Toolkit for approvals
Tools to help ITE providers understand the requirements introduced in 2019 and resources to help with programme approval.
Programme requirements and revised monitoring, review, and moderation policy
The Teaching Council has decided, after extensive consultation, to divide the 2019 ITE Programme Approval, Monitoring and Review Requirements policy into two separate policies:
- Part One of the 2019 requirements, including the two appendices, will be published as the ITE Programme Requirements Policy. It is being re-formatted and will be shared with you as soon as possible.
- Part Two of the 2019 requirements, about the programme approval, review, monitoring, moderation, and audit requirements has been revised. This has been published, as of May 2024, as the ITE Programme Approval, Monitoring, Review, and Moderation Policy, and is now available to download.
Download a digital copy of the new ITE Programme Approval, Monitoring, Review and Moderation Policy.
Download a digital copy of the ITE Programme Requirements Policy (the final document is in preparation).
Download a digital copy of updates to the ITE Programme Requirements Policy focused on implementing curriculum and introducing ‘model’ and ‘core’ KTT.
Download a digital copy of the 2019 ITE Programme Approval, Monitoring and Review Requirements policy.
The annual reporting guidelines have been developed to guide ITE providers to utilise information already held by ITE providers, and information for the purpose of periodic review, to be made available to the Teaching Council.
Download a digital copy of the Annual Reporting Guidelines.
The revised ITE Programme Approval, Monitoring, Review, and Moderation Policy is the result of consultation. We wish to acknowledge the contribution of the Teaching Council’s Initial Teacher Education Advisory Group, and particularly the Monitoring, Review and Moderation Working Party, to the development of this policy. Consultation of the proposed changes was undertaken in 2023 – please see the document ITE Monitoring, Review and Moderation – Consultation on proposed changes to Part Two of the ITE Programme Approval, Monitoring and Review Requirements which was published in August 2023.
The major changes to the new ITE Programme Approval, Monitoring, Review, and Moderation Policy are:
- Monitoring processes now includes three levels of monitoring depending on the level of support required for a programme, namely universal, tailored and investigative monitoring. Aside from NZQA’s requirements for polytechnics and PTEs, monitoring may be lighter for other ITE providers, but new ITE programmes and those needing extra support are subject to requirements that are largely equivalent to those under the previous requirements.
- National moderation processes now centre on a biennial national moderation event or events which ITE providers are expected to attend. These event(s) aim at improving the consistency of the moderation of assessment judgements across ITE providers.
The approval and audit processes for ITE providers remain the same as in 2019, and the review processes are largely the same as under the previous requirements.
Applying for approval
The online ITE portal allows providers to submit new programme applications in a secure environment. You can also edit contact and provider information, submit student exemptions and track the progress of applications.
The basic steps for applying for approval of your programme are below, please contact your Teaching Council Advisor for more detailed instructions and use the ITE provider toolkit for guidance when applying.
Please note that your appointed Teaching Council Advisor should be involved at each of these critical steps, as should NZQA evaluators in the case of PTE’s, wānanga, and polytechnic applications.
- Early programme design – formulating a conceptual framework towards initial teacher education and working with partners towards a shared sense of programme needs.
- Advanced programme design – programme partners consulted on aspects such as programme assessment, content, delivery and entry.
- Programme documentation submission - all documentation submitted to Council (and NZQA for NZQA co-approved providers) through the Council ITE portal. Teaching Council (and NZQA) staff perform desktop analysis of documentation.
- (On basis that documentation is sufficient) In cooperation with the provider, a panel of teaching professionals is convened to evaluate the application. This panel is usually convened on the providers campus, but in certain circumstances may be convened online.
- Panel gives a recommendation to Teaching Council (and NZQA where necessary) whether to approve, approve with conditions or decline the application.
Tools for ITE providers
Panel information for ITE providers
Audio: Unpacking the new ITE requirements
Language competency requirement
Culminating integrative assessment requirement and key teaching tasks requirement
Te Reo Māori competency and progression requirement
Log in to ITE provider portal
The online ITE portal allows providers to submit new programme applications easily and in a secure environment. Providers can edit contact information, submit student exemptions and extensions and track progress of applications.
Reference guide for ITE providers including getting set up, logging in, updating contact details, viewing programmes and applications.
Panel Information for ITE Providers
This is a guide for ITE providers about the composition and role of panels in the ITE programme approval process.
Click here to read the panel information for ITE providers — draft.
Audio: Unpacking the new ITE requirements
In this interview Pauline Barnes (General Manager, Teaching Council) and Alex Gunn (Chair of TEFANZ and Associate Dean of Teacher Education at the University of Otago) discuss the new requirements for initial teacher education programme approvals which were introduced in July 2019.
Alex and Pauline explore why the requirements were developed, some of the ins and outs of the new approach to programme approvals, and the critical role providers and their partners have in shaping their programmes so that graduates can meet the Standards | Ngā Paerewa (in a supported environment) from day one in their new teaching career.
Language competency requirement
Requirement 6.2, ITE Requirements document page 42
The Council's policy for language competency gives provision for candidates skilled in either English or te reo Māori.
The policy has been written in alignment with language policies from NZQA and NZ Immigration. Effective from January 2019, the Council policy gives the profession assurance that candidates seeking to enter initial teacher education (ITE) programmes and overseas trained teachers have the requisite level of language competency to communicate successfully at the level required.
Features of the policy are:
- A single policy for entry to ITE, and overseas trained teachers applying for teacher registration
- Applicable to domestic and international candidates
- Works from an ‘evidence’ base, and does not distinguish on ‘first language’ or ‘other language’, etc
- A range of eight internationally accessible approved English language tests
- An exemptions process for exceptional cases – for use by ITE providers only.
Police vetting requirement
Requirement 6.5, ITE Requirements document page 51
Gaining a Police Vet is a common feature to:
- Entry to initial teacher education
- Teacher registration
- Any of the certifications in the 2020 Registration Policy (Tōmua, Pūmau, Tūturu).
To meet the requirements of the Children’s Act, for the purposes of entry to ITE, all candidates must complete a Police vet application as part of the selection and entry process. Most Police vet applications are processed within 20 working days
Having a criminal record does not necessarily preclude a candidate from entering Initial Teacher Education, under the guidance notes in Requirement 6.2 there are considerations for the provider to exercise their discretion on whether to accept a candidate:
- severity and recency of offending
- age of candidate when offending occurred
- pattern of offending and whether the offending means the candidate is unlikely to be of 'good character and fit to teach'.
ITE providers can decide on whether to enrol a candidate, however both the provider and the candidate need to be aware that the Teaching Council will go though its own process for registration which will involve consideration of a subsequent Police vet. Therefore, the process at entry to an ITE programme does not guarantee registration as a teacher. For more details, please refer to this letter to providers.
Culminating integrative assessment requirement and key teaching tasks requirement
Requirement 4.2 and 4.3, ITE Requirements document page 32
Learning materials have been prepared for these requirements:
Te Reo Māori competency and progression requirement
Authentic partnerships
There is growing recognition that partnerships between ITE providers and key stakeholders enhance the learning of student teachers.
A paper was written further outlining what is meant by an authentic partnership.