The Transition from Grade 8 to 9
Presentation Overview
Part A: Choices for Nine
Optional Attendance and Timelines
Part B: Messages for Success
Part C: Ontario Secondary School Program
Check out Education Planning at
www.tdsb.on.ca/goingtohighschool
Accessing myBlueprint
www.myBlueprint.ca/tdsb
Part A
Optional Attendance
and Timelines
Choices: Planning Guides
Choices for Nine
(October)
Choices: Secondary Schools
Course Selection & Planning Guide
(January with course selection sheets)
Find Your School
www.tdsb.on.ca
Click on “Find your School”
Information Nights at TDSB
High Schools
High School Information Evenings (dates & times)
are listed in the Choices for Nine brochure and
posted on the TDSB website:
www.tdsb.on.ca/GoingtoHighSchool
Where and What are the
Specialized Programs?
• Check the Choices for Nine legend
• www.tdsb.on.ca/HighSchool/Guidance/Choices
Information Nights at
Specialized Schools
• Specialized programs and designed for students with a strong
passion and skill in a specific area
• To investigate specialized schools or programs, contact the
specific school for admission requirements
• Specialized requirements may include auditions, tests,
interviews, etc.
• Check deadline dates for applications
Optional Attendance
• Students are encouraged to attend the secondary school that
serves their residential address – “home-school”
• Use an Optional Attendance Application Form when applying
to a school other than your home-school (forms available at
Grade 8 school)
• Students may apply to :
- two regular schools
- two specialized programs
• Some schools are CLOSED to Optional Attendance
www.tdsb.on.ca/FindyourSchool/OptionalAttendance
Specific Dates
February
• January 31, 2014 - Optional Attendance applications due to
secondary schools – delivered by student/parent/guardian
• February 14, 2014 - Secondary schools will inform Optional
Attendance applicants
• Mid to late February 2014 - Course Selection sheets
completed and returned to current school counsellor
• February 28, 2014 - All course selection sheets due to
secondary schools – delivered by current school counsellor
Only ONE course selection sheet per student
is submitted for ONE secondary school
Part B
Messages for Success
Key Message for Success
“16 by 16”
16 credits by
16 years of age
The Importance of Credit Accumulation
Where do students go after
secondary school?
Part C
Ontario Secondary School
Credit System
•Once a course is passed, a credit is granted (50% or higher)
•Students are expected to take 8 courses a year
•To graduate from high school a student must earn 30 credits
Ontario Secondary School
Diploma (OSSD)
• Total of 30 course credits
- 18 compulsory courses
- 12 elective courses (options)
• 40 hrs. Community Involvement
- Begins in July after Grade 8
• Ontario Literacy Requirement
- Written Test in Grade 10 (OSSLT)
~ Ontario Schools, Kindergarten to Grade 12:
Policy & Program Requirements, 2011
Compulsory Credits
Students must earn the following 15 compulsory credits:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
4 English - one credit per grade
1 French as a Second Language
3 Mathematics - at least one in grade 11 or 12
2 Science
1 Canadian History
1 Canadian Geography
1 Arts (Visual Arts, Music, Integrated Arts, Media, Drama or
Dance)
• 1 Health and Physical Education
• 0.5 Civics
• 0.5 Career Studies
Compulsory Credits Continued
Plus ONE CREDIT from each of the following 3 Groups:
Group 1
• An additional English credit
or French as a second language*,
or third language,
or Social Science and Humanities credit,
or Canadian and World Studies credit,
or Guidance and Career Education credit,
or Cooperative Education credit*
*A maximum of 2 credits in Cooperative Education and 2 credits in
French can count as compulsory credits.
Compulsory Credits Continued
Group 2
• One credit in Health and Physical Education, or the Arts, or
Business Studies, or French as a second language or
Cooperative Education *
Group 3
• One credit in Gr. 11 or 12 Science, or a credit in Technological
Education, or Computer Studies, or French as a second
language or Cooperative Education *
* A maximum of 2 credits in Cooperative Education and 2 credits
in French can count as compulsory credits.
Course Types in Grade 9 and 10:
• Open
• Applied
• Academic
• Locally Developed Compulsory Credit (LDCC)
Making your choices:
choose success!
What is an Open Course?
• Learning expectations are the same for all students
• Designed to prepare students for further study and
to enrich general education in a subject
• Can be counted as compulsory or elective credits
• Grade 9 Open Courses at Zion Include:
Physical Education
Arts (Music, Visual Arts, Drama, Integrated Arts)
Business
Exploring Technologies
Exploring Family Studies
Introductory French
Academic & Applied Courses
Academic Courses
Cover the core content and have
an emphasis on the theoretical
aspects of the content
Applied Courses
Cover the core content and have
an emphasis on practical
applications
Work Habits
Sample
Academic
Applied
•Works independently •Works in a focused
in a focused manner manner (not always
independently)
• Synthesis skills –
uses prior knowledge •Applies new learning
and experience to
to tasks (may need
assist with solving
reminding of previous
problems
knowledge)
• Completes
homework
consistently and
thoroughly
Locally Developed
•Works in a focused
manner with
prompting
•Applies new learning
to tasks that have
been directly modeled
in the lesson
•May need assistance •May begin homework
to organize and
in class with direction
complete homework
and take home to
complete
Changing Course Type After Grade 9:
Gr. 9 Academic
Gr. 10 Academic
Gr. 9 Applied
Gr. 10 Applied
Gr. 9 LDCC
Gr. 10 LDCC
(except Mathematics)
Changing Course Type After Grade 9:
Gr. 9 Academic
T
Gr. 10 Academic
Gr. 9 Applied
Gr. 10 Applied
Gr. 9 LDCC
Gr. 10 LDCC
Gr. 9 Applied to Gr. 10 Academic
Mathematics
(Transfer Course worth 0.5 credit)
Making Your Choices
Grades 9 and 10
Grades 11 and 12
Applied
Academic
Locally Developed
Open
College
University
Workplace
Mixed
Zion’s Grade 9 Course
Selection Sheets
Distributed in class the week of February 3rd
with teacher recommendations
Due in homeroom by February 20th
Current Grade 8 Zion students will
complete course selection on-line using
www.myBlueprint.ca/tdsb
Accessing myBlueprint
www.myBlueprint.ca/tdsb
Search for Course Descriptions
www.tdsb.on.ca/choices