Quality education is very crucial for a student. Several courses and programs on different educational levels deliver the best learning. One such course is OSSD which provides students with vast development and learning. OSSD courses are school-level diplomas of Canada. Several students from around the globe come every year to take admission. For any person who wants to get practical knowledge along with studying, OSSD courses make a perfect option. Moreover, you also get to attend one of Canada's highest-ranked schools. Today, here we are going to discuss everything that you should know about OSSD requirements and courses.
Understanding OSSD
OSSD stands for Ontario Secondary School Diploma. This is a diploma course offered in Ontario. If a student is graduating from a high school, they can be admitted to OSSD. The courses were started and practiced by the Ministry of Education. They are also responsible for deciding and defining the credit that will be given to the students of the course. There is also a pre-requisite score or credit that students need to obtain to take admission to OSSD, which the Ministry of Education also gives.
This course allows the student to get admission to any college or university within the country or outside. There are several private schools in Ontario that offer OSSD courses. This also covers the name of the famous school OES. They work independently without any restrictions from the Ministry of Education. However, some guidelines must be followed by the institutions and schools to be eligible for OSSD. Only after fulfilling those criteria can they provide OSSD certification to their students.
Requirements for OSSD
The OSSD requirements include a scoring and credit system. The students need to opt for a minimum of 12 elective courses and 18 mandatory courses. For the 12 courses, you can choose from different elective subject options. Schools provide complete support for the preparation of the credits. Some of them also offer online coaching for the courses.
Moreover, the students also need to clear their OSSLT {Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test}. After that, they must also complete at least 10 hours of community indulgence annually. This makes the complete duration 40 hours.
Now let's talk about the compulsory credits-
The students also need to maintain a fixed number of mandatory credits if they want to get OSSD courses. The credits are as follows;
● The students need at least 4 credits for the subject English, which should arrange at least 1 credit for each grade.
● Moreover, the student must get 3 credits in Mathematics, including a minimum of 1 credit for 11th and 12th grade.
● Similarly, 3 credits are allotted for 1,2, and 3 courses.
● The system also required one credit for each subject, including Canadian history in grade 10, arts, health, physical education, Canadian geography, and French.
● Also, 2 credits are allotted for Science. Going further, each 0.5 credits are allotted for career studies and civics citizenship.
Also, the students need to complete their respective credits further in groups which are as follows;
● The first group includes English or French as the student's chosen second language, native languages, classical and international languages, cooperative education, SST, career education, US Sign language [2nd], First Nations, Metis and Inuit studies, classical and international languages and Langue des Signes quebecoise langue seconde.
● The second group includes health and PE, Business studies, arts, cooperative education, French[ 2nd], American Sign language [2nd], and Langue des Signes quebecoise langue seconde.
● Next, group three includes Science for grades 11th and 12th, French [2nd], Computer Studies, technological education, cooperative education, Langue des Signes quebecoise langue seconde, and US sign language [2nd].
Elective credits
The electives number needs to be identical, but the elective courses can differ in nature. Moreover, as per the schools, the availability of the courses also changes. So there is no official constraint on which course you want to choose. However, if we see a common choice of students for OSSD courses, it includes arts, SST, Mathematics, Business Studies, Technological Education, Sciences, PE, modern languages, English, and Computer Science.
In some schools, elective courses also offer options like dance, media studies, accounting, writing, etc. In most schools, the students can select more courses in grades 11th and 12th compared to 9th and 10th.
Bottom line
OSSD courses is a reputed diploma course provided by the Ontario schools for students. It allows them to be admitted within the colleges and universities of Canada or outside the country. OSSD courses are a great way to gain knowledge and the latest learning experience. It provides good exposure to the students while preparing them for the required capabilities for higher education. Students who are willing to get OSSD need to have a minimum of 12 elective courses and 18 mandatory courses. Moreover, the students must also maintain their minimum credits for the courses.