College welcomes proposed legislation to help keep students safe

The College welcomes proposed legislation that will promote student safety by requiring Ontario’s children’s aid organizations to provide information relevant to College investigations of allegations against Ontario Certified Teachers (OCTs).

The proposed legislative changes were introduced in Bill 188, The Supporting Children’s Futures Act on April 17, 2024.

“Ensuring the safety and well-being of students is a shared responsibility among all school boards, and other agencies that support student well-being across the province,” said Diana Miles, Chair of Council, Ontario College of Teachers. “The proposed legislation will make it easier for all of us to work together while putting the interest of students above all others.”

If passed, The Supporting Children’s Futures Act, will assist the College to work more collaboratively with children’s aid organizations and better respond to complaints and complete investigations by enabling College investigators to receive information from children’s aid organizations when it is relevant to a lawful law enforcement proceeding.

“Everything we do at the College connects back to student safety," said Linda Lacroix, OCT/EAO, Registrar & CEO, Ontario College of Teachers. "Child welfare agencies, and the important work they do, are often vital to our investigations. The proposed legislation will further streamline how we work together to protect students by holding OCTs accountable to professional standards.”

“We look forward to working with our fellow system partners to implement this legislation once it is passed.”

Keeping your contact information up to date

The College’s mandate requires us to regularly send vital information to Ontario Certified Teachers (OCTs). That information can sometimes impact an OCT’s membership status and their eligibility to teach.

To avoid missing important updates, all OCTs, by law, must keep their contact information up to date by signing into their online account on the College website. If you are unsure whether your information is up to date, please sign into your account to verify.

Focus on Teaching: A survey of Ontario Certified Teachers

As we develop the College's 2024 Focus on Teaching survey, we've kicked off consultation sessions with interested groups from diverse organizations that represent teachers and the broader publicly funded education system.

Examples of groups with whom we have met are: Federations, Affiliates, Principals’ Associations, School Boards Associations, and Directors of Education.

Our goal is to gain perspectives and identify data gaps from across the education sector.

Their valuable input will inform the survey questions that will then be discussed during focus groups with individual teachers. Focus groups are expected to begin in July.

Survey focus groups are being created through a process of membership outreach to ensure diverse representation, safe space for participants and efficient management. A College representative will be in contact with members who may be involved.

Focus groups and consultations are an important part of developing survey questions that effectively address crucial areas of supply and demand in the teaching profession.

By gaining a deeper understanding of the OCT workforce, its geographic and demographic diversity, as well as bilingual capacity, policymakers will be better equipped to support and empower the teaching profession and public education as a whole.

We are delighted to welcome the perspectives of the profession and extend our gratitude to all those who have offered their time to actively participate in developing this initiative.

Convert a Transitional Certificate to a general Certificate of Qualification and Registration

If you hold a Transitional Certificate, you can convert it to a general Certificate of Qualification and Registration by arranging for proof of program completion to be sent directly to the College. Here’s how:

• Order your transcript from the Ontario Universities’ Application Centre (OUAC) or contact the institution where you completed your program and asking them to send a transcript to the College.The transcript must show that you have successfully completed your teacher education program and that the degree has been conferred, and
• Ensure that your faculty has sent a report confirming the successful completion of your program directly to the College.

Due to an announcement by the Minister of Education on Thursday May 30, 2024, successful completion of the Mathematics Proficiency Test will be required for a Transitional Certificate to be converted to a general Certificate of Qualification and Registration as of February 1, 2025.

Please continue to check the College website for updates.

Margaret Wilson Library services

Ontario Certified Teachers: Are you taking an Additional Qualification course or working on a project and need some research support? The Library team can help! We can search the College’s databases for scholarly material and send you a research package.

If you would like more information about this service, please reach out to library@oct.ca.