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Standards Help All Teachers Be At Their Best
February 7, 2018 was a day to celebrate. That day I was there to witness Education Minister David Eggen introduce a ministerial order that would see three distinct quality standards guide the practice of the teaching profession in Alberta: one for teachers, one for principals and one for superintendents.
Many of you, especially those who have taught in another province or country, might wonder why these standards are cause for celebration. To explain, let me take you back to the first third of my own teaching career. After the familiar evaluations for continuing contract and permanent certification, teachers were then on a summative evaluation cycle. Every three years we faced a series of in-class visitations that had the potential of ending in a referral to the Council on Alberta Teaching Standards (COATS) for a review of our teaching practices. Practice reviews were performed by appointees of the ministry, placing the careers of teachers in the hands of individuals who likely had never set foot in a classroom. Coats for Kids was a good concept. COATS for teachers, not so much.
It was the mid 1990s, and some might say that the teaching profession was on a backslide, or at least on the way to one. In addition to COATS, there was a proposal by the Klein government that would require teachers to requalify for their teaching certificate every five years. The backlash from teachers was swift and effectively resulted in two things that helped restore our status as professionals: the Teaching Quality Standard (TQS) and the Teacher Growth, Supervision and Evaluation (TGSE) policy.
Passed as a ministerial order in 1997 and still in existence today, the TQS is a set of standards describing the select knowledge, skills and attributes (KSAs) that teachers are expected to possess and demonstrate at different stages of their careers. While similar, the new TQS uses competencies and indicators in place of KSAs, and there is no differentiation between interim and permanent certificate holders. TGSE policy mandates that school authorities, ECS operators, superintendents, principals and teachers work together to develop and implement policy ensuring that all teachers practice consistently in keeping with the TQS.
Today, using the TQS to guide the development of their growth plans, teachers demonstrate their commitment to professional development and maintaining the high standards in place to ensure Alberta students receive the best possible education. With many thanks due to Alberta teachers, the implementation of the standard and the policy was a success. In fact, its success was a factor in the dreaded COATS being dissolved and the Association being given responsibility for reviewing and evaluating the practice of teachers whose competency is questioned (a first for a teachers’ organization in North America).
Provincial standards for teachers have been in place in Alberta for more than 20 years now. The revised TQS will come into effect in 2019, along with new standards for principals and superintendents.
The interconnectedness of the three standards is very significant for me. In all three documents the first two competencies speak to building and fostering effective relationships and a commitment to professional learning. All three standards ensure First Nations, Métis and Inuit education for all students. These similarities strengthen the idea that we are all part of a single profession, the profession of teaching. This unity is again emphasized by the fact that it’s only later on in the school leader and superintendent documents that the management roles are addressed. Teaching and learning are clearly profiled as primary goals for all of us affected by these standards. The model of collegiality that has served Alberta so well has been maintained and, in my mind, strengthened through the interrelationship of these three standards, and this should provide comfort as well as a sense of pride to all of us working for the students of Alberta.
As ATA president and as one with a grandchild in the public education system, it is reassuring to know there will be provincial standards not only for teachers, but for principals and superintendents. If we in the public education system are to provide Alberta students with quality education, we all need to be at our best—quality standards help us do that.
