The accreditation process involves a rigorous assessment of an initial teacher education (ITE) program against a set of nationally agreed standards. Accreditation standards and procedures are designed to ensure that all graduates of ITE meet the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers at the Graduate career stage. This ensures the program is of high quality and prepares pre-service teachers for the teaching profession. The process also includes an assessment of a provider’s quality assurance and continuous improvement mechanisms, as well as ensuring that the provider has a nationally endorsed teaching performance assessment which all graduates must successfully complete.

In Queensland, each program is assessed by a panel of nationally trained assessors that includes school leaders, employers, practising teachers and higher education representatives. A mandatory site visit involving forums with school partners, graduates, ITE students and the teaching staff of the ITE program is embedded in Queensland reaccreditation processes. Panels make a recommendation to the QCT’s Professional Standards Committee, which holds responsibility for granting accreditation and determines the length of the accreditation period. A maximum of five years accreditation may be granted.

More information on the accreditation process may be found at: www.aitsl.edu.au/deliver-ite-programs/standards-and-procedures.