New Teachers Arrive Unprepared and Under Pressure
New teachers are arriving in classrooms under prepared and unable to handle classroom complexities despite having completed standardised assessments that bestow ‘classroom readiness’.
Australia seems to be measuring the wrong thing in teacher training, expecting new teachers to meet rigid standards while neglecting the practical and humanistic challenges of the profession.
Reforms in teacher education, mentorship and ongoing development matter more than rigid assessments, according to researchers.
Research, led by Associate Professor Rebecca Spooner-Lane and Associate Professor, Nerida Spina, Ms Elizabeth Briant and Dr Julia Mascadri all from the QUT School of Education, published the Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, reveals that the term 'classroom readiness' has become a convenient policy tool rather than a reliable measure of teacher capability.
Associate Professor Spooner-Lane, who specialises in research focused on the professional development and career progression of teachers from graduate teacher through to lead teacher, said 'classroom readiness' was more of a policy construct than a genuine assessment of teaching capability.
"The term classroom readiness has been used strategically to justify reforms in teacher education, but our research shows that readiness is not a point-in-time achievement, it’s a professional journey," Associate Professor Spooner-Lane said.
"Our review found that readiness is too multifaceted to be effectively measured by a single assessment.
"While teaching performance assessments aim to standardise and regulate teacher preparation, they risk oversimplifying the demands teachers face in diverse classroom settings."
The paper says that policies enforcing assessments assume graduates can seamlessly transition into classroom teaching, with evidence that even top-performing teachers struggle in their first years without proper support.
"New teachers often enter classrooms facing unrealistic expectations, and are required to manage complex student needs, adapt to curriculum changes and navigate classroom challenges with minimal guidance," Associate Professor Sponer-Lane said.
"Assessments reduce teacher preparation to a selected set of criteria, ignoring the mentorship, adaptability and professional development needed to thrive.
"Australia’s approach assumes that passing an assessment guarantees classroom readiness, but school leaders report that many graduates still require significant training to navigate the profession effectively."
Associate Professor Nerida Spina, co-author of the study, said there was an urgent need to ensure new teachers were well prepared in their initial teacher education degrees, and then well supported once they started work into the profession.
"We cannot expect graduating teachers to step into classrooms as fully-fledged experts from day one,” Associate Professor Nerida Spina said.
“They require structured support systems that guide their early years in the profession, helping them build confidence and competence.
"A teacher’s journey should be one of continuous development, shaped by meaningful mentorship and accessible opportunities for learning. Without these, new educators may struggle to navigate the complexities of real-world teaching.
"Standardised testing alone does not prepare teachers for the realities of the classroom. Instead, we must invest in hands-on training, professional collaboration, and real-world teaching experiences that truly equip them for success."
Image by Taras Kots