Assessing Teaching Readiness in Australia

Taking a future-facing approach, this book provides a timely evaluation of the Teaching Performance Assessment (TPA) which utilises the Assessment for Graduate Teaching (AfGT) as an instrument for assessing pre-service teachers’ classroom readiness in Australia. Against a backdrop of teacher shortages prompting a range of alternate measures to fast-track new teachers, GenAI challenging assessment processes, and a national cross-TPA moderation process under development, this edited collection examines the TPA’s role as a quality assurance measure for improving education.

Organised into three sections, the text addresses the current TPA landscape, its implementation and impacts, and the possibilities and challenges ahead in a rapidly changing teacher education landscape. Collating diverse research from 30 scholars directly involved in implementing the TPA and AfGT across initial teacher education (ITE) courses, this book presents a nuanced picture of the TPA and highlights critical design features for ongoing improvement.

This is an invaluable resource for teacher educators, postgraduate students and researchers of education interested in the development of teacher effectiveness, as well as those in educational administration and policy development overseeing initial teacher education.

Judith Dinham is Professor, Curtin School of Education; Lead for Strategic Learning and Teaching Projects, Faculty of Humanities; and Fellow of the Higher Education, Research and Development Society of Australasia. Her curriculum and pedagogical research has informed her national teacher education and curriculum leadership, and university textbooks: Cengage (5th ed., 2023), Oxford University Press (3rd ed., 2026).

Emily Hills is Associate Dean Education at the University of Canberra and a scholar of teacher education and school–university partnerships. She brings extensive experience in educational leadership, curriculum design, and professional learning, supporting evidence-informed practice across diverse educational contexts in Australia and internationally.

Sharon Davies is a Senior Lecturer at Curtin University with extensive teacher education leadership. This includes ITE course coordination and the Academic Lead, Quality Assurance role which has involved overseeing accreditation for all Curtin ITE courses and engaging with national teacher education quality frameworks and standards.

Rebecca Walker is Professor and Deputy Pro Vice-Chancellor, Humanities, Curtin University, where she has held School of Education leadership roles including Deputy Head of School and Director, Student Experience and Industry Engagement. With teaching experience across Australia and internationally, her scholarly expertise encompasses initial teacher education accreditation, equity-focused pedagogies, and educational policy.