Teacher registration criteria consultation
Media Release
7 July 2008
Consultation on revised registration criteria for teachers
The New Zealand Teachers Council is consulting with teachers and stakeholders on a draft of the revised standards for registration as a teacher. The standards are currently known as the Satisfactory Teacher Dimensions but the revised draft document is to be called the Registered Teacher Criteria.
The Satisfactory Teacher Dimensions were developed as the standards or criteria for registration purposes over a decade ago. Over the last 18 months or so, the Council has worked with a reference group and a writing group to revise these criteria to make them fit for purpose in the contemporary and emerging contexts of teaching and learning.
The Council also wishes to ensure that the criteria are well understood and consistently applied by teachers and professional leaders when working with and appraising both provisionally registered teachers and with experienced teachers who are renewing their practising certificates.
Several drafts have been worked through and discussed in a number of forums and the Council is now seeking wider consultation with the profession on the content of the revised criteria. The revised Criteria fall under two headings, firstly professional relationships and professional values, and secondly professional knowledge in practice.
While the criteria follow on from the Graduating Teacher Standards published in 2007, they recognise that after graduation, the expectations of teachers who are seeking to gain or maintain full registration, are different from the expectations on completing an initial teacher qualification.
The two main forms of consultation with teachers and professional leaders are firstly, an online survey of a sample of registered teachers from our database, to be followed up with some focus group discussions. Secondly, we have developed a consultation package for schools and centres to engage in discussion about the criteria and then to provide feedback to the Council. In addition, there will be a short survey of stakeholder organisations who were also canvassed during development of the criteria.
The Council hopes that teachers and professional leaders will want to engage seriously in discussions about these criteria. Not only will their feedback be important for shaping the final version, but the discussion itself is an opportunity to think about ‘what is quality teaching' in each particular setting - early childhood, primary, secondary, in English and Māori medium.
The New Zealand Teachers Council
The New Zealand Teachers Council is a Crown Entity that was established in 2002 to provide professional leadership in teaching, enhance the professional status of teachers and to contribute to a safe and high quality teaching and learning environment. The Council works, in partnership with teachers and others, to encourage best teaching practice, excellent learning outcomes for students and the maintenance of high professional standards.
For further information:
- Contact: Dr Peter Lind, Director, New Zealand Teachers Council
- Phone: 04 4709061
- Email: peter.lind@teacherscouncil.govt.nz