Primary Specialisation - Graduate outcomes stimulus paper

The paper identifies possible features of graduates with a primary specialisation. It is not intended as a comprehensive list, and is not binding.

In considering the skills and knowledge of graduates with a primary specialisation, it is important to note that graduate teachers are required to meet the Graduate career stage of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST), and it is not an expectation that graduates with a primary specialisation will surpass this career stage.

The 2015 Standards and Procedures for Accreditation of Initial Teacher Education Programs in Australia, agreed to by Education Council in December 2015, require that primary initial teacher education (ITE) programs provide all primary graduates with a subject specialisation (Standard 4.4). The Guideline: Primary Specialisation further explains the requirements of this Program Standard.

The Program Standard does not specify how programs should be structured to incorporate primary specialisation. Providers have flexibility to design the program structure to best suit their context. In the assessment of this Program Standard at accreditation, the focus is on ensuring that graduates with a primary specialisation can demonstrate appropriate outcomes in terms of expert content knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge and highly effective classroom teaching, that will lead to a positive impact on student learning.