Eligibility Requirements

This page explains how to be eligible for a QECO evaluation. Teachers who have not yet received a QECO evaluation are encouraged to apply as soon as possible so they can receive their initial category placement and tailored upgrading advice. This includes, but is not limited to:

  • Teachers newly certified by the OCT, including teachers with a temporary or transitional certificate of qualification and registration.
  • Teachers who were evaluated by the OSSTF prior to May 11, 2020.
  • Teachers whose program of teacher education was completed outside of Canada or Ontario.
  • OCT certified teachers who otherwise never applied for their first QECO evaluation.

Teachers may only have one open application at a time. However, as long as a teacher is eligible for a QECO evaluation, they may apply as often as they like. Teachers are also encouraged to apply at least once each year until they receive Category A4 placement.

General Requirements

To be eligible for QECO services, a teacher must hold a valid Certificate of Qualification and Registration from the Ontario College of Teachers. This certificate must be accessible on the OCT Public Register, and the teacher’s status with the OCT must be in good standing.

The teacher must also:

  1. Be a current member of one of our governing Affiliates (AEFO, ETFO, OECTA, or OSSTF) or;
  2. Be a newly certified teacher from an Ontario publicly funded teacher education program, applying for the first time without Affiliate membership and within four (4) months of certification, or;
  3. Be employed by any of the publicly funded school boards in Ontario.

More info on Affiliate membership can be found by clicking here.

In addition to the above, the teacher must have completed all coursework which is being claimed on their application form.

Technological Education Teachers

In addition to the general requirements listed above, a teacher must also fulfill the OCT requirements to teach technological subjects. The current requirements are listed on the OCT website.

QECO will always place a teacher in the highest category possible based on the teacher’s completed coursework. A teacher who is certified to teach both General and Technological Education will receive a category placement using either the Technological Education Chart or the General Education Chart, depending on which chart would grant a higher placement for that teacher.

Furthermore, teachers are not locked to a specific evaluation chart. Each time a teacher is evaluated for category placement, QECO will use whichever chart offers the best placement for the teacher at that time.

Teachers with Temporary or Transitional Certificates of Qualification and Registration

QECO welcomes applications from teachers with a Temporary or Transitional Certificate of Qualification and Registration (“a temporary or transitional certificate”) from the OCT.

In addition to the general requirements listed above, teachers with a temporary or transitional certificate must also note the following:

  • A teacher with a temporary or transitional certificate will receive the same evaluation as they would receive with a general certificate.
  • The four-month Affiliate membership exemption also applies to teachers with a temporary or transitional certificate. The start date of the exemption is the date the teacher receives their first certification from the OCT. This means that a teacher must apply as soon as they are first certified by the OCT, regardless of whether they have a temporary/transitional certificate or a general certificate, if they wish to take advantage of this exemption.
  • If a teacher’s Program of Teacher Education is still in progress when they apply for their first evaluation, they must provide QECO with the current transcript for that program. The next time that teacher applies for QECO services, they must provide QECO with proof of degree conferral. More information can be found here.
OSSTF teachers previously evaluated using OSSTF charts and applying to QECO for the first time

Effective May 11, 2020; OSSTF members shall be evaluated using QECO’s charts under Program 5. All teachers who apply to QECO, regardless of their Affiliate membership, are evaluated using these charts.

The following guidelines are only for OSSTF members who are applying to QECO for the first time and who have previously been evaluated using OSSTF charts:

  • If a teacher is already in OSSTF Certification Group 4, they do not need to reapply to QECO unless they require other assistance (e.g. if they are seeking an approved allowance or a duplicate statement of evaluation, or if they are moving to a new school board).
  • If a teacher also has a QECO statement, it remains valid. They do not need to reapply unless they are not yet in Category A4, or they need other assistance (e.g. if they are seeking an approved allowance or a duplicate statement of evaluation).

For OSSTF members, there are no special eligibility requirements to receive a QECO evaluation. However, the following must be noted:

  • QECO has access to OSSTF certification files, so teachers do not need to send transcripts to QECO unless specifically asked to do so by a QECO evaluator.
  • QECO Category placements are valid for all divisions (Primary, Junior, Intermediate, and Senior) in Ontario public schools. Teachers do not need separate evaluations for elementary and secondary school.
  • If an employer is requesting an OSSTF statement but a teacher has a more recent QECO statement, the QECO statement replaces the OSSTF statement.