Institute completes training for attestation committees

The Evaluation Institute of the Supreme Education Council recently completed advanced training on the principles and requirements for accreditation of teacher portfolios for 126 members of the Schools Attestation Committees. The training targeted Cohort I to VI operators, directors, academic vice principals, and coordinators in secondary, preparatory, and primary and model independent schools.

The training was held in collaboration with the Faculty of Education at Qatar University with the aim of developing participants’ skills in accrediting teacher portfolios in preparation for obtaining professional licenses. The training included lectures and practical workshops on the application of attestation policies and the guiding principles of the Qatar Office of Registration, Licensing and Accreditation (QORLA).

“The accreditation process is conducted internally where the Schools Accreditation Committees assess the professional standards of teachers and school leaders, accredit portfolios and send recommendation to QORLA,” said Noor al Huda Al Rasheed, the Director of QORLA. “The Schools Attestation Committee is headed by the school operator.”

A separate five-member neutral committee selected by the Evaluation Institute accredits portfolios of the operators and school principals. This neutral committee consists of members with direct relations with operators and principals as well as community representatives with educational experience.

“The first phase of the program focused on explaining the purpose of the training, it advantages and the skills required of the participants. The second phase focused on defining the accreditation process and QORLA’s roles,” said Dr. Abdullah Mohammad Abu-Tineh, Associate Professor of Educational Sciences in the Faculty of Education at Qatar University. “The training promotes participants skills as mentors who will advise the rest of the members of the School Accreditation Committees thus forming a common understanding of the accreditation process.”

One participant, Taghreed Mansouri, operator and principal for Nusiba bint Kaab Primary Independent School said the increase in the number of Schools Attestation Committee members would allow for reasonable division of tasks where each member can be responsible for evaluating one or two standards on each portfolio. This factor deepens members understanding of the standards therefore improving assessment of teacher “The accreditation idea was quite vague in the beginning but it all became clear as the training and practical applications progressed,” she said. “We learned how to compare the information provided in the teachers portfolios with the standards and participated in the training of trainers sessions to train further groups of the school staff.”

Michael Henry Romanowski, Educational Leadership Master Program Coordinator also conducted lectures at the training sessions.