1.0 GENERAL INFORMATION

1.1 Origins

1.1.1 In 2005, the French universities adopted a policy that imposed a common exam to attest to the proficiency in written French of students in teacher education specializations that would be effective as of September 2008. Prior to 2008, universities attested that students met the mastery level in the language of instruction expected of beginning teachers by virtue of exams that were unique to each institution.

The French universities, the Ministry of Education and CEFRANC collaborated to create this common exam in written French, the TECFEE.

It is in this context that the three English universities, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, decided to create a new exam that would attest to proficiency in written English.

1.1.2 Since 2008, as a condition for certification, the Regulation respecting teaching licences requires that persons applying for a teaching permit pass an exam recognized by the Minister that attests to their proficiency in written language.

1.1.3 The Regulation does not provide for exemptions.

1.1.4 The Minister has recognized one exam in French and one in English.

1.1.5 The English Exam for Teacher Certification (EETC) is the exam in English that is recognized by the Minister for purposes of the Regulation.

1.2 Goal

1.2.1 The EETC is a test of professional language competency.

1.2.2 The purpose of the EETC is to evaluate the language competency of students in a teacher education specialization. This evaluation is supported by the view that teachers must demonstrate a higher level of proficiency than the general population because they are expected not only to model good usage of language but also to identify and correct student errors.

1.3 Eligibility

1.3.1 Students must receive the permission of the program director of their teacher education specialization in order to write the EETC.

1.3.2 The following university candidates are eligible to write the EETC:

Students enrolled in any teacher education specialization leading to teacher certification at Bishop’s University, Concordia University and McGill University;

Students enrolled in a vocational education specialization, if authorized by their program directors, at the Université du Québec à Montréal and Université de Sherbrooke;

Students enrolled in the specialization in kindergarten and elementary education offered in English at the Université du Québec en Abitibi-Téminscamingue;

1.3.3 Other candidates, as identified in the Regulation respecting teaching licences, must receive permission from the Direction de la formation et de la titularisation du personnel scolaire (DFTPS) of the Ministère de l’Éducation et de l’Enseignement supérieur (MEES) in order to write the EETC.

1.4 Administration

1.4.1 LEARN has the mandate to implement the EETC on behalf of the universities and the MEES.

1.4.2 LEARN exercises its mandate in accordance with policies adopted by the Centre for the English Exam for Teacher Certification (CEETC).

1.4.3 CEETC is a committee on which sit representatives of the three English universities, the MEES and LEARN and is the name given to the various operations linked to the EETC.

1.4.4 Each university names a person who ensures the liaison with the CEETC.

1.4.5 In cooperation with the CEETC, each university informs students of the procedures to follow to register for the EETC, provides the venues for the exam sessions, and determines the dates for the exams.

1.4.6 If space permits, teachers referred by the MEES may write the exam at McGill, Concordia, or Bishop’s. All arrangements are made exclusively through the Centre for the English Exam for Teacher Certification.

1.4.7 Students enrolled in the following programs may write at Bishop’s, Concordia or McGill:

Students enrolled in a vocational education specialization at UQAM and the University of Sherbrooke;

Students enrolled in the specialization to teach kindergarten and elementary education offered in English at UQAT;

All arrangements are made exclusively through the Centre for the English Exam for Teacher Certification.

1.4.8 Effective September 2016, the EETC will only be administered at Bishop’s University, Concordia University and McGill University. Requests to write the exam at alternate locations will not be granted in order to safeguard the integrity of the exam.

1.5 Timing

1.5.1 Program directors determine at which exam session a student may write the EETC.

1.5.2 Generally, students may write the EETC for the first time at the end of the first semester of admission in a teacher education specialization.

1.5.3 In case of failure a student may rewrite the EETC. Effective January 1, 2013, students who wrote the EETC in the fall of 2012, and thereafter, rewrite only the part (Part 1 or Part 2) of the EETC that was failed. This policy is not retroactive.

1.5.4 Each university sets the conditions under which its students may rewrite the EETC. These conditions may include, but are not limited to: time delays between exam sessions; require evidence that demonstrate the effort made to improve proficiency through tutorials offered in person or on-line; attend workshops; enroll in courses, both within and outside the program of studies.

1.5.5 The MEES sets the conditions for rewrites for candidates whom it refers.

1.6 Registration

1.6.1 Only those who have been declared eligible to write the exam may register.

1.6.2 Registration is done exclusively through the CEETC in accordance with its policies and procedures.

1.6.3 Registrations will only be accepted up to 5 working days before the EETC is to be written at the university where the exam will be written.

1.6.4 Each university informs its students about the procedures to follow in order to register for the exam.

1.6.5 There are two parts to the registration for university candidates:

Students who are eligible to write the EETC must register first with the university in accordance with procedures it establishes and by the deadline it announces.
Students who are eligible to write the EETC and who have registered with the university must also register with the CEETC in accordance with its procedures and within the deadlines that it announces annually.

1.6.6 The DFTPS (MEES) informs referred candidates about the procedures to follow in order to register for the exam.

1.7 Internships/Field Experiences

1.7.1 Students in undergraduate programs leading to teacher certification must pass the EETC before commencing their final internship/field experience.

1.7.2 Students enrolled in a graduate program at McGill leading to certification must pass the EETC before commencing their first internship/field experience.

1.8 Accommodations

Reasonable accommodations that do not alter the fundamental purpose of the exam may be accorded for students with documented disabilities. The university’s service for students with disabilities must send the request for accommodations, specifying their nature, to the person at the university who ensures the liaison with the CEETC for the exam.