Page 15 - Teacher Assignment in Ontario Schools: A Resource Guide

Some Additional 3 Principles to Guide
Teacher Assignment
School board staffing committees, school principals, teachers’ federations, super- visory officers, and all those engaged in making teacher assignment decisions are encouraged to follow the additional principles for successful teacher assignment outlined in this section. These principles are based primarily on information gathered from school board human resources staff, principals, and representa- tives of teachers’ federations as part of a 2010 ministry-funded study of teacher hiring and assignment practices in Ontario. In the study, school board staff were asked to provide advice on how best to make teacher assignment decisions. Some of their comments have been included below.
Ensure that assignment practices are open, flexible, and collaborative
Open, flexible, and collaborative practices are considered to be most effective in making assignment decisions that address student needs and provide teachers with a balanced and satisfying workload. Examples of such practices between a principal and teaching staff might include:
§ asking teachers, on an annual basis, to state their teaching preferences
for the following school year and to confirm their qualifications and
teaching experience;
§ asking department heads to participate in teacher assignment decisions;
§ taking into consideration teachers’ prior assignments, to ensure that all
teaching staff have opportunities for professional growth or, as appropriate,
to teach subjects or teach in divisions that are of interest to them;
§ taking into consideration teachers’ desire for future professional growth
and how assignments may help them achieve their objectives in this regard.
Some Additional Principles 15