Understanding Types of Additional Qualifications Courses

What is the difference between AQ and ABQ courses?

An ABQ, or Additional Basic Qualification, is a one-session course designed for certified teachers in Ontario to expand their teaching qualifications. Completing an ABQ allows teachers to add new divisions to their certificate, such as Primary, Junior, Intermediate, or Senior, or to gain certification in new subject areas.

ABQs are distinct from general Additional Qualifications (AQs) in the following ways:

• Expanding teaching divisions
  ABQs can qualify a teacher to teach in a division that was not included in their original certification. For example, an Intermediate ABQ provides qualification to teach Grades 7 to 10.
• Subject-specific focus
  At the Intermediate and Senior levels, ABQs are tied to specific subjects. For instance, a Senior Mathematics ABQ qualifies a teacher to teach Grade 11 and 12 mathematics, but does not extend to other Senior subjects.
• Prerequisites
  Most ABQ courses require specific university-level credits or prior teaching qualifications as part of the admission criteria.

This structure provides a clear pathway for teachers to broaden both grade-level and subject-area expertise within the Ontario system.

Types of ABQs:

• Schedule A (One-Session ABQs):
  Courses that allow you to teach in a new division or general education subject at the Intermediate or Senior levels or become qualified in the primary or junior level. They require specific academic or teaching prerequisites to enroll.
• Schedule B (One-Session Technological Education ABQs):
  Courses designed exclusively for certified technological education teachers to earn qualifications in additional technological education subjects. General Education teachers can take Schedule B ABQs IF they can meet the prerequisites of education and work experience.

An AQ, or Additional Qualification, is a specialized professional development course certified teachers take to expand their skills, learn new teaching strategies, and add specific subjects or credentials to their teaching certificates.

Teachers take AQ courses for a variety of reasons:

• Career advancement
  Many teachers take AQs to prepare for leadership roles or to work toward becoming a specialist in their field.
• Marketability
  Building a broader skill set, such as qualifications in Guidance and Career Studies, French as a Second Language or Computers in the Classroom, can strengthen an educator’s profile and support opportunities for hiring or transfer.
• Pay grid movement
  Completing certain AQ levels can support movement across qualification categories, such as progressing from Category A3 to A4 on the salary grid.

AQs qualify a teacher for the subject across all divisions they hold qualifications in. For example, a teacher who takes Special Education Part 1 and holds primary, junior, and intermediate qualifications will be able to teach Special Education in any of those divisions. There are limited academic pre-requisites to take AQ courses.

There are three types of AQ courses in Ontario:

• One-Session Courses (Schedule C):
  Targeted, single-session courses to introduce a specific topic or skill.
• Three-Part Specialist Courses (Schedule D):
  Multi-level programs broken into Part I, Part II, and Specialist.
• Honour Specialist (Schedule E) and Technological Education Honour Specialist:
  Advanced courses focusing on a specific subject.

Schedule A, B, E, and Technological Education Honour Specialist courses are only offered by faculties of education whereas Schedule C and D courses are offered by a variety of providers, including OSSTF/FEESO. You can find approved course providers and explore available subjects to add to your OCT certificate by using the official OCT Find an AQ Tool.

What types of AQ courses does OSSTF/FEESO offer?

OSSTF/FEESO currently offers Schedule D AQ courses and plans to expand to Schedule C courses in the coming years.