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Every year at this time, high school students who are studying in Canada begin to complete the course selection for the next academic year. At this time, many parents and students come to us for consultation and planning for courses selection and customize the academic plan for their studies.
Recently, the academic consultants of Maple Study Link also accompanied the parents to attend the school's course selection meeting, and agreed with the school teachers' point of views.
First of all, students should first understand their goals and answer the following 4 questions:
Who am I?
What are my opportunities?
Who do I want to become?
What is my plan for achieving my goals?
For students with strong goals, you can plan the current course arrangement according to the direction you want to go in the future, and then focus on this direction. For students who are still figuring out where they want to go, they can try from different directions, and then slowly explore the plan for the future direction. Students have the opportunity to participate in different projects, including academic aspects, scientific research aspects, skills aspects, community involvement, social aspects and so on. Canadian education system provides students opportunities to develop in different directions, with a high degree of freedom, while stimulating students' potential and exploring future directions. That is, as long as you are willing to try, you must have a chance!
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Types of Courses for Grades 11 and 12
Open Course, O in the 5th position
Learning expectations are the same for all students
Designed to prepare students for further study and to enrich general education in a subject
Can be counted as compulsory or elective credits
Alternative (No Credit)
‘K’ courses focus on specific skill development which may be taken in preparation for credit courses or in place of
Designed to meet students' education needs not met by existing credit courses
College Preparation Courses, C in the 5th position
Provide students with the knowledge and skills needed to meet entrance requirements for most college programs
Emphasis is on concrete applications of the theoretical material covered in the course and development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills
Focus on the development of independent research skills and independent learning skills
University Preparation Courses, U in the 5th position
Provide students with the knowledge and skills needed to meet entrance requirements for university study
Emphasis on theoretical aspects of the course content, with supporting applications
Courses will focus on the development of both independent research skills and independent learning skills
University/College Preparation Courses, M in the 5th position
Include content that is relevant for both university and college programs
Provide students with knowledge and skills needed to meet entrance requirements for specific university and college programs
Emphasis on both theoretical aspects and related concrete applications of the course content
Workplace Preparation Courses, E in the 5th position
Prepare students to move directly into the workplace or to be admitted to apprenticeship or other training programs in the community
Emphasis on practical workplace skills
Dual Credit Programs
Designed to help students finish Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) and move on successfully to college and apprenticeship programs
Focus is on students facing challenges in graduating
A maximum of four optional credits may count toward the OSSD for approved college courses or Level 1 Apprenticeship college-delivered Dual Credit programs
Credit Recovery Courses
Designed for a group of students through referral from the Student Success Team
Provide opportunity to get a credit without repeating the entire course
Provide support to students by way of intervention to support successful completion of the credit. See Guidance Counsellor for details.
Ontario high school Grades 11 and 12 courses may have prerequisites, all prerequisites are identified in the Department of Education Curriculum Policy Document. Parents and students should be aware of course entry prerequisites and plan ahead. Grade 11 and 12 course grades are especially important for the applications to higher education institutions. Universities and colleges will estimate Grade 12 scores based on students' Grade 11 scores, then give students the conditional admission offer earlier, and then give them the final admission offer based on their grade 12 scores and conditions. We will plan the Grade11 and Grade12 courses backwards. We suggest that you can first refer to the admission requirements of programs from universities and colleges, and then plan your Grade 11 and Grade 12 course selections according to the required courses.
Suggestions for choosing courses for grades 11 and 12
Grade 11 Course Arrangement
Four compulsory credit courses：
Grade 11 English
Grade 11 Mathematics
Group 1 compulsory credit
Group 3 compulsory credit
Four optional credit courses
Grade 12 Course Arrangement
One compulsory credit courses：
Grade 12 English
Five to seven optional credit courses
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12 optional credits can be chosen from 18 categories
The Arts
Business Studies
Canadian and World Studies
Classical Studies and International Languages
Computer Studies
Cooperative Education
English
English as a Second Language and English Literacy Development
First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Studies (formerly Native Studies; under review)
French as a Second Language
Guidance and Career Education
Health and Physical Education
Interdisciplinary Studies
Mathematics
Native Languages
Science
Social Sciences and Humanities
Technological Education
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Course Selection Case Study
We will plan the Grade11 and Grade12 courses backwards.
When students apply for a university, the university will see the highest six 4U/M grades, including the program admissions requirements, and will also see their grades Grade 11 as a reference.
Student A wants to apply for a major in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Toronto. The admission requires a highest of six 4U/M grades including five program required courses, including Grade 12 English ENG4U, Advanced Functions MHF4U, Calculus MCV4U, Chemistry SCH4U, and Physics SPH4U. Then, when Student A is arranging courses in his Grade 12, he needs to choose the required courses for applying to the engineering program; which means that Student A already has five courses for university application that need to be completed in Grade 12, and student A needs to add another 4U/ M course, a total of six courses are submitted to the university.
The grade 12 courses mentioned above all have prerequisites for admission. To study these courses, student A needs to complete Grade 11 English ENG3U, Function MCR3U, Chemistry SCH3U, Physics SPH3U and Grade 12 Advanced Functions MHF4U. Then we can see that Student A has been arranged for 4-5 courses in the eleventh grade, and other courses will be arranged according to different aspects such as graduation requirements, student needs, interests, strengths and the future direction.
The above course selections are generally arranged for the G11 and G12 students who are studying in Ontario high school. The selection of courses for each student still needs to be based on their grades, learning ability, interest, and future direction.
Maple Study Link academic consultants can help students who is studying in Canada to help for course selection, create a personalized study plan, and provide tracking services. To ensure that students can complete the Ontario secondary school courses in Canada on time, obtain the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD), and progress to the ideal institutes and career.
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