Become a teacher

What is the Teaching Performance Assessment (TPA)?

The Teaching Performance Assessment (TPA) evaluates the practical skills and knowledge of pre-service teachers in their final semester. It is a mandatory national requirement for graduation and asks pre-service teachers to gather evidence demonstrating the impact of their teaching. Different initial teacher education providers may implement varying models of the TPA.

Protocols for video recording in schools

Final-year pre-service teachers who need to use video recordings in the classroom as part of their TPA evidence must follow specific protocols. These protocols address cybersecurity concerns related to capturing and storing student images in videos, as well as the efficacy of permission notes to properly reflect the department’s obligations under the Personal and Privacy Information Protection Act 1998 (PPIP Act).

Permission for pre-service teachers to video in the classroom is an agreement between the parent/carer and the initial teacher education provider, with the NSW Department of Education facilitating this permission process.

Conditions for videoing:

1. The protocols apply to all video recording in schools for university assessments.
2. The school principal maintains final approval as to whether videoing will be allowed in their school.
3. Video recordings cannot replace university supervision visits in schools.

For more information on the TPA, please visit the AITSL webpage.

Protocols for schools

• The school principal maintains final approval as to whether videoing will be allowed in their school.
• A supervising teacher must be present in the classroom during video recording.
• Any school participating in this videoing is required to keep a copy of the signed permission notes for 7 years, or until the child reaches 25 years old, in accordance with the requirement for other permission notes.

Protocols for pre-service teachers

Before the lesson:

• Distribute permission notes to all parents and obtain approvals in advance of videoing.

During the lesson:

• Only the pre-service teacher and other teaching resources, such as the board, may be recorded.
• No school student images should be recorded.
• Use tripods to make the video processing clear to all in the room.
• Ensure students without parental permission are moved to a separate area in the classroom before filming starts.
• Pre-service teachers must record an opening statement at the start of the video, explicitly explaining, 'I am going to be recording some of this lesson. Please ensure you do not walk in front of the camera which is on the tripod over there (point to it). We are starting to video now.'
• Pre-service teachers must record a closing statement, 'I will finish videoing now and will turn the camera off.'
• Refer to students by first name only during filming.

After the lesson:

• Before the pre-service teacher leaves the school grounds, ensure no student images have been accidentally recorded.
• If student images are accidentally captured, ensure they are deleted immediately and images do not leave the school.

Protocols for initial teacher education providers (ITEPs)

Initial teacher education providers (ITEPs) must have in place, and approved by the department:

• Storage location and process
• Destruction schedule
• Process to manage breaches
• Permission notes on ITEP letterhead

Any changes to approved protocols must be negotiated with the department prior to implementation.