AITSL – Australian Professional Standards for Teachers

The Australian Professional Standards for Teachers describe the knowledge, skills, and professional engagement expected of teachers across Australia. The AITSL framework helps educators plan professional learning, and understand career progression from Graduate to Lead teacher.

About the Professional Standards Framework

The Australian Professional Standards for Teachers provide a national framework for describing teacher knowledge, classroom practice, and professional engagement in Australia. The Teacher Standards help educators understand, develop, and assess professional practice across four career stages: Graduate, Proficient, Highly Accomplished, and Lead.

The professional standards framework is organised around three domains of teaching: Professional Knowledge, Professional Practice, and Professional Engagement. Each domain describes expectations for teacher development, from early career preparation through to advanced classroom practice and professional leadership.

The Teacher Standards support professional growth by giving teachers a shared language for reflection, planning, feedback, and career progression. A classroom teacher can use the framework for self-assessment, while schools, systems, and accreditation bodies can use the same standards for formal evaluation and professional learning decisions.

Author

The Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) provides national leadership in teaching and school leadership across Australia. AITSL develops tools, resources, and national frameworks designed to support teacher quality, school leadership, and better student learning outcomes.

Key Takeaways

• The Australian Professional Standards for Teachers describe what teachers should know and be able to do across four career stages.
• The framework groups teacher development into Professional Knowledge, Professional Practice, and Professional Engagement.
• The Teacher Standards give Australian teachers a clear structure for professional reflection, planning, and growth.
• The Graduate and Proficient stages support teacher preparation and registration processes.
• The Highly Accomplished and Lead stages support advanced practice, leadership, and voluntary certification where available.

7 Key Areas of Teaching Practice Development

The AITSL framework identifies seven key areas of teaching practice:

1. Know students and how students learn
2. Know the content and how to teach the content
3. Plan for and implement effective teaching and learning
4. Create and maintain supportive and safe learning environments
5. Assess, provide feedback, and report on student learning
6. Engage in professional learning
7. Engage professionally with colleagues, parents/carers, and the community

Each area includes descriptors for Graduate, Proficient, Highly Accomplished, and Lead teachers. The staged structure gives educators a practical way to identify current strengths, choose professional learning goals, and demonstrate growth over time.

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