Nova Scotia Teaching Standards Archive
2017-2018
Ministry Documents & Corresponsence
Nova Scotia Teaching Standards – Comprehensive Guide • English | French
Joint Memorandum to Members • English | French
In April, 2017 the Department of Education and Early Childhood invited the NSTU to work collaboratively on re-introducing Nova Scotia Teaching Standards., Excellence in Teaching and Learning, 2016 .This year, 2017-2018 , will be a discussion year. Last year, we did not discuss the Standards because of the work to rule and the protest. We did not have the chance to hear from you. That is why we are re- launching the Standards to ensure that you get to discuss them and provide input on the Standards and the Indicators. Our goal is to ensure school board leadership, principals, and teachers are informed about the Teaching Standards re-launch, have the opportunity to engage with and discuss the Teaching Standards and provide us with feedback on the Standards and the Indicators.
The NSTU needs to hear directly from you. Over the course of this year, Staff will be posting surveys, correspondence and other information related to the Teaching Standards on the NSTU website. We need you to read the documents that are posted below, answer the surveys, respond to our invitation to engage in focus groups and to talk to us about the Standards. We know that you are busy, but the Teaching Standards will be used as a basis for a new teacher performance appraisal system, and will influence the re-design of B.Ed. programs. It is essential to hear your voice, the voice of the teaching profession in Nova Scotia. The first survey will be posted in the next few weeks. We will send you an email indicating that the survey has been posted on the NSTU website.
We really need your help on this. Let us hear what you think of the Standards and the Indicators!
NSTU Initiatives
NSTU Seeks Feedback on Nova Scotia Teaching Standards – The Teacher, September 2017
Teacher Feedback
The NSTU, in collaboration with the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, is seeking your feedback on the Teaching Standards. This survey will be live from November 1-December 12, 2017. This is your chance to provide feedback on the Standards. Your opinion matters. At the end of this survey period, we will be reviewing the collective responses and will produce a report on the feedback. That report will be posted on the website. The feedback will be used to guide the revision of the Standards and the Indicators.
Thank you for helping the NSTU shape the Teaching Standards. We appreciate your effort.
Dr. Anne Rodrigue, NSTU
Feedback Survey #1
This survey asks for your opinion on Standards 1 and 2 and the Indicators that explain what that Standard would look like in practice. Introducing just 2 Standards and the Indicators at one time allowed us to create a survey that was manageable in terms of content and time for teachers to complete. We will also conduct a second survey in February where teachers can provide feedback on the remaining 4 Standards and Indicators. The initial survey will give us some feedback on how the Standards are being received; we will construct the second survey taking that feedback into consideration. We intend to prepare a report on the first survey and circulate it before the release of the second survey.
Thank you for completing the survey!
Dr. Anne Rodrigue, NSTU & Paula Hayden, EECD
Feedback Survey #2
In the fall the NSTU sought your input on some of the Teaching Standards. Thank you for your response. The second and final survey on the remaining Standards has now been prepared. It will be live from Friday, April 6 at 8:00 a.m. to Sunday, April 29 at 12:00 a.m. It is very important that teachers identify any issues or challenges associated with these Standards. The Standards will be implemented in September and will be used as a framework for a new provincial teacher performance appraisal system. The NSTU needs to hear from you!
Thank you for helping us shape the Standards.
Dr. Anne Rodrigue, NSTU
2016-2017
Ministry Documents & Correspondence
Nova Scotia Teaching Standards – Discussion Document • English | French
Six Standards Discussion Document • English | French
Nova Scotia Teaching Standards – Foundation Document • English | French
Charting Your Course for Professional Development – The Evolution of Teaching Standards
Our Standards, Our Teachers, Our Province – Frequently Asked Questions • English | French
NSTU Initiatives
Response to Department Documents
Excellence in Teaching and Learning – NSTU Response to Nova Scotia Teaching Standards
Teacher Voice for Quality Public Education – NSTU Response to the Recommendations of the Report of the Minister’s Panel on Education
Teacher Feedback
Tell Us What is Happening Out There
On either Sept. 6 or 7 you attended a Department of Education and Early Childhood Development presentation on Teaching Standards led by your principal. This was the first presentation on Teaching Standards. In the next few months, your principal will lead you in a facilitated conversation on the Standards and will seek your feedback.
This is a discussion year for the Teaching Standards. That is why it is very important that the NSTU know how you feel about the Standards. We need to be able to take your feedback and advocate on your behalf. We need to convey to the Department whether or not you like the Standards, if there are changes that need to be made to the Standards, or if you have concerns about how the Standards will be implemented. In order to get your feedback, we have established a page on the NSTU website where we will be posting monthly surveys on the Teaching Standards. We realize that you are very busy; therefore, the surveys will be very short and concise in nature.
These surveys will act as our direct method of data collection on how the Standards are being introduced and discussed in your school and at your staff meetings. You are our eyes and ears in every school in this province. We will then use this feedback to advocate on your behalf to the Department but we will also share what we have learned with you. This is not a one way channel of communication. We will let you know what other teachers are thinking, what we are doing on your behalf and how your feedback is shaping our response.
The introduction and implementation of Teaching Standards will have an impact on your professional life. Teaching Standards will change how you reflect on your teaching, how you interact and collaborate with your colleagues and how you will be assessed by your Principal. Teacher Standards will drive other initiatives in our education system.-teacher assessment, your annual learning plan, your professional learning and the content and scope of B.Ed. programs.
Thank you for working with us. Together we can shape our collective future as both NSTU members and members of the teaching profession in Nova Scotia. We realize that your time is extremely valuable; therefore, except for the initial survey, these surveys will be very short.
Dr. Anne Rodrigue, NSTU