Grade 9

Learners who master the expectations in the subjects before the end of Grade 9 may be encouraged to begin to accumulate credit-hours. Depending on the size and offerings of the school, this may include online, face-to-face, and locally developed courses and/or micro credits.

• 45-, 90-, 135- and 180-hour requirements have been removed to allow schools to develop a more flexible Grade 9 timetable.
• For French Immersion students, 50% of the curriculum must be offered in French.
• Learning in the common Grade 9 curricula is required of all students, unless on an alternate plan.
• Grade 9 students may be accelerated to begin credit-hours, if they have demonstrated mastery of learning expectations in a particular curricular area.
• The credited English as an Additional Language (EAL) courses may also be offered to students in Grade 9.
• Students who need additional time in a particular Grade 9 curricular area may move on to acquiring credit-hours in courses for which they have completed foundational Grade 9 learning.
• Courses can be offered over a term, semester or other variation that meets the student and school’s needs.
• Courses can be combined into block formats that create a team and cross-curricular approach to learning.

• All subject area curricula require a grade.
• Grades shall be reported on final reports using the 100-point scale which aligns with the rest of high school credit-hour courses.
• Grade 9 courses will not receive credit-hours, nor will they be included on a student’s transcript.
• The skill descriptors are considered the priority learnings in each subject.

• Students can demonstrate mastery of the learning outcomes in any Grade 9 course, based on a school-decided process that recognizes experiential learning. For example, Royal Conservatory Music Programming could satisfy the requirements in the Music 9 curriculum, or competitive athletic programming at the school level could be used to meet the expectations of Physical Education 9.
• Experiential learning opportunities can be used to assign a grade to a course if identified in an alternate plan.

Students who struggle to meet the essential Grade 9 outcomes in particular courses can be offered intervention courses that will support success in Grade 10, 11 and 12 courses.