Download or print
Download NSW Teacher Accreditation Manual
Current as of Monday, 04 December 2023.
Request accessible format of this publication.
NSW Teacher Accreditation Manual
Glossary
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Accreditation Supervisor | A teacher accredited at Proficient Teacher (or above) who has been allocated in line with the school/service’s internal procedures to fulfil the roles and responsibilities described in Section 14.2. |
| ACECQA | Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority. |
| ACECQA approved qualification | A qualification assessed to be approved or recognised by ACECQA. |
| active accreditation | Accreditation at Provisional, Conditional, Proficient, Highly Accomplished or Lead Teacher where the teacher is not accredited as a Non-practising teacher or on an approved Leave of Absence or their accreditation is not currently suspended. |
| annotation (of documentary evidence) | A written description by a teacher that explains how an item/set of their evidence relates to the two to four Standard Descriptors identified, and how the teacher has successfully integrated the identified Standard Descriptors in their teaching practice. |
| applicant | An applicant for teacher accreditation in NSW. HALT applicant – A Proficient Teacher who has started an application for accreditation at either Highly Accomplished or Lead Teacher. |
| assessor | The collective term used to refer to HALT Assessors and External Assessors. See also ‘HALT Assessor’ and ‘External Assessor’. |
| Assessor Training Program | Mandatory training delivered by NESA for HALT Assessors, External Assessors and NESA officers responsible for making judgements and decisions about HALT accreditation. |
| authentication (of documentary evidence) | Confirmation by a teacher’s colleague, who is accredited at Proficient Teacher or above, that the documentary evidence is the teacher’s own work. Authentication is not confirmation of whether the documentary evidence meets the Standards. |
| bar (WWCC) | A bar placed on a person’s WWCC clearance by the OCG. A person cannot work in child related employment while there is a bar on their WWCC. |
| cancellation (of accreditation) | See 'voluntary cancellation’. |
| cancelled WWCC | The cancellation of a person’s WWCC clearance by the OCG. A person cannot work in child-related employment if their WWCC is cancelled. |
| casual teacher | A teacher who is employed on a casual basis, according to the terms of their employment. |
| ceasing (to be accredited) | The cessation of a teacher’s provisional or conditional accreditation, in line with the TA Act (Section 30(5) or 31(4)). Teachers who cease to be accredited are not eligible for employment as a teacher in a NSW school/service unless they are re-accredited by NESA. |
| closed WWCC | The closure of a person’s WWCC clearance application by the OCG. A person cannot work in child-related employment if their WWCC is closed. |
| colleague | A teacher accredited at any level (unless otherwise stated) who works with the teacher. |
| Conditional accreditation | NESA may conditionally accredit a person (in line with the TA Act, Section 31) if:
|
| days | All references to a number of days in the TA Manual excludes school holidays and employer shutdown periods (as applicable) except where NESA issues 14 days’ written notice of an intention to revoke or suspend a teacher’s accreditation (which includes school holidays and employer shutdown periods, as indicated in the TA Manual). |
| documentary evidence (of practice) | Primary evidence of a teacher’s practice that they produce in the course of their work. For HALT applicants, documentary evidence may be a single item or a set of evidence. See also ‘item’ and ‘evidence set’. |
| domains of teaching | The three domains that the seven Standards are grouped into: Professional Knowledge, Professional Practice and Professional Engagement. |
| early childhood service (service) | A centre-based early childhood service (referred to as an ‘early childhood education centre’ in the TA Act) approved within the meaning of the Children (Education and Care Services) National Law (NSW) or the Children (Education and Care Services) Supplementary Provisions Act 2011. |
| early childhood provider | An individual or an entity such as a company, an association or a partnership that holds a Provider Approval granted under the Children (Education and Care Services) National Law (NSW). This approval authorises the provider to operate an approved education and care service. |
| Elective Professional Development | Activities completed by teachers in or outside the school/service or workplace that contribute to a teacher’s ongoing professional learning and meet NESA’s principles for effective professional learning. |
| employer | For the purposes of the TA Manual, an ‘employer’ is a person, entity or organisation that employs, engages or contracts an accredited teacher to teach. See also ‘teacher’ and ‘teach’. |
| eTAMS | NESA’s electronic Teacher Accreditation Management System. |
| evidence set | A group of items related by a general theme (e.g., unit of work, curriculum area or professional learning program). For example, a unit plan that is combined with an assessment rubric, student feedback and student data. Applicants may choose whether to link their items into ‘sets’. See also ‘item’ and ‘documentary evidence’. |
| executive teaching staff | A member of the executive staff of a school or early childhood employer who holds a degree or teaching qualification recognised by NESA. Executive teaching staff may or may not be engaged in the delivery and assessment of curriculum or approved learning framework. |
| External Assessor | A teacher accredited at Proficient Teacher or above (including those on a Leave of Absence, or accredited as a Non-practising teacher) with relevant experience and expertise who has satisfactorily completed the online and face-to-face components of NESA’s Assessor Training Program, including training on conducting Site Visits. External Assessors are recognised as Assessors for national certification. |
| HALT | Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher. |
| HALT Assessor | A teacher accredited at Proficient Teacher or above (including those on a Leave of Absence, or accredited as a Non-practising teacher) with relevant experience and expertise who has satisfactorily completed the online and face-to-face components of NESA’s Assessor Training Program. HALT Assessors are recognised as Assessors for national certification. |
| HALT Module Report | A report completed by HALT Assessors to provide feedback to an applicant and NESA on the applicant’s documentary evidence. |
| higher levels | A collective term for the Highly Accomplished Teacher and Lead Teacher levels of the Standards. |
| IELTS International English Language Testing System. | An international standardised test of English language proficiency for non-native English language speakers. |
| immediate accreditation (at Proficient Teacher) | The accreditation at Proficient Teacher of a returning teacher at any point during their reaccreditation timeframe without the requirement to submit annotated documentary evidence or a report on an observation of their practice, as set out in Section 12.6 of the TA Manual. See also ‘returning teacher’. |
| interim bar (WWCC) | The OCG places a temporary bar on a person’s WWCC clearance. A person cannot work in child-related employment if there is an interim bar on their WWCC. |
| interstate teacher | A qualified teacher who holds full and current registration from an Australian state or territory teacher regulatory authority other than NESA. |
| ISLPR | International Second Language Proficiency Ratings. A personalised language test used to measure a person’s proficiency in English and other languages. The only valid and reliable ISLPR results are those accredited and issued by ISLPR International Accreditation Authority (IIAA). |
| item (of documentary evidence) | An individual piece of documentary evidence or extract which relates to a teacher’s practice at two to four Standard Descriptors. For example, a plan for learning, a policy statement, a PowerPoint presentation, a collection of assessment details. See also ‘evidence set’ and ‘documentary evidence’. |
| learning environment | A setting or situation in which the teaching of children/students occurs in a NSW school/service including but not limited to distance education settings and hospital schools. |
| Leave of Absence | A period of leave from accreditation that a teacher applies for in advance in their NESA online account and which puts their accreditation timeframe on hold. A Leave of Absence from accreditation is distinct from any leave granted by an employer. |
| line manager | An individual employed in the same school/service/workplace as the teacher applying for or maintaining accreditation who the teacher reports to either directly or indirectly. |
| MR Act | Mutual Recognition Act 1992 (Commonwealth legislation). |
| NESA | NSW Education Standards Authority. NESA is established under the NESA Act (Part 2, Section 4). |
| NESA Accredited Professional Development | A professional development course in an identified priority area that has been assessed and accredited in line with NESA’s Accreditation of Professional Development Courses Policy. See also ‘(mandatory) priority area’ and ‘(optional) priority area’. |
| NESA Act | Education Standards Authority Act 2013. |
| Non-practising teacher | A teacher with Proficient Teacher accreditation who is not teaching in a school/service who opts to remain an accredited member of the profession and changes their accreditation status to Non-practising in their NESA online account (eTAMS). |
| non-school/service based teacher | An accredited teacher who is not teaching in a school/service, but who has taught in a school or service, and who is employed to undertake duties specified in the TA Act Section 3. |
| NTBE list | The list of people maintained by the Secretary of the Department of Education under Section 7(1)(e) of the Teaching Service Act 1980 as a person who is not to be employed in the Teaching Service. |
| OCG | NSW Office of the Children’s Guardian. The OCG administers WWCC clearances. |
| orientation | The provision of information by NESA about accreditation requirements and processes for teachers seeking accreditation at Proficient Teacher or HALT. |
| PD | Professional Development. |
| PEAT | Professional English Assessment for Teachers (PEAT) Test. A test designed to determine the level of competence in English of overseas trained teachers who wish to gain approval to teach in NSW Department of Education schools. It is not an assessment of subject matter competence but an assessment of English language skills within the educational context. The result obtained in each language component of the PEAT indicates whether a teacher’s proficiency is of a standard which would enable them to teach and interact effectively and confidently in a school setting in NSW. |
| principal | For the purposes of the TA Manual, the individual(s) appointed to the role of ‘principal’ or ‘Head of School’. |
| (mandatory) priority area | An area of teaching practice that the Minister, on advice from the NESA Board, has identified as a priority, and in which teachers may complete NESA Accredited PD towards their maintenance requirements. |
| (optional) priority area | An area of teaching practice that the Minister, on advice from the NESA Board, has identified as a priority, and in which teachers may complete NESA Accredited PD towards their maintenance requirements. See also ‘NESA Accredited Professional Development’. |
| professional activities | The activities that teachers undertake in the course of their teaching practice in relation to the Standards’ three domains of Professional Knowledge, Professional Practice and Professional Engagement. |
| professional development | Includes formal and informal learning activities designed to maintain and enhance the knowledge and skills of teachers. See also ‘NESA Accredited Professional Development’ and ‘Elective Professional Development’. |
| professional learning | Growth of teacher expertise through processes, activities and experiences including but not limited to professional development. |
| professional teaching standards | The professional teaching standards approved by the Minister under the TA Act (Section 19). The professional teaching standards include the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers and NESA’s policies for teacher accreditation. |
| Proficient Teacher | Achievement of the Standards at the mandatory level of Proficient Teacher, referred to as full accreditation or full registration in other Australian states and territories. |
| Provisional accreditation | Under Section 30 of the TA Act, NESA may provisionally accredit a person who:
|
| Re-accreditation Panel | A panel formed by NESA, as required, to assess applications for re-accreditation and provide advice to NESA to inform NESA’s decision. Re-accreditation Panels comprise two teachers accredited at Proficient Teacher or above who are trained by NESA. |
| referee | An individual nominated by a teacher to substantiate information or evidence the teacher provides to NESA about their teaching practice for the purposes of gaining or maintaining HALT accreditation. |
| registration | All other jurisdictions require teachers to be registered. NSW uses the term 'accreditation' rather than registration. |
| returning teacher | A teacher who has previously been accredited to teach in NSW and is not currently accredited. |
| revocation | The removal of a teacher’s accreditation by NESA in line with the TA Act, Section 24. |
| service director | For the purposes of the TA Manual, a ‘service director’ is a teacher accredited at Proficient Teacher or above who has some seniority over the teachers whose practice they are making an accreditation recommendation or attestation for This teacher may not have the title of ’service director’ as it is commonly known in an early childhood service. The function of the service director may be assigned to an accredited teacher in the same service, or may be delegated to another teacher within the employer. If there is no one to carry out the function of the service director role, the employer must contact NESA. |
| session of practice | A period of time during a Site Visit where an External Assessor observes an applicant’s practice. |
| set (of evidence) | A group of items of documentary evidence related by a general theme (eg unit of work, curriculum area or professional learning program). For example, a unit plan that is combined with an assessment rubric, student feedback and student data. See also ‘item’ and ‘documentary evidence’ HALT applicants may choose whether to link their items into ‘sets’. |
| Standard Descriptors | The organisers within the Standards that describe professional knowledge, practice and engagement at four career stages – Graduate, Proficient, Highly Accomplished and Lead. |
| Standards | Australian Professional Standards for Teachers suspension (of accreditation) The temporary removal of a teacher’s accreditation, in line with Section 24A of the TA Act. Teachers whose accreditation is suspended are not eligible for employment as a teacher in a NSW school/service unless the suspension is removed by NESA. |
| TA Act | Teacher Accreditation Act 2004 |
| teach | To undertake any or all of the duties related to delivering, assessing or supporting and leading the development and implementation of courses designed to implement the curriculum under the Education Act 1990 in a school or an approved learning framework under the Children (Education and Care Services) National Law (NSW) in a service. |
| teacher | For the purposes of the TA Manual, a ‘teacher’ is a person who is accredited as a teacher by NESA. Individuals employed in NSW schools who do not undertake any of the duties described in the definition of ‘teach’ including those who exclusively deliver courses not developed or endorsed by NESA are not required to be an accredited teacher. |
| Thematic Review | A review conducted by NESA, as directed by the Minister, into any matter arising under the education and teaching legislation, including priorities across schools and systems, for example the Thematic Review on the teaching of writing. |
| TTMR Act | Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition (New South Wales) Act 1997. |
| verification (of documentary evidence) | Confirmation by the supervisor that the teacher’s annotated documentary evidence addresses the Standard Descriptor/s identified. Verification of evidence serves also to confirm that the evidence is the teacher’s own work. Evidence may not need to be authenticated to be verified. Verification is an end-point process that occurs when the teacher is finalising their accreditation. |
| voluntary cancellation | The removal of a teacher’s accreditation by NESA, at the teacher’s request, in line with the TA Act, Section 24E. This does not relate to cancellations undertaken in other jurisdictions. |
| WWCC | NSW Working with Children Check clearance. WWCCs are administered by the OCG. |