4. Evaluation of Teacher Education

4.1 The evaluation of teacher education for salary purposes shall be determined by a statement of qualifications issued by the Alberta Teachers’ Association Teacher Qualifications Service in accordance with the principles and policies established by the Teacher Salary Qualifications Board pursuant to the memorandum of agreement dated March 23, 1967, between the Department of Education, the Alberta School Boards Association, formerly the Alberta School Trustees’ Association and the Alberta Teachers’ Association.

4.2 Placement on the salary schedule shall be according to the number of years of teacher education on the first day of each school semester or on commencement of employment.

4.3 A teacher commencing employment with the Board, shall be responsible for supplying a statement of qualifications from the Teacher Qualifications Service.

4.4 A teacher claiming entitlement to an increment for purposes of placement on the salary grid in respect of an additional year or years of university education shall within 90 calendar days of the commencement of the school semester supply evidence from the Teacher Qualifications Service of the teacher having applied to the Teacher Qualifications Service for a statement of qualifications indicating the number of years of university education for which the Teacher Qualifications Service will grant recognition.

4.5 Until the teacher submits the statement of qualifications hereinbefore referred to, the teacher shall be placed on the salary schedule according to the most recent acceptable statement of qualifications or according to the minimum education requirements for his teaching certificate.

4.6 In the event that a teacher has submitted evidence from the Teacher Qualifications Service confirming that the teacher has applied for a statement of qualifications from the Teacher Qualifications Service within 90 calendar days of the commencement of the school semester, any adjustment to the placement of the teacher on the salary grid warranted by the statement of qualifications shall be made upon receipt by the Board of the statement of qualifications. The adjustment to placement on the salary grid shall be retroactive to the commencement of the school semester.

4.7 In the event that a teacher does not within 90 calendar days of the commencement of the school semester supply evidence from the Teacher Qualifications Service of having applied to the Teacher Qualifications Service for a statement of qualifications any adjustment to the placement of the teacher on the salary grid shall be made effective the first day of the month following the month in which the Board receives the statement of qualifications. Such adjustment will not have any retroactive effect unless the adjustment is to be to a lower number of years of university education, in which case the Board shall treat the adjustment as being retroactive and recover any monies paid as a result of placement on the grid which are in excess of those monies that would have been paid if the teacher had been initially placed on the grid in accordance with the statement of qualifications.

4.8 No payment for salary adjustment will be considered beyond the terms of the collective agreement within which the claim is initiated.

5. Recognition of Teaching Experience

5.1 A year of teaching experience shall be any one school year during which a teacher, under contract, has taught for not less than one full semester, or the equivalent, as defined by the Board’s official school year calendar. A teacher employed under contract, who teaches less than one full semester in a school year, may accumulate an experience increment by combining any two consecutive school years of service with the Board provided that the teacher has taught a minimum of 60 full teaching days in each school year.

5.2 Notwithstanding clause 5.1, a part-time teacher, under contract, who teaches half time or more during the full school year shall be entitled to a full experience increment.

5.3 A substitute teacher who has taught with the Board may accumulate one experience increment by combining substitute service in the two consecutive school years immediately preceding appointment to regular staff, provided the substitute teacher has taught a minimum of 120 full days in that two-year period.

5.4 Experience increment adjustments shall be made on the first day of each school year.

5.5 Recognition of teaching experience prior to engagement with the Board shall be one increment on the salary schedule for each year of teaching experience, to the maximum as provided in the salary schedule.

5.6 For the purposes of clause 5.5, the teacher shall submit, to the Board, a certified statement from previous employers outlining the teacher’s experience and stating that such experience was in a school under the jurisdiction of a provincial, state, or national department of education. Until such statement is provided by the teacher, the teacher shall be placed at zero years of experience in the appropriate category of teacher education on the salary grid. Should the Board receive the required certified statement within 90 calendar days after the teacher commences employment with the Board, any adjustment to teaching experience will be retroactive to the commencement date of employment. Any certified statement received by the Board after the 90 calendar days will result in an adjustment to teaching experience effective the first of the month following the date the statement was received by the Board.

6. Evaluation of Education and Experience for Vocational & Industrial Arts Teachers

6.1 (a) A vocational teacher is one who is employed to teach one or more vocational education courses at the senior high school level.

(b) An industrial arts teacher is one who is employed to teach one or more industrial arts courses at the middle and/or senior high school level.

6.2 The education and experience of vocational and industrial arts teachers shall be evaluated according to articles 4 and 5 of this collective agreement.

6.3 Recognition of one year of education beyond the evaluation granted according to article 4 of this collective agreement may be given by the Board to vocational and/or industrial arts teachers who possess any or all of the following qualifications which have not contributed to the evaluation under article 4:

(i) A certificate of proficiency in a designated trade (journeyman’s certificate or master’s ticket) recognized by the Alberta Apprenticeship Board provided the trade is related to the teacher’s assignment.
(ii) Successful completion of a two-year course in a field related to the teacher’s assignment at a school of technology.
(iii) Other related training which the Board wishes to recognize.

6.4 Recognition of relevant trade experience which has not contributed to the evaluation of experience granted under article 5 of this collective agreement may be granted by the Board under the following conditions:

(i) The experience must be in a field related to the teacher’s assignment.
(ii) The experience must be obtained after the teacher has obtained the formal training listed in 6.3 (i) and/or (ii) above.

6.5 Recognition of training and experience under 6.3 and 6.4 above shall not exceed that of a teacher currently on staff with similar training and experience.

6.6 The chairperson of the economic policy committee of the ATA Local No 41 shall be notified in writing of all instances where recognition of training or experience has been granted under clauses 6.3 and/or 6.4 above.



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