ontario teachers math test

New teachers in Ontario must score at least 70 per cent on a math test

Standardized testing doesn't end when you're finished with high school anymore, folks — not if you want to be a teacher in Ontario, that is.

As alluded to in a piece of proposed legislation last October, Doug Ford's PC government is rolling out mandatory "math content knowledge" tests for all new elementary and high school teachers within the province.

The idea, when proposed, was that those who failed the test wouldn't be able to register as teachers.

A newly-leaked memo from deputy education minister Nancy Naylor reveals that candidates must not only pass the math test, but score at least 70 per cent in order to secure a teaching licence.

Administered by the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO — the same body responsible for standardized testing among students), the math proficiency test for teachers will contain questions about both math content and teaching.

Approximately two thirds of the test will assess candidates based on their knowledge of things like arithmetic, fractions and percentages, according to The Globe and Mail. The rest will pertain to how well they can teach the subject to students.

Teachers unions aren't thrilled by the news, given that the test will be mandatory for all new teachers — regardless of which subjects they teach and which grades they teach them to.

Fortunately for those who struggle with mathematics, aspiring teachers can take the test as many times as they like (for a price) until they pass.

Lead photo by

Boris Terzic


Latest Videos



Latest Videos


Join the conversation Load comments

Latest in City

Here's a preview of what it will be like to ride on new Toronto LRT line

There's a brand-new $26M TTC subway station entrance in a popular Toronto park

Ontario's largest snake grows up to 2 metres and squeezes prey to death

Ontario is home to world's oldest pool of water at a staggering 2 billion years old

Stunning new Toronto park set to open next year

Toronto somehow isn't home to Ontario's jankiest LRT

A Toronto transit project is actually going to finish early for once

People worried about Ontario police's plan to use facial recognition software