Element A - Contextualise the Standards
Element A focuses on building a shared understanding of Ngā Paerewa | Standards within your teaching setting.
On this page
Contextualise the Standards
Element A of the professional growth cycle asks that:
Principals and professional leaders will facilitate a common understanding of the Standards or Paerewa in their own context and what meeting and using them in their practice looks like (Not annually but once in place revisit from time to time and with new teachers to the setting).
Once you have facilitated a common understanding of the Standards or Paerewa, it is then up to your setting to decide how you use it. We talked to our leaders about what they saw the purpose of Element A to be. We hope it is useful for leadership teams as they are thinking about how they can use the common understanding of the Standards with staff, either for growth or other Elements of the PGC. You can read what the leaders said about the purpose of Element A here.
If you would like to run any of the activities that we ran with our leaders, with your teachers you can find them here. We have uploaded them as a powerpoint file so that you can edit it to use with your teachers as needed.
Examples of Element A
In the past, we have shared what has become known as the Quality Practice Template (QPT). If you would like to use the QPT, you can find a version that has been updated to the 2026 Standards below:
The leaders of our focus group are going to share what Element A looks like with the 2026 Standards, as they create them with their setting. We hope that we have given you enough resources to start the conversation. Please keep coming back to the website as we will upload their examples, as they create them.
Leading Element A
The Rauhuia: Terenga Huihuinga | Symposia Series supports leaders to develop their pedagogical knowledge.
Running from the beginning of 2026, the series focusses on each of the elements of the Professional Growth Cycle.
Click here to view the symposium on Element A, as we explore how leaders can guide their teams to develop a contextual understanding of the 2026 Standards, embedding them into everyday practice and revisiting them as part of ongoing professional learning.
You may wish to view the symposium with your colleagues. The questions below may help you to frame your discussions.
Discussion questions:
1.What is the purpose of Element A, and how do the Standards support teacher growth?
2.How do the Standards show up in our everyday practice, values, and relationships with learners and whānau?
3.Where are the Standards already visible in our setting, and where could our collective understanding grow?
4.What does 'meeting the Standards' look like in our unique context?
5.How can we ensure our interpretation is inclusive and culturally responsive?
6.What are simple, sustainable ways to embed the Standards into everyday conversations and learning?
Rauhuia Symposium: Element A - Building a common understanding of the Standards
Naturally occurring evidence
The term naturally occurring evidence has been talked about in relation to the Standards ever since the development of the 2017 Standards. It refers to the evidence of the Standards that comes from everyday teaching practice. The professional growth cycle asks that there is a focus on ‘improving rather than proving’ the Standards. We asked the leaders in our focus group to give us some examples of naturally occurring evidence, watch the Youtube videos below.
Resources
Naturally Occurring Evidence | Michela and Jo
Naturally Occurring Evidence | Liz and Ken
Naturally Occurring Evidence | Lysandra and Karl
Naturally Occurring Evidence | Glenda and Helen
Stay connected: My Rawa
My Rawa helps you deepen your practice with tailored professional learning and reflective tools. It’s your space to grow, stay inspired, and lead with confidence.
