New certification requirement: Mathematics Proficiency Test

On May 30, 2024, the Government of Ontario announced the reinstatement of the Mathematics Proficiency Test (MPT) as a certification requirement for teachers in the province.

Ontario Certified Teachers who already hold a general Certificate of Qualification and Registration (CQR) prior to February 1, 2025, will not be required to pass the MPT.

MPT satisfaction requirements for:

Ontario Applicants

Ontario applicants who submit a complete application for a general CQR to the College before February 1, 2025, will not be required to pass the MPT.

Ontario applicants who submit a complete application for a general CQR on or after February 1, 2025, will be required to pass the MPT.

Transitional Certificates and Multi-Session Transitional Certificates

Applicants are not required to pass the MPT to be eligible for a Transitional Certificate (TCQR) or a Multi-Session Transitional Certificate (MTCQR). However, they may be required to complete the MPT depending on the date they convert their certificate to a general CQR.

If you currently hold or are granted a TCQR or MTCQR and convert it to a general CQR before February 1, 2025, you will not be required to pass the MPT.

If you currently hold or are granted a TCQR or MTCQR and do not convert it to a general CQR before February 1, 2025, you will be required to pass the MPT before you can convert your certificate.

Internationally Educated Teachers

Internationally Educated Teacher applicants who submit a complete application to the College for a general CQR on or after February 1, 2025, must successfully pass the MPT within two years of being granted their initial certification by the College or their certificate will expire. This applies whether or not the application was started before February 1, 2025.

How to register for the MPT

The Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) is responsible for developing, facilitating and evaluating the MPT.

Registration is expected to open at mathproficiencytest.ca by September 9, 2024. Please refer to that website for the latest information.

Any questions?

More information about the MPT requirement is available on the College website.

Have your say: help us update professional standards for Ontario’s teachers

For almost 25 years, the Ethical Standards and the Standards of Practice have provided the foundation and guiding principles for Ontario Certified Teachers.

These are the core elements of the current Ethical Standards and Standards of Practice :

Ethical Standards

• Care
• Trust
• Integrity
• Respect

Standards of Practice

• Professional Knowledge
• Professional Practice
• Commitment to Students and Student Learning
• Ongoing Professional Learning
• Leadership in Learning Communities

In the upcoming months, the College will be inviting input from members as we work to refresh our professional standards to reflect the changing landscape of the teaching profession in Ontario. Your input is vital to this review.

What do you think needs to be updated for the professional standards to have increased relevance as the foundation of teaching practice and professional conduct in Ontario?

There will be opportunities in the fall to share your perspectives and help shape these professional standards. Be sure to contribute your valuable insights.

Focus on Teaching: A survey of Ontario Certified Teachers

From its earliest stages, the 2024 Focus on Teaching survey was designed with insight and input from Ontario Certified Teachers (OCTs) and education system partners with the goal of collecting key data to inform decision-makers in Ontario’s publicly funded education system about the membership and the profession.

The College’s efforts to ensure that educator perspectives are woven into the survey have continued throughout the summer, including two rounds of focus groups with OCTs led by our partners at TCI Management Consultants and Forum Research Inc.

In the first round, OCT participants evaluated the clarity and content of the survey questions, while also identifying data gaps.

In the second round, OCTs tested the survey software and provided us with feedback on the user experience and the questionnaire that was revised with round one feedback. Our hope is to create a survey with clear, straightforward questions that can be completed in approximately 10 minutes.

We are responding to the feedback from participants in the second round by further condensing the survey as part of our commitment to make it as easy as possible to complete. OCTs feedback also helped simplify the language of the survey in English and French.

OCTs appreciated the College’s introduction of focus group sessions where they engaged in reviewing the survey and provided their feedback and recommendations for improvement.

Here is what was shared with us:

“I think it was a fantastic addition. It allows me to encourage colleagues to fill out the survey because I have had a chance to see it and I know what’s in it. I also appreciate the time we had to discuss the questions at the end of the session.”– Carolyn F.

We offer sincere thanks to all OCTs who participated in these focus groups. 

Your Voice and Your Privacy Matter

The survey will be distributed to all OCTs this fall. The questions are being designed to better understand your experiences in the teaching profession.

Privacy will be protected at all times. Forum Research Inc. will gather and analyze the data, and they will share their analysis with the College. Forum will maintain custody of the data. When all survey reporting is finalized, Forum will send anonymized, aggregated reports to the College. In the event that further analysis is deemed to be necessary, Forum will retain the data for a period of time and then destroy all data, including all personal identifying information (PII), no later than July 31, 2025.

At no point will identifying information be shared to the College or any other organization, including school boards, federations, or the Ministry of Education.

We will share the anonymized analysis with key education system partners to better inform them as they make decisions that impact our public education system.

The analysis will be enriched by your contributions. Not only are your experiences an essential part of our education system, but a high response rate from OCTs allows for statistical relevance.

A report of survey findings will be made publicly available on the College’s website in Spring 2025.

We encourage you to take a few minutes to complete the survey when it is distributed this fall.

What’s the status of my application?

You can log into your online account at any time to check the progress of your application. Your document status page will let you know what documents are required after we have processed your application and the applicable fees.

Library services

OCTs, gear up for the new school year by diving into your top picks from the Margaret Wilson Library. Discover your next great read and start the year off right!

Did you know that the library offers a free shipping service for OCTs? Place a hold and we will ship it to you – free of charge.

1. Log into your College account on oct.ca under Members.
2. On the left navigation pane, click Library.
3. Once in the library page, use the catalogue search box to search by subject, title or author. On the right navigation pane, you can also explore the subject lists.

For tips and tricks to navigate the catalogue (and more!), visit the Margaret Wilson Library’s FAQs.

Still have questions? Contact the library team by email at library@oct.ca or by toll-free telephone (Canada and U.S.A.) at 1.833.966.5588.