Performance appraisal is no longer mandatory for teachers and as of 1 February 2023 for principals. The Teaching Council has replaced it with the Professional Growth Cycle (PGC) which is now a requirement for every teacher’s registration. The PGC is built around the Council’s five ‘elements’ (do you know what the 5 elements are?), with a central stipulation of meeting the Council’s six ‘Standards’ or ‘Paerewa’ (do you know what the 6 standards are?).
The replacement of appraisal with the PGC is centered on a notion of ‘professional trust’. There are few hard and fast rules around how it should be put into practice. Some argue that this new thing is like a marshmallow: it has no teeth. Others argue that its greatest weakness lies with the likely looseness in how it will be interpreted, practiced and checked.
Fragilities aside, there are already suggestions that many principals and teachers think the PGC is pretty straight forward and doesn’t require too much knowledge or effort. Others are not so gung-ho.
When preparing a seminar for principals and presiding board members late last year we were very aware of various opinions and attitudes of the kind mentioned above. Importantly, the seminar was focused on ensuring that those who took the time to attend would obtain critical knowledge and capability for doing PGCs in their schools with professional integrity, confidence and economy.
We therefore kicked off the seminar by getting everyone to do a non-disclosure ‘pre-test’ (quiz, self-assessment, examination, reflection, survey, . . .) to find out whether or not they already knew all (or most) of what they really should know. That is, did they need to stay on at the seminar or could it be a waste of valuable time? As it turns out, everyone admitted to struggling to answer many of the items. But no need for despair. A couple of hours later they all graduated and congratulated themselves with 100 per cent confident answers. Time and attention paid off!
That aforesaid ‘quiz’ follows below. So how robust is your knowledge? If you haven’t done your homework, you might be surprised about what you think you know.
PGC Seminar Assessment
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- What triggered the introduction of PCGs?
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- Principals will no longer have annual performance reviews.
a) True
b) False
-
- Principals must join a PGC network.
a) True
b) False
- PGC requirements are the same for both principals and teachers.
a) All of them
b) Some of them
c) None of them
- What is the central reference point for a PGC?
a) The elements
b) The Standards
c) The Leadership Strategy
- The ‘guidelines’ for the structure of PGCs are:
a) The Standards
b) The Element
c) The Leadership Strategy
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How many of the 6 Standards can you name?
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There is only one development focus for each PGC.
a) True
b) False
- The principal decides the PGC cycle focus/topic for staff.
a) True
b) False
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All teachers in a school must have the same PGC focus/topic?
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A PGC must last for one year.
a) True
b) False
- The presid ing board member decides the principal’s endorser.
a) True
b) False
- Another principal in a PGC network can be an endorser for a principal in that network.
a) True
b) False
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What is the essential qualification required of an endorser?
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Who cannot be an endorser?
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The endorser must back up his or her decisions with documented evidence.
a) True
b) False
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What is the purpose of observation of teacher practice?
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What is required for endorsing the triennial renewal of a practicing teacher certificate?
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Evidential documents are required for confirming that teachers meet the Standards and have participated in a PGC.
a) True
b) False
- PGC networks should be locally based.
a) True
b) False
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Who may be involved in giving the principal feedback on a PGC ‘journey’?
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Support staff must have a PGC.
a) True
b) False
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What is the biggest change from the previous appraisal system to the PGC system?
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The Ministry of Education must approve the focus of your PGC.
a) True
b) False
- ERO will want to see evidence that the school’s PGC is compliant.
a) True
b) False
c) Anyone’s guess
Need to find answers
The following websites should give you all you need to know: