Ontario Secondary School Education

GLC 2OH

Ontario Education “Lingo”

Prerequisite

A preliminary requirement which must be met before registration in a prescribed course

Eg. must take Grade 9 English before Grade 10 English

Diploma

• document issued by an educational institution

• testifying that the recipient has successfully met the requirements

In Ontario, the successful completion of secondary school will be recognized through the issuing of the “Ontario Secondary School Diploma” (OSSD)

Compulsory Courses• courses that a student must take in

order to graduate

Eg. Grade 9-12 English

Elective/Optional Courses• courses that are not specifically

required to graduate but a student may choose to take

• counts towards overall credit count

Eg. Grade 11 Law

Requirements for the OSSD

A) Compulsory Credits (total of 18)

4 credits - English (1 credit per grade)

1 credit - French

3 credits - Mathematics (at least 1 in Gr.11 or 12)

2 credits - Science

1 credit - Canadian History

1 credit - Canadian Geography

1 credit - the Arts

1 credit - Health and Physical Education

.5 credit - Civics

.5 credit - Career Studies

But that’s not all…Group 1: 1 additional credit in English, or French**, or a

third language, or social sciences & the humanities, or Canadian & world studies, or guidance & career studies, or co-operative education*

Group 2: 1 additional credit in health & physical education, or the arts, or business studies, or co-operative education*, or French**

Group 3: 1 additional credit in science (Grade 11 or 12) or technological education, computer science, or co-operative education*, or French**

*a maximum of 2 co-operative education credits can be counted as compulsory

** in addition to fulfilling Group 1, an additional French credit can fulfill either Group 2 or 3

That’s still not all…

B) Optional (Elective) Credits (total of 12)

• courses that students choose to take

Community Involvement Activities

• must complete a minimum of 40 hours of community involvement activities

• may be completed at any time during secondary school

• fill in form (including all signatures)• hand in to Guidance Department once you have at

least 40 hours completed

What are the community involvement activities you’ve been involved in so far?

Ontario Secondary SchoolLiteracy Test

• must successfully complete the Literacy Test or the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course

Types of Secondary CoursesIn Grades 9 and 10, four types of courses are offered:

1. Academic Courses (D)• emphasize theory and abstract problems

2. Applied Courses (P)• focus on practical applications and concrete

examples3. Open Courses (O)

• offered in all secondary school grades, are designed to prepare students for further study in certain subjects

4. Locally-Developed Courses (L) • courses designed for essential level / Fast

Forward students

Types of Secondary CoursesIn Grades 11 and 12, four types of courses are offered:

1. University Preparation Courses (U)• developed in close collaboration with universities

2. College Preparation Courses (C)• developed in close collaboration with colleges

3. University/College Preparation Courses (M)• developed in close collaboration with universities

and colleges

4. Workplace Preparation Courses (E)• developed in close collaboration with

representatives from a variety of workplaces

Secondary School PlanYear 1 (Grade 9)

EnglishENG 1

MathM

Canadian GeographyCGC 1

ScienceSNC 1

FrenchFSF 1

Health & Phys. Ed.PPL 1O

ArtsA

8 Credits

Year 2(Grade 10)

EnglishENG 2

MathM

Canadian HistoryCHC 2

ScienceSNC 2

Career Studies & Civics

GLC 2OHCHV 2OH

8 Credits

Year 3(Grade 11)

EnglishENG 3

MathM

7 or 8 Credits

Year 4(Grade 12)

EnglishENG 4

6,7, or 8 Credits

Year 5?

In planning a secondary school program, it is advisable to consider:

A. the requirements are to complete the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD)

B. your goals for work and/or post secondary education (and, if applicable, prerequisites that are required)

C. subjects that you enjoy

Your educational journeyis up to you!