Dear ASD-S
students and families,
Over the last
few years, the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development has been
working to improve the high school experience. This work has been informed by
feedback from students who shared that they want more choice, more flexibility,
and more relevance in their course selection.
As a result,
High Schools are introducing a number of changes that will begin with students
entering Grade 10 in the 2023-2024 school year, which include:
- Grade
10 students will now receive credits towards graduation for their course
work
- A
course will now be worth 4 credit-hours
- Students,
in consultation with their school and family, can apply for early
graduation once they meet graduation requirements
COURSE
SELECTION
Starting in
September 2023, all students in Grades 10 through 12 will accumulate credit
hours. This means, during second semester, Grade 9 students will join Grade 10
and 11 students in course selection for the next year.
Students will
still have compulsory courses, but more choice will be offered in subject areas
such as English, Math, Science, Humanities, Career, Art and Physical Education.
As
this will result in Grade 9 students having more options, future learning and
career goals will be important to consider. With the support of teachers and
guidance counsellors, students will have the opportunity to begin developing
career-life plans in the digital career and life planning tool
myBlueprint.
CREDIT
HOURS AND GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS
Previously, students were assigned a credit on the completion of a course. Going forward, a
completed credit will be assigned four credit hours. (i.e., one course = four
credit hours).
Those
entering Grade 9 or 10 in 2023 must complete the following to apply for
graduation:
- successfully complete Grade 9
- complete compulsory courses in
Grades 10 through 12
- accumulate 100 credit hours to
apply for graduation
- meet the requirements for the
English Language Proficiency Assessment
Those
entering Grade 9 in 2023
will also be required to develop a career-life plan in myBlueprint and meet any
requirements of their desired post-secondary program.
Students entering Grade 11 and 12 will only be required to obtain 72 credit hours (equivalent to the 18 credits
under the current system). Beginning in January 2024, all students will be able
to apply for early graduation once they have met graduation requirements.
AN
UPDATED HIGH SCHOOL EXPERIENCE
We hope these
changes will result in a high school experience that offers students more
choices, more flexibility and more relevant options to help them prepare for
life after high school.