HALT Certification Process 2026: Step-by-Step Guide

On this page (8 sections)

Before you apply: the readiness check
Stage 1: the evidence portfolio
The NSW version: modules, sets and the 14 mandated descriptors
Stage 2: the site visit
Fees and timelines by authority
A realistic 6-to-9-month plan
Why applications fall short
FAQs

The short answer

HALT certification runs in two stages. In Stage 1 you submit annotated evidence of your teaching, observation reports and referee statements, and two trained assessors judge them against the Highly Accomplished or Lead descriptors. In Stage 2 an external assessor visits, watches you teach and interviews your principal. NSW splits Stage 1 into two modules covering 20 descriptors. Fees run from $605 (NSW HA) to $1,825 (NT).

Before you start: check eligibility, get your principal's support and do the orientation.
NSW: 20 Standard Descriptors (14 mandated), at most 5 evidence sets per module, about 700 words of narrative per set.
NT: up to 35 artefacts, 3 to 5 referees, and two 60-minute lessons observed at the site visit.
Plan on several months from orientation to decision.

Before you apply: the readiness check

Do these before you pay anything

1

Confirm you're eligible

Most authorities want Proficient accreditation or full registration, recent satisfactory performance reviews (2 for Highly Accomplished, 3 for Lead in NSW and the NT), citizenship or permanent residency, and your principal's support. Tasmania also asks for 3 years' teaching and 1 year of full registration.
2

Self-assess against the descriptors

Read the Highly Accomplished or Lead descriptor for every focus area and rate yourself honestly. The NT tells applicants to use AITSL's Teacher Self-Assessment Tool. If you can't name a piece of evidence with measurable impact for at least two-thirds of the descriptors, you're probably a year away.
3

Talk to your principal

Your principal (or TA Delegate in NSW) verifies eligibility, writes or nominates an observation report, and is interviewed during the site visit. In the NT and Tasmania their endorsement is a formal entry requirement.
4

Do the orientation

NSW makes the HALT Orientation Course compulsory before you begin. The NT asks you to attend an introductory session and a full-day workshop. Tasmania runs information sessions and an 'Intent to Participate' form.
5

Choose your level

Pick Highly Accomplished or Lead now. Switching later means re-mapping all your evidence, because every descriptor changes. Read HALT explained if you're unsure.

Stage 1: the evidence portfolio

Stage 1 is where most of the work happens. Under the national framework, which the TRB NT's Guide to Certification sets out in detail, your portfolio has three parts: a teacher reflection, direct evidence and referee statements.

Stage 1 requirements in the NT (TRB NT Guide to Certification)

Part	What you submit	Limit
Written statement	Your statement addressing the Standards	No more than 2 single-sided A4 pages
Lead initiative (Lead only)	Description of an initiative you led	No more than 2 single-sided A4 pages
Annotated artefacts	Work samples, plans, data, feedback, emails, minutes, each annotated	Up to 35 artefacts
Observation reports	At least 2, one by your principal or delegate	Counted within the artefacts
Referees	3 to 5 people with first-hand knowledge of your practice	One must be the principal or delegate

Referees can verify up to 15 of the 37 focus-area descriptors for you. Each one they verify is treated as met, which cuts how much you need to show. In the NT, 0 verified descriptors leaves you 35 artefacts, 1 to 5 leaves 33, 6 to 10 leaves 29 and 11 to 15 leaves 25. Choose referees who have actually seen the work and can speak in Standards language.

How long should annotations be?

Per focus-area descriptor: about 150 words each
Per artefact covering several descriptors: about 350 words
Per evidence set covering several artefacts and descriptors: about 600 words

Those are the NT's suggested lengths. An artefact alone doesn't meet a descriptor. The annotation has to say why you did it, what changed for students or colleagues, and how you know. Assessors look for impact, not activity.

Worked example

Example annotation (fictional, for illustration): descriptor 5.4.3, Interpret student data

Artefact: Year 8 maths pre/post test spreadsheet, term 2
Context: Three Year 8 classes, 74 students; I led the faculty's fractions unit review
What I did: Analysed item-level pre-test results with two colleagues; found 60% of errors were on equivalent fractions
Change to practice: We added 4 explicit-teaching lessons and a weekly retrieval quiz across all three classes
Impact: Average post-test score rose from 48% to 71%; the proportion below 40% fell from 31% to 9%
Colleague impact: Both colleagues now run item analysis independently; the template is used by the Year 9 team

This is a made-up example to show structure. Your annotation should use your own data, and the artefact must be verifiable by a referee.

The NSW version: modules, sets and the 14 mandated descriptors

NESA runs HALT as a modular application. You show 20 Standard Descriptors at your level. 14 are mandated and 6 are your choice. In practice, 2.3 (curriculum, assessment and reporting) applies only to secondary teachers and 2.5 (literacy and numeracy strategies) only to early childhood and primary teachers.

NSW mandated descriptors (Highly Accomplished level shown; Lead uses the .4 versions)

Standard	Mandated descriptors
1. Know students	1.2.3, 1.6.3
2. Know the content	2.1.3, 2.3.3 (secondary) or 2.5.3 (EC/primary), 2.4.3
3. Plan and implement	3.5.3, 3.6.3
4. Learning environments	4.1.3, 4.2.3
5. Assessment and feedback	5.1.3, 5.4.3
6. Professional learning	6.4.3
7. Engage professionally	7.1.3, 7.2.3

The NSW pathway

1

Module 1

Nominate 10 descriptors. Submit no more than 5 evidence sets, each covering 2 to 4 descriptors, with a structured narrative of about 700 words per set in eTAMS. Fee: $180 (HA) or $220 (Lead).
2

Assessment

At least two NESA-trained HALT assessors assess each module, which takes up to 28 days, not counting school holidays. Add 7 days if a third assessor is needed.
3

Site Visit

Request it after Module 1. An External Assessor observes 3 sessions across one day (2 must involve teaching students), has a professional discussion with you and interviews your principal or TA Delegate for 30 minutes. You get the report within 72 hours. Fee: $245 (HA) or $275 (Lead).
4

Module 2

Nominate the next 10 descriptors, plus any not met in Module 1. One module must include an observation report of a colleague's teaching, covering 2 to 4 descriptors. Fee: $180 (HA) or $220 (Lead).
5

Revisions and decision

If any descriptors aren't demonstrated, you get 3 months to submit revisions. NESA then makes the accreditation decision.

Stage 2: the site visit

The site visit checks that the teacher in the portfolio is the teacher in the room. In the NT it's expected to take one day. It includes a pre-observation discussion you lead, two 60-minute lessons, a post-observation discussion, and professional discussions with your principal and 3 to 5 colleagues or referees if needed. If the evidence is still inconclusive, the assessors can arrange a further visit or another assessor.

Site visit preparation

Pick lessons that show the descriptors you nominated, not your flashiest lesson
Write a one-page context sheet: class profile, learning goals, data, what to look for
Brief your principal and referees on which descriptors they can speak to
Have the student work and data from your portfolio on hand in case the assessor asks
Plan what you'll say in the post-lesson discussion about impact and next steps

Fees and timelines by authority

What we could verify (October 2026)

Authority	Fees	Timing
NESA (NSW)	HA $605 ($180 + $245 + $180); Lead $715 ($220 + $275 + $220)	Up to 28 days per module assessment; 3 months for revisions
TRB NT	Stage 1 $925; Stage 2 $900	2026 submission windows: 16-27 Feb and 7-18 Sep; Intention to Submit 28+ days before
TRB Tasmania	Not published on the HALT page	Flexible timeframe of 5 to 20 weeks (2026 process)
Other authorities	Set locally; check before applying	Usually set intake windows

Some employers reimburse fees or give release time. Ask your principal or union before you pay.

Fees for work-related certification may be tax deductible as self-education if they relate to your current job. Read self-education expenses for teachers and keep the receipts.

A realistic 6-to-9-month plan

Sample timeline for a full-time teacher (adjust to your authority's windows)

When	Task
Month 1	Eligibility check, principal conversation, orientation, self-assessment
Months 1-2	Map existing artefacts to descriptors; find the gaps
Months 2-4	Run one deliberate improvement cycle with colleagues and collect before/after data
Month 4	Write annotations or narratives; get a colleague to read them cold
Month 5	Submit Stage 1 / Module 1
Months 6-7	Site visit; Module 2 in NSW
Months 8-9	Revisions if needed; decision

Free calculator

AI HALT Evidence Planner

Build your descriptor map, spot thin evidence and plan your timeline around your authority's submission windows.

Plan my evidence

Why applications fall short

Activity without impact. 'I ran a PD session' doesn't meet a descriptor. 'Six colleagues changed their feedback routine and Year 9 writing scores rose' can.
No colleague dimension. Both higher career stages are about lifting others. Evidence limited to your own class rarely carries Highly Accomplished, and never Lead.
Artefacts that don't match the annotation. If the annotation claims a data analysis, the data has to be in the artefact.
Wrong level. Lead descriptors ask you to initiate and lead. Supporting someone else's initiative is usually Highly Accomplished evidence.
Referees who can't speak to the descriptors. Brief them, or choose someone who saw the work.

Once you're certified, check the pay rules. In NSW the HA/Lead rate ($141,997 from 9 October 2026) also needs a year at Step 7. Compare the money with other options in our teacher career progression guide.

Frequently asked questions

How long does HALT certification take?

Usually several months. NSW assesses each module in up to 28 days excluding school holidays, and Tasmania describes a flexible 5-to-20-week timeframe for 2026. Most of the time goes into collecting evidence of impact before you submit.

How many pieces of evidence do I need for HALT?

In the NT you can use up to 35 annotated artefacts, fewer if referees verify descriptors. In NSW each of your two modules has at most 5 evidence sets, each covering 2 to 4 descriptors, with about 700 words of narrative per set.

What happens at the HALT site visit?

An external assessor watches you teach and talks to you and your principal. In NSW they observe 3 sessions in one day and interview your principal or TA Delegate for 30 minutes. In the NT they observe two 60-minute lessons and may talk to 3 to 5 referees.

What are the 14 mandated descriptors in NSW?

At Highly Accomplished they are 1.2.3, 1.6.3, 2.1.3, 2.4.3, 3.5.3, 3.6.3, 4.1.3, 4.2.3, 5.1.3, 5.4.3, 6.4.3, 7.1.3 and 7.2.3, plus 2.3.3 for secondary or 2.5.3 for early childhood and primary teachers. Lead uses the same focus areas at the .4 level.

Can I fail HALT and try again?

Yes. In NSW you get 3 months to revise any descriptors not demonstrated after Module 2. Authorities also have review processes for decisions. If you're not successful, you can reapply later with stronger evidence.

Who can be a HALT referee?

People with first-hand knowledge of your practice at the relevant level, such as your principal, a head of department or colleagues you've worked with. The NT asks for 3 to 5 referees, one of whom must be the principal or delegate.

Is HALT evidence the same as annual performance review evidence?

It can overlap, but HALT needs more. A performance review shows you're doing your job. HALT evidence must show, descriptor by descriptor, practice and impact at the higher career stage, including how you improved colleagues' practice.

Sources we checked · last verified 2026-10-16

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Written and fact-checked by the TeacherPay AU editorial team against the enterprise agreements, awards and official pages listed in the sources. It is general information, not personal financial, tax or legal advice. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we'll fix it, usually within a day. See our editorial policy and how we calculate.

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