Progressing to Full Registration

To be eligible to apply, you must:

• hold provisional teacher registration
• have taught in an Australian or New Zealand school jurisdiction for at least one school year since gaining provisional registration (or the part-time equivalent of 185 days)*
• have completed the appropriate teaching service within the last five years
• be registered under the Registration to Work with Vulnerable People Act 2013.

*If you are an experienced teacher with eight years of teaching experience or more, you may be eligible for the Experienced Teacher Pathway to progress to full registration.

Moving to full registration is a continuum of professional growth for a teacher as they transition from the graduate career stage of the Teacher Standards to the proficient stage.

The process teachers undertake to gather a portfolio of evidence against the proficient career stage descriptors aims to support critical inquiry into the professional knowledge, practice, and they have engagement developed and the resulting positive impact on student outcomes.

The process of progressing to full registration is not undertaken alone. Provisionally registered teachers undertaking the process are supported by their principal (or TasTAFE manager), a practice-focused mentor, and other fully registered teaching colleagues. Individuals and schools may also seek independent support with aspects of the process, via the Progressing to Full Registration Support Team. 

It is an expectation of the Board that provisionally registered teachers will meet the criteria for moving to full registration in their first five-year cycle of provisional registration. As soon as you begin teaching, you should get to know the 37 proficient stage descriptors of the Teacher Standards. Once you are ready to formally commence the process, initiate a discussion with your principal (schools/colleges) or manager/supervisor (TasTAFE) to seek their support and determine if your workplace can commit to supporting you throughout the process. This person must currently hold full registration with the Board.

Once you have confirmed your principal’s support, please submit an Expression of Interest to the Board. This ensures we can support you by providing you with the most current information about the process and advising you of ways to access important information sessions.

You are also required to maintain professional conduct in accordance with the Code of Professional Ethics for Tasmanian Teachers and the Professional Boundaries: Guidelines for Tasmanian Teachers. If you are not familiar with these, now is a perfect time.

At the heart of the progressing to full registration process is the opportunity to reflect on your growing positive influence on the academic, engagement, and wellbeing outcomes of your students and critically engage with evidence of your practice. During this stage, you will actively gather and reflect on evidence of your day-to-day practice, professional engagement, and classroom observations against the proficient career stage of the Teachers Standards.

As you gather and reflect on evidence of your practice, your mentor will support you to identify areas of strength and opportunity. The Board also runs regular information sessions to support you to unpack the process and further develop your skills in evidencing your practice against the Standards. These sessions are also available as an on-demand webinar here.

The goal of this stage is the develop a succinct portfolio of 10 to 14 carefully chosen pieces/sets of annotated evidence that demonstrate that you are working at the proficient career stage. Your practice-focused mentor and principal will help you decide when you are ready to finalise your portfolio along with other documentation and move to the next stage of the process.

You must complete a minimum of 185 days of teaching service before progressing to the next stage. Many teachers find it beneficial to complete far more than the minimum number of teaching days before finalising their portfolio.

The workplace assessment panel plays an incredibly important role in the process, supporting you throughout the process and then reviewing the evidence you provide against all 37 standard descriptors of the proficient career stage of Teacher Standards. Based on their review of your evidence, the panel will make a collective recommendation for full registration or provide you with feedback about what additional work is required to demonstrate your proficiency.

The principal, practice-focused mentor, and workplace panel are supported by the ‘Principal, Mentor & Panel Handbook’, and a series of accompanying resources available below.

When you are ready to progress to this stage, consult with your principal or their delegate to confirm a date for your panel to convene. You must provide each member of the panel with a copy of your portfolio, including your:

• annotated evidence against the proficient stage of the Teacher Standards
• three classroom observations recorded in the Board template
• professional learning journal completed in the Board template
• Statement(s) of Service
• Evidence Map, completed in your choice of one of the Board’s templates.

Please note
It is essential to provide the panel with your portfolio well ahead of time, to allow them to individually review the evidence before they convene.

As the applicant for full registration, it is your responsibility to ensure that the Progressing to Full Registration Application Form is completed in full and submitted to the Board.

In the previous stage, your workplace panel and principal will have completed Sections 2 and 3 of the application form. In preparing to submit your application, you must complete Section 1 of the form. This section requires you to provide your details, and evidence of your teaching service, and complete a series of declarations relating to your good character and fitness to teach. It is important to complete and sign the declarations just before you submit your application, as they will lapse from four months of the date of signature.

The original and complete application must be lodged with the Teachers Registration Board of Tasmania. Your complete application must include:

• the progressing to full registration application form (with all sections completed and signed)
• a copy of your evidence map
• an original or certified copy of your Statement(s) of Service
• evidence that you and at least one member of your workplace panel have completed a Board-approved information session.

Once your application is received, an invoice for the application fee will be generated in your TRB Online account. The invoice must be paid before your application will proceed.

Upon considering your completed application, the Board will make a decision to:

• grant full registration if satisfied that you meet the criteria for full registration and that you have complied with the requirements of the process and completed these in a satisfactory manner
  or
• maintain your provisional registration and provide written reasons for this decision if not satisfied that you meet the criteria for full registration and/or if not satisfied that you have complied with the requirements of the process and completed these in a satisfactory manner.

The Board will notify you and your principal of the outcome of your application by email.

Application audits
The Board conducts application audits on a regular basis. You and your principal should keep your portfolio and evidence map for at least 12 months, in case your application is audited. 

If your application is audited, we will request your portfolio of evidence. We will provide details of how to send your portfolio to the Board and any other information required.

The principal, practice-focused mentor, and workplace panel are supported by the ‘Principal, Mentor & Panel Handbook’. The Board also runs regular information sessions for principals, mentors, and panels. These information sessions are also available as an on-demand webinar, accessible here.

A series of important checklists and templates are provided below which will support you in undertaking this important role.

Principals can delegate almost all aspects of their role in the progressing to full registration process. However, they must take responsibility for the final determination of the recommendation for full registration and personally complete Section 3 of the application form.

While the applicant has the responsibility of submitting the final application for full registration, the Chair of the workplace panel or the principal must also ensure that a complete copy of the process documentation is retained at the school for 12 months from the date it is formally submitted to the Board. A complete copy of the process documentation must include:

• the portfolio and evidence map
• the Statement(s) of Service
• evidence that the applicant and at least one member of the workplace panel completed the required information session(s)
• the completed and signed application form.