GRADUATION PROGRAM: POLICY FOR EARNING CREDITS
Phil & Jennie Gaglardi Academy

This policy covers EQUIVALENCY, CHALLENGE, EXTERNAL CREDENTIALS,
AND INDEPENDENT DIRECTED STUDIES POLICY as per Ministerial Order
302/04.

Gaglardi Academy supports students that wish to earn credits in the Graduation
Program through a variety of ways. Students may be awarded credits according
to the following policy.

This policy is based on the British Columbia Ministry of Education’s Policy on
Earning Credit Through Equivalency, Challenge, External Credentials, Post-
Secondary Credit and Independent Directed Studies.

Equivalency

Students may be granted credits when they have successfully completed an equivalent Grade 10, 11 or 12 course from an educational jurisdiction or institution outside the BC school system.

Credit may be awarded based on equivalency for Ministry-developed courses and Board authorized courses.

Bible courses taken outside of B.C. will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
There is no limit to the number of credits granted through Equivalency.
In determining Equivalency, comparison of courses may be based on the following factors:

  • comparison of learning outcomes,
  • subject matter,
  • biblical content,
  • the depth or breadth of coverage of subject matter, and
  • assessment methods, instruments and standards.

To be deemed equivalent, there must be a match of approximately 80% or more of the learning outcomes to either a Ministry-developed, or board authorized course including Bible courses.

Appropriate documentation must be provided by the student as proof of successful completion of the course.

A letter grade and percentage to all credits will be assigned through Equivalency. If the student’s documents show only a letter grade or level, the school will assign a percentage, based on the mid-point of the matching British Columbia letter grade range. A designation of “Transfer Standing” will be given if it is not possible to determine a letter grade and a percentage from the documentation.

Challenge

Students may undertake a Challenge process to assess their prior learning for any Ministry-authorized or Board Authorized graduation program course offered, provided the student has not already completed the course through any previous enrolment. The challenge process will include content from a biblical worldview, especially in the sciences and bible courses.

Before allowing the Challenge process, any documentation that the student provides should be reviewed to determine if credit can be awarded through Equivalency.

There is no limit to the number of credits granted through Challenge.

Any Challenge assessment and pre-Challenge Equivalency review will be documented in order to present to Ministry auditors if requested.

School staff, in consultation with students and parents, will determine if a student is ready to Challenge a course. Students must be able to demonstrate their readiness based on a recommendation from a previous teacher or from evidence that learning has been acquired outside the regular classroom setting. Assessment may include any of the following:

  • hands-on demonstration,
  • oral performance,
  • interview,
  • written examination, or
  • a presentation of a collection of work.

Credit will be awarded, based on the same standards used for students who have taken the course through enrolment. A Challenge will be considered successful when a student has achieved a minimum of 50% or C-.

A letter grade and percentage will be assigned to all credits awarded through the Challenge process AND must be completed before June 15 of the school year.

External Credentials

There is no limit to the number of credits a student may earn by using external credentials. However, students may not receive double credit for credentials that are deemed equivalent to a course or program taken at Gaglardi Academy.

External credentials may contribute towards graduation requirements, but they may or may not meet general or specific admissions requirements for post-secondary institutions. It is the responsibility of the student to verify admissions requirements for the post-secondary programs and institutions they wish to attend.

Students must provide appropriate documentation proving successful completion of the external assessment, course or program.

If students earn an approved external credential prior to entering Grade 10, they will be awarded credit if they present their credential any time after they enter Grade 10.
The school will assign all credits received either as a letter grade and percentage or if impossible to determine a “Transfer Standing” on their transcript.

International Students – International students who attend Gaglardi Academy in their grades 11 or 12 years will receive grade 10 equivalency for Science 10, LA 10, and Socials 10. No course equivalency will be given for LA 11 or 12, Science 11 or 12, Mathematics 11 or 12, Socials 11 or 12, and Career Life Education. These credits must be earned while attending Gaglardi Academy.

Graduation Transitions credits will be reviewed by committee under the direction
of the School Director.

Credit from Post-Secondary Courses

Applicable post-secondary level courses may count towards the required number
of Grade 12 credits.

The school will assign credits earned at a post-secondary institution a letter grade and percentage. As long as a course consists of the standard number of hours for most courses offered at that post-secondary institution, the courses will be awarded four credits unless the course is offered in modules. Modular courses should be proportionate to 4 credits for the entire course.

Adult Basic Education (ABE) courses do not count for dual credit.

Independent Directed Study (IDS)

Students may initiate their own area of learning and receive credit towards graduation. The school may recognize prior learning in a Ministry-developed or board authorized course that a student may not have completed. The purpose of this is to enable students to pursue further studies of interest.

The learning outcomes of all Grade 10, 11 and 12 Ministry and board authorized courses may be used in an IDS. Students may study one or more learning outcomes in-depth, or study a wider variety of learning outcomes from a single course.

IDS credits are only used to satisfy elective requirements.

IDS credits will be awarded to students who have successfully completed independent work based on content complexity and the amount of work required or invested in an IDS course.

The maximum value for a single IDS course will be four credits, but there is no limit to the total number of IDS credits a student may earn. The number of credits the student will earn for an IDS will be set out in a plan developed by the students and a teacher, and approved by a either the Principal or Dean of Academics. Grade 12 IDS credits may count towards the minimum of 16 Grade
12 credits required for graduation.

The school will assign all credits received from an IDS with a letter grade and percentage.

 

Last update on July 1, 2018