculum/Early Years Learning Framework (as applicable)
- student/child mental health
- students/children with disability
- Aboriginal education and supporting Aboriginal students/children.
Interim NESA accreditation of PL activities
All ACHPER NSW workshops to be run in Term 1 and Term 2 have interim accreditation with NESA.
The remaining hours can be a combination of NESA Accredited and Elective PD.
Elective PD must meet the Standards at the applicable accreditation level and be selected from the list of approved Elective PD activities.
- any course and/or activity in a priority area that is not accredited
- integrating ICT into teaching practice
- legislative requirements (eg anaphylaxis, child protection, sectoral/school policy requirements etc)
- meeting professional ethics and responsibilities, including courses on meeting teacher accreditation requirements
- strategies for effective engagement with parents/carers and the community
- mentoring, coaching, professional dialogue supporting teaching practice
- educational leadership
- relevant further study
- professional commitment activities.
Interim Elective PD criteria
Elective PD that you record for your maintenance of accreditation requirements must address a minimum 3 of the following criteria:
- enhance teaching practice to effect positive change and impact on student/child learning progress and achievement
- link to clear and relevant goals that are related to improving student/child outcomes
- be job-embedded and provide opportunities for collaboration, transference and application
- involve opportunities to give and receive feedback and/or undertake self-reflection and reflection on the teaching practice of others
- be research based and evidence based.
The place of professional reading in your PL plans
If you are including professional reading related to one of the Elective PD activities, it must address the following criteria:
- meet the Standards at the applicable accreditation level
- be job-embedded and provide opportunities for collaboration, transference and application
- be a self-reflection on how this reading has impacted teaching practice
- be research based and evidence based.
Professional commitment activities
Professional commitment is PD that shows an ongoing capacity to support the PD and practice of your colleagues and the wider education community.
Professional commitment activities include:
- mentoring or coaching teachers or teacher education students
- supervising teacher education students, provisionally/conditionally accredited teachers or Proficient Teachers
- leading professional development or educational forums in a school/service or through professional teaching associations or networks
- developing and implementing projects, including research in early childhood education and care services, schools or the wider education community
- writing for publications that contribute to professional knowledge and discussion for teachers.
What does this mean for ACHPER NSW’s PL plans?
- participate in ongoing, school-embedded PL programs that are underpinned by collaboration and transference of professional learning to their local setting
- present PL workshops developed by ACHPER NSW to demonstrate and ongoing commitment to supporting the practice of your colleagues
- engage as a mentor or coach to early career teachers or newly appointed head teachers
- participate in professional reading circles to investigate the latest evidence and translate it into your school context
- give and receive feedback to support self-reflection and enhance your teaching practice.
