In some cases, students entering secondary school require a differentiated program as they work toward an Ontario Secondary School Diploma, an Ontario Secondary School Certificate or a Certificate of Accomplishment.
The Waterloo Catholic District School Board operates three programs in each secondary school that have been designed for students with an IEP who have not met level 1 grade 8 expectations. They are the Essential Program, the ACTIVE Program and the Community Living Program.
For some students, achievement of the Ontario Secondary School Diploma, Ontario Secondary School Certificate or Certificate of Accomplishment may take longer than four years.
The Essential Program
This program is designed for students whose Individual Education Plan indicates the student is working on grade 5-7 expectations from the Ontario Curriculum in Mathematics and Science and/or English.
In grades 9 and 10, students in the Essential Program will take special courses for credit in Mathematics and Science and/or English. They will also take a special education learning strategies course for credit that will assist the students to be successful in their grade 9 and 10 program. Upon successful completion of the grade 9 and 10 Essential Program, students will be prepared to study workplace preparation courses in grades 11 and 12. Students in the Essential Program will work to successfully complete the required 30 credits to earn their Ontario Secondary School Diploma.
Students who experience difficulty in meeting the requirements of this program may choose to focus on meeting the requirements for the Ontario Secondary Certificate with the understanding that they may continue to work towards a diploma at a later date.
The Essential Mathematics, Science and English courses are locally developed courses approved by the Ministry of Education. “Locally developed course are courses that meet the educational needs not met by provincial curriculum policy documents.” (OSS, p. 43).
The ACTIVE Program
Achievement or Accomplishment, Certificate or Community Training In View of Employment (ACTIVE)
This program is designed for students whose Individual Education Plan indicates the student is working on Grade 4-5 Ontario Curriculum expectations in Mathematics and Science and/or English. The ACTIVE Program is designed to assist students with the transition from school to the workplace or the community.
The students are grouped for a portion of the day each semester. The congregated portion of the students’ program is designed and taught by Special Education teachers. The program focuses on literacy, numeracy and personal management skills. For the other part of the day, the students are integrated into a combination of the following: Religion, Technology, Physical Education, Visual Arts, Drama, Music and Business.
Each student’s program is individualized and based upon the annual goals as stated in the student’s Individual Education Plan (IEP). Parents are invited to provide input into the development of their son’s/daughter’s annual goals. Their IEP indicates that significant modifications and accommodations are required.
Students in the ACTIVE Program may work to achieve a Certificate of Accomplishment which is non-credit bearing.
OR
Some students may take a combination of Essential/Workplace, Open and/or ACTIVE courses. If students successfully complete Credit-bearing courses, they will achieve credits. Students who study a combination of ACTIVE and Credit-bearing courses will work to achieve an Ontario Secondary School Certificate (OSSC).
The Community Living Program
This program is designed for students whose Individual Education Plan indicates the student is working on primary expectations of The Ontario Curriculum or on individualized alternate expectations.
The Community Living Program will support students in their transition to supervised community involvement. The students are grouped for a portion of the day each semester. The congregated portion of the students’ program is designed and taught by Special Education teachers. The program focuses on functional literacy and numeracy and personal management skills, i.e., recreational skills, social skills and self-advocacy skills. For the other part of the day, the students are integrated into a combination of the following: Religion, Technology, Physical Education, Visual Arts, Drama, Music, and Business.
Each student’s program is individualized and based upon the annual goals as stated in the student’s Individual Education Plan (IEP). Parents are invited to provide input into the development of their son’s and/or daughter’s annual goals. Their IEP indicates that the student is working to achieve alternate expectations.
Students in the Community Living Program will not earn credits but will work to achieve a Certificate of Accomplishment.
