Issue 19
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In
this Issue:
Council Acts to Protect New Teachers
College Council has acted to ensure that graduates of Ontario's teaching faculties will continue to receive licences to teach.
Under the current regulatory framework, the College cannot issue a Certificate of Qualification to a graduate from an Ontario faculty of education until they have passed the Ontario Teacher Qualifying Test. The Minister of Education, however, has announced his intention to consult on a new form of assessment and has suspended the current test and cancelled the contract with its administrator.
During a special meeting last Friday, College Council supported changes to teacher qualification regulations as a contingency measure to enable new graduates to teach with provisional licences. The temporary solution also ensures that school boards will be able to hire the teaching professionals they need.
As a result of the changes, teacher education graduates in Ontario would receive a Certificate of Qualification (Provisional). Teacher candidates trained outside the province would continue to be issued an Interim Certificate of Qualification (Provisional).
Council members recommended that the interim measure apply only to teacher education graduates in 2005. Council also wanted an active role in any consultations regarding the purpose, form and timing of any new assessment.
"It's critical that the flow of qualified teachers continue to Ontario classrooms without interruption," says Marilyn Laframboise, Council Chair. "Council's action serves new teachers and school boards, and allows the Minister time to find a new assessment that is acceptable to the profession and accountable to the public."
The amendments will take effect once approved by provincial Cabinet.
Lise St-Éloi Appointed Co-ordinator of French-Language Services
Doug Wilson, Registrar of the Ontario College of Teachers, and Lise Bourgeois, Director of Education for Conseil des écoles catholique du Centre-Est de l'Ontario (CECLFCE), are pleased to announce the appointment of Lise St-Éloi to the position of French-Language Services Co-ordinator for the College effective September 1, 2005.
In this capacity, Ms St-Éloi will assume overall responsibility for French-language services as well as external relations, finance and budget development for the College.
Ms St-Éloi comes to the College of Teachers with over 30 years of experience in both French and English Catholic education, most recently as Superintendent of Education for French-language Catholic schools in Eastern Ontario.
Her education includes a Masters of Education degree from the University of Ottawa and a Program of Professional Education from Laurentian University in Sudbury.
Between 1985 and 2001, Ms St-Éloi held the roles of Vice-Principal and Principal of Schools and Co-ordinator of Modern Languages with the Ottawa-Carleton Catholic District School Board.
In her new role, Ms St-Éloi will work with the College Council and staff to further enhance the range of services available to the francophone educational community.
Established in July 1996, the Ontario College of Teachers is Canada's largest self-regulating body. The College has responsibility to license, govern and regulate Ontario's teaching profession.
Known for its leadership in French-language education, the CECLFCE maintains its long tradition of innovation and diversity in the choices offered to its 17,000 students in 37 primary schools, six intermediate pavillions and eight high schools. The CECLFCE is the largest French-language Catholic school network in Canada.
New Library Services Popular with Members
"We had a great response from our members when we announced they could borrow books by mail at no cost to them," says College librarian Olivia Hamilton. "Within a couple of days of our last e-mail, dozens of people forwarded requests for English- and French-language books and other resources."
The College announced last October that the library has now been approved by Canada Post (CP) as a recognized circulating library, permitting it to mail books at reduced rates.
Books being returned to the library can be mailed at no cost using the original envelope with a CP-approved label that will be enclosed with the books. The special mail rates apply only to books - not to videotapes or other resources. Loans are for three weeks, limited to eight items and may be renewed twice.
The library catalogue is accessible online from the M. Wilson Library page of the College web site.
Library staff are also pleased to see members using our literature search service. Members can request a specific article to be e-mailed to them or can ask library staff to do a literature search on a specific topic and e-mail the results.
Members may do their own literature search on databases they can access on a visit to the library.
Another resource to check out is the What's New in the Library, an updated monthly list of new items in the College library collection. Members may borrow these items by contacting the library by phone, e-mail, fax or in person.
Click here for more information regarding the library and its resources or e-mail library@oct.ca.
Olivia Hamilton
Ontario College of Teachers
Margaret Wilson Library
121 Bloor St. E.
Toronto ON M4W 3M5
Phone: 416-961-8800 ext. 279 or 1-888-534-2222 ext. 279
Fax: 416-961-8822
