Extra / Special Credits

External Courses: An external course is an organized set of learning activities developed and/or offered outside the B.C. school system that has been Ministry-authorized and set out in the Graduation Requirement’s Order. Courses such as Royal Conservatory of Music, Royal Academy of Dancing, Air Cadets, Scouts, boating and students who are fitness leaders, high proficiency athletes, coaches, or officials can get credits for graduation. Ask your counsellor if you think you might be eligible for credit. Proper credentials are required to receive credit. Schools determine whether to give a mark or a TS (Transfer Standing). 

Challenge: Challenge is a means of awarding graduation credit for undocumented demonstrated prior learning. Students are entitled to use challenge to receive credit for Ministry-Developed or Board /Authority Authorized Grade 10, 11 or 12 courses. A student can sign up to write a language challenge exam in Korean, Mandarin, Spanish, German, French, Punjabi, Japanese 11 or 12 in October if they demonstrate prior learning. See your counsellor for more information. 

Equivalency: Courses taught outside the BC school system that substantially match the learning outcomes of Ministry-developed Grade 10, 11 or 12 courses are eligible for credit through equivalency. For example, a student who completes a course in Alberta may receive credit for a comparable course in B.C. through equivalency. If a student has completed education in an international education jurisdiction during the last year of elementary or at the junior secondary level, and the language of instruction is one in which B.C. has a Ministry-Developed language course, the student can receive credits for an equivalent language course at the Grade 10, 11 or 12 level. For example, a student completing Grade 7, 8 and 9 in Costa Rica with instruction in Spanish could receive credit for Spanish 10, 11 and 12.