Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD)
Students in Canada and abroad are able to earn their Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) completely online through our online programs. Convoy International Secondary Academy (CISA) offers OSSD online courses, registered and inspected by the Ontario Ministry of Education. In order to obtain an OSSD, students are required to earn a total of 30 credits, complete the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT), and also complete 40 hours of community service hours.
Once the student registers for an online OSSD course with us, the student will need to complete the course in 3 months from the first date of the course. Students are required to log into Moodle "Convoy learning platform" at least 3 times a week. The Ontario ministry of education requires no less than 110 hours for an in-class course of one credit. You’d be expected to study for the same amount of hours when you do it online.
After registration, students will receive a Welcome Package email with details of the course. When the course starts, the student will follow the course schedule to review the course content, interact with peers and submit assignments. Students who choose the program with Zoom sessions will get to talk to the teacher during the sessions.
Student Records
For students that have previously attended a school in Ontario, their Ontario Student Record (OSR) will be requested from the previous school, and CISA will become their home school. As the home school, CISA will maintain all of the student’s records and ultimately issue the OSSD.
For students that have not previously attended a school in Ontario, an OSR will be created for them. CISA will examine previous reports cards and transcripts for prior high school years and perform an equivalency process whereby Ontario credits can be granted for courses completed outside of Ontario; these credits will count toward the student’s 30 credit requirement.
All of these requirements can be completed through CONVOY
Completion of 30 Credits
Convoy Online offers over 40 courses to cover the most popular curriculum from grades 9 to 12, and we continue to develop new ones. Students use the online learning portal (Moodle) to access all the course materials, communicate with teachers and get support for improvements. Teachers can monitor students’ progress through Moodle and respond in a short time.
Our online OSSD courses use video presentations, audios, online reading and case studies to support students in understanding the course content. Our online OSSD students use forum discussions, group projects and webinars to demonstrate their learning and communicate with teachers and peers.
Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT)
The OSSLT measures whether students are meeting the minimum standard for literacy across all subjects up to the end of Grade 9. Successful completion of the literacy test is one of the requirements to earn an OSSD. All students across the province write this test.
Generally, students write the OSSLT in March/April. The field test is being made available to students who are learning in-person and working toward their Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD). This will allow the opportunity for students in Grades 10 and 11, and non-graduating Grade 12 students, to attempt the test and, if successful, have it counted on their transcript. Please note that the test date for the OSSLT is fixed year to year and cannot be changed.
If a student has had two opportunities to take the OSSLT and has failed it at least once, the student is eligible to enroll in the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course (OSSLC) in order to meet the literacy requirement.
Community Service Hours
The Ontario Ministry of Education requires that each student complete 40 hours of volunteer activities in the community in order to earn their OSSD. Students can begin accumulating these hours as of July 1 after they finish grade 8.
Those community involvement activities may take place in a variety of settings, including businesses, not-for-profit organizations, public sector institutions (including hospitals), and informal settings. Convoy School board is responsible for developing a list of community involvement activities that the board considers acceptable.
Students may complete the 40 hours of community involvement activities at any time during their secondary school program. They may also complete any number of activities, as long as those activities result in the completion of 40 hours of community involvement. Students under the age of eighteen years will plan and select their community involvement activities in consultation with their parents.