Grade 11 and 12 Equivalency Assessment Process
Mature students may earn 10 of the 14 remaining Grade 11 and 12 credits needed to meet diploma requirements in three ways:
- they may present education and/or training credentials and/or other appropriate documentation for assessment through the equivalency process;
- they may demonstrate achievement of the required secondary school curriculum expectations and receive credit through the challenge process;
- they may take the course.
1. Guidelines for the Equivalency Assessment Process
- Students applying for Grade 11 and 12 credits through the equivalency process are required to complete a "PLAR for Mature Students Application for Assessment for Grade 11 and 12 Credits Through the Equivalency Process" form (a sample form is provided in PPM132) and is included here. Boards may choose to develop their own application form; however, any forms developed by boards, must include, at a minimum, what is on the sample forms. In order to undergo an assessment to determine whether to grant Grade 11 and 12 equivalent credits additional information is required. The PLAR for Mature Students - Senior Equivalent Credits Application is a form commonly used by school boards to collect relevant information from students.
- The application is submitted with the required credentials attached. All information on the application must be supported by third party documentation (see below).
- Board generated samples of Senior Equivalent Credits Applications are included in English and in French (TROUSSE – Demande D’Octroi D’Équivalences de Crédits 11 Et de 12 Année en Fonction de la Reconnaissance des Acquis (RDA) Pour Les Élèves Expérimentés).
- The principal determines whether there is a direct relationship between the credential and/or other appropriate documentation presented by the student and the overall curriculum expectations for a specific Grade 11 or 12 course in one of the Ontario curriculum policy documents published in 2000 or later.
- Board generated samples of the summary of overall expectations for two courses (HPW3C and ADA3O) are included.
- Boards are encouraged to consider the possibility of granting an equivalent credit for GLN4O, “Navigating the Workplace” for students who have experience in the paid workforce.
- Up to a maximum of 10 equivalent credits may be granted at the Grade 11/12 level.
- Principals may grant half-credits if the documentation presented relates directly to half-credit courses that meet the standards outlined in the curriculum policy documents.
- The two half-credit courses created from a full course must together contain all the overall expectations of the full course, drawn from all strands of that course.
- Technological Education credits may be granted as multiple credits to a maximum of three for any given course, based on the requirements of the Technological Education curriculum policy document.
- A mature student who has earned Grade 11 and/or 12 credits while enrolled as a student of regular school age will have those credits recorded with specific course codes on the OST. The student may be granted equivalency credits for Grade 11 and 12, but the total of the credits earned previously as a regular day school student and those granted through the equivalency process shall not exceed 10.
- A student who has earned Grade 11 and/or 12 credits while enrolled previously as a mature student may count these credits in addition to the 10 equivalency credits.
- Substitutions may be made for a maximum of 3 compulsory credits using credits from other courses that meet the requirements for compulsory credits.
- PPM 139, “Revisions to Ontario Secondary Schools (OSS) to Support Student Success and Learning to 18” (June 2005) and PPM 146, “Revisions to Credit Requirements to Support Student Success and Learning To 18” (Nov. 2007) expanded the number of courses that meet the requirements for compulsory credits. A maximum of one credit earned for a learning strategies course may be used through substitution to meet a compulsory credit requirement.
- Credits earned for cooperative education courses may not be used through substitution to meet compulsory credit requirements.
2. Acceptable Documentation
The following types of credentials and other documentation may be accepted for the purpose of determining whether to grant Grade 11 and 12 equivalent credits (PPM 132):
- Formal transcripts issued by a recognized educational or training institution or a government ministry in Ontario or outside Ontario (e.g., a secondary school, a provincial college of applied arts and technology, a university, a ministry of education or training).
- Certificates of Apprenticeship and Certificates of Qualification for apprenticeships granted by or recognized by the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities.
- Other appropriate documentation of learning gained from other programs, courses, or work experiences.
In all cases, the principal is responsible for ensuring that equivalent credits are granted to mature students only if their transcripts or other documents show evidence of learning that relates directly to the Ontario curriculum overall expectations for specific courses.
Evidence to support the application may include any of the following:
- transcripts from secondary schools/school boards;
- transcripts from post-secondary and other educational institutions (e.g., colleges, universities, academies of learning, etc.);
- credentials from education and/or training programs, including apprenticeship certifications;
- letters from past or current employers, giving details of knowledge and skills required to perform work-related tasks as well as years/days/hours worked;
- documentation from supervisors in a volunteer work setting, outlining tasks assigned, and giving details of knowledge and skills required to perform these tasks;
- resumes with contact information along with other supporting documentation such as T-4 slips, pay stubs, time sheets;
- certificates of successful completion of programs such as drivers’ education, Smart Serve, heavy-duty equipment licences;
- any other documentation that supports the equivalent learning experiences such as reference letters and affidavits (see below).
3. Affidavits
If a mature student, owing to extraordinary circumstances, wishes to prepare an affidavit as evidence of prior learning in order to be granted equivalent credits for Grade 11 and 12 courses, the principal will ensure that the student receives advice regarding the required content of such an affidavit (e.g., exhibits which provide detailed evidence of the knowledge and skills related to the overall expectations of specific Grade 11 and 12 courses).
4. Total Grade 11 and 12 Credits Required
Mature students may earn 10 of the 14 remaining Grade 11 and 12 credits needed to meet diploma requirements in three ways:
- they may demonstrate achievement of the required secondary school curriculum expectations and receive credit through the challenge process;
- they may present education and/or training credentials and/or other appropriate documentation for assessment through the equivalency process; or
- they may take the course.
Mature students will earn a minimum of 4 Grade 11 and 12 credits by taking the necessary courses at a secondary school (either previously or subsequent to the PLAR process), including two senior English, one senior math, and one senior science credit.
Mature students who have previously accumulated 26 or more credits towards the diploma, and who are therefore not eligible for an equivalency assessment must successfully complete the required number of courses to bring their total number of credits up to 30 before they will be eligible to receive the OSSD, including the compulsory credits listed above.
5. Tracking and Recording Credits
