Page 11 - The Ontario Curriculum Grades 10 to 12 Computer Studies - Revised (2008)

Although courses in computer studies are optional, students should keep in mind that they can take any computer studies course in the Grade 10–12 program to fulfil the Group 3 additional compulsory credit requirement for the Ontario Secondary School Diploma.2
half-credit courses
The courses outlined in this curriculum document are designed as full-credit courses. However, with the exception of the Grade 12 university preparation course, they may also be delivered as half-credit courses.
Half-credit courses, which require a minimum of fifty-five hours of scheduled instruc- tional time, must adhere to the following conditions:
• The two half-credit courses created from a full course must together contain
all of the expectations of the full course. The expectations for each half-credit course must be drawn from all strands of the full course and must be divided in a manner that best enables students to achieve the required knowledge and skills in the allotted time.
• A course that is a prerequisite for another course in the secondary curriculum
may be offered as two half-credit courses, but students must successfully complete both parts of the course to fulfil the prerequisite. (Students are not required to complete both parts unless the course is a prerequisite for another course they wish to take.)
• The title of each half-credit course must include the designation Part 1 or Part 2. A half credit (0.5) will be recorded in the credit-value column of both the report card and the Ontario Student Transcript.
Boards will ensure that all half-credit courses comply with the conditions described above, and will report all half-credit courses to the ministry annually in the School October Report.
CURRICULUM EXPECTATIONS
The expectations identified for each course describe the knowledge and skills that stu- dents are expected to develop and demonstrate in their class work, on tests, and in vari- ous other activities on which their achievement is assessed and evaluated.
Two sets of expectations are listed for each strand, or broad curriculum area, of each course. (The strands are numbered A, B, C, and so on.)
• The overall expectations describe in general terms the knowledge and skills that students are expected to demonstrate by the end of each course.
• The specific expectations describe the expected knowledge and skills in greater detail. The specific expectations are grouped under numbered subheadings, each of which indicates the strand and the overall expectation to which the subgrouping of specific expectations corresponds (e.g., “B2” indicates that the group relates to overall expectation 2 in strand B). The subheadings may serve as a guide for teachers as they plan learning activities for their students.
2. To meet the Group 3 additional compulsory credit requirement, students have the choice of earning one credit for a course in computer studies (Grades 10 to 12) or technological education (Grades 9 to 12), or one credit for an additional course in science (Grade 11 or 12), or one credit for a cooperative education course.
thE ProGram in comPutEr StudiES
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