The Ontario College of Teachers licenses, governs and regulates the province’s teaching profession in the public interest and to protect students. All publicly funded school teachers and administrators in Ontario must be licensed by us and be Ontario Certified Teachers (OCT).
The College regulates the teaching profession to protect students. Teachers in Ontario’s publicly funded elementary and secondary schools must be certified by the College, keep their membership in good standing, and follow the profession’s ethical and practice standards.
Explore everything related to your Ontario College of Teachers certification, including how to pay your annual fees, keep up to date with the College, and stay informed about ongoing professional learning.
You must apply to be certified by the Ontario College of Teachers and remain in good standing to teach in Ontario’s publicly funded elementary and secondary schools.
The College provides information and resources to support Ontario Certified Teachers (OCTs), applicants and education system partners to strengthen the teaching profession and promote student safety.
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The College accredits all teacher education programs in Ontario in accordance with ethical and professional practice standards and guidelines. These programs are typically called initial teacher education programs. A university or college cannot offer an initial teacher education program without accreditation from the College.
View the list of accredited initial teacher education programs of professional education in Ontario.
We also review and approve Additional Basic Qualification (ABQ) and Additional Qualification (AQ) courses for ongoing teacher education. AQs are typically referred to as in-service courses or programs.
The College's Accreditation Committee selects a panel of individuals responsible for teacher education program reviews. Panel members include:
The College periodically reviews accredited initial teacher education programs to verify that they continue to uphold the Standards of Practice for the Teaching Profession and the Ethical Standards for the Teaching Profession, and that their program subject matter is aligned with current Ontario curriculum, legislation and government policy.
Also included is a review of the program's:
The panel considers all information gathered during the review. It then develops a draft report that is provided to the respective faculty of education. The faculty can respond to the report before the panel shares a final version with the College’s Accreditation Committee to consider its recommendations. The Committee then issues an accreditation decision for the program.
See our or list of accreditation decisions for more information.
