This video is for teachers, principals and service directors and others interested in learning about the new requirements for accreditation at Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher in NSW.
The new Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher, or HALT, Policy has been approved.
The HALT Policy has been developed to provide feedback to applicants through a modular approach of the submission.
This will be discussed in detail during this presentation.
Highly Accomplished and Lead Teachers, or HALTs, are highly effective, skilled practitioners with in-depth knowledge of subjects 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 are active in establishing an environment that maximises professional learning opportunities for colleagues.
HALTs consistently demonstrate innovative practice. They initiate and lead activities to improve educational outcomes for students and children.
The revised HALT Policy aims 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
- 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, and 3-10 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.
Lead Teacher applicants need to include evidence of an initiative they have led within their school or service or across schools or services and demonstrate the impact of that initiative.
The Initiative must:
- have been implemented over a minimum of six months
- be linked to a school/service or system initiative
- demonstrate leadership in designing, implementing, evaluating and reviewing the initiative
- demonstrate evidence of the applicant’s impact on colleagues’ knowledge, practice and/or engagement.
The Evidence Guides have more information on the requirements for the Lead Teacher Initiative.
Applicants must participate in a school or service-based Site Visit from a NESA trained External Assessor after they complete their second module and before they submit their third module.
This supports the other sources of evidence and enables a comprehensive view of the applicant's practice in the context of their school or early childhood service.
Applicants are responsible for planning the Site Visit and nominating Standard Descriptors.
The External Assessor will be from the same sector or system and a similar context as the applicant (i.e. early childhood, primary or secondary school).
There are 2 pathways for applicants to complete the Site Visit: on-site at their school or service; or by recording 3 sessions of practice for an External Assessor to review.
As part of the Site Visit, the External Assessor:
- observes three sessions of practice, at least two of which must be lessons or learning experiences where the applicant is teaching students or children
- The External Assessor also engages in professional discussion with the applicant and provides feedback on their observation of the applicant’s practice against the nominated Standard Descriptors.
- They may also engage in a professional discussion with up to two colleagues if nominated by the applicant;
- and The External Assessor also conducts a structured interview with the applicant’s principal or service director to provide evaluative comments
- Site Visit guides are available to help plan an effective Site Visit.
Two internal observations of the applicant’s practice must be included in the documentary evidence, with at least one of these conducted by the applicant’s principal or service director (or their delegate).
The new HALT Policy also requires applicants to include at least one observation of a colleague teaching students or children.
Applicants must annotate the report on their observation of their colleague’s practice against nominated Standard Descriptors and include this as part of their documentary evidence.
Further information can be found in the Applicant Guide for Internal Observations available on the NESA website.
A support guide for colleagues and principals and service directors involved in the observations of teaching practice is also available.
All applicants must nominate 3-5 referees over the course of the three modules.
Referees provide verbal evaluative comments when contacted by a NESA Trained HALT Assessor at the point of assessing a module.
This will involve a structured, confidential, 30-minute interview to answer 4-5 questions.
The evaluative questions for referees are published in the Applicant Guide - Preparing Referees available on the NESA website.
Each referee can be assigned a maximum of 4 Standard Descriptors by the applicant to verify the practice described in the applicant’s documentary evidence for the nominated Descriptor/s.
The same referee can be nominated in a different module if they comment on fewer than 4 Standard Descriptors (providing they do not exceed the maximum limit of 4 Standard Descriptors across 3 modules).
An applicant’s nominated referees must include: a teacher colleague; and a teacher who has received professional assistance or guidance from the applicant.
It is also advised to include the applicant’s supervisor or line manager as a referee (where this is not the principal or service director).
For Lead Teachers, one referee must be able to comment on the Lead Teacher Initiative and the related Lead Initiative documentary evidence.
A student or child or a HALT Assessor or External Assessor cannot be nominated as a referee.
Applicants should refer to the Referee Guides for further support and information about referees.
When applicants submit a module, it will be assessed by NESA-trained HALT Assessors.
Where applicants successfully demonstrate practice against a Standard Descriptor, they are not required to provide any further documentary evidence for that Standard Descriptor in subsequent modules.
Applicants receive a HALT Module Report after each module which includes feedback.
This will inform applicants about the extent to which practice and impact is evident in the documentary evidence and can be used to inform the selection and annotation of documentary evidence to be submitted in the next module or modules.
Once an applicant has completed all three modules and participated in a Site Visit, NESA will make an accreditation decision.
If the application is successful the applicant, their principal/service director and employer will be notified of the accreditation decision.
Before this occurs, the applicant may be asked to make minor revisions to any evidence or annotations that need strengthening.
If successful, the applicant then starts their first maintenance period at Highly Accomplished Teacher or Lead Teacher level.
To be eligible to apply for HALT accreditation, applicants must be:
- An Australian citizen or permanent resident
- Accredited at Proficient Teacher or above
- Have been assessed as satisfactory in either two recent annual performance reviews for Highly Accomplished Teacher or three for Lead Teacher applicants.
Applicants must also be employed in a school or service or non-school/service based role at the time of submitting each module.
All applicants must complete a mandatory free HALT orientation course.
There is also the option to complete an online preliminary assessment.
Prospective applicants must have a conversation with their principal or service director prior to beginning the application process.
The principal or service director must confirm the eligibility of the applicant.
The application fee for HALT accreditation is payable in three instalments.
The first payment is due before starting an application.
The second is due before submitting Module 2 and the third before submitting Module 3.
An extensive suite of support materials and resources have been developed to support understanding of the HALT Policy and are published on the NESA website.
