All high schools have their course selection open to Grade 8 students starting in January. Generally, schools open course selection at the beginning of the month and close it on January 31. 

Identifying a week (or two) for the course selection window at your school will help streamline your process and allow you time as the elementary counselor to review course selections and make any adjustments as per conversations with parents/caregivers, etc.

Partner schools have different relationships and modes of doing things. Please note that the guidance department at your partner high school(s) is available to you and your team to support with any questions around course selection. 

Yes. All schools in UGDSB use myBlueprint to support course selection for students. 

*If you have a student who is planning to attend a school outside of UGDSB, they/their families are encouraged to connect with the associated school board to better understand what course selection will look like for them and what transition support offerings and opportunities are available to them. 

These slides were created to support students and families with submitting their course selection. School teams can revise them and share with their students and families accordingly. 

We want to invite parents/caregivers into the process as much as possible - especially in grade 8 when students are experiencing this for the first time. 

When a student is submitting their courses, they will be prompted to send an email to their parent/guardian. The parent/guardian can then review the selections and click 'approve' on their end. The approval will show up in the student's myBlueprint account.

Two things to note:

• If, for unforeseen circumstances, a parent/guardian is unable to approve the selections in time, it will not disrupt the course selection from moving forward to the high schools.

• Students might have a family dynamic where parents/guardians are in different households. Although both parents/guardians can be notified (via separate emails) only the first parent approval will come through.  

A few resources are available to you to support your work with myBP at any time:

• The myBlueprint page of this website

• myBlueprint.ca Support Page

For some schools, especially those in Guelph or those who have students thinking about programming options like French Immersion, students in the same class will have different options for their destination school. This document was created to help schools prepare themselves to support classrooms where students will be going to different schools. 

It is important for students to be aware of when their options exist and any limitations (transportation) associated with their options when applicable. A good place to start, beyond knowing the different options at schools in your area, is the SCHOOL ASSIGNMENT LOOKUP tool on the UGDSB website. *Please note: the OOA/OOD policy was recently revised 

Share the following resource to support their thinking/understanding:

• Questions for caregivers to support conversations with their students

*Secondary schools are the best points of contact for the most up to date information related to their course selections and options. Please reach out to the high schools as needed with any questions that can help you with your work.

First, consider why you might be inclined to make a recommendation for a student toward a certain course type. Refer to this document to support your consideration.

The majority of students are best placed in destreamed/single streamed programming for grade 9, where educators are working hard to implement strong instructional practices rooted in Universal Design for Learning, Differentiated Instruction, and Culturally Relevant and Responsive Pedagogy. This will allow them an additional year of skill development and understanding of self before selecting courses in grade 10 that may impact their eligibility for different initial postsecondary options.

Our role as educators and guidance supports is to assist students and their caregivers with making informed decisions, not to steer them in any particular way, as the decisions made impact the student in their future options and opportunities.

Instead of recommending:

• Provide students with all the information needed to make decisions about course selection - including the connection between courses and their future pathways goals

• Encourage students to have conversations with their caregivers about their interests, skills, strengths, and goals to help them identify the courses that are best suited to them

• Support students and families with understanding that current marks are not necessarily a reliable indicator of future success in any subject area (although they are important to consider in terms of evidence of learning and their impact on future goals e.g. if a student wants to go to college or university, they may need a certain mark in a subject to get into the program of choice)

We know that locally developed courses MAY BE the right option for some of our students. To gather data to support your conversations, consider:

• Reviewing information found on the common transition form, and other relevant student instructional support documents in CLEVR

• Connect with the guidance and/or student success/ Spec. Ed.  at your partner high school

• Have conversations with families/students, school teams and Spec. Ed. consultants to gather more information around student interests, strengths, areas for growth, and pathway goals, etc.

Previously, our board has run summer literacy and numeracy skills programs during the summer through continuing education, as well as a credit bearing Reach Ahead credit focused on math skill development. Updates about offerings for the summer of 2026 will come in the spring. 

In the meantime, elementary schools might consider running their own after school program to support students with preparation toward a destreamed program in grade 9 through LNS funding. This document offers more information about this.

Some resources available to you and your team are:

• Guidance, Student Success, or Special Education Heads at the high schools

• The Transitions Instructional Program Lead - wilma.aalbers@ugdsb.on.ca

• Other central supports related to transitions, including Indigenous Grad and Transitions coaches, Special Education consultants and MLL Program Leads

Don't hesitate to reach out! Supporting transitions is a truly collaborative effort. 

All high schools offer different opportunities for students to learn more about them and their programming. In addition, all schools have their own website with a guidance page and many of them have created 8-9 transition specific resources. 

Once their destination is set in myBlueprint, students are able to explore the options at their intended high school via the high school planner. 

If you are looking for more opportunities for a particular school, please connect with the guidance team there. 

MLL refers to students who are multilingual learners for whom English is not their first language. The term "Multi Language Learner" (MLL) is slowly replacing ELL province wide, because it decentres English as the most important language, and values the multiple languages that students speak.

ESL and ELD are both programs that are offered to students who are MLL:  

• ELD programs are offered for students who are MLL who have had significant gaps in their education (not only English language learning needs).

• ESL programs are offered to students who are MLL and have age appropriate first-language literacy skills and education backgrounds. Therefore, their main supports around accessing regular course work in English are the development of English language skills. 

There are five ESL courses and five ELD courses. The courses are designated according to levels of proficiency in English and literacy development, not by grade. All ESL and ELD courses are open courses. Students may substitute up to three ESL or ELD courses for compulsory English credit requirements. 

*If you have an MLL student at your school - please connect with your partner high school to discuss potential supports and pathway options. In addition, ensure that the MLL tab in the common transition form has been completed to support their next steps. Refer to this document to support your process and planning.

The biggest thing for students looking to continue French Immersion programming toward their French Immersion Certificate is to understand the OSSD requirements so that they can plan course selections appropriately. To get their certificate, students need to complete 10 credits in high school where French is the language of instruction. These courses are identified with an 'F' in the 6th character (e.g. CGC1DF).

4 of the 10 credits must be FIF credits (FIF1D, 2D, 3U, and 4U) which are the French Immersion credits - French Immersion students will select this course for their Grade 9 French requirement INSTEAD of FSF1D.

When supporting students looking to pursue their French Immersion certificate, inviting them to explore all grades in the high school planner might be a helpful practice. Although the course offerings might change each year, having students develop the habit of backwards planning around their certificate will support their success. 

To graduate high school with an OSSD, students will need to complete 30 credits, 17 of which are viewed as compulsory. According to Ontario Schools: Kindergarten to Grade 12 - Policy and Program Requirements (2016) (page 69), up to 3 of these compulsory credits can be substituted if in the best interest of the student. The determination of best interest can not be made without consultation with the student and caregiver and they must be provided opportunity and information to ensure that their decision is an informed one, which includes an understanding of the connection between course selection and future pathway choices.  For these reasons, this conversation is best left with the secondary school that the student plans to attend.

The terms “exemption” and “substitution” are often used interchangeably. What many call an “exemption” is actually a substitution and is subject to all the related conditions and limits. If the secondary principal, after consultation with parents/caregivers and students, believes the substitution is in the student’s best interest, the principal can utilize one of the three opportunities to use substitutions in support of student success. 

An associated document specifically for consideration around the potential to request a substitution for core French can be found through this link. 

The conversation around the completion of the compulsory credit in Physical Education is a nuanced one. We know that students and families raise concerns for different reasons. If a student or their family approaches you with a concern, a good place to start is by asking them if they might offer additional context. 

There is on-going work currently around policies and practices related to physical education in our secondary schools. 

For now, students and families might appreciate knowing three things:

• Although students require 1 Physical Education credit to graduate, they do not have to take this credit in grade 9

• Most schools offer different gender options for students in phys. ed. for grade 9 - and families are welcome to connect with their connected secondary school to get more information on the options and what they mean

• If deemed in the best interest of the student, the same information about substitutions of compulsory credits identified in Ontario Schools: Kindergarten to Grade 12 - Policy and Program Requirements (2016) (page 69) applies

If you have a question and want to know more about work happening in UGDSB around phys. ed. - please reach out to heather.walker@ugdsb.on.ca (K-12 Program Lead for Social Sciences/Studies, Physical Education, Canada and World Studies and the Arts)

The conversation around the grade 9 core French requirement can be complex. We know that students and families raise concerns for different reasons. If a student or their family approaches you with a concern, a good place to start is by asking them if they might offer additional context. Conversations around substitution of the FSF1D credit might be prompted by concerns related to modifications to the student's current instruction in French and/or a student's expressed dislike for French or biases related to learning a second language, etc. 

This document is meant to assist staff with engaging in conversations and thinking related to how they support students and their caregivers with planning around engagement with French language learning. The document includes research based information around the benefits of French language instruction for ALL students, including students with special education needs and multilingual learners. 

The document also speaks explicitly to exemptions from core French up to and including in Grade 8. French is a required credit as part of a student's completion of their Ontario Secondary School Diploma. Although substitutions can happen in secondary school, generally they are specific to when special education needs require consideration for it. Section 3 of the document offers more information around this. 

All schools should have at least one staff member with an elementary counsellor account. ONLY counsellor accounts will be able to re-allow course submission. 

Although elementary counsellors can re-allow submissions to support changes on the elementary side, these can only be done BEFORE JANUARY 31. Although you might be able to make a change on your end after this date, it WILL NOT be reflected on the student's timetable. Changes required after January 31st should be facilitated through the Guidance department of the Secondary School the student will attend.