Letter from a new teacher:
I’m a teacher candidate from Ontario. I should be entering the our public schools come September. I am so excited, I’ve been offered a supply position already and waiting on some paperwork to apply for full time. I have been so excited to join the profession, expect 2 weeks ago, the government rolled out the new standardized test for new teachers.
Before diving into the rollout, and how that happened, I feel like I need to discuss the test more generally first. I started my program in 2016, and have been completing two degrees at once. I’m now near the end of the program, and a new test has been required to be certified in my province. I was never formally made away of the test until May, while I discovered myself in January of this year. The more I learn about this test, the more I am disgusted with it. Disgusted is the word because the Education Quality of Accountability Office put out a report in 2019 stating that a standardized test for new teachers would be discriminatory, look good to those outside of the test, and would not better out students. And somehow, that same office has written a test, and expedited the field testing process. This test is bigoted, and now rushed to bar new teachers from the profession. How can someone release the a report that comes to that conclusion, go ahead anyway, use the results to remove people from their profession, and then hide the report? It’s unethical, and illegal, as well it puts public education in jeopardy in Ontario, and sets a bad precedent for the rest of Canada.
As well, the test was rolled out terribly. Most teacher candidates like myself found out three days before testing slots were open, while new teachers found out second hand as no one contacted them despite them needing this test to keep teaching. There were most likely ~4000 testing slots open on the first day for the ~6700 new teachers and teacher candidates who need to take this test. This means there was not enough slots for every teacher to take it once, let alone the three attempts we were each promised. For those who required accommodations- like myself- we were promised we would be contacted within 2 days of our time slot. Instead, We received emails saying there are too many of us, and there is now a back log, meaning it will take at least 2 weeks to get emailed. I am still waiting to be contacted, but others are reporting getting their accommodations approved last minute, which is just an added stress for us.
How can the Ontario government find the MPT to be a bad idea, rush to make it, make it a requirement, rush testing, limit the amount of spots so not everyone can be tested, and ignore complaints? New teachers have had no choice but to go to court. This feels so wrong, because the government should not be able to ignore the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and hurt their own publication. It’s wrong, it’s disgusting, and we’re not being heard.
Please help us, we need teachers in our province.
Read the report - https://web.archive.org/web/20200304134206if_/https://www.eqao.com/en/research_data/communication-docs/report-literature-review-teacher-competency-testing.pdf
