Success for Life » Programs & Services

Cooperative Education

News Desk — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 20:04:51 +0000

Cooperative Education can assist all students, including exceptional students, who are bound for apprenticeship, college, university or the workplace, in making career decisions as well as in developing the knowledge, skills and attitudes that are essential in today’s society.

Cooperative Education

involves a partnership between education and business, industry, agriculture, labour or community organizations that includes students, teachers, parents, employers and placement supervisors;
is an exciting way to learn which provides opportunities to combine the knowledge and skills acquired in a course, to gain work experience and to explore as career of interest;
allows students to develop their work ethics, interpersonal skills and employability skills while at the same time earning academic credits.

Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR)

News Desk — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 14:29:16 +0000

Students may obtain up to four credits for prior learning by following a formal evaluation and credit-granting process called PLAR. Prior learning includes the knowledge and skills that students gained, formally and informally, outside of secondary school. PLAR is available to students who started grades 10, 11, and 12 courses after September 2003.

PLAR involves two components: challenge and equivalency.

Challenge – If a student is able to demonstrate the required skills and knowledge needed for a specific course, they may be granted a credit by completing formal tests and other assessments. The PLAR process is NOT an independent study. Only grade 10, 11 and 12 courses offered by the Avon Maitland District School Board can be challenged.
Equivalency – Students, who transfer to an Ontario secondary school from non-inspected private schools or schools outside Ontario, may be granted equivalency credits based on the principal’s assessment of the student’s previous learning. Equivalency credits are granted for student placement only.

The PLAR brochure outlines the policies and application procedure. It is available from the Student Services department.

OSSLT – Literacy Test & Reporting

News Desk — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 16:12:52 +0000

Literacy Requirement: Special Situations … Does one of these apply to you?

Accommodations:

Students who receive special accommodations in their school program, will receive the same accommodations when writing the OSSLT.

Deferrals:

Students may benefit from a deferral if:

identified as exceptional
registered in ESL/ELL courses and are not proficient in English.

Exemptions:

Students whose IEP states they are not working towards earning a secondary school diploma may not have to write the literacy test.

Literacy Requirement Adjudication Process

This process provides students with an additional opportunity to meet the literacy requirement needed for their diploma. Students who may be eligible for this include:

students who have not been able to write the OSSLT or enroll in, or complete, the OSSLC due to unforeseen circumstances
students who were receiving special education services or programs, and who had an IEP stating required accommodations, but, due to unforeseen circumstances, did not have access to these accommodations when they were taking the OSSLT.

Assessment and Evaluation

Assessment and evaluation of student work is based upon Achievement Charts in the Ontario curriculum documents which describe four levels of achievement from level one (low) to level four (high). Level three is the provincial standard. The charts include the four categories of learning within each subject. Learning skills, in most subjects, are separated from the content of the subject.

The final mark in each course is calculated by combining the student’s achievement on term work, such as tests, essays, performances and quizzes, with final assessments which occur in the final three weeks of semestered courses, and six weeks of non-semestered courses. The final assessments are designed to reflect the most important skills and concepts for the entire course. The term work accounts for 70% and the final assessments account for 30%.

Reports – How will I know how I am doing?

For semestered courses, students receive two formal report cards – a mid-term report and a final report. Mid-term reports are completed in November for first semester courses and in April for second semester courses. Final reports are completed in January for first semester courses and June for second semester courses.

For non-semestered courses, students receive three formal report cards – the first in December, the second in March and the third in June.

Other ways schools share student progress:

teacher – student conferences
classroom assessments and evaluations
informal interim reports
teacher contacts home

Learning Services

News Desk — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 18:09:35 +0000

All staff members of the Avon Maitland District School Board are committed to ensuring all students experience success in school. To do so, a wide range of programs and services are provided for students with special education needs. These programs and services focus on the specific needs of students and create opportunities to develop their individual potential. They are developed in partnership with parents and guardians in an atmosphere of trust, cooperation and respect.

The Avon Maitland District School Board maintains a Special Education Plan. This plan is reviewed annually and amended when necessary to meet the needs of exceptional students.

It is available in every school, or on the Board website,

www.yourschools.ca, for parents, guardians and students to review.

Student Success Teams

Student Success Teams are in every secondary school. The team is made up of the principal (or vice-principal), Guidance, Special Education and Student Success Teachers. SS Teams develop credit rescue, credit recovery and transitional plans with students. They make sure that programs and activities are in place to help all students be successful.

Student Services

Guidance Counsellors are teachers with special training who provide assistance with choosing courses, postsecondary plans and personal crises. Parents and students are encouraged to make use of the Student Services department.

Student Success Teachers

There is a Student Success Teacher in every secondary school. Student Success Teachers help students who are having difficulty. They work hard to ensure that every student has a successful secondary school experience.

Summer School

Summer School courses may be available for students to:

retake a course not completed successfully
improve achievement in a course
take a transfer course

The number and delivery of summer school courses depends upon student need.

English as a Second Language

Secondary ESL students face challenges as they work toward their OSSD and become fluent in English. Teachers help ESL students in their classes by matching activities and content with the student’s needs. Students beginning to learn English may earn partial credits if they are not able to meet the learning expectations for a full credit. Tutoring may be available to help ESL students. In the Avon Maitland District School Board, ESL students are given the help they need to fulfill their goals.

Special Education Advisory Committee

The Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) examines, reviews and makes recommendations about the special education programs and services of the Avon Maitland District School Board. SEAC is composed of up to 12 community association representatives, trustees and the superintendent responsible for special education. For more information, contact the school principal.

Identification, Placement & Review Committee

Students with identified obstacles to learning will meet annually with parents, teachers and their school principal to decide placement and level of support within a range of Special Education services. Students who are a part of the Identification, Placement and Review Committee process will also have an IEP.

What’s An IEP?

Individual Education Plans are created to help students be successful through the use of accommodations and/or modifications in specific courses. At the secondary level, alternative courses are non-credit courses.

Alternative Programs

In these courses, learning expectations are individualized for students and generally focus on preparing students for daily living. There are three types of alternative programs:

1. Developmental Disability

Students participate in a program designed to fit the unique needs of each learner. This program focuses on life skills, literacy and numeracy skills, community integration and work skills. These are non-credit courses.

2. Undifferentiated

This program focuses on providing students with skills necessary for success in school and everyday life. Students may earn up to three credits per year. The remainder of the program will consist of non-credit courses.

3. Destinations

This program is intended for students working toward a Certificate of Accomplishment. The focus is on learning literacy and numeracy, employment and life skills.

* Talk to the principal to find out what alternative programs are available in your secondary school.

AMDEC

News Desk — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 15:20:34 +0000

Avon Maitland District E-Learning Centre
Avon Maitland students are encouraged to consider enrolling in an eLearning (online) course. This is an excellent option if a course is not offered at your home school or you have a timetable conflict. Students looking for experience with eLearning, before starting post-secondary education, will find taking an AMDEC course beneficial. Self-directed, independent students are most likely to achieve success in online courses. AMDEC teachers also teach courses in Avon Maitland’s “bricks and mortar” secondary schools.

To enroll, please see your Student Services department. For further information and course offerings, go to: amdec.ca

Independent Learning Centre

News Desk — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 14:28:42 +0000

The Independent Learning Centre (ILC) provides Ontario residents the opportunity to earn credits toward their OSSD, upgrade their basic skills, or study for personal development through distance education. Online tutoring is also available. ILC serves students who are not registered in regular day school programs.

www.ilc.org

Continuing Education

News Desk — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 14:28:26 +0000

The Centres for Employment and Learning provide credit and non-credit courses for students who wish to study part time or full time outside of the secondary school program. The Centres operate year round and may offer evening, summer, daytime and adult education classes.

www.thecentreforemploymentandlearning.ca

C.O.P.E.

News Desk — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 14:26:48 +0000

C.O.P.E.

Cooperative Opportunities Providing Education (COPE) is an alternative education program designed for students who need a different learning environment than that of a regular school. In COPE, flexible and supportive schedules are arranged for students to earn cooperative education and regular course credits toward their diploma. Students may enter COPE at any time in the school year. Contact the school principal or vice-principal for more information.

Apprenticeship Curriculum Matching

On an individual basis, secondary schools will offer curriculum that has been matched with the curriculum for the in-school Basic Level Apprenticeship component. Courses for which this may occur are Construction, Manufacturing and Transportation. Successful completion of the curriculum in secondary school will permit students to challenge the apprenticeship Level One test in these trades, or write a college level equivalency test.

Experiential Learning Opportunities

News Desk — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 14:24:47 +0000

Experiential learning opportunities are available in all secondary schools. These help students make decisions about possible career paths and the necessary courses needed to get there. In secondary schools, there are a number of ways to gain practical work experiences:

Take Your Kid to Work Day – grade 9 students go with their parent, guardian or another adult to their place of work for a day
Job Shadowing – students spend a day with a worker in a specific occupation
Job Twinning – students go with a cooperative education student to his or her placement to observe
Work Experience – students go to a workplace for a limited period of time (1 – 4 weeks) as part of a credit course
Virtual Work Experience – students participate in “virtual work” placements for a limited time (1 – 4 weeks) as part of a credit course
Cooperative Education – students participate in extended work placements and classroom components. Students earn credits for cooperative education courses.
School-Work Transition Programs – students identified as exceptional, and those receiving special education programs or services participate in programs that prepare them for specific occupations or apprenticeships
OYAP – Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program allows students who are 16 years of age or older to earn cooperative education credits for work experience in an occupation that requires apprenticeship

Talk to the Student Services and Cooperative Education Departments for more information about any of these programs.

Music Programs Outside of School

News Desk — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 14:28:59 +0000

Students may be awarded up to two credits for taking music programs outside of their regular school program, as approved by the Ministry of Education. Talk to the Student Services department to find out more.