Meaningful Application of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers: The Role of the University Appointed Supervisor

Preservice teachers undertake mandatory professional experience as part of their journey towards classroom readiness and in-service teaching. Supporting them in this process are supervisors who both guide and assess these novices. Central to this assessment are the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers, which need to be rigorously applied to ensure quality teaching graduates. This article investigates the application of these Standards by the supervisors in both their formative and summative assessment. Data are derived from interviews with final year preservice teachers and supervisors in a primary teaching degree course at one Western Australian university. Findings suggest that there is scope for a more detailed and consistent application of the Standards. The paper argues for the development of a model of supervision to ensure consistent evaluations against the Standards, as recommended by the Teacher Education Ministerial Advisory Group.