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Apply for HALT accreditation
NESA makes the accreditation decision
The accreditation decision
The final part of the HALT application process is the accreditation decision. NESA makes its decision within 28 days after you complete Module 2. If you have had to submit revisions, NESA’s decision will be made within 28 days of your revisions.
NESA makes the accreditation decision based on the:
- assessment of your evidence module(s), as documented in the HALT Module Report(s)
- demonstration of nominated Standard Descriptors, as verified by the program manager of the NESA recognised program that you participated in (if applicable)
- External Assessor’s Site Visit Report.
If your application is successful, you will be notified of the accreditation decision.
If NESA accredits you at Highly Accomplished or Lead Teacher, you will start your first maintenance period at the relevant level on the date the accreditation decision is recorded in your NESA online account (eTAMS). You will also receive a certificate from NESA.
If your application is unsuccessful
If you are unsuccessful at achieving HALT accreditation, we will notify you. NESA will provide you with the reasons for our accreditation decision. You may want to share these with your principal or service director and/or employer to seek support.
You can:
- open a new application when you determine you are ready
- apply to NESA for an internal review of a decision to not accredit you
- apply to the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) for a review of NESA’s decision to not accredit you if you are not satisfied with the outcome of the internal review.
You will remain accredited at your current career stage. You will need to continue to meet the relevant maintenance requirements and timeframes.
Quality assurance of accreditation decisions
NESA has quality assurance processes in place to ensure HALT accreditation assessments and decisions are rigorous, valid and nationally credible. These include:
- monitoring the assessment of HALT modules on an ongoing basis as HALT Assessors and External Assessors complete them
- addressing any identified issues by providing relevant feedback and training to HALT Assessors and/or External Assessors to ensure the assessment of HALT applications is valid, reliable and consistent with the Standards at the higher levels
- submitting evidence developed by HALT applicants for national moderation as requested by the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) in line with the national Framework for the Certification of Highly Accomplished and Lead Teachers
- implementing quality assurance processes with NESA recognised program providers to ensure the programs are aligned with the HALT Standards. For instance, NESA may request individual examples of evidence to determine how impact is evaluated. NESA will also verify if the program coherence is aligned with the program application and will provide feedback on any areas for development
- collecting summary data on assessment and accreditation decisions to evaluate, review and improve the accreditation processes, and provide such data to AITSL if requested.