DIPLOMA AND CERTIFICATES

Requirements for OSSD

Students must remain in secondary school until the age of eighteen or until they have obtained an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD).   To obtain their OSSD, students are required to earn a total of 30 credits, including 18 compulsory credits and 12 optional credits. 

 18 compulsory credits

Students must earn the following compulsory credits to obtain the Ontario Secondary School Diploma:4 credits in English (1 credit per grade)*

3 credits in Mathematics (at least 1 credit in Grade 11 or 12)

2 credits in Science

1 credit in Canadian history

1 credit in Canadian geography

1 credit in the Arts (Drama, Music, or Visual Arts)

1 credit in Health and Physical Education

1 credit in French as a Second Language

0.5 credit in Career Studies

0.5 credit in Civics

PLUS: One credit from each of the following groups:

 Group 1: 1 additional credit in:

English, or French as a second language, or a Native language, or a classical or an international

language, or social sciences and the humanities, or Canadian and world studies, or guidance and

career education, or cooperative education**

Group 2: 1 additional credit in:

Health and physical education, or the arts, or business studies, French as a second

language, or cooperative education**

 Group 3: 1 additional credit in:

Science (Grade 11 or 12), technological education, French as a second language, computer studies,

or cooperative education**

In addition to the compulsory credits, students must complete:

12 optional credits***

40 hours of community involvement activities

Ontario Secondary School Literacy Requirement

Torah High does not map out student OSSD requirements. Students are highly encouraged to seek course guidance from their home schools.  However, Torah High does consult with students on course choices to ensure selections best suit their needs.

Ontario Secondary School Literacy Graduation Requirement

In order to earn an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD), every student must take the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT).  The purpose of this test is to determine whether the students possess skills in reading and writing to be successful in school, work, and daily life.

Once students are successful in passing the OSSLT, they may not retake it again. Students who are not successful in passing the OSSLT will have additional opportunities to retake the test to meet this requirement.  Students must meet the required literacy skills in order to graduate.  The OSSLT is taken by students in Grade 10 at their home school.

For students with Individual Education Plans who are not working toward an OSSD, with approval from the principal and parental consent, a student may be exempt from taking the OSSTL.  English language learners may be given special provisions.

For students who have had two opportunities to write the OSSLT but have been unsuccessful in passing the test, the principal may determine that the best course of action is for the student to enrol in the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course (OSSLC).  Accommodations will be granted for special need students as specified in their Individual Education Plan, however no modifications of expectations can be granted.  By successfully completing the OSSLC, students are considered to have met the literacy graduation requirement.

The Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test is not administered by Torah High. Students must complete the OSSLT or take the OSSLC at their public or private high school.

Substitutions for Compulsory Credit Requirements

Depending on students’ special needs or to enrich student learning, principals may substitute up to three compulsory credits with courses from other subject areas specified in the list of compulsory credit requirements.  Once a parent requests a substitution, the principal will determine if the course substitution best serves the needs of the student, and in consultation with parents and other educational staff, will determine the most appropriate course of action. Each substitution will be recorded on the student’s Ontario Student Transcript.

All requests for substitutions for compulsory credit requirement will be determined by the students’ public or private high school. Torah High does not offer substitutions towards compulsory credits and does not determine suitability for course substitutions

Ontario Secondary School Certificate (OSSC) Requirements

In order to earn an Ontario Secondary School Certificate (OSSC), a student must earn a minimum of 14 credits, including 7 compulsory credits and 7 optional credits.

7 required compulsory credits:

Students must earn the following credits to obtain the Ontario Secondary School Certificate:

2 credits in English

1 credit in Mathematics

1 credit in Science

1 credit in Canadian Geography or Canadian History

1 credit in Health and Physical Education

1 credit in the arts, computer studies, or technological education

 

7 elective credits selected by students from available courses

Substitutions for compulsory credits also apply to the OSSC.

The Certificate of Accomplishment

Students who leave school without fulfilling the requirements for the Ontario Secondary School Diploma or the Ontario Secondary School Certificate may be granted a Certificate of Accomplishment. This certificate may be a useful means of recognizing achievement for students who plan to take certain vocational programs or other kinds of further training, or who plan to find employment after leaving school.

Community Involvement

As part of the diploma requirements, students must complete a minimum of 40 hours of community involvement activities. These activities may be completed at any time during the students’ years in the secondary school program. The requirement is to be completed outside students’ normal instructional hours – that is, the activities are to take place during students’ designated lunch hours, after school, on weekends, or during school holidays. Students may not fulfil the requirement through experiential education opportunities that are counted towards a credit (cooperative education and work experience, for example), through paid work, or by assuming duties normally performed by a paid employee.  Torah High offers community involvement opportunities to our students throughout the school year.  Students may decide whether to partake in the opportunities provided.

Torah High does not manage students’ acquired community service involvement hours.  Students’ home public and private high schools will keep record of all community involvement hours obtained by students through their prescribed documentation forms.

“Reach Ahead” Credits

Under exceptional circumstances, a student in grade 8, with parental consent, may be given permission by the Principal of Torah High in consultation with their elementary school principal to take a “reach ahead” secondary school course, during the school year prior to entering Grade 9. The Principal of Torah High assumes responsibility for evaluating the student’s achievement and for granting and recording the credit. Torah High is offering a “reach ahead” course to elementary school students in the 2018-2019 school year.

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