|
Maintaining, Ensuring and
Demonstrating Competency in the Teaching Profession
The College Responds to the Minister of Education's Proposal for a Teacher
Testing Program
The College of Teachers has responded to Education
Minister Janet Ecker's request for advice on the government's proposal for a program of
teacher testing tied to re-certification by recommending a comprehensive, 15-point
competency program for the Ontario teaching profession.
The 15-point program was developed through consultation with the public, College
members and with education stakeholders, based on the research and 22 options presented in
A Consultation Paper: Formulating a Response to the Letter of November 10, 1999 from
the Minister of Education re a Teacher Testing Program.
"We believe that these 15 recommendations, taken together, respond to the five
parameters outlined by the Minister in her request to the College for advice on the
government's proposal," said College Chair Donna Marie Kennedy after the
recommendations were ratified at a special Council meeting on April 10. "The
College's advice is grounded on solid research and consultation. These recommendations
meet the criteria the College used to assess all the options. They are administratively
feasible, publicly credible, professionally acceptable, legally defensible and
economically affordable.
"The College is proposing a competency program that ensures the continuous
assessment of skills and knowledge of teachers throughout their careers."
The College of Teachers was asked by Minister of Education Janet Ecker on November 10,
1999 to provide advice on how to implement a program of teacher testing.
The Research
The College began with a review of best practices for
maintaining professional competence. The research found that many other jurisdictions have
developed ways to ensure that new teachers meet professional standards and that working
teachers keep their skills and knowledge base current. However, it became clear that no
jurisdiction has been able to effectively implement a written test that accurately and
comprehensively measures the professional knowledge and skills of experienced teachers.
Instead, regulatory bodies have made effective quality assurance
programs an integral part of the process of educating, training and certifying members.
These processes are often complemented by ongoing professional learning that ensures
qualified people remain up to date with the latest developments in their profession.
The Ontario College of Teachers, since it began operations in 1997, has adopted the
standards-based approach that other jurisdictions are following. The College has developed
standards of practice, ethical standards and a proposed professional learning framework
that sets out very clearly the high standard of competence that teachers must maintain.
In the College review of professional self-regulatory bodies in Ontario, it was found
that virtually all those that conduct testing do so at the end of a program of training,
as a requirement for registration or, in a few cases, after a period of supervised
practice. However, no organization requires current members to be tested to maintain
certification or a licence.
In the review of similar international organizations, the College found that in
Australia, New Zealand, France, Scotland, England and Wales, teacher regulatory bodies are
adopting a standards-based approach to promoting teacher competence. In the United States,
there is a clear trend away from attempts made in the 1970s and 1980s to develop
standardized teacher testing. A written test is commonly used only as part of the initial
certification process for teachers and most states have standards in place that define
ongoing professional learning.
The Consulatation
An ad hoc committee of five elected and four public members
struck by Council directed the development of A Consultation Paper: Formulating a
Response to the Letter of November 10, 1999 from the Minister of Education re a Teacher
Testing Program. This paper contained 22 options that formed the basis for
consultation with educational stakeholders identified by the Minister of Education and the
College, with members of the College and with members of the public.
The College invited education stakeholders and other respondents to the
document to comment on these options and to propose additional options.
Ministry of Education bureaucrats and the Minister's staff were briefed on the paper
and the consultation process. The paper was also forwarded to all directors of education
and members of the Ontario legislature. The paper was posted on the College web site and
members of the College and the public were invited to comment. Public and institutional
libraries in Ontario, chambers of commerce, independent schools, subject associations and
Ministry of Education regional offices were sent a letter and poster on the consultation
and were invited to respond.
Consensus was not an objective of the consultation. Rather the intent was to gather
data in a consistent way from all of the sources being used. In collating the data, the
College used a format that identified where there was agreement on the options, where
opinions varied and where additional options for consideration were identified.
Information was gathered from three sources:
- structured consultation sessions with education stakeholder groups
- position papers from designated education stakeholder groups and
responses from other interested organizations
- web site, fax, e-mail and hand-delivered responses.
"All this information was very helpful to Council members as we
developed our response to the Minister of Education, and on behalf of Council, I want to
thank everyone who contributed to our deliberations," said Kennedy. "This was a
big challenge, with very tight timelines, but I'm confident that our recommendations are -
as promised - complete, accurate and reliable."
The Council Chair said that while the debate at the special Council meeting on April 10
was often intense, "College members, staff and Council members can be confident that
these recommendations reflect best practices in our profession and other professions. This
document, Maintaining, Ensuring and Demonstrating Competency in the Teaching
Profession: A Response to the Request from the Minister of Education re a Teacher Testing
Program, is a solid, comprehensive program."
Recommendations
- That the Ontario College of Teachers, in consultation with educational
partners and the public, continue to refine the policies and processes for the
accreditation of pre-service and in-service teacher education programs to ensure that such
programs meet both the regulatory requirements outlined in the Ontario College of Teachers
Act and the standards of practice and ethical standards for the teaching profession
approved by the College Council.
- That Ontario faculties of education be required to demonstrate during the
accreditation process conducted by the Ontario College of Teachers that policies and
processes are in place both to support teacher candidates experiencing difficulty meeting
program assessment requirements, including fluency and skill in the language of
instruction, and to provide for the exit from the program of candidates who continue to
experience difficulty.
- That applicants for membership in the Ontario College of Teachers, in
addition to program and practicum requirements, be required to complete successfully a
written assessment of knowledge related to Ontario curriculum and education legislation
and policy, appropriate for beginning teachers prior to entrance to the profession in
Ontario.
- That employers be required to provide a two-year induction program, the
core components of which would be defined by the College, to beginning teachers employed
on a regular basis to ensure that they continue to develop and to refine the knowledge and
skills required by members of the teaching profession.
- That an orientation program be established for members of the Ontario
College of Teachers who completed their teacher education program outside of Ontario, and
successful completion of the program be reported for inclusion on the Certificate of
Qualification.
- That a return to practice program be established for members of the
Ontario College of Teachers who return to the profession following a break in employment
in education in Ontario for a period of five years or more, and successful completion of
the program be reported by the provider to the College for inclusion on the Certificate of
Qualification.
- That all providers of in-service programs accredited by the Ontario
College of Teachers be required to demonstrate during the accreditation process conducted
by the College that policies and processes are in place both to support candidates
experiencing difficulty meeting assessment requirements and to provide for the exit from
the program of candidates who continue to experience difficulty.
- That the requirements for the accreditation of ongoing professional
certification courses listed in Regulation 184/97 made under the Ontario College of
Teachers Act include a well-defined provision for the assessment of candidates based
upon criteria developed and approved by the Ontario College of Teachers.
- That the Minister of Education, in consultation with educational partners
and the public, review the usage of and revise, where appropriate, those aspects of
Regulation 298 made under the Education Act that relate to the assignment of
teachers to programs/subjects/positions for which they do not hold additional
qualifications as outlined in Regulation 184 made under the Ontario College of
Teachers Act.
- That the Minister of Education, in consultation with educational partners
and the public, review and revise the aspects of the Education Act and/or Regulation 298
made under the Education Act that relate to the performance appraisal/practice
review of members of the Ontario College of Teachers such that the core components of
performance appraisal be defined by the Ministry of Education.
- That members of the Ontario College of Teachers prepare a professional
growth plan which would form a part of the performance appraisal process conducted under
Regulation 298 made under the Education Act.
- That members of the Ontario College of Teachers maintain a professional
portfolio, the components of which would be defined by the College and would highlight
ongoing professional learning and achievements in their area of professional
responsibility and that the currency of the portfolio is reported to the College every
five years for inclusion on the Certificate of Qualification.
- That the Minister of Education, in consultation with educational partners
and the public, review and revise Regulation 298 made under the Education Act to
ensure that the performance appraisal process includes the regular review of the
professional portfolio.
- That the Minister of Education ensure that employers provide support and
remediation for members of the Ontario College of Teachers when issues of competency arise
as part of the performance appraisal process.
- That the Ontario College of Teachers Act be amended to ensure
that employers of the members of the College be required to notify the Ontario College of
Teachers following the termination of employment of a member for reasons of incompetence.
| American
Federation of Teachers Recommends Testing, Rigorous Standards for Teachers The American Federation of Teachers (AFT),
the second largest teachers' union in the U.S., is recommending rigorous tests for teacher
candidates and major changes to teacher education programs.
Building a Profession: Strengthening Teacher Preparation and Induction
was released by the AFT, which represents more than a million members nationwide, on April
14. It contains a number of
recommendations consistent with the College's advice to Education Minister Janet Ecker
on a teacher testing program in Ontario - most notably an entry to the profession test and
an induction program.
The changes recommended by the AFT aim at improving the standards and esteem of the
profession at a critical time when teachers are retiring in high numbers and states across
the U.S. are struggling with shortages, a situation not unlike Ontario's.
Key recommendations of the AFT report include:
- establishing core courses in liberal arts and sciences for first and
second year college students in order to be admitted to teacher education programs
- raising entrance requirements to teacher education programs - demanding
an initial 2.75 average requirement and increasing it to 3.0 over time
- requiring prospective teachers to pass two tests - one after their
sophomore year in college and another before entering the classroom; all teachers would
need to demonstrate college-level skills in mathematics, science, English, history and
geography
- establishing an induction program for all new teachers and ensuring that
mentors are adequately trained
- implementing a national core curriculum for what teachers need to know,
allowing teachers to be certified in any state in the U.S.
- requiring teachers to have a major in the subject they want to teach and
increasing teacher education programs to five years - currently four years in the U.S. -
with the fifth year focusing on practical experience and observation in school.
The AFT report is available on line on the union's web site at www.aft.org/higher_ed/reports/k16report.html |
|
