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Minister Janet Ecker emphasized in her address to the College Council on November 9 that changes to the teaching profession are not finished, saying that amendments to the Education Act that have now been passed will introduce province-wide performance appraisal standards and a qualifying test for new teachers in 2002. "We went to educational partners and got clear direction on what works and works well, and that has shaped the legislation on performance appraisal standards," the Minister said. The legislation will apply "consistent criteria for measuring and assessing such things as teacher performance in communication, commitment to students and learning, professional knowledge, teaching practices, participation in the life of the school and school community, and participation in ongoing professional learning." The Minister said that the amendments to the Education Act respecting performance appraisals will be phased in starting in 2002 with school boards "who are well prepared to do this and then to the entire system over the next two to three years." The qualifying test for new teachers will be introduced this spring. "There’s been an incredible amount of work on it and I think again it is going to be another good improvement to make sure that teachers as they leave the faculties of education have the skills and knowledge they need to walk into our classrooms." PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL In response to a question by a Council member about linking professional activities with performance appraisals so that each teacher’s professional learning activities will be established through consultation between teachers and their supervisors, the Minister said that the current requirements do that. "What every teacher needs in terms of their skills and abilities is going to be individual. That’s why there is incredible flexibility that can address the individual needs of teachers. Performance appraisal legislation requires learning plans that can be tied to professional development and it will give us improved student learning at the end of it." STUDENT TESTING The Minister also linked student testing with new professional requirements for teachers, saying that the information that all new initiatives provide can help to "improve, strengthen and change" how things are done. "We’re starting to see both good patterns and patterns that we need to do more work on." The most recent round of EQAO tests for Grade 3 and Grade 6 reading, writing and math is showing tangible improvements, the Minister said, "but we also know that we’re not where we all want to be and not where we all need to be." "We’re starting to see schools and school boards that have put a focus on different strategies, and we’re starting to see differences in their results. We are able to say that if you do it this way, it works; if you do it that way, it’s not working as well. So let’s take a look at that best practice. We need to continue to do that." In her review of the many changes to the teaching profession that her ministry has introduced, the Minister maintained that "for many teachers who have a commitment to lifelong learning and continually upgrading their skills, many of them aren’t going to notice a lot of the changes. They’re already out there doing it because they believe in it and see it as important." A question by a Council member asking what the government will do if large numbers of teachers refuse to comply with the professional learning legislation led the Minister to remind the Council how long these ideas circulated before they were put into practice. The 1995 report of the Royal Commission on Learning — supported by all three parties — recommended mandatory professional development requirements and recertification every five years. "That’s what this legislation puts in place. It in no way implies that teachers can’t have meaningful self-directed learning. Absolutely not. There is flexibility there. This is designed to help all teachers improve their ability to teach our students as best they can. It in no way implies that there are not good, wonderful, excellent, committed teachers doing their job. There is concern, angst, absolutely. It’s natural for any individual or group to feel anxiety when new requirements come in." For the first time, the Minister publicly confirmed that the provincial government will grant the College’s request for $8 million for the transition costs of establishing the Professional Learning Program. The Education Minister also acknowledged the valuable work the College has done in responding to Justice Sydney Robins’s report Protecting Our Students: A review to identify and prevent sexual misconduct in Ontario schools. She noted that amendments have already been made to the proposed legislation to address a gap in reporting requirements raised by the College. The Ontario College of Teachers Act requires that the Minister meet with the Council at least once a year. |
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