The Woodlands School
Enhanced Learning Program
Grade 9-12
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
1. How do I apply to get into the Enhanced Learning Program?
There is no application process! Our program is a special education program focussed on the needs of gifted
learners. If you have an IEP that identifies you as a gifted learner or cognitive tests results that demonstrate you in
the “superior” to “very superior” range, then you are automatically able to enrol into our program.
2. Are there any limits to enrollment into the Enhanced Learning Program?
No!! The more students we have the better we can program to meet the needs of gifted learners. Currently, we
are one of the largest centres for gifted learning in Ontario which allows us the flexibility to offer multiple opportunities
to best meet the individual needs of our students. Currently, about 40% of our student population is made up of
gifted learners which affords the opportunity to have our students consistently work with like-minded individuals
which is the greatest overall benefit to the program. The more the merrier.
3. How do I arrange for transportation?
Once you’ve registered at The Woodlands and we’ve processed an IEP for him/her, then transportation will
automatically be provided by the Peel board.
4. What does transportation cost?
Transportation is absolutely free to all students enrolled into the Enhanced Learning Program. Your child will be
placed on a bus automatically provided that you live 3.8 km or further from the school.
5. What is the difference between the Enhanced Learning Program (ELP) and Advanced Placement
(AP)/International Baccalaureate (IB)?
The Enhanced Learning Program is completely designed to match the needs of gifted learners. Students are
enrolled into Ontario secondary courses but in classes that are fully comprised of like-minded learners. As such,
we explore the concepts and topics of a given course at much greater depth and breadth typically extending
beyond the standard expectations. In general our focus is toward the development of critical reasoning and
communicating whereby students are immersed in the practice of a given subjects discipline (for example, courses
in mathematics emphasize development of concepts and the respective proofs of these concepts along with
technique and problem solving strategies). Also, each student in the ELP program is paired up with a mentor
teacher who s/he will work with throughout their four years at our school. The mentor teacher will advise and work
individually with students to ensure that they are optimizing their social and learning experiences (including
counselling, coordinating extra-curricular opportunities, and strategizing and developing post-secondary
applications).
Both the AP and IB programs are standardized programs which are rigidly set with the aim of completing year end
exams. The intent is to accelerate through topics so that a student may have covered some topics at a first year
undergraduate level by the end of the program. Due to the acceleration process, a student may be confined to a
rigid course selection process to ensure that the topics are covered in preparation for these exams.
6. What are the rates of acceptance into university programs?
Approximately 95% of our graduates are accepted into their first choice of university program with 80 – 90% of
those earning a scholarship. Overall, 99.5% of our graduates are accepted into post-secondary programs. Most
of our students choices are competitive programs such as ivy-league schools (M.I.T., Harvard, Columbia, etc..),
elite business programs (Shulich, Rotman, Ivey), rigorous science and engineering programs (e.g. Waterloo
Engineering, McMaster Health Sciences, etc..).
7. How do students from the Enhanced Learning Program gain acceptance into competitive programs?
Competitive programs require both a high level of academic achievement as well as strong showings in extracurricular fields that demonstrate leadership, commitment, and a varied experiential background.
Student in the Enhanced Learning Program earn standard Ontario secondary credits and are evaluated accordingly.
Specifically, we strive to evaluate a student’s mark based on curricular expectations. As the lessons are devised
at a much deeper level allowing for more practice in sophisticated techniques, enhanced students usually achieve
at a much higher level than students taking a standard course. Consequently, the resulting marks are more than
sufficient to gain acceptance into rigorous programs at the post-secondary level.
Secondly, we offer numerous extra-curricular opportunities that allow students the opportunity to develop
themselves in terms of leadership, organization, communication, creativity, athleticism, and analytically. There are
no bounds as to the types of clubs and teams that we run, with many clubs being largely student driven and
organized. This allows our students to complement their strong academic achievement with an even stronger
supplemental application.
Lastly, each student is assigned a mentor teacher from the Enhanced Learning department who will work
individually with them throughout their entire stay at the Woodlands. As part of the mentoring process, we work to
support our students to develop strong applications by connecting them with opportunities that highlight and
optimize their strengths. In developing our students as whole individuals, they often gain advantages that both gain
them acceptance into any program that they choose but also allows for continued success as they move forward.
8. What is the Enhanced Learning Program and how is it organized?
In the core subject areas of English, Mathematics, Science, and Social Science we offer “enhanced” sections of
Ontario secondary courses. An enhanced section is comprised fully of gifted learners. Our goal is to engage
students in dynamic learning where they are often co-developing and creating the concepts that are covered in a
given course. There is greater latitude in allowing students to explore concepts as deeply as they choose. As
enhanced classes are comprised of like-minded students, a culture of challenge and exploration is the natural
tendency and consequently the strongest facet of this program. To formally address their learning needs, we
employ a set of alternative expectations that allow for students to develop higher levels of creativity and critical
thinking than would normally be emphasized in a standard curricular class (including accelerated programs such
as IB or AP). As a result, our students typically achieve at extremely high levels due to the fact that their lesson
activities are much more demanding.
Students are also assigned a mentor teacher who will work with them throughout the entirety of their stay at The
Woodlands. This mentor teacher keeps appraised and helps each individual develop both academically and socially
in whatever capacity the student chooses. It is our firm belief that strong personal connections help facilitate a
deeper sense of community for the students in the Enhanced Program and the school as a whole.
Didn’t find the answer you were looking for?
We’d be happy to answer any further questions! Please contact Christopher Heathfield, our Enhanced Learning
Program Coordinator, at your convenience.
Email: Christopher.Heathfield@peelsb.com
Phone: (905) 279-0575 ext. 471