Minister Talks Tough to College Council

"Raising student achievement is the reason we are bringing in a comprehensive teacher testing program."

Education Minister Janet Ecker delivered a strongly worded message at the first meeting of the College’s new Council on November 3. She made it clear in her remarks and answers to questions that she is committed to a comprehensive teacher testing program and seeing through the education reforms the government promised.

"If I’ve learned one thing in my previous job and in this one, it’s the need to be very clear about what our goals and what our objectives are at every opportunity," Ecker said. "Because when you’re leading a process of fundamental change, explaining why you’re making the change is as important as explaining what you’re doing and where you’re trying to go."

"We’re doing what were doing because a strong public education system is one of the building blocks of any good, strong democratic society. And a good education system is essential to a strong economy."

The Minister’s visit to the College satisfies a requirement of the Ontario College of Teachers Act that Council shall meet with the Minister at least once a year.

ACCREDITATION REGULATION

Council members asked the Minister when the government will approve the accreditation regulation that was forwarded by the College in March 2000. The College has told the government that the accreditation regulation is crucial to the College’s mandate of ensuring quality teaching. The accreditation regulation will ensure that in-service and pre-service teacher education programs prepare teachers for today’s classroom, and accreditation is one of the main objects of the College under the Ontario College of Teachers Act.

The regulation would also allow the College to ensure that additional qualification courses are up-to-date and meet the high standards teachers expect.

The Minister told Council she couldn’t yet confirm a date when the regulation is going to be approved, citing the need for more government policy and analysis work on it.

TEACHER TESTING

On the issue of teacher testing, the Minister firmly stated her determination – and the motivation behind it – to establish a comprehensive program for all teachers in Ontario.

"Raising student achievement is the reason we are bringing in a comprehensive teacher testing program," she said. "If we are serious about quality education and enhancing student achievement, one of the initiatives that I think is at the bottom of all that is teaching excellence. Because dedicated, qualified teachers are the backbone of a quality education system. Skilled and up-to-date teachers are the sine qua non for increasing student achievement.

"No single profession has more influence on the future of our society. The value of good teachers does not come and go, it’s a constant and long-term need."

In response to a question from Council member Rich Prophet, the Minister indicated that over time the testing program would apply to all teachers who need their teaching qualifications in their job, but would start with classroom teachers as a priority.

IMPORTANCE OF THE COLLEGE

Recognizing the increasing number of investigations and hearings and the public and media scrutiny of the College’s processes, the Minister reiterated the important role the College plays as an advocate for the public interest.
"Your role in protecting the public interest is very unique. One of the most difficult roles you play is related to professional misconduct and fitness to teach, especially when those issues involve things like sexual abuse," she said. "The key question always has to be not what’s in the interest of the teaching profession, not what’s in the interest of the individual teacher or the school board but what’s in the interest of the public. That is the question that you always have to ask and it’s a tough question to ask in many, many cases."

Touching on other issues where the Ministry and the College have had differences – such as the language proficiency requirement and the Minister’s authority to overrule College’s decisions – Ecker firmly stressed that she is ultimately responsible as the Minister.

"The role of our Ministry is to set province-wide standards, to set policy and that is the legislative responsibility that the Ministry has," she said. "Ultimately, I have an accountability too and an authority."
"This College has the same relationship (with the Ministry) as any other College where the Minister has the ability to direct the College to do things. The 24 colleges under the Regulated Health Professions Act have the same legal requirements as this College does."

The Minister indicated that the less stringent language proficiency requirement adopted by the government – against the College’s recommendation – is only a first step and that the door is not closed to more rigorous measures. The College warned earlier that the pared-down government requirement will not ensure that new teachers who did not do their undergraduate studies in English or in French can communicate effectively with students.

REFORM SUPPORTED

The government’s education reforms respond to a call from Ontarians to improve the system, the Minister explained. She mentioned a Gallup survey conducted in 1992, which showed that 61 per cent of Ontarians were dissatisfied with the education their children were receiving, a percentage higher than that of any other province. She also pointed out that many of the reforms undertaken by the government stem directly for the Royal Commission on Learning in 1995.

"The Royal Commission recommended phasing out Grade 13, a common report card that was easy to understand, fair and equitable per pupil funding, and explicit student outcomes throughout the curriculum, supported by increased parental awareness of what pupils should be learning," said Ecker. She added that the commission recommended "more computers, increased emphasis on information technology, more attention to teacher professionalization , and a re-certification process for teachers.

"It was an incredibly extensive report and it had the support of all three parties."

First Step of Electronic Commerce Launched in February

The first step of the College’s e-commerce initiative was launched successfully in time for the February 15 membership fee payment. This year, for the first time, teachers whose membership fees are not collected through payroll deductions can now pay their fees online by credit card.

"We have made a number of improvements to our membership services since the creation of the College and we are convinced that, in time, e-commerce will be pivotal to the way we do business," said College Registrar and Chief Executive Officer Joe Atkinson. "We are now going to focus on the next steps, which include allowing for change of addresses online, requesting duplicate documents and then applying for membership online."

The College’s e-commerce initiative adds to an increasing number of services available to members electronically. The College library catalogue is accessible online, as well as the public register, Professionally Speaking, Ontario universities’ Additional Qualification course list and the calendar of events and conferences for teachers. The College has also used its web site for its consultation on teacher testing, to encourage comments on the Standards of Practice for the Teaching Profession and the Ethical Standards for the Teaching Profession, and to facilitate the election process for a new Council.

Since it was created four years ago, the College’s web site has had more than 300,000 visitors.

Record Ad Revenues Drop Cost of College Magazine Below $3/Member/Year

Professionally Speaking/Pour parler profession advertising revenues topped $647,000 in 2000, well above the budget target for the College magazine.

The net cost of producing and mailing Professionally Speaking/Pour parler profession to College members fell to about $2.75 per member for all four issues last year, including postage.

"We’re very pleased that the net cost to members for all four issues is now under $3 a year, including the cost of mailing the magazine to members’ homes," said publisher Richard Lewko.

"Our record ad sales in many ways reflect advertisers’ recognition of the importance of teachers as opinion leaders and decision makers. It’s also a reflection of the fact that advertising in the College magazine works – we have many repeat advertisers who report excellent response from our members.

"We now recoup more than 55 per cent of the cost of the magazine from ad revenues and many readers tell us they find the ads informative and helpful."

Pension Plan Eligibility Change

Teachers who have faced pension problems because their membership with the College had lapsed or because they never registered with the College will now see those problems resolved.

The Ontario Ministry of Education and the Ontario Teachers’ Federation have lifted the requirement for teachers to be in good standing with the College to be allowed to contribute to the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan. The amendment is retroactive to the creation of the College in 1997.

When the College was created, the definition of teacher in the Education Act was changed from "a person who holds a valid certificate of qualification or a letter of standing as a teacher in an elementary or secondary school in Ontario" to "a member of the Ontario College of Teachers." This change made membership with the College mandatory for any teacher wanting to contribute to the pension plan.

The College signalled the requirement in a number of issues of Professionally Speaking, on a poster sent to every school in the province and in a two-day notice in the Globe and Mail and Le Droit to make sure that members who let their membership lapse understood the implications on their pension.

However, a substantial number of teachers were upset when they received a notice from the pension plan in September 1999 advising them that their contributions to the plan would be refunded for the time that they were not in good standing with the College.

The Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, the Ontario Teachers’ Federation and the College met and discussed the issue on a number of occasions and agreed that the pension plan needed a new definition of plan member to solve the problem. The Ontario College of Teachers Act did not allow the College to reinstate members retroactively on a one-time basis.

The Teachers’ Pension Act was changed in November so that once teachers become members of the pension plan by having some form of teacher certification – either an Ontario Teacher’s Certificate issued by the Ministry or a Certificate of Registration issued by the College since 1997 – they remain eligible for the pension plan as long as they remain employed in education in any capacity.

The College still advises teachers taking a one-year leave of absence but wishing to go back to teaching to maintain their membership in the College as it is more economical to do so than to pay the reinstatement fee of $100 and the membership fee of $90 upon their return.

Teachers who are concerned about paying fees in the past for the purposes of maintaining plan membership should contact the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan at 416-226-2700 or 1-800-668-0105.

Accreditation Update – Faculty of Education, Lakehead University

Discussions surrounding the initial accreditation review of the pre-service teacher education program at Lakehead University are continuing.

The program underwent an initial accreditation review March 5-9, 2000. The decision of the Accreditation Committee at its June 15-16, 2000 meeting was to award the status "Initial Accreditation Granted with Conditions" to the consecutive and concurrent pre-service teacher education programs.

The College received a request for reconsideration of the Accreditation Committee’s decision from Lakehead University. Lakehead University is working to provide additional and updated information to the College demonstrating how the recommendations and conditions are being met.