Introduction
This course further extends students' skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing in English for a variety of everyday and academic purposes. Students will make short classroom oral presentations; read a variety of adapted and original texts in English; and write using a variety of text forms. As well, students will expand their academic vocabulary and their study skills to facilitate their transition to the mainstream school program. This course also introduces students to the rights and responsibilities inherent in Canadian citizenship, and to a variety of current Canadian issues.
An OSSD credit course
This course has been developed based on the following Ontario Ministry of Education documents:
- English as a Second Language and English Literacy Development, The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9 to 12, 2007
- Growing Success: Assessment, Evaluation, and Reporting in Ontario Schools (2010)
Curriculum Expectations
| A LISTENING AND SPEAKING | |
| A1 | demonstrate the ability to understand, interpret, and evaluate spoken English for a variety of purposes; |
| A2 | use speaking skills and strategies to communicate in English for a variety of classroom and social purposes; |
| A3 | use correctly the language structures appropriate for this level to communicate orally in English. |
| B READING | |
| B1 | read and demonstrate understanding of a variety of texts for different purposes; |
| B2 | use a variety of reading strategies throughout the reading process to extract meaning from texts; |
| B3 | use a variety of strategies to build vocabulary; |
| B4 | locate and extract relevant information from written and graphic texts for a variety of purposes. |
| C WRITING | |
| C1 | write in a variety of forms for different purposes and audiences; |
| C2 | organize ideas coherently in writing; |
| C3 | use correctly the conventions of written English appropriate for this level, including grammar, usage, spelling, and punctuation; |
| C4 | use the stages of the writing process. |
| D SOCIO-CULTURAL COMPETENCE AND MEDIA LITERACY | |
| D1 | use English and non-verbal communication strategies appropriately in a variety of social contexts; |
| D2 | demonstrate an understanding of the rights and responsibilities of Canadian citizenship, and of the contributions of diverse groups to Canadian society; |
| D3 | demonstrate knowledge of and adaptation to the Ontario education system; |
| D4 | demonstrate an understanding of, interpret, and create a variety of media texts. |
How you are assessed in this course
At Agile Preparatory Academy, tests and assignments are carefully crafted to promote understanding of course content and help students achieve academic success. This success translates to high grades achieved by our students, which reflect a thorough understanding of concepts covered in the course as well as meeting and exceeding curriculum expectations.
Assessment FOR / AS / OF learning
Our teachers champion the idea that the primary purpose of assessment and evaluation is to improve student learning. Our teachers monitor student progression through the course and provide reflection and feedback that guides students towards improvement. The assessment and evaluation strategies of our school follow the Ministry of Education's policies and curriculum requirements. Our teachers use the following types of assessments to improve student learning:
Assessment for learning – These assessments include practice questions which do not contribute significantly (or at all) to the final grade. These assessments give students opportunities to practice their skills and test their knowledge prior to attempting assessments that affect their final grade. It also gives students and teachers opportunities to identify gaps in understanding and discover concepts that have been misunderstood. Here, our teacher gives students descriptive feedback and coaching for improvement.
Assessment as learning – These assessments include self reflections. The purpose of these assessments is to help students develop their capacity to be independent and autonomous learners who are able to set their own goals, monitor their own progress, determine next steps, and reflect on their thinking and learning. These tasks allow students to identify areas of strengths and weaknesses and allow them to advocate for their own learning.
Assessment of learning – These assessments contribute to the final mark of the course. Our teachers ensure that these assessments are ongoing, varied in nature, and administered over a period of time to give multiple opportunities to our students to demonstrate the full range of their learning. It allows our teachers to judge the quality of student learning with respect to curriculum expectations and assign a percentage grade to represent that quality. These assessments are designed to be fair, transparent, and equitable for of our students.
The Final Grade
The overall grade of the course is composed of:
- 70% from course work
- 30% from final evaluation
Most of the overall grade, 70%, is based on course work done prior to the final evaluation. This portion of the grade reflects the student's most consistent level of achievement in the course, with special consideration given to more recent evidence of achievement. Here, our teachers gather evidence of learning from assignments, projects, presentations, and tests throughout the course (Assessment of Learning), giving students multiple opportunities to perform well.
The balance, only 30% of the overall grade, is gathered from final evaluations administered at the end of the course. The final assessment may be a final exam, a final project, or a combination of both an exam and a project.
The OSSD credit
A credit is granted and recorded when the final percentage mark in this course is 50 per cent or higher.
Agile Prep Academy is a high school through which a student can earn credits towards the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) high school diploma. We are in compliance with Ontario Ministry of Education policies, and are assessed and authorized by the Ministry to grant the OSSD diploma as well as OSSD credits.
Our courses are taught online, which allows our students to meet and exceed the online credit requirements needed for graduation. For further high school graduation requirements, including the Online learning graduation requirement, please visit the Ministry’s website.