The Australian Teaching Assistant Professional Standards (ATAPS) is an evidence-based framework that supports the performance and professional growth of teaching assistants in all Australian schools.
The framework aligns with the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers, creating a shared language to talk about performance and professional growth.
The ATAPS framework is organised into three interrelated domains that describe the Professional Knowledge, Professional Practice, and Professional Engagement, required by teaching assistants working in a school setting.
The Standards are grouped under the domains, and describe what teaching assistants know, understand, and do, and can be used by teaching assistants to reflect on their practice, set goals, and plan professional learning to improve their knowledge and practice.
There are four Professional Growth Stages: Developing; Proficient; Accomplished, and Advanced. Within each stage, the Professional Growth Expectations identify the progressive professional knowledge, practice and engagement of teaching assistants.They also act as benchmarks that may be used by teaching assistants to inform their professional growth and set aspirational goals.
Download ATAPS Professional Growth Framework here
Professional Growth Stages
The four professional growth stages in ATAPS represent the progressive professional knowledge, practice and engagement of teaching assistants. The four professional growth stages do not correlate to years of service, and are not linked to any industrial agreement.
Teaching assistants are likely to be at different stages of professional growth, depending on their experience, the nature of their role, and their qualifications.
A teaching assistant who is still studying, or newly graduated, will begin their career in the Developing Stage, as well as a teaching assistant from any of the other stages who has not yet had the opportunity to achieve all of the Developing professional growth expectations.
The majority of teaching assistants are Proficient and will continue to build their professional knowledge, practice and engagement throughout their career.
Some teaching assistants will progress to the Accomplished or Advanced stages of professional growth, depending on their goals, and the opportunities that exist within the school.
The table below gives an indication of the expectations within each stage.
Download Professional Growth Stages here
