Choosing Your PathA career/life planning resource for grade 7 & 8 students and their parents/guardians

What might you be doing in 5, 10 or 15 years?

We all dream about the future . . .

You have already started choosing your path. . .

4 Key Questions

Who am I? What are my interest and abilities?

What is my learning style?

What are my traits and values?

What am I passionate about and what inspires me?

What are my opportunities? What high school courses or specialized programs are

available?

What extracurricular or community activities can I be involved in?

What occupations am I interested in researching?

What trends are impacting opportunities for future fields of work?

Who do I want to become? What are my hopes and dreams for the future?

What are some goals I want to accomplish?

What does success mean to me?

What is my plan for achieving my goals?

What steps should I take to help me achieve my goals?

What resources can help me plan my pathway?

Who can support me in achieving my goals?

What are some potential obstacles or challenges and what might possible solutions or strategies look like?

What do you needto graduate?

40 Hours of Community Involvement

30 CreditsSuccessfully

complete the Ontario

Secondary School

Literacy Test

You can start accumulating community involvement hours in the summer before grade 9. Benefits include:

• learn more about yourself • develop self-confidence • gain work experience

Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT)

• measures reading and writing skills

• designed and marked by the Education Quality & Accountability Office (EQAO)

30 Credits18 compulsory credits4 credits in English 3 credits in Mathematics2 credits in Science1 credit in Canadian History1 credit in Canadian Geography1 credit in the Arts1 credit in Health and Physical Education1 credit in French as a Second Language0.5 credit in Career Studies0.5 credit in Civics

12 optional credits

6 compulsory 2 optional

* Physical Education & Health* Canadian Geography* French* English* Mathematics * Science

You will have 8 courses in grade 9

Course Types•Designed to prepare you for further study in certain subjects•Physical Education/Health, Arts, Business, TechOpen•Focus on essential skills•Provides additional support to upgrade your knowledge and skills through practical activities to develop literacy, numeracy and problem solving skills

Locally Developed

•More hands on and teacher guided•Develop knowledge through practical and concrete applications with some theoretical applicationApplied

•More independent learning, faster pace, & higher level thinking•Develop knowledge and skills by emphasizing theoretical and abstract applications of essential concepts and explore related concepts

Academic

Open “O”

Locally Developed “L”

Applied “P”

Reading Course Codes

ENG 1P0The first three letters represent the subject department ie. English

The number identifies the grade1= Grade 92= Grade 103= Grade 114= Grade 12Academic “D”

The letter shows the course type (applied)

Grade 9 Course Selection

Future goals

Learning style

Teacher recommendations Explore

myBlueprint

Strengths & interests

Parent approval

Couse Selection Timelines

• Important steps and dates Modify for your school*ESL, ISSP, Secondary visits, verification forms signed etc.

myBlueprint.ca/peel Plan your high school

coursesExplore occupationsResearch post

secondary pathwaysSet goalsDocument and reflect

on your experiences Discover your learning

style

Setting up a parent/guardian myBlueprint account

Start at www.myBlueprint.ca/peel

Select the secondary school and parent account

You can link your parent account with your son or daughter’s account.

Click on the gear symbol and select My Links

Planning Ahead

Use Prerequisite charts to map out all the courses in a

subject area.

Percentage of Ontario students completing OSSD in 4 or 5 years in relation to the number of courses failed in

Grades 9 and 10

89.3

74.7

59

28.2

none 1

2 3 or more # of failures

in grades 9 and 10

Percentage of students completing the OSSD

http://www.collegesontario.org/research/summary-who-doesnt-go-to-pse.pdf

Pathway Destinations Where are students going after High School?

Destination of students after 4 or 5 years of secondary

school

6% Apprenticeship20% College34% University25% Workplace (without OSSD)

15% Workplace (with OSSD)

http://www.collegesontario.org/research/summary-who-doesnt-go-to-pse.pdf

Regional and specialized programs provide students with an opportunity to develop and explore skills in a particular area of interest. All students may apply for these programs.

These sector-related programs are available to students in grades 9 and 10 in some schools that offer Specialist High Skills Major programs for grades 11 and 12. It is a specialized program that allows students to focus their learning in an area of interest.

Students With Special Education Needs in Mainstream ClassesStudents in mainstream classes receive support in a variety of ways:

a) Whole class instruction with specifically designed accommodations and/or modifications

b) Differentiated instruction within the regular classroom

c) Small group instruction in an alternate setting, such as ISSP support

Secondary schools also offer a Learning Strategies course. Students would also have access to a Special Education teacher during specified periods of the day.

The student’s IEP can be maintained throughout secondary school• An IEP is a written plan describing the special

education program and/or services required by a particular student

• A transition plan will be developed for all students who have an IEP. It will include strengths, needs, transition goals, and a list recommended supports.

Special Education ProgramsElementary Secondary

-accommodations and/or modifications to the curriculum (such as working at a different grade level in a specific subject)

-accommodations and/or modifications to the curriculum (such as changes to the number and/or complexity of the expectations)

Some programs include:

ASDCommunicationDevelopmental DisabilitiesGifted/EnhancedGLD

Some programs include:

ASDCommunicationDevelopmental DisabilitiesGifted/EnhancedVocational

English Language Learners

Who can take English as a second language (ESL) courses?• students born outside Canada from a non-English

speaking country

• students born in Canada who speak a second language or dialect

• recently arrived students who need to upgrade or develop their academic and language skills

English Language LearnersWho can take English literacy development (ELD) courses?• ELLs who need additional support to accelerate learning

English and mathematics

• Students who have missed/interrupted schooling before coming to Canada

• If your teacher recommends this special one or two year program, bussing may be provided

ESL/ELD Programs

Elementary Secondary -is a support program -is a credit course

-up to 3 ESL/ELD courses can count towards the 4 compulsory English credit requirements for a diploma

-receive support through a) an intensive small group setting withdrawn from classesb) an ESL teacher co-teaching with a classroom teacherc) a classroom teacher through accommodations and/or modifications

-courses are offered as part of the student’s timetable, similar to English, math, or any other subject-ESL programs support the development of academic vocabulary and success in all subject areas

There are five levels of ESL courses: ESL A (beginners) ESL E (advanced)

Placement is based on language proficiency, not age or grade.

Secondary ESL Courses

Sample Grade 9 SchedulePeriod

(76 minutes)

Semester 1 Semester 2

1 English ESLBO0 English ESLCO0

2 Science SNC1PL Math MPM1DL

3 Lunch Drama ADA1O0

4 Business BTT1OL Lunch

5 Phys. Ed/Health PPL1OF

Canadian Geography CGC1P0

Sample ESL Course Progression

Students taking ESL English courses can transition into University, College, or Workplace English courses for grades 11 or 12.

Boundaries and bussing

List all neighbourhood schools that your school

feeds into.

Which ESL/ELD, re

gional, French Immersion,

etc

Extracurricular Activities

• Clubs, teams

• mascot

Specific information about the high school(s) that your students feed into

• Semesters

• #of lunch periods

Questions?• Gr 8 teacher

• Makingmyway.ca

• High school guidance