The Ontario education system is known for its exceptional quality and student-oriented focus, one of the most recognized educational systems in the world. Blue Gene Education Curriculum is designed carefully in order to take full advantage of the benefits in such system.
The Ontario education system offers high degree of flexibility and has embraced one of the most developed educational credit systems in North America. Education in Ontario starts from Kindergarten at the age of five, and then moves to Grade 1 to Grade 8 in Elementary School, and lastly attends Grade 9 to Grade 12 in Secondary School.
There are different levels of courses that students can choose based on their academic objectives. Students may enroll compulsory courses in three forms: university preparation, college preparation, and workplace preparation.
In accordance with the Ontario education system, Blue Gene Education offers courses on credit basis. Students are able to manage the number of credits that they would like to complete per semester. Students will receive the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD), after a minimum of 30 credits are completed. Within these 30 credits, eighteen of them are compulsory, and the rest of twelve credits are free electives. Besides regular academic curriculum, students are also required to complete a minimum of 40 hours of community involvement and pass the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) in order to graduate.
Compulsory Credits (Total of 18):
- 4 credits in High School (Grades 9-12) English (1 credit per grade)
- 3 credits in Mathematics (at least 1 credit in Grade 11 or 12)
- 1 credit in French as a Second Language
- 2 credits in Science - Physics, Biology, or Chemistry
- 1 credit in Canadian History
- 1 credit in Canadian Geography
- 1 credit in the Arts
- 1 credit in health and Physical Education
- 0.5 credit in Civics and 0.5 credit in Career Studies
Plus:
In addition to the compulsory credits listed above, all students must also complete the following:
- 1 additional credit in English, or a third language, or a social science and the humanities, or Canadian and world studies
- 1 additional credit in health and physical education, or the arts, or business studies
- 1 additional credit in science (Grade 11 or 12) or technological education (Grades 9- 2)
Selective Credits (Total of 12)
In addition to the 18 compulsory credits, students also need to earn 12 optional credits by their choice. Elective credits allow students to explore their interests and potentials in different areas, as well as to prepare them for university, college, apprenticeship, or work requirements.
40 Hours of Community Involvement Activities
All students are required to complete 40 hours of community involvement activities during their high school years in order to become eligible to graduate. The purpose of community involvement is to encourage students to develop awareness and understanding of societal responsibility and their roles as to support and contribute to their communities. International students who study for one-year pre-university courses are required to complete a minimum of 10 hours of community involvement. The students are eligible to apply for graduation only after all required hours are completed.
Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test
The Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) is a compulsory standardized test for high school students in Ontario who wish to obtain the Ontario Secondary School Diploma. It was established in 2001 by the Conservative government. It is administered by the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO).
The OSSLT is written every year on the last Thursday of March in all catholic, public and eligible inspected private secondary schools in the province of Ontario. It is used to assess the reading and writing skills of Grade 10 students of Ontario secondary schools. International students may complete the test on the specified date prior to their completion of the OSSD Program.
The OSSLT consists of two booklets that must be completed by students in 2.5 hours. The first booklet includes multiple-choice and short answer questions, as well as questions asking student to compose a newspaper article based on the headline and picture provided. The second booklet also includes multiple-choice and short answer questions, as well as a question asking the student to write an opinion piece of writing on a given topic. The test is out of 400 marks.
Alternatives
Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course (OSSLC)
The Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course (OSSLC) is a Grade 12 course, offered as full credit and as a make-up, designed for students who must meet the literacy requirements for graduation. Students must have been eligible to write the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) at least twice and who have been unsuccessful at least once in order to take this course. The tuition fee for the OSSLC is extra and is equal to the same amount for a regular credit. Students who need to take the OSSLC credit course must contact the Principal’s Office to get more information about the course or to register for the course.