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Governing Ourselves

Governing Ourselves informs members of legal and regulatory matters affecting the profession. This section provides updates on licensing and qualification requirements, notification of Council resolutions and reports from various Council committees, including reports on accreditation and discipline matters.

New Certification Requirements

Regulation Amended to Address Enhanced Teacher Education Plans

It’s official: teachers certified after August 31, 2015, will have to meet the new requirements of Ontario’s enhanced teacher education program.

Regulation amendments that affect the College’s Teachers’ Qualifications Regulation were filed on March 11, 2014, to formalize certification requirements for graduates of the enhanced program.

The College has revised regulations, developed an accreditation resource guide and amended the requirements for certification to align with the enhanced teacher education program. We are advising the public and College members about the changes and will review the revisions to the programs as part of our accreditation process.

“The College is pleased to lead the implementation of this important initiative,” says College Registrar Michael Salvatori, OCT. “It reflects our commitment as a regulator to serve the public interest by ensuring that beginning teachers continue to have meaningful opportunities to develop their skills and knowledge.”

Individuals who previously completed Ontario programs, but had not become certified with the College by August 31, 2015, will be required to meet the enhanced program requirements to obtain a Certificate of Qualification and Registration. If they are not certified with the College by August 31, 2015, they may receive a certificate with conditions.

Internationally educated teachers certified by the College on or before August 31, 2015, will need to meet the current requirements. If they are certified by the College after August 31, 2015, they will need to meet new enhanced program requirements.

However, the regulation recognizes that some candidates may be completing their teacher education program or facing circumstances outside their control (illness, for example) and require special exceptions. The regulation exempts the following groups from having to meet the enhanced program requirement:

Current and former College members who have already met the requirements for certification and have registered with the College are not affected by the enhanced program changes. They will not need to meet any new or additional requirements, or complete further studies to correspond to the enhanced program requirements.

“The profession and students’ needs are evolving and this change ensures a matching evolution in our licensing standards,” the Registrar says.

Visit the College’s website at oct.ca to learn more about the enhanced program and to view the Teachers’ Qualifications Regulation at bit.ly/O8YXvy.