Electives

To meet the new credit requirements for graduation, students are required to take nine elective courses at the Secondary Level. These courses include at least six courses at Grade 11 or 12.

Note:

• To fulfil elective credit requirements, students may choose courses from the Required Areas of Study, the Practical and Applied Arts, language courses, and locally-developed courses. In addition, students may acquire one credit for an out-of-school personal learning initiative (see Special Project Credit).

• Students entering Grade 10 must be counselled to enrol in elective courses at appropriate grade levels to fulfil the credits required in the new credit policy. This credit requirement change came into effect for students graduating in the year 2000.

Special Project Credit

To meet the new credit requirements for graduation, Saskatchewan Education will recognize one Special Project Credit per student for out-of-school initiatives, on the basis of work proposed and completed by an individual student. The Special Project Credit shall be named Special Project 10, Special Project 20, or Special Project 30 and may be used to fulfill an elective requirement for graduation. Students must complete the credit during grades 10-12, but may claim it at any grade level.

Granting of credit for approved out-of-school initiatives recognizes student achievement in areas outside of the regular Secondary Level program. It encourages students to become involved in the selection, planning, and organization of their own programs.

While students may use programs currently in place (e.g., Cadet Training) to develop their personal learning proposal, it is recommended that the proposal be developed to meet the needs and interests of the individual student.

• The project proposal must be in place and approved prior to the student beginning the project.
• Each project shall be carried out under the supervision of a teacher.
• The content of the Special Project need not be related to a specific school subject. If a Special Project is related to a specific school subject, the content of the project shall be distinct from and in addition to regular course requirements.
• A Special Project may be used once as an elective to meet the 24 credit requirement at the Secondary Level.
• School divisions and institutions offering the option of a Special Project shall develop a policy for the administration of Special Projects, which includes: project development, evaluation, and reporting procedures.
• When a project takes a student off campus, the provisions of the Work Experience Education Guidelines (to be revised as Career and Work Exploration, available fall 2001) for coordinating and monitoring shall apply, as appropriate.
• Student activities that would be considered a normal part of extra curricula or co-curricular activities generally offered by a school may not be given Special Project Credit recognition (e.g., school team sports, school newspaper, yearbook, student representative positions).
• The Special Project Credit supersedes the Department’s policy of awarding credits for Cadet Training effective September 1997.
• Students will continue to be eligible for up to three credits, based on the current criteria, for completion of external music programs such as the Royal Conservatory of Music or Western Board of Music. To receive such recognition, students are required to submit their documentation directly to the Registrar’s Office of the department (this change in procedure became effective September 1, 1997). The first external music credit will be applied to the Special Project Credit option.

• School divisions offering the option of a Special Project credit shall develop a policy for the administration of Special Projects, and shall submit the policy to the Regional Director.
• Students are required to submit a clearly planned proposal to the principal for approval. The proposal shall include:
• a description or outline of the project
• the number of hours of work expected to complete the project (minimum 100 hours)
• a method by which the project will be carried out
• a description of the expected result
• the evaluation procedures jointly developed by the student and supervising teacher
• the expected completion date
• the name of the supervising teacher.

• Students who successfully complete projects will be granted one credit for a minimum of 100 hours of work on the approval of the principal. The registration and mark shall be submitted to Saskatchewan Education in the same manner as for other courses of study.
• The school division shall retain a copy of each Special Project proposal on file for a minimum of two years.

Course Challenge Process

This policy recognizes that some students are able to demonstrate a high level of achievement of the learning objectives of a particular course without spending the required hours enrolled in the course. The intention is to allow students to challenge a course and to demonstrate the course requirements through a rigorous and comprehensive challenge process, in order to move on to further learning. To accommodate this, Saskatchewan Education has developed a process for challenging courses for credit. Using this process, a maximum of two course challenge credits may be attained at the 10 or 20 level.

• To challenge a course, the student must be enrolled in the school division.
• School divisions shall develop a policy for the administration of the course challenge process that is consistent with the procedures outlined by the Department and submit the policy to the Regional Director of Education.
• The school will administer the course challenge process within provincial guidelines and school division policy.
• Provincially-developed courses may be challenged at the 10 or 20 level.
• A teacher who has previously taught the course at least twice is qualified to administer the course challenge process.
• The course challenge process should include a variety of assessment techniques that measure the level of student attainment of course objectives.
• The student must attain a minimum of 80% through the course challenge process in order to be granted credit. The percentage mark attained will be recorded on the student's transcript.
• Students who are not successful in the course challenge process shall not be allowed to challenge the same course a second time. In order to receive credit for the course, these students will be required to register in and successfully complete that course.

• The school division will determine which courses at the 10 or 20 level may be challenged in their schools. This decision will be based upon whether teachers have taught a particular course at least twice. Within a school division, a teacher at a neighbouring school may administer the challenge process for a course where a particular school does not have a teacher who has taught the course at least twice.
• The school division will develop an Intent to Challenge form. See Sample Intent to Challenge Course form in Course Challenge Process: Policy and Procedures (October 1998).
• Assessment strategies for a challenge process shall be developed by the course instructor based upon course requirements and upon current classroom assessment techniques. Course objectives will be listed with the assessment strategies and shall be available to attach to the Intent to Challenge Course form. It is anticipated that teachers of a particular course will meet at the beginning of the school year to share assessment strategies and develop a challenge process. Each course challenge process should be reviewed annually by the respective teachers of the particular course.
• It is a local decision to determine appropriate times when courses may be challenged.
• Schools shall establish procedures to communicate to parents and students the availability, procedures, objectives, and assessment strategies for course challenges.
• To challenge a course, the student must make a formal request to the principal and then submit the completed Intent to Challenge Course form to the school.
• Students shall take the responsibility for providing evidence of readiness to challenge a course (e.g., a high mark in a prerequisite course, selections from a portfolio or other collection, recommendation from a previous teacher, documentation of work or other experience, etc.).
• The decision to proceed with a course challenge process, by evaluating the Intent to Challenge Course form, will be determined at the local level by a team of at least two individuals (to include the principal and the teacher who will administer the challenge process). Arrival at this decision shall include discussion of the student's chance of successfully meeting the exemplary level in the course challenge and, subsequently, the student's capacity to complete the course successfully at the next level.
• If the "Intent to Challenge" is refused, the student is required to register in and successfully complete that course in order to receive credit for the course.
• Students will be notified by the school principal of the approval or refusal of their "Intent to Challenge" within two weeks. Refusals will be documented according to criteria. Approvals will state a date for completion of the challenge process.
• Students who successfully complete the challenge process will be granted one credit for the course. The mark shall be submitted to Saskatchewan Education.

French Immersion and Fransaskois Program Requirements

The following chart outlines the credit policy for French Immersion and Fransaskois programs.

To meet the requirements for bilingual mention on the transcript of Secondary Level achievement, students are required to complete a minimum of 12 credits taken in French in addition to meeting the English program requirements with the exception of the English language arts area. A minimum of 4 credits taken in French is required for grade 10, 8 credits for grade 11, and 12 credits for grade 12.

The 12 courses necessary for bilingual mention must include 3 French language arts courses (Français immersion 10, 20, 30). The other 9 credits can be obtained from courses in the remaining areas of study or electives that are taught in French.

All subjects other than English language arts are normally taught in French.

This credit requirement change came into effect for students graduating in the year 2000.

To meet the new credit requirements for graduation, students are required to take three compulsory English language arts courses at the Secondary Level. These compulsory courses include three courses in a Grade 10, 11 and 12 sequence.

• The A10 and B10 courses were available for implementation in the 1997-98 school year.
• The compulsory 20 level course was available for implementation in the 1998-99 school year.
• The new A30 and B30 courses were available for implementation in the 1999-2000 school year.
• It is recognized that due to the three-year implementation phase of the new courses, some students may graduate with a combination of old and new courses fulfilling the compulsory credit requirements.

To meet the new credit requirements for graduation, students are required to take three compulsory French language arts courses at the Secondary Level. These compulsory courses include one course at each grade level.

• Français immersion intégré A20 and B20 can be taken during Grade 11 or 12.
• Français immersion 10 is a prerequisite for Français immersion intégré A20 and B20.

• Français Immersion 10 and 20 were available for implementation in 1997-98.
• Français Immersion 30 and Français immersion intégré A20 and B20 were available for implementation in the 1998-99 school year.

To meet the new credit requirements for graduation, students are required to take five compulsory French language arts courses at the Secondary Level. These language-based compulsory courses include two courses at Grade 10, one course at Grade 11, and two courses at Grade 12.

• B30 can be taken during Grade 11 or 12.

• The A10 and B10 courses were available for implementation in 1997-98.
• The compulsory A20 and B30 courses were available for implementation in 1998-99.
• The compulsory A30 course was available for implementation in 1999-2000.
• It is recognized that due to the three-year implementation phase of the new courses, some students may graduate with a combination of old and new courses fulfilling the compulsory credit requirements.

To meet the new credit requirements for graduation, students are required to take two compulsory mathematics courses at the Secondary Level. These compulsory courses will include one course at Grade 10 and one at Grade 11 (see Requirements for Bilingual Mention – French Immersion Programs, page 22).

• There are five courses in the mathematics program: 10, 20, A30, B30, C30. These courses are a prerequisite series and are meant to be taken sequentially.
• Mathématiques B30 and C30 may be taken concurrently.

• The new Mathématiques 10 and 20 courses became available for implementation in the 1995-96 school year.

To meet the new credit requirements for graduation, students are required to take two compulsory science courses at the Secondary Level. These compulsory courses include one course at Grade 10 and one course at Grade 11 or 12 (see Requirements for Bilingual Mention – French Immersion Programs, page 22).

Science Courses
Grade 10	Grade 11 or 12
Sciences 10	Biologie 20 or 30 or Physique 20 or 30 or Chimie 20

Notes:

• Sciences 10 is the foundation prerequisite course.
• Biologie 20 is not a prerequisite for Biologie 30
• Physique 20 or Algèbre 20 (available until June, 1998) or Mathématiques A30 is a prerequisite for Physique 30.
• Chimie 20 is a prerequisite for Chimie 30.

To meet the new credit requirements for graduation, students are required to take three compulsory social science courses at the Secondary Level (see Requirements for Bilingual Mention – French Immersion Programs, page 22).

Social Science Courses
Grade 10	Grade 11	Grade 12
Histoire 10		Sciences sociales immersion 30
	One additional required credit

• Histoire 10 implementation is completed.
• Sciences sociales immersion 30 was available for implementation in 1997-98.

To meet the new credit requirements for graduation, students are required to take three compulsory social science courses at the Secondary Level.

To meet the new credit requirements for graduation, students are required to take one compulsory health education or physical education course at the Secondary Level (see Requirements for Bilingual Mention – French Immersion Programs and Fransaskois Programs, page 22).

Compulsory Health Education/Physical Education Course
Grade 10	Grade 11	Grade 12
Mieux-être 10 or Éducation physique 20 or Éducation physique 30

• No prerequisites are required for Mieux-être 10 or Éducation physique 20 or Éducation physique 30.
• Mieux-être 10 course implementation was completed in 1995-96.
• Éducation physique 20 and 30 courses were available in 1996-97.

To meet the new credit requirements for graduation, students are required to take two compulsory courses from the areas of Arts Education and/or Practical and Applied Arts. These compulsory courses can be taken at Grades 10, 11, or 12 from either or both areas (see Requirements for Bilingual Mention – French Immersion Programs, page 22).

• This chart reflects the course re-numbering that became effective September 1996. All courses are numbered 10, 20, 30 except for modified (11, 21, 31 and 10A, 20A, 30A) and alternative education (18, 28, 38) courses.
• Students may choose to fulfil the two compulsory credits by taking two Arts Education courses or two Practical and Applied Arts courses or by taking one Arts Education course and one Practical and Applied Arts course.
• Immersion students have the option of selecting from the regular list as well (see page 11).

• Students entering Grade 10 must be counselled to enrol in courses from Arts Education or Practical and Applied Arts or both to fulfil the two compulsory credits required in the new credit policy. This credit requirement change came into effect for students graduating in the year 2000.

To meet the new credit requirements for graduation, students are required to take eight elective courses at the Secondary Level. These courses include at least six courses at Grade 11 or 12 (see Requirements for Bilingual Mention – French Immersion Programs, page 22).

To meet the new credit requirements for graduation, students are required to take six elective courses at the Secondary Level. These courses include at least four courses at Grade 11 or 12 (see Fransaskios Programs, page 22).

To meet the new credit requirements for graduation, students may use Éducation chrétienne courses to fulfil the compulsory two credit requirement in the Arts Education/Practical and Applied Arts areas of study.