Public commentary on teacher quality: an analysis of media comment on the teaching performance assessment.

In Australia, the Teaching Performance Assessment (TPA) is a relatively new, mandatory hurdle which must be completed just prior to the graduation stage of initial teacher education (ITE) programmes. This high-stakes task is one of a growing number of requirements to come out of the standards and accountability regime as outlined in the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) document for accreditation for ITE programmes. We delve into the public commentary about the broader commission of preservice and graduate teacher quality in general and the TPA in particular.