For College members and applicants
Your College
and You
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Get to Know the Nine Refreshed Professional Standards
The refreshed Professional Standards provide a foundation for professional practice by connecting daily decisions in learning environments to the broader public interest.
In August, Ontario Certified Teachers (OCTs) from across the province gathered at the College to contribute their insight and professional experiences to the development of resources that will help classroom teachers and system leaders familiarize themselves with the refreshed standards.
The first collection of resources is now available for download from the Professional Standards resource hub on the College website. Additional resources will be added in the coming months.
As with this current collection – and the Professional Standards themselves – insight and expertise from OCTs will be vital to the development of future resources. We encourage you to share your thoughts and feedback with us at ycay@oct.ca.
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Standards Spotlight: Uphold a Commitment to Truth and Reconciliation in Your Professional Practice
Each month, we are highlighting one of the refreshed Professional Standards. In honour of National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, this month we are focusing on the commitment to Truth and Reconciliation.
This new standard was developed and reviewed by members of Indigenous communities and organizations from across the province. It recognizes Truth and Reconciliation as an ongoing professional responsibility that informs teaching practice, professional knowledge, and accountability.
The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation offers us an opportunity to reflect on education’s role in advancing a commitment to genuine reconciliation in the spirit of peace, friendship, and mutual respect.
How can you uphold a commitment to Truth and Reconciliation in your daily practice?
- Deepen your learning in relationship with First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities, and approach that learning with humility and respect.
- Use culturally informed and inclusive approaches that recognize and respect Indigenous knowledge, histories, languages, and experiences in meaningful ways.
- Create learning opportunities that help students understand Indigenous perspectives and support reconciliation through thoughtful practice.
To learn more about the College’s commitment to Truth and Reconciliation, please read this month’s message, Taking Truth to Action: Advancing Reconciliation in Teacher Regulation from Council Chair Joseph Fiorino and Registrar and CEO Linda Lacroix, OCT/EAO.
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Council Meeting Update and Initial Teacher Education Program Changes
At a special meeting on September 1, 2026, College Council approved regulatory amendments to Ontario Regulation 176/10 Teachers’ Qualifications and Ontario Regulation 347/02 Accreditation of Teacher Education Programs related to changes to initial teacher education programs.
Current certification requirements will remain in place until May 1, 2027, when faculties of education can begin offering the new teacher education program. The new model will be a three-semester (45 postsecondary credits or their equivalent), 12-month consecutive program. It also maintains the minimum 80-day (400 hours) practicum and core content requirements.
Courses offered under the current four-semester model may continue to be offered until September 30, 2028. Teacher candidates currently enrolled in a four-semester program are not impacted by the change to a three-semester model.
For information about program availability, admission requirements, and applying to initial teacher education programs, contact faculties of education directly or visit their websites. A list of accredited teacher education programs in Ontario is available on the College website.
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Share Your Expertise to Inform the Revision of Special Education Additional Qualification Guidelines
The College is recruiting experienced OCTs to join writing teams in late October to update a series of special education Additional Qualifications (AQ) Guidelines. The updated guidelines will provide the framework that course providers use to develop AQ courses for OCTs.
If you currently teach learners with special education needs or have recent and relevant expertise in supporting students with communication needs, intellectual needs, and/or behavioural needs, you can express interest in joining a writing team using the link below. Participants will be remunerated for their time.
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Focus on Teaching: Supporting Informed Decision-Making Across the Education System
The College continues to share findings from the 2025 Focus on Teaching survey with education system partners.
In late July, 35 board-specific reports were distributed to district school boards that requested them. Each report includes aggregated and anonymized survey responses from OCTs who indicated they were employed by the respective board, along with comparative survey data on survey responses.
The 2025 Focus on Teaching report provides more comprehensive analysis than in previous years. To allow education system partners sufficient time to review the findings, make informed decisions and implement actions, the College will extend the time between surveys. The next Focus on Teaching survey will launch in 2027.
In fall 2026, the College will engage with decision-makers across Ontario's education system to gather feedback on the survey's utility, timing, and overall approach. Input from these system partners will help inform the next iteration of Focus on Teaching and support ongoing efforts to maximize the value of this information in the public interest.
If you have not yet explored the findings, we encourage you to read the 2025 Focus on Teaching report.
Please Note: All data collected has been aggregated and anonymized by our research partner, Forum Research Inc. The College cannot identify individual survey respondents.
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RSVP to Attend our Annual Meeting of Members on Tuesday, October 20
There is still time to register to join College leadership for our Annual Meeting of Members on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. ET.
The online meeting is open to OCTs, applicants, interested education partners, and members of the public. Council Chair Joseph Fiorino, JD, LLM; Registrar and CEO Linda Lacroix, OCT/EAO; and Audit and Finance Subcommittee Chair, Valerie Fontenelle, OCT, will provide updates on how the College works within its mandate to serve the public interest by regulating the teaching profession to protect students.
The meeting will be hosted on Zoom with simultaneous French and English interpretation. Optional closed captioning will also be available.
The session will conclude with a Q&A period. Questions about College governance and operations can be submitted in advance when you fill out your registration form. Please note that we will be unable to answer questions about individual files or our application requirements.
A recording of the meeting will be posted to the College YouTube channel at a later date.
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Stay Connected: Follow the College on Social Media
Want to stay informed about Council updates, scholarship opportunities, professional resources, and more? Follow the Ontario College of Teachers on social media.
We share updates, resources, and news across our channels. It's an easy way to stay informed between issues of Your College and You.
Find us on:
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Mathematics Proficiency Test Open for Registration
Registration for the fall test window of the Math Proficiency Test (MPT) is now open. Testing begins on October 1, 2026, and ends on November 14, 2026.
The winter and spring test windows have been scheduled but registration dates have not yet been announced. The winter test window is currently scheduled to run from January 28, 2027 to March 20, 2027, and the spring test window from April 13, 2027 to May 29, 2027.
EQAO is responsible for scheduling, facilitating, and evaluating the MPT. Refer to their website at mathproficiencytest.ca for the latest information and to register for a test sitting.
Passing the MPT is a certification requirement for most College applicants. To confirm whether this requirement applies to you, please visit the MPT page on our website. OCTs who held a general Certificate of Qualification and Registration (CQR) on January 31, 2025, are not required to pass the MPT.
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Make Time for a Good Read
The new school year is here, along with a fresh selection of digital magazines to enjoy.
Through the Margaret Wilson Library, your College membership includes access to Flipster, a digital magazine platform featuring a range of popular titles in a convenient online format.
Access the library through your member account and start reading today.
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Discipline Summaries
Discipline Committee panels determine allegations of professional misconduct and/or incompetence involving Ontario Certified Teachers. Full panel decisions are posted to the member’s public register profile.
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Noélie Yaogo, #685491
Suspension, reprimand, conditions, cost
The Discipline Committee ordered that the teaching certificate of Noélie Yaogo be suspended for eight months for repeated professional misconduct over three academic years, including failing to adequately supervise students, failing to manage the classroom effectively, making inappropriate remarks such as telling students to “shut up,” and engaging in unnecessary physical interventions such as grabbing a student’s arm on two occasions. She also refused to allow some students to use the bathroom and barricaded the classroom door.
In their written decision on penalty, the panel also ordered that Yaogo receive a reprimand, complete a course on classroom management and professional responsibilities associated with supervising students before accepting a position requiring certification, and pay $20,000 in costs to the College. The panel stated, “Teachers are responsible for ensuring students’ safety and physical well-being.” Full summary.
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Ken Ishwar Beebakhee, #404188
Revocation, reprimand, cost
The Discipline Committee ordered that the teaching certificate of Ken Ishwar Beebakhee be revoked for sexually abusing a student during a summer program abroad in 2010, and for using inappropriate classroom management techniques with students in 2018. His misconduct involved engaging in sexual behaviour with a student, including squeezing the student’s thigh under her skirt during a summer program abroad, and using inappropriate classroom management techniques such as requiring students to stand with their arms raised or sit in a “chair of honour” as forms of discipline.
The majority of the Discipline Committee panel found Beebakhee guilty of professional misconduct and directed that his certificate be revoked. He was also ordered to receive a reprimand and to pay $20,000 in costs to the College. Full summary.
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Marie-Gabrielle Balan, #482970
Variation application denied
The Discipline Committee denied Marie-Gabrielle Balan’s application to remove terms, conditions, and limitations placed on her teaching certificate following earlier findings of professional misconduct. Balan had also asked the panel to remove information about previous discipline decisions from the College’s public register and to waive a $10,000 costs order imposed in an earlier proceeding.
Balan’s earlier misconduct, which occurred over several years and involved several students, included failing to support a student with an Individual Education Plan (IEP), failing to adequately supervise students, making inappropriate remarks to students, having inappropriate exchanges with school staff, failing to provide adequate instruction, and arriving late for her duties at school. The panel found that Balan had not accepted responsibility for her misconduct or taken sufficient steps toward rehabilitation. Full summary.
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Geoffrey William Price, #642178
Reprimand, undertaking to resign
The Discipline Committee found Geoffrey William Price guilty of professional misconduct and ordered that he receive a reprimand for engaging in repeated verbal, physical, psychological, and emotional abuse of very young students during classroom interactions. The panel also acknowledged and accepted Price’s undertaking to, among other things, permanently resign as a member of the College.
Price’s misconduct included engaging in multiple physical and verbal altercations with students, such as yelling in close proximity to students’ faces, grabbing and carrying students forcefully, clapping his hands aggressively near a student’s face while telling her “we don’t say ‘but’ to the teacher,” pulling objects from a student’s mouth while yelling at him to “spit it out”, and grabbing a student’s arms to make him mimic dance movements shown in a video.
Price’s conduct caused students to cry, scared staff and other students in the classroom, and caused one or more students to experience adverse emotional and psychological effects.
In their written decision, the panel stated that “members are expected to treat students warmly and with respect, and to avoid engaging in harsh verbal and physical reprisal of students.” Full summary.
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Edward Patrick LaRocque, #491683
Revocation, reprimand
The Discipline Committee ordered that the teaching certificate of Edward Patrick LaRocque be revoked for sexually abusing a student and engaging in grooming behaviour with her over multiple years, beginning when he was a teacher at her school, coaching a school team of which she was a member.
His misconduct included developing a close personal relationship with the student that allowed him to spend more time with her, including driving her alone in his car to practices, providing her with private coaching lessons, eating lunch together on a weekly basis and texting on a daily basis, as well as engaging in sexual touching and repeated sexual intercourse, and instructing her to keep the relationship secret.
The Discipline Committee panel found LaRocque guilty of professional misconduct and ordered that his Certificate of Qualification and Registration be revoked and that he receive a reprimand. Full summary.
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