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UNIT 1: GRADUATION PROGRAM

• COURSE REQUIREMENTS, EXAMS, AND FOCUS AREAS

• Graduation Transitions

Unit Overview

THROUGH MINI-LECTURES, WORKSHEETS, AND PRESENTATIONS, STUDENTS IDENTIFY THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE GRADUATION PROGRAM AND BEGIN PLANNING HOW THEY WILL SATISFY THOSE REQUIREMENTS. STUDENTS ARE INTRODUCED TO THE COURSE REQUIREMENTS, THE EXAM REQUIREMENTS, AND THE VARIOUS WAYS COURSE CREDITS CAN BE EARNED IN THE GRADUATION PROGRAM. FOCUS AREAS ARE EXAMINED IN TERMS OF THEIR LINKS TO GRADE 11 AND 12 COURSES AS WELL AS TO POST-SECONDARY AND CAREER OPTIONS. STUDENTS ARE ALSO INTRODUCED TO GRADUATION TRANSITIONS AND ITS REQUIREMENTS. STUDENTS DEMONSTRATE THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF COURSE REQUIREMENTS, EXAMS, FOCUS AREAS, AND GRADUATION TRANSITIONS BY IDENTIFYING, LISTING, AND DESCRIBING.

Suggested Timeframe

An average of 15 hours is suggested to address the Prescribed Learning Outcomes in this curriculum organizer.

Learning at Previous Grades

• grade 10 course requirements

• connecting education choices to career options

Course Requirements, Exams, and Focus Areas

|Prescribed Learning Outcomes |

|It is expected that students will: |

|identify the course requirements for the Graduation Program |

|identify ways of earning credits for the Graduation Program (e.g., in-school courses, external credits) |

|identify the exam requirements for the Graduation Program, including required and optional exams |

|describe the Focus Areas in the Graduation Program |

|describe how one or more Focus Areas of interest relate to education and career options |

| |

|Suggested Achievement Indicators |

|The following set of indicators may be used to assess student achievement for the Prescribed Learning Outcomes above. Students who have fully met the|

|Prescribed Learning Outcomes are able to: |

|accurately list the course requirements of the Graduation Program (e.g., 48 required course credits, minimum of 28 elective credits, minimum of 16 |

|credits at the grade 12 level) |

|create a detailed list of the ways that credit toward graduation can be earned, including: |

|school course work |

|independent directed studies |

|distance learning |

|challenge |

|equivalency |

|secondary school apprenticeship |

|external credentials |

|post-secondary dual credits |

|accurately list the five required Graduation Program exams and their respective percentages of the final course mark |

|create a list of the optional Graduation Program exams, their respective percentages of the final course mark, and the possible implications of |

|writing or not writing the exam |

|accurately list and describe the eight Focus Areas: |

|Business and Applied Business |

|Fine Arts, Design, and Media |

|Fitness and Recreation |

|Health and Human Services |

|Liberal Arts/Humanities |

|Science and Applied Science |

|Tourism, Hospitality, and Foods |

|Trades and Technology |

|select one or more Focus Areas of interest and list the courses available to them in each |

|select one or more Focus Areas of interest and list a variety of post-secondary education programs and career options related to each |

|Suggested Instructional Activities |Suggested Assessment Activities |

|Teacher-led discussion | |

|In a teacher-led class discussion, provide students with specific |To assess students’ understanding of required Graduation Program courses and |

|information about the Graduation Program and requirements. Include |exams, have them complete a worksheet such as the sample provided with this |

|information about the required courses, the various ways of earning |unit (Graduation Program Requirements). Have them conduct a peer assessment |

|credits, exam requirements, and the eight Focus Areas and their |to verify the accuracy of the information. (Students should be strongly |

|associated courses. Emphasize that the Focus Areas are a tool to help |encouraged to discuss their course selection and exam options with family |

|students think about course selection and education and career options,|members and school counsellors as they consider their choices.) |

|but that they are free to select courses that best fit their needs; | |

|indeed, they may choose to design their own unique focus area. | |

| | |

|Point out the difference between the required and optional Graduation | |

|Program exams. Ensure students understand that some post-secondary | |

|institutions require grade 12 exams to meet entrance requirements and | |

|students will need to check admission requirements at each institution.| |

|Writing grade 12 exams also provides opportunities for provincial | |

|scholarships. Invite the school counsellor to provide additional | |

|information and answer questions. | |

|Poster | |

|To assist students’ understanding of Focus Areas, divide the class into| |

|small groups according to their Focus Area of interest. Have each group| |

|develop a poster or advertisement demonstrating secondary school | |

|courses, career sectors, and post-secondary fields of study related to | |

|the group’s chosen Focus Area. Display the poster or advertisement on a| |

|class or school bulletin board. |Have groups present their posters or advertisement depicting their Focus |

|Course planning worksheet |Area. Look for evidence that their work represents: |

|As an optional extension activity, provide students with a course |a clear and comprehensive description of the Focus Area |

|selection worksheet to be completed after they have considered their |a range of post-secondary education and career options related to the Focus |

|Graduation Program options (such as the sample provided at the end of |Area |

|this unit, Course Planning Worksheet for the 2004 Graduation Program). |a variety of secondary school courses that relate to the Focus Area |

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| |Students should be strongly encouraged to discuss their options with family |

| |members, school counsellors, mentors, or other members of their support |

| |network as they consider their choices. |

|Recommended Learning Resources: |

|Graduation Portfolio Assessment and Focus Areas: A Program Guide |

| |

|Program Guide for Graduation Transitions |

|Grad Planner |

| |

|Selected Web Sites: |

|Graduation Program (Ministry of Education) |

| _grad_portfolio_part_2.pdf |

|Graduation Planner (Ministry of Education) |

| |

|National Occupation Classification (Human Resources and Social Development Canada) |

| |

|Education Planner—Post-Secondary Education in BC |

| |

|TRAX Information Updates |

| |

Graduation Transitions

|Prescribed Learning Outcomes |

|It is expected that students will: |

|describe the requirements of Graduation Transitions |

|develop a preliminary plan for how they will meet the requirements of Graduation Transitions |

|Suggested Achievement Indicators |

|The following set of indicators may be used to assess student achievement for the Prescribed Learning Outcomes above. Students who have fully |

|met the Prescribed Learning Outcomes are able to: |

|θ identify the three components of Graduation Transitions (i.e. Personal Health, Community Connections, Career and Life) |

|θ identify and describe the requirements of each of the three components of Graduation Transitions (as outlined in the Program Guide for |

|Graduation Transitions) |

|θ list and discuss a variety of experiences that can contribute to meeting the requirements of Graduation Transitions |

|θ list and discuss a variety of activities that could contribute to meeting the requirements of each of the three components of Graduation |

|Transitions (e.g., in-school courses, community learning experiences, volunteer experience, work experience, recreation) |

|θ propose strategies for meeting the requirements of Graduation Transitions |

|θ create a list of various ways to gather and produce evidence that meets the requirements of Graduation Transitions (e.g., certificates, |

|awards, videos of performances, descriptions of volunteer activities, photos of projects, letters from coaches or mentors) |

|Suggested Instructional Activities |Suggested Assessment Activities |

|Teacher-led discussion | |

|Provide an overview of the nature and purpose of Graduation Transitions|introductory activity—no corresponding assessment |

|(for specific information, refer to the Program Guide for Graduation | |

|Transitions). Include points such as the following: | |

|- The overall goal is to increase student success for the future. | |

|- Graduation Transitions is intended to prepare students for a | |

|successful transition to life after secondary school. In order to meet | |

|this goal, Graduation Transitions encourages students to: | |

|- take ownership of their own health and learning | |

|- examine and demonstrate connections between their learning and their| |

|future | |

|- create a plan for their growth and development as skilled, healthy, | |

|knowledgeable, participating citizens | |

|- exhibit attributes of a model BC graduate. | |

|Suggested Instructional Activities |Suggested Assessment Activities |

|Cluster/brainstorm | |

|In groups or as a class, ask students to brainstorm or create a cluster|Provide an opportunity for students to share their cluster diagrams |

|diagram of the types of evidence that can be used to show they have met|with each other for peer assessment and feedback. |

|the Graduation Transitions requirements. Encourage students to consider| |

|a range of evidence items (e.g., school courses, certificates, awards, | |

|videos of performances, descriptions of volunteer activities, projects,| |

|letters). | |

| | |

|Learning log/worksheet | |

|Individually, have students complete a worksheet or learning log that | |

|addresses the following questions: |Collect students’ completed learning logs or worksheets to determine |

|What are the requirements of Graduation Transitions? |their level of understanding of the requirements of the Graduation |

|What evidence do I already have? |Transitions and to confirm that they have begun planning how they will |

|What evidence will I collect or develop to meet the requirement? |meet those requirements. Use a student-teacher conference or |

|What are my strategies for collecting or developing my evidence? |annotations on students’ logs and worksheets to guide further |

| |reflection. For example, ask students questions about: |

| |- the three areas of Graduation Transitions (Personal Health, |

| |Community Connections, Career and Life) |

| |- the types of specific evidence they would like to include |

| |- the strategies they will use to collect and develop this evidence |

| |- personal timelines for collecting and developing evidence throughout|

| |grades 10, 11, and 12 |

| |

|Recommended Learning Resources: |

|Program Guide for Graduation Transitions |

| |

|Selected Web Sites: |

|Graduation Program (Ministry of Education) |

| |

Graduation Program Requirements

NAME: ___________________________________________________ DATE: ________________________

| | |Credits |

|Total number of credits (grade 10-12) required for Graduation | |

|Number of Required Course credits | |

|Minimum number of Elective Course credits | |

|Minimum number of grade 12 course credits | |

| |# of credits |

|Write the names of the required courses: | |

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|Graduation Transitions |4 |

| |% of final course mark |

|Graduation Program exams | |

|Write the names of the five required Graduation Program exams and the percentage of the final course mark for each. |

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Course Planning Worksheet for the 2004 Graduation Program

NAME ______________________________ DATE _______________________ PROPOSED FOCUS AREA ________________________________________

|Required Courses (48 credits) Subjects with a* indicate more than one option |

|Language Arts 10*, 11*, and 12* |Social Studies 10 |Physical Education 10 |Planning 10 |

|Science 10* |Mathematics 10* |Fine Arts or Applied Skills 10* or 11* or 12* |

|Science 11* or 12* |Mathematics 11* or 12* |Social Studies 11* or 12* (BC First Nations Studies 12 or Civic Studies 11 etc) |

|A minimum of 16 credits must be at the grade 12 level, including Language Arts 12. The remaining twelve grade 12 level credits may be from either required or elective courses. |

|Elective Courses (28 credits) |

|Graduation Transitions (4 credits) |

Course Planning

For each of grade 10, 11, and 12, write the names of the required and elective courses you plan to take. Use the # column to write the number of credits for each course, and the R/E column to indicate whether the course is required (R) or an elective (E) course. Use a ⎫ to show which of your 4 or more grade 11 or 12 electives match your proposed Focus Area. Be sure to include Graduation Transitions (4 credits) in your total.

Courses to take in Grade 10 |# |R/E |Courses to take in Grade 11 |⎫ |# |R/E |Courses to take in Grade 12 |⎫ |# |R/E | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Subtotal | | |Subtotal | | | |Subtotal | | | | | | | | | | | | Total Credits | | | | |

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