What are the requirements for obtaining a high school diploma (Secondary School Diploma – SSD)? How does the credit system work? These are common questions! In the following article, we provide some answers.
All high school courses that your child completes and passes (with a grade of 60 percent or higher) earn them credits. But what is a credit? Simply put, the Ministère de l’Éducation et de l’Enseignement supérieur states that one credit is equivalent to about 25 hours of classroom or school activity. So, a two-credit course is equivalent to approximately 50 hours of classroom instruction during the year. When a student passes a course, they automatically earn the associated credits.
To earn their SSD, a student must accumulate 54 credits in Secondary IV and Secondary V. Of these, 20 must be earned in Secondary V.
Students have to do more than earn the right number of credits. They must also pass all mandatory high school courses:
To help you better understand the value of these courses, we’ve created a table outlining the Secondary IV and V curriculum with their respective course credits:
Your school’s guidance counsellor can keep you apprised of your child’s academic progress and help them review their options if necessary. Guidance counsellors are also great allies for helping students make informed course selections.
Despite their best efforts, your child hasn’t earned all the credits they need to graduate. What now? The good news is, they have a few options. You can encourage them to do one of the following:
You should know that the TENS is not equal to an SSD and does not provide the same opportunities. The TENS leads to an Attestation of Equivalence of Secondary Studies (AESS), which can improve access to certain jobs, some vocational training, and other programs that lead to an Attestation of Collegial Studies (ACS). For more information, please contact your local SARCA office!
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Writing : The Alloprof Parents' team