Evaluating a concern
Professional Practice Evaluators evaluate a teacher's practice using the Standards | Ngā Paerewa.
Evaluation process
If the Triage Committee’s initial assessment of a report or complaint raises issues about a teacher’s competence, they will inform the teacher and invite the teacher to respond. The Triage Committee may then refer the issue to the competency process.
See the competence process here
A case coordinator may collect additional evidence about the issue from the school, kura, centre, or learning facility and the teacher. All information is shared with the teacher and they will get an opportunity to see and respond to the evidence.
A Professional Practice Evaluator will then evaluate and assess the teacher's competency using Ngā Paerewa | Standards for the Teaching Profession. Evaluators are experienced, registered senior teachers from across the sector.
The Evaluator will write a report, which includes an evaluation of the teacher's competence and may include a recommendation for an outcome.
The report will be shared with the teacher. Depending on the recommendation, there may be a further opportunity for the teacher to respond at this stage.
Outcomes
The Evaluator may do either of the following:
- recommend no further action
- refer the report to the Competence Authority.
Competence Authority
If a case is referred to the Competence Authority, the teacher will be notified and given an opportunity to provide the panel members with written submissions or appear in person or represented by a lawyer or other advocate.
The Competence Authority panel is made up of one lay person and two to three registered teachers from across the sector.
After considering the case, the Competence Authority can decide to:
- take no further action
- refer back to the Evaluator for more information
- place conditions on the teacher’s practising certificate or authority to teach
- annotate the public online register of teachers
- refer the issue to the impairment process
- in the most serious cases, cancel the teacher’s registration, practising certificate, or Limited Authority to Teach.
The Teaching Council will monitor the teacher as they comply with any conditions.