PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS OF TEACHING STAFF: THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ASSESSMENT PRACTICES AND MANAGEMENT NEEDS IN THE EDUCATION SYSTEM

The article examines the issue of assessing the professionalism of teaching staff within the framework of the National Qualifications System of the Russian Federation (NQS RF). A comparison is made between the established practice of teacher certification and the mechanism of independent assessment of qualifications. Based on the analysis conducted, domestic and international approaches to the assessment of teaching staff are systematized, deficiencies in existing and developing assessment tools are identified, and the potential of independent assessment of qualifications for the education management system is described. The methodological foundation of the study comprises a comparative analysis of assessment models and a theoretical literature review. The conducted analysis suggests that there is terminological and conceptual confusion in Russian practice: qualification (a resource) is often assessed through the lens of performance outcomes, which leads to unreliable assessment results. Furthermore, there is a significant gap between the Unified Federal Assessment Materials and the actual demands (expectations) of heads of educational institutions. The key conclusion of the study is that for the independent assessment of teacher qualifications to become an effective tool for managing the quality of teaching staff, it must respond to the specific demands of employers, ensure transparency of the assessment procedure, be integrated into a broader system of formative assessment and professional development, while remaining independent from administrative and managerial decisions.