This linking of full registration to promotion and salary is driven by the motivation to professionalise teaching and it is linked to the AITSL teacher standards. The AEU, TRB and DoE all agree, in principle, on the merits of this professionalisation. It is envisaged that this process should be linked to the teacher PDP process and be completed within the first 3-5 years of teaching. This timeframe has always been an expectation of the TRB, however in the past it has not been readily taken up by all teachers nor encouraged by the employer.
This lack of uptake has meant that, once the new salary point was introduced and full registration was linked to this and to promoted positions, there was an immediate backlog of teachers wishing to transition to full registration.
At the introduction of the requitement for full registration to access promoted positions and increased salary, the TRB and the DoE went into discussion and negotiated supports for teachers moving through this process. Initially this support was focused on employees who were provisionally registered and already in promoted positions, this was a priority for both the DoE and TRB as these employees were in positions without the required registration, through no fault of their own. The support consisted of a team of 15 highly respected ex principals with extensive knowledge of the AITSL standards and the transition process.
During Term 2 and Term 3 of 2017 approximately 100 employees transitioned from provisional to full registration and there has been a 400% increase in applications since the introduction of the new requirements. Currently, support has been expanded to Band 2 and 3 employees, and to one on one support offered to applicants who fail their portfolio audit. The TRB is currently auditing all applicants’ portfolios, this is being done to ensure that all portfolio’s meet the required standard. This was a response to the fact that some school based panels were basing their approvals of portfolios on insufficient knowledge of the requirements for teachers to engage with the AITSL standards deeply and present sufficiently annotated documents. As such the TRB and DoE are also embarking on a PL based response, where training is being offered to upskill knowledge base in this area. This is aimed to help teachers to engage with the AITSL standards more deeply, be able to articulate their practise as referenced against the standards more accurately and gain a more astute judgement as to what constitutes good evidence of best practise. The PLI has already offered training in this area and will do so in the future. The AEU has been shown online modules produced by the PLI to assist in the process. The TRB also has a range of information on their website and has developed a number of instructional videos in conjunction with the PLI for the use of DoE employees. The AEU has also raised concerns with the TRB and DoE about the need for additional support in schools where multiple employees are wanting to transition from provisional to full registration.
It is important to note that the TRB is not implying that applicants who fail their audit are not good teachers. Rather the TRB is indicating that they have not yet provided the required evidence and they are given an opportunity to do so. There also appears to be a misperception about the role of the TRB as being one of a service provider. The TRB is a professional regulatory body, it is not a service provider. As with other professions, such as doctors and lawyers, teachers are required to be professionally registered. The TRB facilitates and regulates this, it provides a licence to teach and it is a service for Tasmanian students.
If members have further question about anything that has been raised in this document, they can contact their union on (03) 6234 9500 or 1800 001 313 or support@aeutas.org.au
