A Strong Foundation for
Ontario’s Teaching Profession

Ontario’s teacher education programs advance the values, professional knowledge and skills that are the foundation of a strong and effective teaching profession.

The Ethical Standards for the Teaching Profession and the Standards of Practice for the Teaching Profession – which guide teachers in their daily practice – are reflected in Ontario’s Bachelor of Education and ongoing teacher education programs.

The College’s Accreditation Committee supports the quality of teacher education programs in Ontario through the regular review and accreditation of these programs. The College Registrar determines if Additional Qualification courses and programs satisfy the requirements for accreditation.

The accreditation process assures the profession and the public that teacher education programs meet the requirements established under regulation, integrating theory and practice so that graduates are prepared and qualified for today’s classrooms.

The committee’s commitment to transparency and fairness is reflected in how the Accreditation Committee seeks input from College members and the public when reviewing a program.

The College accredits new teacher education programs before their graduates can be recommended for a teaching licence. We review existing programs cyclically, usually every five years, to confirm that the program continues to meet regulatory requirements.

An accreditation panel – which has a minimum of six members, including one person nominated by the institution administering the program under review – reviews each pre-service teacher education program.

Faculties and schools of education that prepare future teachers provide information on course content and practicum requirements, how the program integrates theory and practice and the learning materials, content and resources that form the basis of the program’s teaching and learning.

After examining all documents submitted by the faculty and submissions provided by members of the public, panel members normally visit the campus before developing their report. They conduct on-site interviews with faculty members and various stakeholders, examine artifacts and review facilities and resources. The panel then forwards its recommendation to the College’s Accreditation Committee.

Programs Reviewed in 2008

In 2008, the Accreditation Committee established panels for the review of three teacher education programs in Ontario. These included applications for renewal of accreditation of the teacher education programs offered by the School of Education at Laurentian University and the review of the Technological Education program offered by the Faculty of Education at Windsor University. A panel also reviewed a new application from OISE/University of Toronto to add an Intermediate and Senior concentration to the Master of Teaching program currently accredited by the College.

The Accreditation Committee:

• granted initial accreditation to a four-year teacher education program offered by the Faculty of Education at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay. The program prepares teacher candidates to teach the Ontario curriculum to all primary and junior division students, especially Aboriginal children.

• renewed the accreditation for programs offered at two universities: Redeemer University College and the University of Ottawa. At Redeemer University College, general accreditation was granted with conditions for a period of five years to the concurrent and consecutive programs with areas of concentration in the primary, junior and intermediate divisions.

  At the University of Ottawa, general accreditation with conditions was granted to the multi-session consecutive program with areas of concentration in the primary, junior and intermediate divisions delivered in French in an alternative mode.

Accreditation reports of professional teacher education programs are posted on the College web site.

Additional Qualification Programs

Ongoing professional learning is highly valued by Ontario teachers. In 2008, the College Registrar reviewed over 395 Additional Qualification courses submitted by 24 providers.

The Registrar also reviewed and accredited Additional Qualifications courses submitted by two new providers in 2008: Bruce-Grey Catholic District School Board and Charles Stuart University.

Review of Regulation 347/02

In 2008, the College completed a review of the accreditation regulation designed to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the accreditation process. On June 12, 2008, the College Council made a number of recommendations to the Minister of Education for changes to the regulation. Included among the proposed changes was a recommendation that the maximum accreditation period for established teacher education programs be extended from five years up to seven years. The Council also recommended changes to the membership of accreditation panels which would ensure faculty of education representation and possibly decrease the number of Council members on a panel.

A recommendation was also made to increase the accreditation period for additional qualification programs from three years to a maximum of five years, and to add a provision that enables an audit process to ensure that additional qualification programs are delivered as accredited.