Diploma Requirements

Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) Requirements

• 30 credits (18 compulsory and 12 optional) - Adult 21+ students can apply for PLAR when they are in Grade 11 English

• Successful completion of Literacy requirement - for Adult 21+ students who did not complete the OSSLT, this requirement is met through earning OLC4O1

• 40 hours of community involvement - Adult 21+ students have the community hours requirement waived if not already completed

Compulsory Credits (Total of 18)

• 4 credits in English (1 credit per grade)

  1. 1. The Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course (OSSLC) may be used to meet either the Grade 11 or the Grade 12 English compulsory credit requirement.

     2. The Grade 11 Contemporary Aboriginal Voices course may be used to meet the Grade 11 English compulsory credit requirement.

     3. For English language learners, the requirement may be met through earning a maximum of 3 credits in English as a second language (ESL) or English literacy development (ELD); the fourth credit must be a Grade 12 compulsory English course.

• 3 credits in mathematics (at least 1 credit in Grade 11 or 12)

• 2 credits in science

• 1 credit in the arts (the Grade 9 Expressing Aboriginal Cultures course may be used to meet the compulsory credit requirement in the arts.)

• 1 credit in Canadian geography (Grade 9)

• 1 credit in Canadian history (Grade 10)

• 1 credit in French as a second language (Students who have taken Native languages in place of French as a second language in elementary school may use a Level 1 or 2 Native language course to meet the compulsory credit requirement for French as a second language.)

• 1 credit in health and physical education

• 0.5 credit in career studies

• 0.5 credit in civics

• 3 additional credits, consisting of 1 credit from each of the following groups:

Group 1:

English (including the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course), French as a second language, classical languages, international languages, Native languages, Canadian and world studies, Native studies, social sciences and humanities, guidance and career education, cooperative education

Group 2:

French as a second language, the arts, business studies, health and physical education, cooperative education

Group 3:

French as a second language, science (Grade 11 or 12), computer studies, technological education, cooperative education

Note:

The following conditions apply to selections from the above three groups:

• A maximum of 2 credits in French as a second language may count as additional compulsory credits, 1 credit from Group 1, and 1 credit from either Group 2 or Group 3.

• A maximum of 2 credits in cooperative education may count as additional compulsory credits, selected from any of Groups 1, 2, or 3.

Ontario Secondary Literacy Requirement

Students must write the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT), which is created and marked by the Ministry of Education. Students who write the OSSLT and who have been unsuccessful at least once are eligible to take the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course (OLC4O).

Community Involvement

• Students are required to complete a minimum of 40 hours of mandatory Community Involvement prior to graduation. 

Adapted from: https://www.tdsb.on.ca/High-School/GradesExamsDiplomas/Getting-your-Diploma