Expectations for teacher appraisal
PPTA, the Education Council, the Education Review Office (ERO), the School Trustees Association (STA) and the Ministry of Education agree that we are seeing over-engineering of appraisal processes, with many schools requiring far too much.
Supporting teacher development rather than masses of paperwork
The Education Council is interested in evidence you have been through an appraisal system and evidence you meet the criteria. They expect maybe ten pages in total, including a summary page. There is a template for the general summary form on their website.
They are looking for a way to support teacher development rather than masses of paper work, with multiple copies of multiple evidence or a tick box exercise.
Tips for smoother appraisal
• If teachers have a handwritten professional journal, don’t turn it into electronic form or copy it out into a folder – reference back to it to say it is there.
• Find ways to capture interim discussions, e.g. a reference to faculty minutes can be inserted into the summary form.
• Each teacher should be doing one inquiry (not, for example, a faculty, a personal and a school-wide inquiry). Evidence expected for teacher inquiry is one major piece of work and a 1-2 page write up.
• There should be a couple of observations (appraisal conversations) focussing on either the goals being set or the inquiry itself: one at the transition between two inquiry cycles to review the inquiry and consider goals for the next, the second in the middle of the inquiry cycle to discuss progress. Their website has guidance about what might be part of these observations to make them observations with purpose, not a box-ticking exercise.
• Avoid expecting teachers to redo activities, produce multiple copies, make copies of student work etc. The new criteria align with the professional standards and should create no extra work for teachers - just think about what you are currently doing that might provide evidence.
ERO advice should be the same as PPTA's
ERO review team advice should be the same as the advice you are getting from PPTA and the Education Council. Let your SPAC representative know if this is not the case and we will take it up with ERO and the Education Council.
Education Council workshops on appraisal
Check the Education Council website to register for their workshop on the new standards and the new code. The more people that register more likely schools are to get a workshop in their area.
Private organisation workshops spread a lot of misinformation when the Practising Teacher Criteria were first introduced. Education Council is the best place to get the correct information about what they actually want.
Resources:
The Education Council website is helpful. They have a quality practice template and guidelines. In your faculty (or focus group) discuss what learning focused culture looks like in your setting; agree what evidence you might find. It should not be expected that individuals have to work that out.
Education Council appraisal practice template and guidelines (educationcouncil.org.nz)
Education Council - requirements for the appraisal of teachers (PDF)
Tātaiako - Cultural competencies for teachers of Māori learners (PDF)
This document is being updated to accommodate the six current criteria, which are fundamentally the old 12 criteria conflated.
Teacher appraisal and registration - PPTA advice (ppta.org.nz)