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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.
In September, College Registrar and CEO Michael Salvatori, OCT, and Council chair Angela De Palma, OCT, gave a presentation to the Saskatchewan Professional Teachers Regulatory Board, the new regulatory body for the teaching profession in Saskatchewan.
Ontario and Saskatchewan are the only Canadian jurisdictions with a self-regulatory model for teacher regulation. The Saskatchewan Professional Teachers Regulatory Board (SPTRB) will regulate teacher certification and oversee disciplinary functions for misconduct or incompetence.
During their presentation, Salvatori and De Palma spoke about the role of the regulator, the role of the board and lessons learned. The College has worked closely with the registrars for teacher certification in each of the Canadian provinces and territories, and looks forward to working with members of the SPTRB to help serve the public interest.
In 2016, Ontario’s Office of the Fairness Commissioner (OFC) assessed the registration practices of the Ontario College of Teachers to determine if they are fair, transparent, impartial and objective.
This review is part of the OFC’s Cycle 3 Assessment process and is being carried out for all self-regulatory organizations in Ontario.
The College’s OFC work group, comprising staff from various College departments, submitted documentation to the OFC to support its drafting of the report on the College’s registration practices. Upon receiving the draft assessment report from the OFC, the work group provided comments on the report and further documentation to the OFC.
The draft assessment report was revised by the OFC based on the feedback it received from the College, and the OFC was pleased to announce that it had no recommendations for the College with respect to modifying its registration practices. In fact, the report identified a number of commendable registration practices, and congratulated the College on a successful outcome.
The OFC noted that the College’s transparent and collaborative efforts in this process demonstrated its commitment to openness and accountability.
Practising and retired members of the College are invited to support the policy development and accreditation process for Additional Qualifications (AQs). Interested members should contact Déirdre Smith, Manager, Standards of Practice and Education at standardsinfo@oct.ca.
The College also invites feedback from its members on the following new leadership-focused AQ course guidelines: Teacher Leadership, Principal’s Qualification Program and the Supervisory Officer’s Qualification Program.
Provide your feedback through the College website at oct-oeeo.ca/abyrff.