Devolving professional learning to subject specialists: towards embedding assessment reform in New Zealand

Abstract

Professional learning to embed educational reform may need to take account of the stage of the reform rather than previous teaching experience. As reforms move to the embedding phase, some teachers have become more expert in executing the reform than others and may be well placed to provide professional learning. In 2007, the New Zealand Ministry of Education funded a ‘Senior Subject Adviser’ pilot to further embed the National Certificates of Educational Achievement assessment reform. This involved seconding 22 teachers from schools to advisory services in universities. This paper outlines that the pilot offered a successful structure that supported the needs of teachers. The key to success was the devolved nature of the pilot, which acknowledged that embedding reform can be facilitated by teachers.

Keywords:

• subject advisers
• professional development
• professional learning
• reform
• peer-to-peer professional learning

Acknowledgements

This research was supported in part by Contract No. 397-2731 awarded to the Jessie Hetherington Centre for Educational Research by the New Zealand Ministry of Education. The opinions expressed herein, however, are those of the researchers involved in the project and do not necessarily reflect those of the Ministry of Education, and no official endorsement should be inferred.

Notes

1. Teachers with four to 10 years of teaching experience.

2. New Zealand’s main high school qualifications.

3. For the purposes of this paper, ‘secondment’ describes the period for which a teacher is on leave from teaching for the purpose of providing professional learning from a university-based school support service.