Grade 9: Entering High School
August 3, 2022
SENIOR YEARS CREDIT SYSTEM
Grade 9 is the first year of High School and the 'credit system.' Grades 9 to 12 studies are organized around a system of credits. This system provides flexibility to enable students to pursue courses best suited to individual requirements and aspirations. Courses may be offered as either 'full credits,' taken all of the school year or as a 'half credit,' offered fo
r half of the year. Students will have to complete a number of compulsory courses as well a minimum number of optional courses adding up to 30 credits by the end of Grade 12. In Grade 9; students must complete five compulsory courses and three optional courses. Optional courses will be available for sign-up by students in the spring of their Grade 8 year. Please read below for more detailed information.
A student may earn one credit by undertaking and successfully completing 110 hours of course-specific instruction or classroom based learning experiences. A half-credit represents 55 hours of instruction. Students earn credits when they achieve 50% or more (as their final grade) per course taken. Typically at Keewatin Prairie, Grade 9 students will receive eight or nine credits when they complete the year.
Manitoba Education requires that students earn a minimum of 30 credits to graduate from high school and communicates regularly with post-secondary institutions to ensure acceptance of ELA (English Language Arts) and Mathematics credits for entrance into university and college programs.
GRADE 9-12 CREDIT SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS GRAPHIC: Manitoba Education
Credits fall into two categories:
1. Compulsory Courses: A course for which students must receive credit (e.g. English Language Arts, Mathematics, Social Studies, Physical Education etc.)
2. Optional Courses: Sometimes may be called an elective. This is a course that students may choose based on interests, abilities, values and career goals (arts, languages, music, performing arts, industrial arts, information and communication technology...). Some courses are full credit while others are half credit. Students and parents are encouraged to discuss credit requirements with their school counsellors or teachers.
By Grade 12: 17 'Compulsory Courses' must be taken and 13 courses must be completed that are considered as 'Optional' making a total of 30 credits.
*Grade 9 students are required to take 5 compulsory courses and a minimum of 3 optional courses.
The five Grade 9 'compulsory courses' are as follows. ELA: 10F, Math: 10F, Science: 10F, Social Studies: 10F, and Physical Education: 10F
COURSE NUMBERS
Each course has a description and is assigned a 3-digit alpha-numeric code (e.g. English 10F, Mathematics 20S).
FIRST CHARACTER (1,2,3,4) | SECOND CHARACTER (0,5,1) |
1: Courses developed for Grade 9 | 0: Developed by Manitoba Education for 1 credit |
THIRD CHARACTER (F,G,S,E,M) | |
F: Foundation | Courses which are broadly based and appropriate for all students and which may lead to further studies beyond Grade 12. |
G: General | Courses which provide a general educational experience or courses that are developed by the school or division (SICs) |
S: Specialized | Educational experiences in specialized areas leading to further studies beyond the Senior Years. |
E: EAL | Educational experiences designed to focus on English as an Additional Language (EAL) learning goals in the context of the subject, based on the student’s assessed level of EAL proficiency, and to assist the student in making the transition into regular Senior years programming in this content area. |
M: Modified | Courses whose curriculum outcomes have been modified more than 50% to take into consideration the learning requirements of students. An individualized education plan (IEP) is required for each student. |
If you have any questions, please give us a call. We are happy to speak with you.