Certification, Experience and Pay  

Types of Certificates/Documents from Ministry, College of Teachers, and OSSTF

OSSTF Certificates/Documents

The goal of every teacher is to attain a "permanent" Group Rating Statement.  A member should apply to the OSSTF Certification Division if the following applies (<click here> for the correct Application form):

• Converting a Letter of Appraisal to a Group Rating Statement

• extending the expiry date for a Letter of Evaluation

• converting a Letter of Evaluation to a Group Rating Statement

• extending the the expiry date of a Provisional Rating Statement 

• converting a Provisional Rating Statement to a permanent Group Rating Statement

OSSTF issues a variety of other documents that identify your "group" and when received by the member, must be copied to the Board as holds the same weight as a permanent Group Rating Statement for salary purposes.  These documents expire.  Teachers must ensure that these documents are renewed by the OSSTF Certification Division prior to expiry, or must ensure that these documents are converted to a Permanent Group Rating Statement.  The types of other documents are listed below, with an explanation of why these documents were issued.

 

A Letter of Appraisal From the OSSTF Certification Department may be issued to a student at a Faculty of Education who does not yet have a signed contract to teach in an Ontario public secondary school. Obtaining a Letter of Appraisal will expedite the Certification process once that teacher signs a contract in an Ontario public secondary school. Application forms for a Letter of Appraisal are distributed directly to students at the presentation by the OSSTF Certification Department at their Faculty of Education or can be downloaded by clicking here.  

A Letter of Evaluation From the OSSTF Certification Department may be issued to a Member:

• Who has an Interim or a Limited/Restricted Certificate of Qualification from the Ontario College of Teachers valid in secondary schools, or

• Who is a student at a College or Faculty of Education who is the holder of a signed contract to teach in an Ontario public secondary school, or

• Who has a Letter of Eligibility issued by the Ontario College of Teachers valid in secondary schools.

Once the Member has obtained a Certificate of Qualification, a Letter of Evaluation may be upgraded to a Certification Rating Statement.

A Provisional Certification Rating Statement From the OSSTF Certification Department is generally issued by OSSTF Certification Division because all the information was not available at the time of your evaluation or re-evaluation.  When you received your Provisional Rating Statement, it will have outlined the additional documentation that must accompany this application form in order for you to obtain your Permanent Group Rating Statement. The document that is normally lacking is the Certificate of Qualifications with the new qualifications.  A Provisional Rating Statement has an expiry date.  You can apply to the OSSTF Certification Department to renew your Provisional CRS or convert it into a Permanent CRS if you now possess the missing documents.

• Follow this procedure if you received a Provisional Rating Statement and now need to have it changed to a Permanent Group Rating Statement, prior to the expiry date listed on the Provisional Rating Statement or need to renew your Provisional Rating Statement  

Ministry Of Education Certificates/Documents

 

Certificate of Qualification Ministry of Education and Training - Technological Teachers who hold a trade Certificate as registered with the Ministry of Education and Training or its predecessors have a Certificate of Qualification from the Ministry of Education and Training. This is different from the College of Teachers Certificate of Qualification.

 

A Letter of Permission From the Ministry of Education is good for, at most, one year and is issued by Ministry of Education. It is issued to someone who has no teacher training. Such a person will not be able to get a Certification Rating Statement issued from the Provincial OSSTF Certification Department.  If, while on the Letter of Permission, you have met the criteria established by the College of Teachers to get a Certificate of Qualifications (or equivalent), ensure that you have applied for such a Certificate (or equivalent). HOW?  

• Click here to link to the College of Teachers' criteria, procedure & forms.  Complete and return them to the College of Teachers, as per listed instructions

• Advise the Board – Human Resources Department, in writing, that you are in the process of applying to the College of Teachers.  <Click here> to view a sample letter you can use.

• You will be paid at Group 1, as per the Collective Agreement

• Once you receive your Certificate of Qualifications, fax a copy to the Board – Human Resources

• Apply to OSSTF for a Group Rating Statement.  

Ontario College of Teachers Certificates/Documents

Certificate of Registration From The College of Teachers- This is a plaque like Certificate which teachers get from the College which does not list their qualifications This is of no use to the Certification Department but many teachers send this in instead of their Certificate of Qualification.

 

The Certificate of Qualification From The College of Teachers is a teacher's annual licence to teach in Ontario. The Ontario College of Teachers updates and mails it to individual teachers each year after receiving the teacher's membership fee. Some teachers have only partially fulfilled the requirements for certification in publicly funded schools in Ontario, or are restricted in the subjects they can teach. In these cases, the Certificate of Qualification may be Limited, Restricted, or Limited/Restricted. Technology Teachers may also have another Certificate of Qualification issued under the Trades Qualification and Apprenticeship Act for their particular trade. This is a separate document altogether and must not be confused with the one issued by the College of Teachers.

 

The Interim Certificate of Qualification From The College of Teachers is issued to teachers trained outside Ontario who meet the academic and professional qualification requirements. It is valid for six years. Teachers with an Interim Certificate of Qualification must complete 10 months of successful teaching in Ontario in order to apply for a Certificate of Qualification.  Once you have successfully completed 194 teaching days, apply to the College of Teachers' to convert your Interim Certificate to a "Permanent" One. 

• Click here to link to the Conversion application form.  Complete it and return it to the College of Teachers, as per listed instructions.  As well, you will be required to complete Statement of Successful Teaching Experience.  Click here to link to this form.  Follow the instructions as listed on the form.  

 

A Letter of Acknowledgment of Additional Qualification/Additional Basic Qualification From The College of Teachers is issued when a teacher has upgraded his/her qualifications, the College of Teachers will send this letter confirming that those upgraded qualifications will appear on his/her next Certificate of Qualification.