Requirements for Teacher Certification in Alberta

For more Information visit Alberta Education: http://www.edc.gov.ab.ca/k_12/teaching/

Applicants for the Alberta interim professional certificate are required to present the following:

1. 4 years of university education inclusive of a degree and a basic teacher preparation program from an institution acceptable to the Alberta Minister of Learning.
2. Evidence of valid certification as issued by the certificating authority in both the jurisdiction where the teacher was trained and the jurisdiction where the teacher last taught.

Teacher preparation programs offered through in-service, or through self-directed study are not accepted for certification purposes. Pre-service teacher preparation programs completed by distance delivery may not be accepted in their entirety.

Degrees are subject to scrutiny on a course by course basis. Deductions may be met if the institution or course work is not acceptable to the Alberta Minister of Learning. Denominational or doctrinal courses, audit courses, and courses not considered for degree credit are not recognized for certification purposes in Alberta.

Citizenship
The Registrar may issue an Interim Professional Certificate only to a Canadian citizen or an individual lawfully admitted to Canada for permanent residence. Applicants born outside Canada must provide proof of their citizenship and/or immigration status.

Confidential Disclosure and Criminal Record Check Authorization
All applicants are required to complete in full a Confidential Disclosure and Criminal Record Check Authorization form that must accompany the application form for certification. The authorization form permits the Registrar to conduct, at his discretion, a criminal record check or inquiry from any police authority or other authority, organization or institution with regard to any criminal conviction or charge, conditional discharge, or pardon. Despite the response to any of the questions on the authorization form, an applicant may be selected on a random basis to provide the Registrar with a current criminal record check.

The Registrar may refuse to issue a certificate to a person who has been convicted of an indictable offence in Canada or an equivalent conviction in a jurisdiction outside Canada, or to a person whose teaching certificate is or has been suspended or cancelled, or to a person who the Registrar has reason to believe should not be issued a certificate.

Commitment to professional standards
All applicants for professional certification must declare that they are able and committed to applying the appropriate knowledge, skills, and attributes toward student learning as described by the Teaching Quality Standard Ministerial Order (016/97). They also must commit to teaching practice and professional growth in keeping with the Standard and the descriptors of quality teaching.

Professional Standing
A current statement of professional standing must be sent directly to the Registrar from both the certificating authority where the applicant completed his/her teacher training and from the jurisdiction where they are presently teaching or last taught

Language Proficiency
Applicants whose native language is other than English or French may be asked to submit a taped recording to demonstrate their language proficiency in either English or French. A personal interview, in lieu of a tape, can be arranged by appointment with the Professional Development and Certification Office at (780) 427-2045 once a formal evaluation of their academic and professional credentials has been completed.

Issuance and re-issuance of the Alberta Interim Professional Certificate
When an applicant has been found eligible for certification, the Alberta Interim Professional Certificate is issued. This certificate is valid for a three-year period and may be extended or re-issued thereafter at the written request of an Alberta Superintendent of Schools.

Acquiring Permanent Professional Certification
When the holder of an Alberta Interim Professional Certificate has taught in the province's school system for a minimum of two school years (400 days), his or her Interim Professional Certificate can be made permanent. A Permanent Professional Certificate is issued, at the written recommendation of a Superintendent of Schools or other Officer acceptable to the Minister of Learning, when all other criteria stipulated in the Certification of Teachers Regulation 3/99, Amended 213/2003 have been met.

Application Fees
Application fees are determined by the location of the institution providing the applicant's teacher preparation program:

Prepared within Alberta $200.00
Prepared within Canada or the U.S.A. $225.00
Prepared outside Canada and the U.S.A. $250.00

To receive an application form please call (780) 427-2045. For toll-free access anywhere in Alberta, first dial 310-0000."