To achieve certification you are required to present evidence that your leadership is improving your school. You will be supported through the process and be provided opportunities for peer engagement, feedback and critical reflection. You will have access to wrold class learning materials throgh the CPP-ACER partnership.


Attend induction one day face to face and three one-hour follow up sessions online

Make strategic choices connecting portfolio initiatives to school improvement plan

Implement plans, monitor impact of implementation

Engage with peers in series of online forums and with readings

Reflect critically on practice –recording reflections

Curate evidence of practice, prepare reflective analysis

1. Application

Check eligiblity
Complete the application form
Pay fees before due date

Help and support

Need help or have a question? Get in touch.

2. Induction

All successful applicants must attend an induction series.
As part of the induction, you will develop formal proposals for each of your Portfolio Initiatives.

Forthcoming induction series

Additional start dates can be arranged by mutual agreement in cases where a cohort of 8 principals or more has been recruited by a Principal Association or a System
Induction dates
  Term 3, 2020 Term 4, 2020 Term 1, 2021 Term 2, 2021
Enrolment deadline 26 August 6 October 17 February 30 April
Part 1 - Online during COVID-19  lockdown 2 September 20 October 3 March 6 May
Part 2 - 1 hour online 8 September 27 October 10 March 12 May
Part 3 - 1 hour online 13 October 12 November 18 March 20 May
Part 4 - 1 hour online 28 October 19 November 23 March 26 May
         

All times are AEST (Australian Eastern Standard Time)

3. Connect Portfolio Initiatives to current improvement plans

Certification requires principals to document two improvement initiatives they are leading.

You will select two of the Portfolio Initiative options, as outlined below, and go on to develop case studies of your leadership in action. The Portfolio Initiatives provide the scaffolding to ensure a manageable workload.

Principals choose the focus and scope of what they choose to document. As such you can streamline work and professional learning by aligning the CPP award requirements with your school's agenda for improvement. The certification process should form part of the school's best practice.


Portfolio Initiative options (Select 2 of 3)


Demonstrate how your leadership is increasing the effectiveness of teaching in your school and promoting student learning as a result

Demonstrate how your leadership is strengthening and sustaining your school as a professional community

Demonstrate how your leadership is strengthening partnerships with your school’s wider community to address an identified need or to seize an opportunity for innovation

4. Implementation, data generation and analysis

Portfolio Initiatives are dynamic endeavours that evolve throughout the course of the candidature as principals continuously review and amend their plan while they monitor its implementation.

It is expected that principals will require at least 18 months to generate enough clear evidence of change and the impact of their leadership.

Supporting principals through certification

Candidates have the opportunity to network with peers throughout the certification process as they negotiate best practice and exchange feedback on initiatives.

Principals have access to a comprehensive set of guides, tools and scaffolding to help build their portfolio throughout the process.

5. Complete Reflective Analyses

The Reflective Analysis forms the core of each Portfolio Initiative submission.

It is an opportunity for principals to tell the story of their leadership, illustrated by the evidence they have generated along the way.

Principals will detail the significance of the evidence they have chosen to include, and explain how it demonstrates the impact of their leadership.

The Reflective Analyses and supporting evidence are assessed against published criteria, mapped to the Principal Standard.

Provide the rationale, focus and scope for the initiative, defining strategies and the criteria for success.

certification process diagram

Describe the implementation, monitoring and responses to issues that arose.

Reflect critically on the impact of the initiatives led, as well as leadership practices.

Analyse the data generated during implementation.

Plan circle

Provide the rationale, focus and scope for the initiative; defining strategies and the criteria for success.

Act circle

Describe the implementation, monitoring and responses to issues that arose.

Reflect circle

Reflect critically on the impact of the initiatives led, as well as leadership practices.

Review circle

Analyse the data generated during implementation.

6. Achieve recognition

Submission

Reflective analyses, evidence and data from the independent validation instrument are submitted to CPP assessors

Assessment

Submissions are double-blind evaluated based on the CPP assessment framework.

Certification

Candidates are recognised for their achievement at an awards ceremony. Successful candidates may use the post-nominal CPP.

Resubmission

Candidates whose initial submission is deemed not at the level required for certification have the opportunity to resubmit.