Science Teachers are Developing Their Own Standards

This year marks a significant stage in the development of the Australian Science Teachers Association (ASTA) as a professional organisation.  ASTA has embarked on a three year collaborative research project with Monash University to develop standards for highly accomplished science teaching and methods for assessing whether teachers have attained those standards [1] .  The project is jointly funded by the Australian Research Council (ARC) and ASTA.  The long term goal of the project is to lay the ground work for a national voluntary system for giving professional certification to excellent science teachers. 

[1]   The ARC has also funded similar collaborative projects between Monash University and the Australian Association for Mathematics Teachers, the Australian Association for Teachers of English and the Australian Association of Literacy Educators.   The ARC has allocated $185,000 to the ASTA project.