Are you finding that your incomplete high school education is holding you back? You're closer to graduating than you think!
At the Greater Essex County District School Board (GECDSB), we grant secondary school credits for learning and skills that you have gained at home, work, in training programs and through volunteering. You can get your Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) in as little as six months.
We help you map out your unique path to graduation and beyond with the Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) process. PLAR evaluates your learning and grants credits based on your experience.
Eligibility
When applying for Continuing Education programs, such as literacy and basic skills upgrading, eLearning, independent learning, night school or summer school, a school principal, guidance counsellor or program coordinator will determine if you are eligible to apply for PLAR. They will determine if you meet the qualifying 'mature student' status.
Mature students
You qualify for PLAR as a mature student if you:
- Are at least 18 years old on or before Dec. 31 of the school year in which you register in a secondary school program
- Have not been enrolled as a regular day school student for at least one year (or 10 consecutive months) before your program registration
- Are enrolled in a secondary program for the purpose of getting your OSSD
- Have fewer than 26 credits
- Have never attended high school in Ontario
- Have attended high school in Ontario in 1999 or later
Those who have attended high school before 1999 can choose to apply for PLAR as a mature student or choose to take the Maturity Credit Assessment.
Maturity Credit Assessment
If you attended high school before September 1999, your program coordinator or counsellor may discuss the options of taking PLAR as a mature student or acquiring your original diploma requirements through the older Maturity Credit Assessment process.
Your program coordinator or counsellor will consider:
- Your individual academic pathway plan
- Whether you will be able to successfully complete the more prescriptive set of compulsory credits associated with PLAR
- Whether you will qualify for more equivalent credits under PLAR compared to the older OSIS/HS1 equivalent credit opportunities
- If you will likely be able to pass the literacy test or be able to take the literacy test in a timely fashion
- If you will likely complete the required community involvement hours along with remaining credits
You do not need to decide between the PLAR or the Maturity Credit Assessment pathways right away, but it is good to decide sooner than later as your diploma requirements can impact your course selection. Your program coordinator or counsellor can also speak with your teacher to get a sense of your literacy level after you have completed some work to help you make the right decision.