BC MINISTRY OF EDUCATION GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

The BC Ministry of Education Program from Grades 7 through 12 can be considered in two categories:

• Grade 7, 8, and 9: general BC Ministry of Education Program

• Grade 10, 11, and 12: BC Ministry of Education Graduation Program

The Grade 10-12 BC Ministry of Education Graduation Program defines specific requirements for a BC High School Graduate, and it is important that students adhere to these requirements in order to achieve graduation. It is also important that students attend to post-secondary prerequisites (which can vary from institution to institution and program to program).

All senior school students and parents / guardians of students entering the graduation program should familiarize themselves with the BC Ministry of Education Graduation Planner. This Planner is updated yearly by the Ministry of Education and is a helpful guide for all students in the graduation program. Please seek the Ministry website for the more recent version.

Bc Ministry Required Courses

Of the 80 credits for graduation:

Elective Courses

• At least 4 credits must have an Indigenous-focus

• At least 16 must be at the Grade 12 level, including a Grade 12 Language Arts course (as well as Career Life Connections).

Provincial Assessments

BC’s Privincial Assessments occur in Grades 4, 7, 10, and 12, and provide a snapshot of student learning in key areas over time.

FOUNDATION SKILLS ASSESSMENT (FSA)

The Foundation Skills Assessment (FSA) is an annual assessment for Grades 4 and 7. It is a set of interactive excercises designed by teachers and education experts that reliably indicates how a student is doing in literacy (understanding and communicating with language) and numeracy (understanding and working with numbers).

Graduation Assessments

The BC Curriculum requires students to complete three assessments in order to graduate. These assessments focus on the demonstration and application of numeracy and literacy.

• Grade 10 Numeracy: assesses student proficiency in numeracy, and focuses on the application of mathematical concepts learned across multiple subjects from Kindergarten to Grade 10. At Brockton this usually happens in January.

• Grade 10 Literacy: assesses student proficiency in literacy. This assessment focuses on student ability to use critical thinking and analysis to make meaning from a diverse array of texts, and to communicate their ideas. At Brockton this usually happens in April/June.

• Grade 12 Literacy: assesses student proficiency in literacy. This assessment focuses on students’ ability to use critical and reflective thinking and analysis to make meaning from a diverse array of texts. It also assesses the ability of students to communicate their ideas, or those found in the texts. At Brockton this usually happens in January.

Students may write each assessment as many as three times. The assessments are graded on a 4-point scale representing four proficiency categories (emerging/developing/proficient/extending), and in the case of rewrites, a student’s Ministry transcript will show only the highest achievement.

Each university sets its own policies regarding admission, including minimum grades. Students should always seek direct clarification from their target institutions for their year of application.

MIDDLE YEARS PROGRAMME (GRADES 6-10)

The International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP) is for students aged 11-16. The MYP is a challenging framework that encourages students to make practical connections between their studies and the real world. The MYP curriculum framework comprises eight subject groups, providing a broad and balanced education for early adolescents.

The eight subject groups are: language acquisition, language and literature, individuals and societies, sciences, mathematics, arts, physical and health education, and design.

The MYP requires at least 50 hours of teaching time for each subject group in each year of the programme. In practice more time is often necessary to meet subject area aims and objectives and to provide for the sustained, concurrent teaching that enables interdisciplinary study. In years 4 and 5, students have the option to take courses from six of the eight subject groups within certain limits, to provide greater flexibility in meeting local requirements and individual student learning needs

Each year, students in the MYP also engage in at least one collaboratively planned interdisciplinary unit that involves at least two subject groups.

PERSONAL PROJECT (MYP)

The Personal Project is the culminating activity of the Middle Years Programme. It is an opportunity for students to showcase their MYP approaches to learning skills, learner profile attributes, and agency through a product of the student’s own initiative. Students decide what they want to learn about, identify what they already know, discover what they will need to know to complete the project, and create a proposal or criteria for completing it.

Each student works with an assigned supervisor and has a wonderful opportunity to develop a personal relationship with their mentor. The students showcase their learning process and products to the school community in the spring. This project can be used to meet the BC Ministry Capstone Project requirements.

IB DIPLOMA PROGRAMME (GRADES 11 & 12)

The International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme (DP) curriculum sets out the requirements for study of the DP. The curriculum is made up of the DP core courses and six subject groups.

The six subject groups are: language acquisition, language and literature, individuals and societies, sciences, mathematics, and arts. There are different subjects within each subject group. Students may opt to study an additional science, individuals and societies, or language course, instead of a course in the arts.

Dp Core Courses

Made up of the three required components, the DP core aims to broaden students’ educational experience and challenge them to apply their knowledge and skills.

The three core elements are:

• Theory of Knowledge (TOK), in which students reflect on the nature of knowledge and on how we know what we claim to know.

• The Extended Essay, which is an independent, self-directed piece of research, finishing with a 4,000-word paper.

• Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS), in which students complete a project related to those three concepts.

Standard And Higher Level Subjects

The DP offers courses at two levels: standard level (SL), and higher level (HL). HL and SL courses differ in scope but are measured according to the same grade descriptors. The difference is that in higher level courses, students are expected to demonstrate a greater body of knowledge, understanding and skills.

Students will take some subjects at higher level and some at standard level. Each student takes three or four subjects at higher level, and the remaining at standard level. Standard level subjects take up 150 teaching hours. Higher level comprises 240 teaching hours.

IB CAREER-RELATED PROGRAMME (GRADES 11 & 12)

The International Baccalaureate (IB) Career-related Programme (CP) curriculum sets out the requirements for study of the IBCP. The curriculum is made up of the CP core courses, a Career-related Study (CRS), and a minimum of two DP courses.

Cp Core Courses

The four core elements of the IBCP are: personal and professional skills; language development; service learning; and the reflective project.

• Personal & Professional Skills, in which students develop attitudes, skills and strategies to be applied to personal and professional contexts.

• Language Development, in which students improve their proficiency in a non-native language, to assist and further their understanding of the wider world.

• Service Learning, in which students apply their knowledge and skills to an authentic community service initiative.

• Reflective Project, in which students identify, analyze, critically discuss, and evaluate an ethical issue arising from their career-related study.

CAREER-RELATED STUDY (CRS)

Besides the required core components, students will take a Career-related Study (CRS). The CRS is designed to prepare students for higher education, an internship or apprenticeship, or a position in a designated field of interest. It provides the opportunity for students to learn about theories and concepts through application and practice while developing broad-based skills in authentic and meaningful contexts. Currently, the two CRS courses offered at Brockton are Entrepreneurship, and Environmental Science.

Important Contacts

Administration

Svetlana Catia - Principal of Senior School scatia@brocktonschool,com

IB Programme Leadership

Nichole Carrigan - Director, IB Continuum MYP Coordinator ncarrigan@brocktonschool.com

Dana MacRae - IB MYP Associate Coordinator dmacrae@brocktonschool.com

Noble Kelly - IB CP Coordinator nkelly@brocktonschool.com

Svetlana Catia - IB DP Coordinator scatia@brocktonschool.com

Shannon Leggett - IB DP Associate Coordinator sleggett@brocktonschool.com

Student Services

Jamie Morris - Director of Student Services jmorris@brocktonschool,com

Nancy L. Cromarty - Post Secondary Advisor (Acting) ncromarty@brocktonschool.com

Departmental Leadership

Gayethree Bojnauth - Department Chair, Science gbojnauth@brocktonschool.com

Svetlana Catia - Department Chair, Mathematics scatia@brocktonschool.com

Matt Dochniak - Athletic Director mdochniak@brocktonschool.com

Mr. Adrian Dyck - Department Chair, Creative Arts adyck@brocktonschool.com

Ms. Darhen Sing - Department Chair, Humanities dsing@brocktonschool.com

Dr. Natalia Trotman - Department Chair, Language Acquisition ntrotman@brocktonschool.com