Recently I was having a conversation with a co-worker who said that if our accrediting body (Cambridge) were to come and check our school that we would fail because we don't have enough teachers with QTS. I mentioned that it is true some of them don't have QTS, but what about our co-workers who came from non-native speaking countries with educational credentials from their home country? We have a good number of Pakistanis teachers in our group, and he said that because they don't have a Western credential that they would also not be included as having QTS. They do however have teacher credentials from Pakistan.
Is what he saying is true? What exactly is viewed as a valid credential for Cambridge and other accrediting bodies?
Another co-worker says that it does not matter what country they are from as long as they have QTS equivalent from their home country. She said theoretically, that an international school that had teachers only from non-English speaking SE Asian countries could pass accreditation.
So what exactly is the truth here?
Accreditation requirements?
Response
Short Answer: Neither.
Long Answer:
I will presume you mean your inspecting body as opposed to an accrediting body.
Since the inquiry is based on the criteria of passing, neither is accurate. There are two types of inspections: compliance and achievement inspections. For compliance inspections the outcomes are only met and unmet (pass/fail) for achievement inspections the outcomes are, in rank order: inadequate, satisfactory, good, and outstanding, in which the passing standard is satisfactory. Requirements for BSOs (which is different for HMI) are that the IS must be ranked satisfactory (either met or satisfactory and above). In the most recent criteria (Summer 2023) there was a hard shift in standards criteria to meeting the regional/national rules and regulations in place for the location of the IS. If an IS is complying with the statutory rules and regulations of the host region than their inspection will rate either met or satisfactory.
Thus the issue at question is, are these Palestine ITs in compliance with the rules and regulations of the LEA? If the the LEA accepts whatever credential these ITs have than the IS would not fail an inspection on that factor.
Theres a longer answer if the extension of the inquiry is what would the criteria be to rank good or outstanding on an achievement inspection.
Long Answer:
I will presume you mean your inspecting body as opposed to an accrediting body.
Since the inquiry is based on the criteria of passing, neither is accurate. There are two types of inspections: compliance and achievement inspections. For compliance inspections the outcomes are only met and unmet (pass/fail) for achievement inspections the outcomes are, in rank order: inadequate, satisfactory, good, and outstanding, in which the passing standard is satisfactory. Requirements for BSOs (which is different for HMI) are that the IS must be ranked satisfactory (either met or satisfactory and above). In the most recent criteria (Summer 2023) there was a hard shift in standards criteria to meeting the regional/national rules and regulations in place for the location of the IS. If an IS is complying with the statutory rules and regulations of the host region than their inspection will rate either met or satisfactory.
Thus the issue at question is, are these Palestine ITs in compliance with the rules and regulations of the LEA? If the the LEA accepts whatever credential these ITs have than the IS would not fail an inspection on that factor.
Theres a longer answer if the extension of the inquiry is what would the criteria be to rank good or outstanding on an achievement inspection.