BOSTES has signalled a review next year of the Maintenance of Accreditation Report. The IEU’s preliminary view based on member experience and feedback is that the submission of a report is not warranted. The report demonstrates how classroom practice has continued to reflect the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers.
Your Teacher Accreditation Authority (TAA) (read your employer) will make their decisions on a teacher’s ongoing demonstration of the Standards, completion of PD and submission of a copy of the report to BOSTES. Members report this process can be inordinately lengthy and question the function of submitting a copy of an employer driven process to BOSTES.
The provision of the report when members are engaging with AITSL processes further questions its purpose.
In terms of compliance and managing teacher workload, the emergence of AITSL requirements, that is goal setting, planning PD requirements and reflective practice appear to make the need for the submission of a report after five years (seven years if a casual) maintenance report superfluous.
A dual approach (both BOSTES and AITSL) to compliance is unwarranted. Competing compliance is not in members’ best interest.