POLICY FOR ISSUING POST-NOMINAL LETTERS TO TEACHERS ACCREDITED AT PROFESSIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENT AND PROFESSIONAL LEADERSHIP
1. BACKGROUND
The Institute of Teachers Act 2004 provides for the voluntary accreditation of teachers at the higher levels of Professional Accomplishment and Professional Leadership. Accreditation at these higher levels is the first process of its kind anywhere in Australia.
The Institute will award post-nominal letters to teachers who achieve accreditation at these levels.
Post-nominal letters are letters placed after the name of a person to indicate that the individual holds a position, office, or honour.
The post-nominal letters would be awarded in recognition of what is a significant career achievement for teachers in NSW.
2. AUTHORITY TO ISSUE POST-NOMINAL LETTERS
The Institute is able to award the letters as the statutory authority responsible for the accreditation of teachers in NSW.
3. LETTERS The Institute will issue the following post-nominal letters to teachers accredited at the higher levels:
Professional Accomplishment Professional Leadership 1. ATA Accredited Teacher - ATL Accredited Teacher - Accomplishment Leadership
Teachers may also choose to include the acronym for the Institute when using the letters.
For example, ATA could be written as ATA (NSWIT).
4. USAGE
Teachers who have met the requirements and have been awarded the accreditation status of Professional Accomplishment or Professional Leadership are able to use the post-nominal letters.
A register of these teachers will be maintained on the Institute’s CRM database.
A teacher’s accreditation status is no longer current if they:
• Fail to meet the requirements for maintaining their accreditation, including payment of any fees • Have their accreditation revoked, including on general grounds • Advise the Institute that they wish to withdraw from accreditation.
Teachers who do not have a current accreditation status are not permitted to use the post-nominal letters.
In these cases the Institute will write to the teacher and their teacher accreditation authority confirming the change to the teacher’s accreditation status.
The Institute will also update the CRM register in these instances.