Initial teacher education programs are accredited nationally to ensure that all teachers are prepared to a high standard, and gain knowledge, skills, and experiences to make a positive impact on student’s/children’s learning.

Minimum accreditation requirements for initial teacher education programs are set nationally and described in the Accreditation of initial teacher education programs in Australia: Standards and Procedures (AITSL 2020).

AITSL has developed a companion document to the Standards and Procedures for accreditation of initial teacher education programs - Guidelines for the accreditation of initial teacher education in Australia (AITSL 2020).

The Teachers Registration Board of South Australia (the Board) is responsible for the accreditation of all initial teacher education programs offered by South Australian higher education institutions (providers).

Accredited initial teacher education programs are required to contain a Teaching Performance Assessment (TPA). A TPA is a tool used to assess the practical skills and knowledge of pre-service teachers. Pre-service teachers collect evidence of practice to complete a TPA in the final year of their initial teacher education program. It is assessed by ITE providers and is a requirement for graduation. TPAs are required to be endorsed by the AITSL Expert Advisory Group (EAG).

Further information regarding TPAs can be found at https://www.aitsl.edu.au/deliver-ite-programs/teaching-performance-assessment

All four South Australian initial teacher education providers have TPAs endorsed by the EAG embedded in their ITE programs. Flinders University and Tabor have designed their own TPAs, while Adelaide University and the University of South Australia are members of national consortia with endorsed TPAs.

The Board has developed an Initial Teacher Education Program Accreditation Policy, which outlines the South Australian context in the nationally consistent accreditation process.