Credit Opportunities and Programs

Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP)

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Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM)

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School Renewal Investment Report 2024-25

Specialized Programs

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Credit Recovery

Our provincially-recognized Credit Recovery program is an in-school program for students who have not successfully completed some of their courses. In a Credit Recovery classroom, students work on recovering previously failed courses and have the opportunity to get their credit accumulation back on track.

Credit Recovery offers students a supportive environment that focuses on the key expectations of a course and also assists students with pathway planning and developing improved learning skills that will help them in earning their Ontario Secondary School Diploma.

DELF

The DELF (diplôme d’études en langue française, or French language studies diploma) is an internationally-recognized certification of proficiency in French for non-francophones. DELF exams take place in 175 countries worldwide. There are six separate diplomas possible, based on the six levels of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR): A1 and A2 (basic user), B1 and B2 (independent user), and C1 and C2 (proficient user).

In Ontario, Grade 12 Core, Extended, and Immersion FSL (French as a Second Language) students have the opportunity to challenge one of the following three exams, under the guidance of their French teacher: A2, B1, or B2. French language skills are evaluated in the four areas of oral comprehension, oral expression, written comprehension, and written expression. Obtaining DELF certification not only opens doors to post-secondary and employment opportunities, it also serves as an official, internationally-recognized testament to a student’s language learning journey and accomplishments. Grand Erie encourages its students in all FSL pathways to challenge the DELF in their Grade 12 year.

Dual Credits

Grand Erie District School Board has partnered with Conestoga College, Fanshawe College and Mohawk College to allow students to earn college credits before they graduate secondary school. These credits are delivered in three different ways within the Board:

School Within a College (SWAC)

Offered by Conestoga in Brantford and Fanshawe in Simcoe. If you are between the ages of 17 and 20 years old and need 5 – 10 credits to graduate, speak to your guidance counsellor about this program.

Team Taught

Taught in combination with a college instructor and secondary school teacher during a student’s regularly scheduled class.

eLearning

Grand Erie offers access to a variety of courses (9-12) through eLearning, which features entirely online learning through the Brightspace platform. The teacher may be from a school in Grand Erie District School Board or from another school board in Ontario. In eLearning courses, students will not have an assigned classroom or live taught lessons at a specific time in the day, but will instead navigate the learning and assignments on their own asynchronously with the digital support of their teacher.

Students enrolled in eLearning courses are required to attend and engage in their eLearning courses regularly and consistently, just as they do for face-to-face classes. Grand Erie students will have access to a device within their home school during their eLearning period so that they can work on their course during the regular school day. eLearning courses can be selected during the course selection process on myBlueprint or through home school guidance councillors.

Grand Erie Learning Alternatives (GELA)

gela logo

GELA provides an alternate opportunity for secondary school students who, for various reasons, are not experiencing success in a regular school setting or who want to re-enter school after leaving.

Scheduled day programs, booklet and e-Learning are available.

For more information, contact your school’s Guidance Counsellor.

Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR)

PLAR is the formal evaluation and credit-granting process whereby students may obtain credits for prior learning. Prior learning includes the knowledge and skills that students have acquired, in both formal and informal ways, outside secondary school. Students may have their knowledge and skills evaluated against the expectations outlined in provincial curriculum policy documents in order to earn credits toward the secondary school diploma. The PLAR process involves two components: “equivalency” and “challenge”.

Night School

Night school classes are offered in Brantford, Haldimand and Norfolk. They are offered Tuesday and Thursday evenings. A wide variety of compulsory courses are offered.

For additional information call Grand Erie Learning Alternatives (GELA) at 519-753-6079.

Summer School

Grand Erie District School Board will be offering summer school for grades 9 - 12 credits during the month of July. Locations will be sent to each school in the spring.

For additional information call 519-753-6079.

Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC)

SEAC is an advisory committee mandated through the Education Act as a standing committee of each school Board. The committee reports to the school Board and makes recommendations to the board on special education programs and services. The committee is comprised of Trustees, Board personnel, community members, and associations representing a wide variety of interests related to students with exceptional needs.

Special Education (Specialized Services)

Grand Erie District School Board special education programs and services are delivered in safe and enabling environments in order to promote success for students with special education needs. An enabling environment is positive, inclusive and fosters student independence and well-being.

Each one of Grand Erie’s Secondary schools has a Special Education department with Learning Resource teachers that can support the development and implementation of Individual Education Plans. Some of our schools have Self-Contained programs to support the learning needs of individual students for which the most enabling environment for them to meet their program goals is in a smaller class setting with higher staff to student ratio. In addition, system Student Support Services are available to support students and programming in the areas of Speech and Language Services, Psychological Services, Social Services and Behavioural Services. 