This presentation provides information for principals, service directors and leaders in education on the revised Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher Policy 2022.
Let’s start by looking at the revised Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher Policy, approved in 2022.
Highly Accomplished and Lead Teachers carry nationally recognised certification through the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership. HALT accreditation is a voluntary process that recognises expertise and quality teaching that is applied with increasing sophistication across a broad, complex range of situations.
HALT accreditation makes a public statement that as a profession we value and esteem exemplary teaching practice. HALT accredited teachers have undertaken a rigorous assessment process that formally recognises their consistent practice.
The revised Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher Policy 2022 has been approved. To develop the revised policy, NESA consulted with key stakeholder groups including the NSW Department of Education, Association of Independent Schools, Catholic Schools and union groups. The revised policy provides timely feedback to applicants through a modular approach. This will be discussed in detail during this video.
Highly Accomplished and Lead Teachers are highly effective, skilled practitioners with an in-depth knowledge of subject and curriculum content. They keep abreast of the latest developments in their fields of expertise. HALTs work collaboratively to improve not only their own practice, but the practice of their colleagues. They actively establish an environment that maximises professional learning and practice opportunities for colleagues and initiate activities to improve educational outcomes for children and students.
Changes to the HALT policy aim to clarify and strengthen evidence requirements, increase the level of support available to applicants through feedback, streamline the assessment process and assure the validity and reliability of decisions, and achieve greater consistency with national certification processes.
To apply for Highly Accomplished or Lead Teacher accreditation, applicants will submit a total of three evidence modules and participate in a Site Visit. Across the three modules, applicants will include documentary evidence to demonstrate their practice for all of the Standard Descriptors at the relevant level - 37 in total.
In each module, applicants need to submit a module overview statement, 3 to 10 items and/or sets of annotated documentary evidence, demonstrating between 10 and 15 Standard Descriptors. Applicants can also submit contact details for up to two referees who can verify the practice demonstrated in the documentary evidence and provide verbal evaluative comments about the applicant’s practice.
Applicants have flexibility to arrange evidence for the modules based on their own context. NESA’s evidence guides provide more information on collecting and annotating evidence.
This section of the video will address the role and responsibilities of the applicant and your role as the principal, service director or leader in education.
The applicant is responsible for holding a professional discussion with you as their principal or service director, completing NESA's HALT Orientation Course, paying the HALT application fee in three instalments, collecting, selecting, annotating and submitting documentary evidence of their practice in three modules, and undertaking observations of practice, arranging and participating in a Site Visit from an External Assessor, and identifying suitable colleagues to act as referees.
In your role as a principal/service director or leader in education, you are responsible for discussing a teacher’s intention to apply for HALT accreditation, verifying in eTAMS that a teacher meets the eligibility criteria, completing an internal observation of the applicant’s practice, and writing the observation report – this can be assigned to a suitable delegate, which we will discuss in this video – accommodating the Site Visit, including participating in a 30-minute structured interview with the External Assessor, creating a supportive environment for teachers applying for HALT accreditation, and recognising successful applicants.
We will now address each of these in more detail.
The applicant should first discuss starting a HALT application with you. To prepare for this discussion, please familiarise yourself with the professional capabilities at the Highly Accomplished and/or Lead Teacher career stages and consider the teacher’s practice against the Standard Descriptors.
Encouraging the teacher to reflect on their own practice against Standard Descriptors is important, and they can do this through our online preliminary assessment. Your professional discussion with the teacher may be informed by their preliminary assessment result.
Following the discussion, a teacher must complete the HALT Orientation Course before they can open a HALT application in eTAMS. Your advice and support is important to the teacher throughout the application process. However, your approval is not required to open an application. A teacher may decide to apply for HALT accreditation independent of any advice.
Verifying eligibility. The application process requires you as principal or service director to verify a teacher’s eligibility through eTAMS. This involves confirming that you have discussed the teacher’s readiness and intention to apply, and the teacher is an Australian citizen or permanent resident, is accredited at Proficient Teacher or above, has been assessed as satisfactory in their two most recent annual performance assessments (for Highly Accomplished Teacher applicants) or for Lead Teacher applicants, has been assessed as satisfactory in their three most recent annual performance assessments.
Once you have verified the teacher’s eligibility, they will be prompted to pay their first application fee.
HALT applicants must include two observation reports of them teaching students or children in a classroom or learning environment. At least one report must be completed by you, the applicant’s principal or service director (or delegate).
The HALT applicant must manage the observations of practice themselves. The observations should involve discussions to develop a shared understanding about the practice and impact identified in the nominated Standard Descriptors, and feedback on the extent to which this was observed.
The observer needs to write a report following the observation. A template for this report is available on our website, but you can use a school or service-based template as long as the nominated Standard Descriptors are identified.
The internal observation should be completed by the applicant’s principal or service director. If you decide to delegate the internal observation, please consider the depth of the delegate’s knowledge of the applicant’s practice in relation to the nominated Standard Descriptors.
For applicants in early childhood contexts, the observers may be from outside the teacher’s current teaching context but must be an accredited teacher.
All applicants must participate in a school or service-based Site Visit from an External Assessor. The Site Visit occurs after the second module is completed and before the third module is submitted.
The External Assessor is appointed by NESA and is from the same sector/system and context (that is early childhood, primary or secondary school) as the applicant.
During the Site Visit the External Assessor observes three sessions of practice, at least two of which must be teaching students or children, discusses with, and provides feedback on, the observation of the applicant’s practice against the nominated Standard Descriptors, engages in professional discussions with up to two colleagues nominated by the applicant, if applicable, interviews the applicant’s principal or service director.
During the Site Visit, you will need to participate in a 30-minute structured interview with the External Assessor. The interview may be on-site or virtual.
The interview involves providing evaluative comments about the applicant’s performance and practice against the Standards. You will need to provide specific examples of the applicant’s teaching practice and the impact this has on students’ and children’s learning progress and achievement, their colleagues’ practice and/or the broader educational community.
The three questions will ask you to refer to the teacher’s knowledge, practice, and engagement, and you will have an opportunity to provide additional comments if required.
As a principal or service director your role in establishing and maintaining a supportive professional environment for HALT applicants is crucial. Successful HALT applicants regularly confirm how much they value their principal or service director or educational leader’s understanding and support.
Some questions to consider about how we can best support our HALT applicants include:
- Do the organisational structure, roles and responsibilities in your school or service support teachers to engage with higher level practice?
- Do teachers have access to support within and beyond the school or service to enable a collaborative growth culture and professional reflection?
- Are there opportunities for professional discussion and feedback?
- Are teachers encouraged to engage with the Standards in their daily practice?
As a principal or service director, you may play a significant role in supporting the applicant to select appropriate referees, supporting others if they become a referee for the applicant (such as the applicant’s colleagues or parent and community members), and providing referee comments.
Recognising and sharing outstanding practice is important in developing a culture of quality teaching and professional excellence.
Teachers who have attained HALT accreditation are able to contribute significantly to the professional learning of other teachers and colleagues, and are required to maintain their HALT accreditation. They will need to have ongoing access to opportunities in their school or service to participate in professional activities aligned with their level of accreditation.
Our website includes an extensive suite of support materials and resources to help you understand more about the revised HALT policy.
Applicants also have access to an extensive suite of resources, including evidence guides, referee guides, Site Visit guides, guides to internal observations and Principal or Service Director Guide. This guide includes all the details provided in this video.
