At NES, registered students have the opportunity to obtain the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD). In accordance with the guidelines set by the Ministry of Education, the Ontario Secondary School Diploma, is a provincial diploma granted to high school students.
At NES, registered students have the opportunity to obtain the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD). In accordance with the guidelines set by the Ministry of Education, the Ontario Secondary School Diploma, is a provincial diploma granted to high school students.
In order to graduate, students must complete 30 credits to fulfill the Ontario curriculum:
Earn
18 Compulsory Credits
Earn
12 Optional Credits
Pass
The Literacy Requirement
Complete
A Minimum of 40 Hours of community Involvement Activities
Students must earn the following 18 compulsory credits:
in English
(1 credit per grade)
in mathematics
(at least 1 credit in Grade 11 or 12)
for group 1, 2 and 3 courses (1 credit in each group)
in science
in Canadian history
(Grade 10)
in Canadian geography (Grade 9)
in the arts
in health and physical education
in French as a
second language
in career studies
in civics
Of the 18 compulsory credits, students must complete one from each of the following groups:
The following conditions apply to compulsory credit selections from the above three groups:
In groups 1, 2, and 3, a maximum of 2 credits in French as a second language can count as compulsory credits, one from group 1 and one from either group 2 or group 3.
A maximum of 2 credits in cooperative education can count as compulsory credits, selected from any of the above three groups.
Students may count a maximum of 3 credits in ESL or ELD towards the 4 compulsory credits in English.
The fourth credit must be for a Grade 12 compulsory English course.
Students must earn 12 optional credits by successfully completing courses offered in their school’s program and course calendar.
All students must meet the secondary school literacy graduation requirement to earn their high school diploma. For most students, this means passing the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT).
Students who do not successfully complete the OSSLT may consider an alternative, which is the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course (OSSLC). It is an open course that can be taken by those who had written the OSSLT more than once, and is designed to serve as a replacement for the OSSLT.
As a part of the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD), students are required to complete 40 hours of community service before graduation. The purpose of community involvement encourages students to develop an awareness for civic duty in emphasizing personal responsibility and active participation as global citizens.
It is noted that the 40 hours of community service requirement can be fulfilled by completing multiple community service activities.
Students can start accumulating the required 40 hours in the summer before entering Grade 9.
