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11.1 Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) Requirements

In order to award the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD), students must earn a total of 30 credits. A credit is defined as a 110-hour course in which the expectations laid down by the Ministry of Education in the Province of Ontario have been successfully completed. 18 of the credits are compulsory, earned in courses from a list of subjects that every student must take. 12 of the credits are optional, earned in courses that the student may select from the full range of courses offered by the school. Students must also complete 40 hours of Community Involvement Activities and must meet the provincial literacy requirement.

If students are currently registered in another private school or public school in Ontario and are simply taking a small number of courses form the Virtual High School (Ontario), then they will in all cases, complete the provincial literacy requirement and Community Involvement Activities at the school in which they are registered. Only students who are the sole responsibility of the Virtual High School (Ontario) will complete the Community Involvement Activities and the provincial literacy requirement at VHS.

11.1.1 Compulsory Credits (total of 18):

• 4 credits in English *
• 3 credits in mathematics (at least 1 credit in Grade 11 or 12)
• 2 credits in science
• 1 credit in French as a second language
• 1 credit in Canadian history
• 1 credit in Canadian geography
• 1 credit in the arts (music, art, drama, or dance)
• 1 credit in health and physical education
• 1/2 credit in civics and 1/2 credit in career studies
• 1 additional credit in English, or French as a second language, or a Native language, or a classical or an international language, or social sciences and the humanities, or Canadian and world studies, or guidance and career education, or cooperative education **
• 1 additional credit in health and physical education, or business studies, or the arts (music, art, drama, or dance), or cooperative education ***
• 1 additional credit in science (Grade 11 or 12) or technological education (Grades 9–12), or cooperative education*

* A maximum of 3 credits in English as a second language (ESL) or English literacy development (ELD) may be counted towards the 4 compulsory credits in English, but the fourth must be a credit earned for a Grade 12 compulsory English course.
** A maximum of 2 credits in cooperative education can count as compulsory credits.

11.1.2 Substitution Credits

The Principal of the Virtual High School (Ontario), in consultation with the parent or guardian, may replace up to 3 compulsory courses with courses from the remainder meeting the requirement for compulsory credits. Such substitutions will only be made if they serve the student's educational interest, such as meeting special needs or interests. The parent or guardian may also initiate the substitution by writing to the Principal. Any substitution will be noted on the Ontario Student Transcript (OST). The total credits will still be 30 for granting the OSSD.

11.1.3 Optional Credits (total of 12)

In addition to the 18 compulsory credits, students have to earn 12 optional credits in courses of their choice, selected from the full list of courses available in the school. Optional credits allow students to build an educational program that suits their individual interests and meets university, college, apprenticeship, or work requirements. May include up to four credits achieved through approved Dual Credit courses.

11.1.4 Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR)

Students may receive a credit without taking a course if they can demonstrate that they have the skills and knowledge from prior learning to meet the expectations for the course set out in the provincial curriculum. To receive a credit through the PLAR process, students are assessed through a formal test, along with other methods of evaluation appropriate to the subject. Students may obtain a maximum of four credits through the PLAR process, but no more than two in one subject area. The PLAR process applies only to courses in Grades 10–12.

11.1.5 Ontario Provincial Literacy Requirement

If you entered Grade 9 in September 2000 or later and are working toward an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD), you must write the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT). Students in the Virtual High School (Ontario) seeking an Ontario Secondary School Diploma will take the Secondary School Literacy Test in Grade 10. Students must pass the test in order to graduate, and their result is recorded on their Ontario School Transcript. Students who do not complete the test successfully will receive remedial help to prepare them for re-testing. The literacy test requirement is additional to the 30 credits needed for a high school diploma. The literacy test evaluates students' reading and writing skills based on curriculum expectations in language and communications up to and including Grade 9. English Second Language students will take the test only when they have reached this level in their language studies. Accommodations will be made for students in special education programs. Students not working towards a diploma are exempted from writing the literacy test. For the 2003-2004 school year, students who had had two opportunities to take the OSSLT and had failed it at least once were eligible to enrol in the OSSLC. However, in June 2004, policy was changed to grant principals the discretion to allow a student to enrol in the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course (OSSLC) before he or she has had a second opportunity to take the OSSLT, if the principal determines that it is in the best educational interests of the student. The OSSLT is to be written on March 27, 2008.

11.1.6 Community Involvement Activities

All students must complete a minimum of 40 hours of unpaid community involvement activities before graduating from high school. This requirement is additional to the 30 credits needed for a high school diploma. Students who are the sole responsibility of the Virtual High School (Ontario) will be able to choose their own community involvement activities, within guidelines that will be provided by the Virtual High School (Ontario). Students will be responsible for fulfilling this requirement on their own time, and for keeping a record of their activities on a tracking booklet supplied by the school. The student is required to submit the tracking booklet yearly, the data from which is placed on the OST to be kept in the student's OSR. Students attending a bricks-and-mortar school and coming to Virtual High School (Ontario) for 1, 2 or 3 courses, must complete their community involvement requirment at their bricks-and-mortar school.

In order to promote community values by involving students in their community in a positive and contributive manner, students must complete the 40 hours of community activities outside of scheduled class time. Students are to select community activities appropriate to their age, maturity and ability. The student is not to partake in any activity in which the student's safety will be compromised. Any activity, NOT on the approved list, must receive written approval of the Principal of Virtual High School (Ontario) before beginning the activity.

Activities not approved:

• Any paid activity (ie babysitting);
• Cooperative education or other school program activities;
• Playing on sport teams;
• Any involving the operation of a motor vehicle or power tools or scaffolding;
• Any involving in the administration of medications or medical procedures to another person;
• Any occurring in an unsafe or unsupervised environment;
• Any displacing a paid worker;
• Any in a logging or mining environment if the student is under 16 years old;
• Any in a factory, if the student is under 15 years of age;
• Any taking place in a workplace other than a factory, if the student is under fourteen years of age and is not accompanied by an adult;
• Any involving handling of substances classed as "designated substances" under the Occupational Health and Safety Act;
• Any requiring the knowledge of a tradesperson whose trade is regulated by the provincial government;
• Any involving banking or the handling of securities, or the handling of jewelery, works of art, antiques, or other valuables;
• Any consisting of duties normally performed in the home (i.e., daily chores) or personal recreational activities;
• Any involving activities for a court-ordered program (e.g., community-service program for young offenders, probationary program).

Activities approved:

• Fundraising for non-profit organizations
• Coaching or assisting sports at the community level
• Church activities such as helping teach Sunday school, bazaars, etc.
• Assisting seniors with chores
• Involvement in community committees, food banks, fairs, etc.
• Participation in environment projects such as a recycling projects, etc.

Roles and Responsibilities of the Stakeholders

The Virtual High School (Ontario) is responsible for the implementation of Community Involvement Activities for students who are the sole responsibility of the Virtual High School (Ontario). A list of approved community involvement activities has been developed. This list is included in this information package, along with a list of activities that the Ministry of Education and Training has stated are ineligible. The school will not approve student participation in any activity that is on the ministry's list of ineligible activities. The Virtual High School (Ontario) ensures that all participants, including students and community sponsors, are adequately covered by the insurance.

The Principal is required to provide information about the community involvement requirement to parents, students, and community sponsors. The Principal is also required to provide students with the information and forms they will need to complete the community involvement requirement, including the board's list of approved activities from which to choose. After a student completes the 40 hours of community involvement and submits all documentation of their completion to the school, the principal will decide whether the student has met the community involvement requirement and, if so, will record it as completed on the student's official transcript.

In consultation with their parents, students will select an activity or activities from the list of approved activities, or choose an activity that is not on the list, provided that it is not an activity specified on the ministry's and the board's lists of ineligible activities. If the activity is not on the list of approved activities, the student must obtain written approval from the principal before beginning the activity.

Before beginning any activity, students will provide the principal or other school contact with a completed "Notification of Planned Community Involvement Activities" form indicating the activity or activities that they plan to do. This form must be signed by the student, and by his or her parent if the student is under eighteen years of age. More than one such form may be submitted when additional activities are planned that were not included on a previously submitted form.

A "Completion of Community Involvement Activities" form must be completed by the student, the student's parent (if the student is under eighteen years of age), and the community sponsor (that is, the person or organization that provided the community involvement opportunity for the student). The student must submit the form to the principal or other school contact upon completion of the 40 hours or at appropriate intervals determined by the principal.

Parents (or guardians) should provide assistance to their child in the selection of their community involvement activities. Parents are also encouraged to communicate with the community sponsor and the school principal if they have any questions or concerns. A parent must sign the "Notification of Planned Community Involvement Activities" form and the "Completion of Community Involvement Activities" form if the student is under the age of eighteen years. Parents are also responsible for obtaining the appropriate insurance covering the student for any unseen circumstances while involved in these community activities.

One of the purposes of the community involvement requirement is to develop strong ties between the students and their community, fostering valuable and long-term relationships. Persons and organizations within the community may be asked by the student to sponsor a community involvement activity. Any training, equipment, or special preparation that is required for the activity should be provided by the person or organization. It is crucial that students are able to fulfill their community involvement requirement in a safe environment. The person overseeing the student's activity must verify the date(s) and the number of hours completed on the "Completion of Community Involvement Activities" form. Community sponsors will be responsible for ensuring that their liability insurance will protect them for their involvement in the program. The community sponsor should be aware that the students do not have accident insurance nor Workplace Safety Insurance through the Virtual High School (Ontario). The community sponsors should ensure that the students are provided with adequate safety instructions, trained properly for their work and supervised to ensure a safe volunteer experience.

11.2 Ontario Secondary School Certificate

The Ontario Secondary School Certificate will be granted on request to students who leave school before earning the Ontario Secondary School Diploma, provided that they have earned a minimum of 14 credits. A credit is defined as a 110-hour course successfully completed. Seven of the credits are compulsory, earned in a specified number of courses from a list of subjects that every student must take. The remaining 7 credits are optional, earned in courses that the student may select from the full range of courses offered by the school.

11.2.1 Compulsory Credits (total of 7)

• 2 credits in English
• 1 credit in Canadian geography OR Canadian history
• 1 credit in mathematics
• 1 credit in science
• 1 credit in health and physical education
• 1 credit in the arts or technological education

Note:The Principal, to better serve a student's educational interest, and in consultation with the parent, may replace up to three courses with courses meeting the requirement for compulsory credits. Either the Principal or the parent my initiate the process. The total of compulsory and optional credits will still not be less than 14 for granting an OSSC. The substitution will be noted on the OST.

11.2.2 Optional Credits (total of 7)

In addition to the 7 compulsory credits, students have to earn 7 optional credits in courses of their choice, selected from the full list of courses available in the school. Optional credits allow students to build an educational program that suits their individual interests or work requirements.

11.2.3 Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR)

Students may receive a credit without taking a course if they can demonstrate that they have the skills and knowledge from prior learning to meet the expectations for the course set out in the provincial curriculum. To receive a credit through the PLAR process, students are assessed through a formal test, along with other methods of evaluation appropriate to the subject as laid out in the Virtual High School (Ontario) procedure manual. Students may obtain a maximum of four credits through the PLAR process, but no more than two in one subject area. The PLAR process applies only to courses in Grades 10–12.

11.3 Certificate of Accomplishment

Students who leave school before fulfilling the requirements for the Ontario Secondary School Diploma or the Ontario Secondary School Certificate may be granted a Certificate of Accomplishment. The Certificate of Accomplishment may be a useful means of recognizing achievement for students who plan to take certain vocational programs or other kinds of further training, or who plan to find employment after leaving school.

The Certificate of Accomplishment will be accompanied by the student's Ontario Student Transcript, and a copy of the Individual Education Plan (IEP), if student has one.

Students who return to school to complete additional credit and non-credit courses (including courses with modified or alternative expectations in special education programs) will have their transcript updated accordingly, but will not be issued a new Certificate of Accomplishment.

On the recommendation of the principal, the Minister of Education and Training grants diplomas and certificates at any time during the year to students who have successfully completed the necessary requirements.

Where a student has completed the requirements through private study, eveningclasses, or summer school, the diploma or certificate will be issued by the principal of the school that possesses the student's Ontario Student Record when the final credit is earned. If the final credit is earned through the Independent Learning Centre, the student may choose to have the diploma or certificate issued by the Director of the Independent Learning Centre or the principal of the school last attended. The person issuing the diploma or certificate will submit the necessary report to the Ministry of Education and Training.

11.4 Old Diploma Requirment

If you first enrolled in Grade 9 before September 1, 1999, you must fulfil the old diploma requirements outlined in the chart below. You can do so by taking new curriculum courses to complete your diploma, unless you have previously completed a course at the same grade or higher. For example, if you successfully completed the SNC2A science course under the old curriculum, you will not get an additional credit for completing the new Grade SNC1D or SNC2D science courses. If you need assistance determining the courses you need for your diploma, please contact our Principal on the Contact Us page.

Compulsory Credits for the Old Diploma Requirements

*Senior Division: Grades 11, 12, and OAC
** social science: geography, history and contemporary studies, personal life management, family studies, and economics.