Updated Professional Advisory – Student Physical Safety in Learning Environments

The Ontario College of Teachers has issued an updated Professional Advisory on Student Physical Safety in Learning Environments to Ontario Certified Teachers (OCTs).

The advisory, which was first issued in 2013 and revised in 2016, has been updated to reflect today’s classrooms, student needs and safety risks.

The guidance in the advisory is organized using the 4Rs for Safety Framework:

• Recognize safety concerns and professional responsibilities.
• Respond to safety risks and incidents.
• Report accurately and promptly.
• Reflect to strengthen future practice.

The advisory was updated through extensive consultation with subject matter experts, specialists, education partners, interest holders and OCTs. We are thankful to the OCTs who shared their feedback and consistently emphasized that educator and student safety are inextricably linked. As the College’s mandate is to regulate the teaching profession to protect students, this advisory appropriately focuses on their safety.

The updated advisory was approved by the Standards of Practice and Education Committee and received by College Council at its meeting on March 26.

Tips for Speeding Up Your Application for Certification

Applicants, the following tips can help you avoid unnecessary delays in processing your application.

1. Monitor your Message Centre: Regularly sign into your online account to easily refer to everything you need to know about your application, including the status of your required documents and important notices about your application’s progress.
2. Complete the Sexual Abuse Prevention Program (SAPP): Successfully completing the SAPP is a certification requirement for everyone who applied to the College after January 1, 2022. We cannot begin evaluation of your application until you have met the SAPP requirement. You can access the program at any time by signing into your online account, even while the College is assessing documents that we have received from you.

3. Complete the Math Proficiency Test (MPT): Successfully completing the MPT is a certification requirement for all applicants, except for those who apply to the College under the Ontario Labour Mobility Act. There is no cost to take the MPT, and you can attempt it as many times as needed to pass. Test windows are scheduled throughout the year, and sittings are limited. The Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) is responsible for scheduling, facilitating and evaluating the MPT. Registration is currently open for the spring test window, which runs until Saturday, June 6.

   You are strongly encouraged to attempt the MPT as soon as possible. You can register for a sitting at mathproficiencytest.ca.

Additional information about certification requirements can be found on our website.

Focus on Teaching Survey Update

The College is preparing to publish the 2025 Focus on Teaching report, featuring insights from 36,749 OCTs from across the province. We extend our gratitude to all OCTs who participated in the survey, demonstrating their commitment to shaping the future of our profession.

The executive summary is now available on our website, and the full report will be published later this year.

The 2025 Focus on Teaching survey was designed to gather data about teacher supply and demand in Ontario’s English and French district school boards, equity, diversity and inclusion in the profession, career progression and other professional experiences.

In addition to the survey findings, the final report will also include selected extracts of anonymized College registration data to provide a more complete picture of the current state of the teaching profession. Together, these data will help to inform the decisions made by education system leaders to benefit the profession — and, in turn, every student in every classroom across Ontario.

The College does not interpret Focus on Teaching survey findings. The data speaks for itself, which allows the aggregated voice of the profession to be clearly heard.

Please note, all data gathered and utilized has been aggregated and anonymized. The College is not able to identify individual survey respondents.

Expanding Leadership Opportunities for Ontario Certified Teachers

Effective December 31, 2025, amendments to the Teachers’ Qualifications Regulation enable more teachers to pursue school leadership opportunities in the education system. These alternate pathways are available to teachers of technological education, Indigenous languages, and teachers who are of Indigenous ancestry, and who do not hold an acceptable postsecondary degree.

These changes give experienced OCTs the opportunity to enroll in Part 1 of the Principal’s Qualification Program (PQP). Upon completion of Part 1 of the PQP, these OCTs will be eligible to enroll in Part 2 of the PQP.

These changes address a longstanding barrier affecting OCTs who were unable to pursue leadership positions because they did not meet the degree requirement for admission to Part 1 of the PQP.

The full details of the changes are outlined in a memo for education interest holders.

The development of the new leadership pathways also provides greater access to Schedule D: Primary Education, Part 1, Schedule D: Junior Education, Part 1 and Schedule D: Intermediate Education, Part 1 for those who do not hold an acceptable postsecondary degree.

While successfully completing the coursework will serve as prerequisite requirements for the alternate leadership pathways, it is important to note that obtaining these Additional Qualifications (AQs) does not qualify OCTs to teach in the Primary, Junior, or Intermediate divisions.

These alternate leadership pathways are not available to members who hold an acceptable postsecondary degree.

Setting the Standard: Commitment to Students, Evident in Practice

Professional practice is the foundation through which educators demonstrate their commitment to students and student learning. By applying professional knowledge with care, dignity and an understanding of students’ lived experiences, OCTs bring these commitments to life in daily instructional decisions. Thoughtful pedagogy, responsive assessment, purposeful planning and reflective dialogue all serve as tangible expressions of an educator’s dedication to creating culturally safe learning environments where every student feels respected, supported and empowered. In this way, professional practice is not separate from our commitments; it is the means by which those commitments become visible and impactful in classrooms, schools and communities.

This connection between commitment and practice is illustrated in the words of one educator, who explained:

“I consistently uphold strong professional practice by designing inclusive, accessible lessons through a universal learning design framework and by reflecting on my own biases to ensure equitable experiences for all students. I regularly review my teaching, seek feedback from colleagues, and align my work with [College] expectations to support continuous student growth. I also engage community experts, such as literacy specialists, Indigenous education consultants and mental health professionals, to provide informed, responsive instruction.”

– Lindsey Dolan, OCT

Reminder: 2026 Scholarship Applications Are Open

Applications are still being accepted for the Ontario College of Teachers Scholarship Program, open to teacher candidates who are enrolled in an accredited teacher education program in Ontario. The four $1,500 scholarships recognize academic excellence, commitment to the teaching profession and resilience.

Julia Havey, recipient of the 2025 Brian P. McGowan Scholarship for Resilience, shares what receiving the scholarship means to her:

“I feel really honoured to receive this scholarship … It feels very special to me and a great way to start my career as a teacher. I feel proud of myself to have overcome difficult life circumstances and maintained my academic record and continued my community involvement.”

If you or someone you know is interested in applying, more information about each scholarship, including eligibility criteria and how to apply, can be found on our website.

The deadline to apply is 5 p.m. on Tuesday, June 30.

Engage in Professional Learning Through Case Studies from the Professional Advisory Addressing Hate and Discrimination

Based on real-life examples, the appendix that accompanies the Professional Advisory Addressing Hate and Discrimination includes nine case studies designed to help OCTs work through and appropriately address acts of hate and discrimination.

Focus on case study 7: Hate symbols in a learning environment

Scenario: “Someone placed a swastika and a hateful comment on the walls of one of the washroom stalls.”

What should OCTs do?

• Take a photo for record keeping. If it is safe to do so, remove or cover the symbol and hateful comment immediately. This should be done regardless of whether or not it is easily seen.
• Involve your supervisor to discuss with students and the school community about why such actions are discriminatory, unacceptable, and harmful.
• Utilize developmentally appropriate resources to support these discussions without displaying the hate symbol or words that could retraumatize students. Continue these conversations throughout the year to build understanding and promote inclusivity.
• Consult your employer policies, procedures and protocols as you may be required to report this to the police.

It is critical for OCTs in any role, including teachers, consultants, principals, vice-principals, supervisory officers, and/or directors of education, to address discrimination and hate. Failure to do so could be interpreted as accepting or even promoting this type of behaviour.

The Professional Advisory Addressing Hate and Discrimination and case studies are available online at oct.ca in both PDF and audio formats.

Each case study is divided into four parts:

1. Scenario: Describes a situation based on real life occurrences, presented from the point of view of an OCT.
2. Address it: Provides guidance on addressing the issue professionally.
3. Build awareness: Highlights professional, ethical, and legal responsibilities.
4. Know your role: Clarifies how an OCT’s actions reflect professional expectations.

Do You Read Margaret Wilson Library eBooks Offline? Here’s What’s Changing

Members who download eBooks from the Margaret Wilson Library will notice a change next month.

What is happening?

Our eBook provider, EBSCO, is introducing a new Digital Rights Management (DRM) system for eBooks. The DRM requires Thorium Reader, which will replace Adobe Digital Editions for downloading eBooks to read offline.

What will change for you?

If you read eBooks online through the Library catalogue, nothing will change.

If you download eBooks to read offline, you will be prompted to download Thorium Reader. You will also receive a passphrase from EBSCO that will only need to be entered once per device.

Why this change?

Thorium Reader uses modern technology that improves accessibility, enhances the reading experience and better protects digital content. It offers several helpful features, including:

• Text-to-speech functionality (only available with ePUB formats)
• Adjustable fonts, spacing and layout
• Custom background colours
• Note-taking and bookmarks
• Search and progress tracking

When is this happening?

EBSCO expects the new DRM to be in place as of May 19, 2026.

If you would like to know more about the DRM, visit EBSCO’s FAQs.