UPPER CANADA DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD

What You Need To Graduate

The requirements to earn an Ontario Secondary School Diploma depend on when you started Grade 9.

a) A maximum of 3 credits in ESL/ELD can count towards the 4 compulsory English; the fourth must be a Grade 12 compulsory English course. 
a) Grade 11 English: Understanding Contemporary FNMI Voices course can meet the Grade 11 English requirement. 
b) Grade 9 Expressions of FNMI Cultures course can meet the credit requirement in the arts. 
c) A maximum of 2 FSL credits or 2 coop credits can count towards Groups 1, 2, and 3.

All of this information can be found on the Ministry of Education website.

Download the printable version of the OSSD Requirements.

Literacy Graduation Requirement

Students must meet the literacy graduation requirement to earn their high school diploma. For most students, this will happen when they take the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) in their Grade 10 year.  However, students who are unsuccessful may have the option to take the OSSLT again or may need to take the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course (OSSLC) instead. More information can be found on the OSSLT website.

Mandatory Community Involvement

In Ontario, all secondary students are required to complete 40 hours of community involvement in order to graduate and earn their Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD). 

General Guidelines

• Students cannot be paid for their time.
• These activities must take place outside of class time (i.e. lunch hour, before/after school and weekends).
• It must not be part of a credit course including work experiences related to credits (i.e. co-op, job shadowing, work experience).
• All 40 hours must be completed by the end of Grade 12. 
• Grade 8 students may collect hours in the summer that spans Grade 8 and Grade 9.

Getting Started

1. Plan an activity in consultation with your parent(s)/guardian(s). The activity should involve service to others and should be on the Board's list of eligible activities (see list below). If the planned activity is not covered by the list of eligible activities, you must confirm eligibility with your school's Guidance staff or principal before proceeding. 
2. Confirm the details of the activity with your chosen community sponsor.
3. Track your hours and give all required details of the volunteering activity on the Community Involvement Form. Once the activity is complete, submit the form to your Guidance office for report card entry.
4. Repeat steps 1-3 until you have the forty hours required for your diploma. Consider going beyond the forty hour requirement, as extra volunteer hours can strengthen applications for scholarships, jobs, post-secondary programs, and future opportunities.

Contact your Guidance team with additional questions about community involvement.