Latest Memo From EQAO - Provincial Math Test - "Field Test" Registration

Math Proficiency Field Test

Ahead of the launch of the official Mathematics Proficiency Test this spring, EQAO will be conducting field tests between February 18 and March 7, 2020, at various test centres throughout the province.

Field-Test Registration

Online registration for the field test opens on February 3, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. To register for the field test, teacher applicants must complete the following:

1. Obtain an Ontario College of Teachers application number (www.oct.ca).
2. Create an MPT account (www.mathproficiencytest.ca). 
3. Choose a test-centre location from the list below.
4. Select and register for a field-test session. If an accommodation is required, request a test session and await contact from the test-centre accessibility coordinator.

Field-Test Centre Locations*

• Algonquin College–Ottawa 
• Centennial College–Toronto 
• Collège Boréal–Sudbury
• Durham College–Oshawa 
• Fleming College–Peterborough/Lindsay 
• Georgian College–Barrie 
• Humber College–Toronto (Etobicoke North)
• Lambton College–Sarnia 
• Loyalist College–Belleville 
• Sault College–Sault Ste. Marie 
• Seneca College–Toronto, King City, Markham 
• Sheridan College–Mississauga

*On-site French-language support is available upon request and may be requested when teacher applicants create their online MPT account.

Field-test session dates and times will vary based on the test-centre location, and field-test applicants will be able to register for the field test starting February 3, 2020. Please note that the number of available spaces will be limited to the capacity at participating test centres and spaces will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. More field-test locations may be added to the list above. Original photo identification will be required on the day of the field test.

Further information regarding the official test launch, including details on how to register for the test and specific dates and locations of the test centres across the province, will be shared soon.

EQAO will continue to provide updates on the development of the MPT to faculties of education throughout the province. Additionally, you can visit www.mathproficiencytest.ca for sample test questions, what you can expect on the day of the test and answers to frequently asked questions.

Interested in an Edvantage Card?

If any BEd student is interested in obtaining an Edvantage Card, we would ask that you come to the Education Office to provide us with the details required to request the printing of your card.

The Faculty of Education will provide the consolidated list of interested students to OETFO for card production, on Feb 5th, 2020. In light of this, we would ask that all expressions of interest be made by 12 noon on Wednesday, Feb 5th, 2020.

Science/Enviro Ed Certification - Project WET and Little Feet Get Wet

Forwarding on behalf of Dr. Ellen Field

I am pleased to let you know that we are able to offer LU Faculty of Ed students an opportunity to get your Project WET and Little Feet Get Wet certificates at a discounted rate on Saturday, Feb. 8th.

In this workshop, you will: 

-  learn about Project WET and Little Feet Get Wet curriculum resources and experientially participate in water-based science activities from these guides

- get hard copies of these two resources (which you can only get through attending a workshop)

- get a certificate that you can add to your resume that recognizes you as Project WET and Little Feet Get Wet Facilitator.

My two cents on this resource is that it walks the talk on experiential interdisciplinary environmental education. Plus water is a defining issue for the health and well being of people and our Earth systems and you will find lots of rich learning activities that will pique your students' interests and probably your own in these guides. So let's make it a fun day and get some certs! 

Event Details:

Time: 9-3pm at Regan House in Scout Valley

Cost: $25 (this is subsidized and usually costs $65-$85)

Registration: https://cwra.org/en/membee-events/#id=127&cid=1410&wid=701

* We need 20 students to sign-up in order to cover costs and there are a maximum of 30 spots.

*Registration cut-off is Feb. 3rd @12pm

What to bring on the day:

Dress to be outside and active for part of the day

Brown bag lunch

Notebook and pen/pencil

If you have any questions, please contact Ellen at efield@lakeheadu.ca.

Laura Bassi Scholarship

The Laura Bassi Scholarship, which awards a total of $8,000 thrice per annum, was established by Editing Press in 2018 with the aim of providing editorial assistance to postgraduates and junior academics whose research focuses on neglected topics of study, broadly construed. The scholarships are open to every discipline and the next round of funding will be awarded in April 2020:

        

        Spring 2020
        Application deadline: 25 March 2020
        Results: 15 April 2020

All currently enrolled master’s and doctoral candidates are eligible to apply, as are academics in the first five years of their employment. Applicants are required to submit a completed application form along with their CV through the application portal by the relevant deadline. 

Further details, previous winners, and the application portal can be found at: https://editing.press/bassi

EQAO Memo - Latest Info Regarding Field Test of Provincial Math Proficiency Test (MPT)

Good Day Everyone,

This is the latest communication from the EQAO about the MPT exam. 

We have no further information at present but will share any developments as they arise. 

Please note that the field test is going to be made available on a first-come, first-served basis. We have no say in - or control over - this decision.  

Please see below for the full memo.

From: Joanne Rinella, Interim Chief Assessment Officer

Date: January 22, 2020

Subject: Field Test - Mathematics Proficiency Test (MPT)

The launch of the Mathematics Proficiency Test (MPT) is scheduled for spring 2020, and EQAO is in the process of finalizing the test administration platform and test items.

Field Test

To ensure the high quality and reliability of the online test and to validate the assessment items, EQAO will be conducting field tests between February 18 and March 7, 2020, at various test centres throughout the province. A range of participants from all divisions (primary, junior, intermediate, senior and Technological Education) and with a variety of teachable subject areas is encouraged. The MPT field test is a cost-free opportunity for teacher applicants to attempt the test.

If teacher applicants attempt the field test and have a successful outcome, they will have satisfied the legislated MPT-certification requirement. However, if the teacher applicants are not yet successful on this field test attempt, their next attempt will still count as their first attempt.

Test Centre

Please note that the number of available spaces will be limited to the capacity at participating test centres, and spaces will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. Information regarding registration, test locations and dates and times of the field test will be available shortly.

Ontario College of Teachers Application Number

An Ontario College of Teachers application number is required to register for the MPT. This number is issued once an applicant opens an application with the Ontario College of Teachers.

EQAO will continue to provide updates on the MPT to faculties of education throughout the province, and you can visit www.mathproficiencytest.ca for sample test questions, what you can expect on the day of the test and answers to frequently asked questions.

Thank you.

Thrive Week at Heritage Place - Student Health & Wellness

REMINDER - Building Futures Virtual Event - January 22, 2020

This is a reminder of the virtual event for all Year 2 students.

This will be a virtual "open discussion" format with an opportunity to learn from various educators.

  

Conversation content is likely to include: 

• Suggestions for professional learning, 
• Building a network of mentorship and support, 
• Working with colleagues, 
• Ways to build and document/archive professional learning portfolio, etc.

You are registered for two different sessions.

1. Facilitated by an Education Officer, Ministry of Education
2. Facilitated by a System Principal & Regional Office Education Officer

How to Access the Sessions

• The URL to access the sessions is found on the agenda included in the email Julie Howell sent to you on January 21, 2020.  Please keep this on hand as you will require it to log into your group's webinar rooms.
• On Wednesday, Jan. 22, we suggest joining the webinar room a few minutes prior to 9:30 am
• Select “Enter as Guest” from the login screen; type in your first name; click on “Enter Room”

Using Adobe Connect

• Adobe Connect is the webinar application we’re using.  All you will need to access the sessions is a computer that has access to the internet. It requires flash player – click here in advance of next Wednesday’s session to test your browser: http://conn-o.osapac.org/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm
  
  
• Alternatively, you can access using a mobile device and download the Adobe Connect Mobile App for iOS or Android here:

https://helpx.adobe.com/adobe-connect/connect-downloads-updates.html#additionaldownloads

Any troubleshooting questions, please contact Christina Terzic at PDPTC-PPPCE@ontario.ca.

Certificate

• A Certificate of Participation will be sent to you upon completion of the virtual event.

Year One BEd Students - Professional Development on January 22 and January 29, 2020

Hello YR1 BEd Students, 

PD for Cohorts D,E and F - Wednesday, January 22, 2020 Geneva Centre - 9:30 am- 3pm.

**Do not forget to register as you enter. 

All cohorts - Wednesday, January 29, 2020 - We will be hosting another PD session through Zoom from 9:30 am - 2:00 pm.   A facilitator will be doing a session on special education and Caroline Narine will be addressing practicum issues. You will be sent the link to register before the session. 

Education Exchange Newsletter - January 2020 Issue

The Faculty of Education is pleased to share the latest issue of the Education Exchange Newsletter.  

Read the January 2020 issue here.

Message From Our Program Chair, Dr. Michael Hoechsmann - To All B.Ed Professional Program Students

Welcome back for the Winter term!

I wanted to provide you with some updates:

1)    Provincial Math Proficiency Test (MPT)

There continues to be a total lack of clarity around the administration of the MPT, including when a pilot will be run and who will administer it (at first it was going to be the universities, then the colleges, now perhaps a private entity). The last word had been that the pilot would take place near the end of February, but the prospects for that are dim. This is out of our hands, but we continue to look out for your interests.

To the best of our understanding, the test will be piloted at some point before the end of April and a first official sitting will be planned in the late Spring. Just to remind you, passing the pilot constitutes a fulfillment of the MPT requirement.

As most of you know, the content requirements of the MPT were changed to correspond to the K-9 Math curriculum (not the K-11 Math curriculum, as previously declared).

2)    Teacher Job Action and Upcoming Practicums

We continue to move forward with the hope that Winter placements will not be disrupted by job action resulting from contract negotiations between teacher unions and the government. Early indications are that teacher candidates are valued partners and will only be denied access to practicum in the case of school closures resulting from strikes.

Again, we deal with uncertainty, but we can only work with what we know, so we should all assume that practicums will continue as expected. In the case of disruption, however, we will keep in close contact. It is advisable that you not make unbreakable plans for the week or so after the end of the practicum in case it is necessary to add in any further days (this is our usual rule of thumb too, in case of illness, etc.).

Finally, in the case of work to rule conditions, you have been advised to carefully follow the instructions of your ATs. Do not overstep your role as an apprentice teacher.

3)    Program Schedule and Room Allocations

At this point, the program office will not consider any further schedule changes. We reviewed the Winter schedules in December, offered to make some changes, were vetoed by students or instructors in some cases, and were successful in a couple. We have also made a couple of adjustments in the past week (you know who you are).

In general, we are sympathetic to some residual discontent, but we are rooted here in North Simcoe and dealing with various structural constraints. Perhaps it will help you to know that we have fought to keep your required courses in daytime hours, despite some institutional pressures to make greater use of the nighttime hours.

4)    Vending Machines

It seems as though the new coffee machine is a hit. It will be even more so in the deep freeze days. As for the food machine, I have been in contact with conference services to advocate for some healthy snacks (and, by popular demand, more cookies).

Best wishes for a successful semester. Be kind to yourself and others.

Michael

Dr. Michael Hoechsmann, Program Chair

CLARIFICATION - Virtual PD Event - Jan 22, 2020 - Ministry of Education

Good Morning Year 2 Students,

Each of you received an email from our Ministry of Education partners yesterday (Jan 15th, 2020) advising you that each of you has been pre-registered for a mandatory virtual PD event to be held on Jan 22, 2020. 

The registration confirmation email that you received provides details about the start and end time for the virtual event, and provides you with instructions to log in to attend. Please be sure to read through the attachment that accompanied the confirmation email. You can join this virtual PD event using your cell phone, tablet, iPad or PC/laptop.

In order to accommodate this Ministry of Education PD opportunity, your Personalized Professional Learning Plan "check in" that was set to be due Jan 22, 2020 will be moved to a Jan 29th, 2020 due date. Further to this, we would like to remind you that your final submission is due on Feb 28th, 2020.

GO Conference - May 8, 2020

Reminder - YR 2 BEd Students - M.Ed Program Information Session on Tuesday, January 21st, 2020

Interested in pursuing your M.Ed degree after graduation?  Come and learn more about the program Orillia has to offer at an information session to be held in Orillia Council Chambers on: Tues. Jan. 21st from 1:00-2:30pm. This is an opportunity to meet students currently in the program who will speak about their experiences.

Please RSVP to Dr. Mastrangelo at  smastran@lakeheadu.ca by Jan. 14, 2020.

Use of Fragrances/Scented Personal Care Products

Invitation to Zoom Meeting- YEAR ONES PPLP SESSION

Hello Year Ones, 

Happy new year and welcome back! As you were informed last year, in our efforts to make PD sessions more convenient for you, we are having a virtual (zoom via your computer) on Wednesday January 8, 2020 to work on your PPLP (attached). This means you will not be required to be physically present on campus but you will need a computer with internet access wherever you are. This session will be from 9 a.m to 12:30 p.m. Follow the instructions below to register for the session.

You are invited to a Zoom meeting.
When: Jan 8, 2020 09:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

You must register in advance for this meeting:
https://lakeheadu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYucOyrqTwvCcf8pJKfYDMAEfIb9hJeNQ

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Offering TESOL Discount to Lakehead Students

IMPORTANT DEADLINE - Online Intent to Graduate (May 2020) Now Open in MyInfo

Attention Year 2 students,

Are you planning on graduating in Spring 2020?

Will you have all of your program requirements completed by the end of April 2020?  

Let us know by completing the online "Intent to Graduate" form through your myInfo portal. 

Submitting the online "Intent to Graduate" form through MyInfo will ensure you are included in the graduation assessments at the end of the 2020 Winter term.

By submitting the online form, it will also ensure that you receive an email about the 2020 Spring Convocation ceremonies including information about how to request guest tickets, how to order your convocation regalia and other important details.

 

The deadline to submit the online Intent to Graduate for the 2020 Spring graduation session is Friday, February 28th.

Parking at St. James Church (Winter Term 2020)

Please be advised that the administration at St. James Church has indicated that they cannot accommodate any student parking on church property for the winter 2020 term.  Any student vehicle found on the property will be towed.

Students attending Lakehead classes at St. James Church and wish to park close, are asked to use the approved municipal parking areas nearby.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation.