Ontario Government To Test Future Teachers In Math Before Getting Their License
Published August 27, 2019 at 10:38 pm
From September 2019, future teachers will have to pass a standardized math test before they can receive their teaching licence.
The new test will be administered in two parts and will be multiple choice. More than half (70 per cent) of the new math proficiency test will assess the candidate on content relating to the mathematics curriculum for grades 3 to 11, including fractions, percentages and other basic arithmetic, the rest of the assessment will test them on how to teach the subject in the classroom (the pedagogy section).
According to The Globe and Mail, the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) is developing the test. Student teachers looking to be certified and teach in the province’s elementary and high schools will be required to take the test.
Currently, the EQAO only tests Ontario students in reading, writing and mathematics.
Ontario will be the first province to require teachers to pass a math test before receiving their certificate.
To complete the mathematics test a person who takes the test must obtain a mark of 70 per cent or greater in each of the two sections of the test.
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There is no limit on the number of times a person may take the mathematics test, but there will be a fee for subsequent attempts.
The mathematics test will be administered by the post-secondary institution, but it is unclear when the candidate would write it during their program.
The new test aims to improve student test scores. According to The Globe and Mail, less than half – 49 per cent – of Ontario’s Grade 6 students met the provincial standard in math. It aims to enhance teacher confidence and sense of efficacy in teaching mathematics to ensure that students are better prepared for the EQAO.
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