Teacher Testing and Certification: An Historical Perspective from Ontario

Certification tests for elementary teachers in Ontario were introduced in 1871 and in 2002. Although the provincial government’s stated goals for the testing programs were similar, the 2002 program was opposed by the initial teacher education programs and the teachers’ associations, but the 1871 program was not. The authors argue that much of this difference can be attributed to the relationship of the tests to other requirements for certification and the process for determining the content of the tests.