WHAT DO I NEED TO GRADUATE?

Graduation Program

• Grade 10 courses will count for credits towards graduation.
• The new graduation program extends opportunities for students in Grade 10-12 to earn credit through challenge, equivalency and external credits.
• A new Planning 10 course will encourage students to explore a range of career options, plan their future and develop skills in areas such as employability, healthy decision-making, and financial management.
• Students will be required to write five provincial exams in Language Arts 10, Science 10, Mathematics 10, Social Studies 11/12, and Language Arts 12.

Students will be able to demonstrate their competencies in areas such as career planning, employability skills, and personal well being in the assembling of a Graduation Portfolio.

In order to graduate, students in Grades 10-12 will need to earn 80 credits (equivalent to twenty 4-credit courses).

Of these, 48 credits come from Required Courses which include the following:

• Language Arts 10 (4 credits)
• Language Arts 11 (4 credits)
• Language Arts 12 (4 credits)
• Social Studies 10 (4 credits)
• Social Studies 11, Canadian Civics 11 or BC First Nations Studies 12 (4 credits)
• Science 10 (4 credits)
• Science 11 or 12 (4 credits) - Numerous choices exist
• Mathematics 10 (4 credits) - Essentials of Math or Principles of Math
• Mathematics 11 or 12 (4 credits) - Essentials of Math or Principles of Math
• Physical Education 10 (4 credits)
• Fine Arts or Applied Skills 10, 11 or 12 (4 credits) - Numerous choices are available to students
• Planning 10 (4 credits)
• Portfolio Assessment (4 credits)

Students in Grades 10, 11 and 12 can also earn credits through the following:

Independent Directed Studies (IDS)
These are courses developed by students in collaboration with an online teacher and must be based on Ministry or BAA outcomes. They allow students to explore areas of interest in greater depth. Students may obtain 1, 2 or 4 credits depending on the depth and time involved.

Challenge
This is the process of receiving credit for comparable courses completed from other educational jurisdictions or institutions outside the regular BC School system.

Equivalency
A student may challenge a course. The knowledge and skills gained through prior studies or life experiences are assessed in relation to Ministry or Board Authority Authorized courses. This occurs where there is no documentation to complete an equivalency review.

External Credit
External credits recognize credentials earned by students for the successful completion of a wide variety of Ministry approved programs and or activities offered outside the BC school system.

In all cases, students who are interested should contact their counsellor for more details.