Choosing Your Path

A 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 need
to graduate?
40 Hours of
Community
Involvement
30 Credits
Successfully
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 Credits
18 compulsory credits
4 credits in English
3 credits in Mathematics
2 credits in Science
1 credit in Canadian History 12 optional
1 credit in Canadian Geography
credits
1 credit in the Arts
1 credit in Health and Physical Education
1 credit in French as a Second Language
0.5 credit in Career Studies
0.5 credit in Civics
 You will have 8 courses in grade 9

6 compulsory 2 optional
* Physical Education & Health
* Canadian Geography
* French
* English
* Mathematics
* Science
 Course Types
Open • Designed to prepare you for further study in certain subjects
• Physical Education/Health, Arts, Business, Tech

Locally • Focus on essential skills

• Provides additional support to upgrade your knowledge and skills
through practical activities to develop literacy, numeracy and
Developed problem solving skills

• More hands on and teacher guided

Applied • Develop knowledge through practical and concrete applications with
some theoretical application

• More independent learning, faster pace, & higher level thinking

• Develop knowledge and skills by emphasizing theoretical and
Academic abstract applications of essential concepts and explore related
concepts
 Reading Course Codes
Open “O”
ENG 1P0
Locally The first three letters
Developed “L” represent the subject
The letter
department ie. English
shows the
The number course type
identifies the (applied)
Applied “P” grade
1= Grade 9
2= Grade 10
3= Grade 11
Academic “D” 4= Grade 12
Grade 9 Course Selection
Parent Teacher
approval recommendations
Explore
myBlueprint

Future
goals

Strengths
& interests
Learning
style
Couse Selection Timelines
• Important steps and dates
myBlueprint.ca/peel
 Plan your high school
courses
 Explore occupations
 Research post secondary
pathways
 Set goals
 Document and reflect on
your experiences
 Discover your learning
style
Setting up a parent/guardian myBlueprint account

Start at Select the secondary

www.myBlueprint.ca/peel 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
Percentage
of students
completing 59
the OSSD
28.2

# of failures none 1
in grades 9
2 3 or more
and 10
http://www.collegesontario.org/research/summary-who-doesnt-go-to-pse.pdf
 Pathway Destinations
Where are students going after High School?

6% Apprenticeship
Destination of
20% College
students after 4 or 5
34% University
years of secondary
25% Workplace (without OSSD)
school
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 Classes
Students 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 Programs
Elementary
-accommodations and/or modifications to
the curriculum (such as working at a
different grade level in a specific subject)
Secondary
-accommodations and/or modifications to
the curriculum (such as changes to the
number and/or complexity of the
expectations)

Some programs include: Some programs include:

ASD ASD
Communication Communication
Developmental Disabilities Developmental Disabilities
Gifted/Enhanced Gifted/Enhanced
GLD Vocational
 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 Learners
Who 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
-is a support program
-receive support through
a) an intensive small group setting
withdrawn from classes
b) an ESL teacher co-teaching with a
classroom teacher
c) a classroom teacher through
accommodations and/or modifications
Secondary
-is a credit course
-up to 3 ESL/ELD courses can count towards
the 4 compulsory English credit
requirements for a diploma
-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
Secondary ESL Courses
There are five levels of ESL courses:

ESL A (beginners) ESL E (advanced)

Placement is based on
language proficiency, not
age or grade.
Sample Grade 9 Schedule
Period Semester 1 Semester 2
(76 minutes)

1 English ESLBO0 English ESLCO0

2 Science SNC1PL Math MPM1DL
3 Lunch Drama ADA1O0
4 Business BTT1OL Lunch
5 Phys. Ed/Health Canadian Geography
PPL1OF 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
Extracurricular Activities
Specific information about
the high school(s) that your
students feed into
Questions?
• Gr 8 teacher

• Makingmyway.ca

• High school guidance