Advocacy
The AAEGT is calling on your support in the AITSL Review of Teacher and Professional Standards
We'd appreciate your support!
You may be aware that AITSL is currently undertaking a review of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers, which were developed over 15 years ago.
Comprising a set of seven core standards, they collectively outline what Australian teachers are expected to know and should be able to do. They are designed to promote effective teaching, enhance teacher quality, optimal assessment, and effective professional learning. The following is a link to these standards.
At present there is no mention of gifted students or gifted education anywhere in the standards.
You can read more about the review of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers here
As part of the review, various stakeholders will be given two opportunities to provide feedback. The first of these, which will involve the completion of an online survey, is currently open (and closes on Friday, 7 August 2026). The link to the online survey may be found here
This is an important opportunity for the gifted education community in Australia to provide feedback to ensure that gifted students are better supported in our schools. In particular, there are some open ended response boxes in the survey that allow us to raise issues with respect to gifted education.
We will shortly be providing letters that the AAEGT believes may be useful in guiding your responses. Unfortunately, there is no opportunity to upload any letters in this survey - such an opportunity is nevertheless likely to be available in the next round of public consultation, that the AAEGT will advise and guide you through, in due course.
For the gifted education voice to be heard, it is absolutely essential that you complete the survey. That is, the more contributions that AITSL receives relating to gifted education, the more likely it is that the Teacher Standards will be revised to promote educational practices to support gifted students in the future.
We also ask that you share this information with others who support gifted education, so that they have an opportunity to contribute to the review.
Please complete the survey as soon as possible, and prior to its date of closure on Friday, 7 August 2026.
The AAEGT is involved in the AITSL Review process in the following ways
AAEGT
The AAEGT has made a submission document to the AITSL review process.
Consulting Sessions
AAEGT President, Professor Jae Jung, and AAEGT Directors are attending a consultation session with the AITSL review panel regarding our perspectives on areas for improvement in the teachers standards.
Director Submissions
AAEGT Directors are making letters and submissions to the AITSL review to ensure all perspectives are heard and considered.
What we'd like to see
A new focus area for Gifted Students in the Standard
There is no specific mention of gifted students or gifted education in the current standards. Instead, there is only an indirect and implied mention through Focus Area 1.5 (Differentiate teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities).
New focus areas relating to Standard 3.
Standard 3 currently gives no attention to key features of effective teaching and learning that would be of substantial benefit to the entire Australian student population.
A new focus area on Reporting on Student Potential in Standard 5.
Standard 5 has an explicit focus on reporting on student achievement, but no attention to reporting on student potential.
We would also like to see:
- The assessment of student potential to ascertain the appropriate educational provisions to offer each and every student.
- The appropriate pacing of instruction for gifted students.
- The appropriate progression of students in their educational trajectory.
- The provision of appropriate support to allow all students to fulfil their educational potential. This provision is a legal a requirement in many states and territories of Australia, including New South Wales (through the Education Act 1990).
The Australian Association for the Education of the Gifted and Talented (AAEGT) welcomes the 2026 AITSL Teacher Professional Standards Review, for the opportunity it provides to outline and address some of the many weaknesses of the current standards, to promote enhanced teacher quality, effective teaching, optimal assessment, and effective professional learning, in a manner that is fully inclusive of diverse Australian student populations.
