What Does it Take to Become an Alberta Certified Teacher at CIS?
Canadian International School of Guangzhou
2022-05-06
As an Alberta (Canada) Accredited International School (AAIS), the CIS teaching community consists of high-qualified Alberta accredited teachers, teaching our rigorous K-12 curriculum. Alberta is known worldwide to have very high teacher accreditation standards, which can pose some difficulties when it comes to hiring teachers, especially during a pandemic when travel is generally restricted. Despite of this, CIS has been able to attract and hire the best teachers possible to ensure our students’ success and academic rigor. Interested to hear about what it takes for a teacher to receive an Alberta teaching certificate and to work at CIS? Well, read on. You may be surprised!
CIS Teaching Team 2021-2022
An Alberta Ministerial Order: Teaching Quality Standard
Professional practice of all Alberta (Canadian) teachers is guided by the Teaching Quality Standard (TQS). Meeting this standard is the first step to apply to become an Alberta certified teacher. Quality teaching occurs when the teacher’s ongoing analysis of the context, and the teacher’s decisions about which pedagogical knowledge and abilities to apply, result in optimum learning for all students. The standard further identifies the competencies teachers must meet in order to hold and maintain an Alberta teaching certificate:
- Fostering Effective Relationships
- Engaging in Career-Long Learning
- Demonstrating a Professional Body of Knowledge
- Establishing Inclusive Learning Environments
- Adhering to Legal Frameworks and Policies
The First Step: Interim Professional Certification
The teaching certification process is not immediate. After an assessment by Alberta Education, teachers are first certified with an Interim Professional Certification (IPC) that is valid for only 3 years. If they meet all the requirements for Permanent Professional Certification (PPC), the Alberta school authority can then recommend them for a permanent certificate. Credentials and requirements include:
- Minimum of 16 years of formal education, which includes a 4-year university degree with a pre-service teacher preparation program from an approved institution (such as CIS)
- 48 semester hour credits of coursework in professional teacher education courses within a structured teacher preparation program
- 10 weeks of supervised student teaching (practicum) at the elementary or secondary level
Obtaining a Permanent Professional Certificate (PPC)
To be eligible for a PPC, teachers must have:
- 2 years of full-time teaching (approximately the equivalent of 400 days) in an Alberta accredited school, while holding a valid IPC
- 2 successful, formal evaluations based on the knowledge, skills and attributes for permanent certification outlined in the Teaching Quality Standard
Alberta Permanent Professional Certificate
25:1 Interview Ratio, as CIS Aims to Find the Best Teachers For Your Children
It is very fair to say that indeed, it takes a village to train and certify a teacher that is eligible to work and teach at CIS. With a long and rigorous process that must be adhered to (regardless of any circumstances or situations), CIS works closely with Alberta Education to ensure teachers gain both theoretical and practical experience to fulfil their teaching responsibilities, under the professional supervision of the CIS school leadership team.
During our teacher hiring process in the 2 school years, the CIS leadership team can only conduct one interview out of 25 resumes (CV) we receive from teachers all over the world. It's not easy to adhere to high teaching quality standards, but in so doing, CIS is more than confident that we can continue to deliver our high-quality Alberta (Canada) curriculum to all our students, both now and in the future.
We’ll share more teacher information for the upcoming school year soon! Stay tuned to CIS social media channels! You’re also welcome to visit us and talk to our professional teaching team! After all, you now know what it takes to become a CIS teacher!
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