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National Awards for Quality Schooling ACER is working with the Australian College of Educators, on behalf of the Commonwealth Department of Education, Science and Training, to implement a new initiative to provide recognition to teachers and schools through a national awards system. The National Awards for Quality Schooling (NAQS) will see one million dollars in prize money awarded to Australian schools, teachers and school leaders for outstanding contributions to schooling. The Commonwealth Government initiative will recognise and support schools and teachers committed to sustainable school improvement. "The NAQS provides schools with the opportunity to tell the story of their school improvement project and be recognised and regarded at a national level," said Peter Weddell, the NAQS Project Coordinator at the Australian College of Educators. The award scheme will reward whole schools, teams of teachers, individual teachers and school leaders. Prizes available include 12 national prizes of $24000 for whole schools and teams of teachers; 26 national prizes of $12000 for individual teachers and school leaders; and 50 minor prizes of $8000 for individual teachers, teams of teachers, school leaders and whole schools. Applications can come from the pre-primary, primary and secondary levels of schooling in government, Catholic and independent school sectors. For 2003 the Priority Areas for school improvement projects are: Literacy and Numeracy, Safe School Environments, Values Education, School Leadership and Innovation in Science, Mathematics and Technology. Lawrence Ingvarson and Elizabeth Kleinhenz from ACER have been responsible for developing the judging strategy for the awards. They have developed guidelines for schools to use in describing their school improvement efforts and criteria that indicate how their applications will be scored. ACER will train a team of peer-assessors, with expertise relevant to the priority areas, to use these criteria in selecting a short list of applications. A second judging panel, also trained by ACER staff, will use the same list of criteria to assess these applications and select a final list of applications that will gain awards. Lawrence Ingvarson points out that these awards are one way to recognise teachers who are making a difference in terms of student learning outcomes. The process will provide a fair, transparent and rigorous process to determine Award winners. "There are many excellent teachers around, but too few mechanisms for giving teachers recognition for the value of their work." All applications for the awards will be judged at a national level and must be submitted by 31 July 2003. Information and application requirements can be accessed via the National Quality Schooling Framework (NQSF) The awards will be presented by the Commonwealth Minister for Education, Science and Training, the Hon Dr Brendan Nelson MP at a ceremony to be held in Term 4 2003. For further information phone 1800 131 323 (toll free) or email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) « Back to eNews
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ACER is working with the Australian College of Educators, on behalf of the Commonwealth Department of Education, Science and Training, to implement a new initiative to provide recognition to teachers and schools through a national awards system.

The National Awards for Quality Schooling (NAQS) will see one million dollars in prize money awarded to Australian schools, teachers and school leaders for outstanding contributions to schooling. The Commonwealth Government initiative will recognise and support schools and teachers committed to sustainable school improvement.

"The NAQS provides schools with the opportunity to tell the story of their school improvement project and be recognised and regarded at a national level," said Peter Weddell, the NAQS Project Coordinator at the Australian College of Educators.

The award scheme will reward whole schools, teams of teachers, individual teachers and school leaders.

Prizes available include 12 national prizes of $24000 for whole schools and teams of teachers; 26 national prizes of $12000 for individual teachers and school leaders; and 50 minor prizes of $8000 for individual teachers, teams of teachers, school leaders and whole schools.

Applications can come from the pre-primary, primary and secondary levels of schooling in government, Catholic and independent school sectors. For 2003 the Priority Areas for school improvement projects are: Literacy and Numeracy, Safe School Environments, Values Education, School Leadership and Innovation in Science, Mathematics and Technology.

Lawrence Ingvarson and Elizabeth Kleinhenz from ACER have been responsible for developing the judging strategy for the awards. They have developed guidelines for schools to use in describing their school improvement efforts and criteria that indicate how their applications will be scored. ACER will train a team of peer-assessors, with expertise relevant to the priority areas, to use these criteria in selecting a short list of applications.

A second judging panel, also trained by ACER staff, will use the same list of criteria to assess these applications and select a final list of applications that will gain awards.

Lawrence Ingvarson points out that these awards are one way to recognise teachers who are making a difference in terms of student learning outcomes. The process will provide a fair, transparent and rigorous process to determine Award winners.

"There are many excellent teachers around, but too few mechanisms for giving teachers recognition for the value of their work."

All applications for the awards will be judged at a national level and must be submitted by 31 July 2003. Information and application requirements can be accessed via the National Quality Schooling Framework (NQSF)

The awards will be presented by the Commonwealth Minister for Education, Science and Training, the Hon Dr Brendan Nelson MP at a ceremony to be held in Term 4 2003.

For further information phone 1800 131 323 (toll free) or email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)