Life in secondary school is a big change with new people to meet, new resources to identify, and new opportunities to explore. 

All of UGDSB secondary schools have:

• Student success teachers, guidance counsellors, equity representatives and Specialist High Skills Major Leads

• Social workers and/or child and youth counsellors (CYCs) to support student mental health and well-being

• Programs and opportunities supporting student transition into grade 9, such as Link Crews, Orientation Days, Grade 9 Parent Nights – ask the guidance department at your high school to find out more

• Library Learning Commons spaces – where students can have access to collaborative and independent work space and a Teacher-Librarian who can help them with questions and access to learning resources

• A range of extra-curricular activities including: social justice and equity clubs connected to various identities and causes, sports, music, drama, and STEM

• Diverse School to Careers programming offerings for grade 11 and 12 students

The Ministry of Education sets the guidelines for what is required to graduate with an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) and an Ontario Secondary School Certificate (OSSC). 

Through their myBlueprint accounts, students will select courses that suit their needs and interests, monitor their goals and community involvement, and, whether they already know where they want to end up or are starting from scratch, will have opportunity to personalize their high school plan. All of the course offerings available in UGDSB, along with their prerequisites, are listed in students’ myBlueprint accounts.

In order to graduate with an OSSD (Ontario Secondary School Diploma), all students are required to:

• Earn 30 credits (including two eLearning credits*)

• Meet the literacy requirement

• Complete 40 hours of community involvement - (for additional information and frequently asked questions, check the UGDSB website)

*Parents/guardians are able to opt their child out of the Online Learning Graduation Requirement. For information, visit the Ontario website here. 

In order to graduate with an OSSC (Ontario Secondary School Certificate), students are required to:

• Purposefully plan with Spec. Ed., guidance, and administration

• Complete 14 credits

Want to know more about the difference between an OSSD and an OSSC? Reach out to the guidance counselor and/or administrator at the high school you or your student is attending to find out more. 

To learn more about eLearning options for secondary students, including information on how to enrol in eLearning courses, please visit the UGDSB eLearning webpage. 

At this point, you have most likely heard the word destreaming floating around. A new question on our students’, families’, and caregivers’ minds is “What is destreaming and how will it impact our grade 9 students?” As an important part of this K-12 shift, we are committed to making work around career/life planning and pathways as transparent as possible, so that our students and their families/caregivers feel equipped with the information they need to support informed decision making. Below, we have shared a summary of work to date. We will continue to update as new information becomes available. 

As of the 2021-22 school year, Upper Grand DSB no longer offered applied, academic, and essential classes for grade 9 students. Instead, grade 9s now have the option of taking the new destreamed or single streamed courses (along with the remaining open courses). By de-streaming grade 9, we offer our students an extended opportunity to learn more about themselves, further develop their skills and strengths, and consider their pathways goals before asking them to decide on a stream that might limit their options in the future. 

Quick facts:

• Streaming has been shown to be a “practice [that] disadvantages many students, especially racialized and lower-income students” (Pichette, Deller, and Colyar). Click here to read an article from the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario to learn more about this.

• In the fall of 2021, the Ontario Ministry of Education announced that it would implement destreaming across all grade 9 courses. This article, from Global News, offers more detail.

Where we are at:

• In 2021 and 2022 respecively, the Ministry of Education announced two new destreamed grade 9 courses: math (MTH1W) and science (SNC1W)  
  

  • Click here to access the new destreamed math curriculum and here to access the new science curriculum.

• In 2023-24, a new, destreamed grade 9 English course was put in place: ENL1W. The curriculum can be found here.

• For 2024-25, the Ministry has promised a new destreamed geography curriculum. Although it is not yet available, the new course code attached to it will be CGC1W.

• Training to support our teachers, support staff, and system with this important shift is on-going and focused on creating more inclusive classrooms through Universal Design for Learning, Differentiated Instruction and Assessment, Culturally Relevant and Responsive Pedagogy, and Asset Based Approaches. 

• In addition to updating curriculum, the Ministry has been creating ‘Parent Guides’ to help parents and caregivers with their important role in supporting their student’s education. Click here to see more. 

In high school, we use course codes that have five characters in them to help us identify each course. The first five characters are set out by the Ministry of Education and connect to curriculum courses, grade levels and types. The sixth letter, if present, is used by school boards to identify a specific characteristic of a course. 

As students get into senior grades (11 and 12), they will see 5 options of courses to select from, with 4 of them being more explicitly connected to an initial postsecondary pathway.*

• (C) type courses: College preparation courses are designed to equip students with the knowledge and skills they need to meet the entrance requirements for most college programs or for admission to specific apprenticeship or other training programs.

• (U) type courses: University preparation courses are designed to equip students with the knowledge and skills they need to meet the entrance requirements for university programs. 

• (M) type courses: University/college preparation courses are designed to equip students with the knowledge and skills they need to meet the entrance requirements for specific programs offered at universities and colleges. 

• (E) type courses: Workplace preparation courses are designed to equip students with the knowledge and skills they need to meet the expectations of employers, if they plan to enter the workforce directly after graduation, or the requirements for admission to certain apprenticeship or other training programs. 

• (O) type courses: Open courses are designed to broaden students’ knowledge and skills in subjects that reflect their interests and prepare them for active and rewarding participation in society. They are not designed with the specific requirements of university, college, or the workplace in mind. 

*It is important to note that we say “initial” postsecondary pathway. Students looking to college, university, and some apprenticeships right after high school need to have specific academic requirements to support their admission and/or success. However, there are many programs offered by colleges, universities, employment service providers, and unions that provide opportunities for pathways to change. We highlight some of them on the Transitioning out of High School page.

All students must complete 40 hours of community involvement in order to graduate. Although this might seem overwhelming, students can get started on their hours as early as July 1 of their grade 8 graduation year. 

• Check out the Community Involvement Guide for Students

• Get a digital copy of the Community Involvement Recording Sheet 

At UGDSB, we know that credit attainment is a huge part of overall success and student well-being. We offer a variety of approaches and opportunities to support our students in achieving their academic goals, including:

• Different modes of credit delivery, including face to face and eLearning 

• Alternative program options, including Experiential Learning, dual credit, and other re-engagement opportunities

• Credit recovery and credit rescue 

• SHSM, Co-op, and dual credit programs

• Summer school and night school options

*Offerings at schools are different so be sure to ask the school administrator, guidance department or student success teacher what supports are in place at your school to ensure success. 

What if I would benefit from something different?

For some, there is benefit to having something different from the models that happen within our high schools. For others, extending the amount of time to get things done is required. If you think either of these might be something that is helpful for you/your student, consider:

• Speaking with your guidance counsellor, student success teacher, and/or administration

• Asking to speak with the school CYC or social worker

• Considering re-engagement opportunities

• Checking out the offerings we have at our various Continuing Education sites, including the Work & Learn Program

Throughout secondary school, students will be invited to use their myBlueprint planner to continue to engage in pathways inquiry, select courses, document experiential learning, create resumes, budget, and set goals. In addition, they can use the tool to monitor their progress toward goals, better understand how the credits they have earned align with postsecondary plans, etc. If they are in SHSM, they can use the tool to ensure they continue to meet the requirements for their red seal. In these ways and more, the student myBlueprint account can help students and parents stay informed and better advocate for themselves in pathway planning conversations.