For Immediate Release: Wednesday, March 4, 2026

TORONTO, ON — The Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF/FEESO) is deeply concerned by the Ford government’s decision to launch a review of EQAO testing that does not include the expertise of teachers and education workers who work with students every day in Ontario’s public schools.

“It is concerning that the Ford government has moved forward without including the expertise of teachers and education workers,” said Martha Hradowy, President of OSSTF/FEESO. “Hundreds of our members applied to contribute their real-life classroom experience to this review. Instead, the government has appointed think tank and academic advisers who will earn $1,500 a day. If the goal is to improve student achievement, teachers and education workers working directly with students need to be part of the process.”

This decision continues a troubling pattern of policy decisions being made without involvement from the professionals who work in Ontario’s schools every day. Teachers and education workers bring firsthand knowledge of how government decisions affect students, classrooms, and learning outcomes, and the changes that would support student success.

Reviews that focus on policy theory or economic analysis alone cannot replace the real-life classroom experience that teachers and education workers bring to the review process.

Teachers and education workers must be meaningfully involved as this review moves forward so that any changes to EQAO reflect what students and classrooms actually need. OSSTF/FEESO and our members remain ready to work with the government to help get this right for Ontario students.

OSSTF/FEESO, founded in 1919, has over 60,000 members across Ontario. They include public high school teachers, occasional teachers, educational assistants, continuing education teachers and instructors, early childhood educators, psychologists, secretaries, speech-language pathologists, social workers, plant support personnel, university support staff, and many others in education.