All You Need to Know about Grade 9 Course Selection!!! Reading Course Codes & Course Types
INTRO
Grade 9 selection. This word triggers multiple feelings as well as memories for different people. Some may see this time as reminiscing and nostalgic, while others may absolutely despise this memory. If you are about to select your courses for Grade 9 in high school, you will probably become one of those people.
Definition, credits distribution, & graduation requirements
First, let’s start off with the basics. What is grade 9 course selection? In many places, grade 9 is the start of high school, and believe it or not: you get to select many of your courses for high school! Most people select their courses before grade 9, and sometimes during grade 8. here are specific programs for some high schools, too, which have compulsory courses, such as International Baccalaureate (more widely known as “IB”) and Advanced Placement (also known as AP). Each of these types of courses typically offer a specific amount of credits, which are needed for high school graduation. Although variable in different schools and school systems, many schools request 30 credits, 40 hours of community volunteering, and completion and a pass of a test (e.g. LOTE, Regents, OSSLT, etc.).
For Grade 9, students need to earn 8 credits from completing the mandatory courses, or compulsory course, and electives. Compulsory courses are the courses that you must take. The compulsory courses typically include: English, Math, French (in Canada), the Sciences (e.g. biology, chemistry, physics), Geography, and the arts (music, drama, visual art). The only elective include: one course chosen from a variety of courses (it differs from each school).
Course codes and reading them
There can be many courses you can choose from (although it varies). So when you are choosing classes, one of the unavoidable technique you should know is how to read a course code. Courses codes are the combinations of letters and numbers that express specific courses. The first three letter of a course code represent the subject. The first letter defines the department area:
A for arts
B for business
C for Canadian and World Studies
E for English
F for French
G for Guidance and Career Education
H for Humanities and Social Science
L for International Languages
M for Mathematics
P for Physical Education
S for Science
T for Technology
The fourth digit of the course code is a number. It reflects the grade. For example, 1 represents the first grade in high school, which is Grade 9.
1 for Grade 9
2 for Grade 10
3 for Grade 11
4 for Grade 12
The next digit, the fifth digit is a letter. This letter stands for the course type. For Grade 9, there are four types of courses. They are academic, applied, locally developed, and open.
The last digit distinguishes the course program. “1” is for “regular school course”; "2" is for "beginner or introductory course". When reading a course code, we usually only read the first five digits.
IMPORTANT: As we know, the fifth digit in the course code suggests the course types (academic, applied, locally developed, and open). You can get the same credits by having any of these courses. But if you choose them wrong, you might need to ask school counsellors and guidances to rechoose courses.
Course types & selecting
Course types: academic (D), applied (P), Locally developed (L), and open (O). (The letter in brackets is the fifth digit. )
Excluding open courses (O), the other three courses are arranged into three different stages for different education goals. For example, there are three choices for Grade 9 English class: ENG1D, ENG1P and ENG1L. From the perspective of difficulty, the courses of D, P, L are ranged from difficult to easy. To many, Academic courses (D) are the hardest courses out of the 4 courses. To choose academic courses, students should have the strong abilities to study in class and self-study at home. Academic courses are the deep learning courses that prepare students for higher education such as university. If you choose the academic courses in Grade 9 and 10, you will be able to choose either university (U) or university/college (M); if you graduate high school with these courses, then you are able to apply for college / university. Applied courses (P) are courses which are not as hard (as academic ones) to many, and they flow slower than academic courses too. Applied courses tend to have more hand-on activities. If you are new to Canada, your teacher might recommend the applied courses. Applied courses are the courses that prepare students for entering a university or college, and learn the key points of knowledge. If you choose applied courses as a Grade 9 course, to choose the courses in a harder level (e.g. academic courses) you'll have to earn additional studying hours (e.g. summer school, night school). Locally developed courses (L) are courses that are generally restricted to people with specific knowledge or interests (such as: English as a Second Language, also known as ESL). It prepares students to enter the technical field after high school, and provides basic learning courses. Finally, open courses (O) are courses with no difficulty level requirements for students.
Course selection for grade 9 is relatively easy, as long as you understand the types of courses and get credits successfully, this will not only lay the foundation for graduation, but also allow you to choose courses for grade 10 or change courses more freely.
Types of programs
There are many types of programs, too. Some may include: AP - Advanced Placement, ARTS - Arts Program of Choice, BSY - Balanced School Year (School begins in early August), DC - Dual Credit, EOP - Exploring Opportunities, ES - Early Start (School begins in last week of August), FI - French Immersion Program, GP - Gifted Program, HPA - High Performance Athlete, IB - International Baccalaureate Diploma Program, QP - Quadmester Programs, and SHSM - Specialist High Skills Major.
Let’s wrap things up. Grade 9 usually has a wide variety of courses to select from, which are categorized into academic, applied, locally developed, and open (sometimes essential courses are available in some places, too), sometimes courses are also mandatory for some programs. It’s vital to know how to identify a course by its code. Good luck with your course selecting!
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