HomeMy WebLinkAboutPR 631 CUR - PLAR (Mature Students)
PROCEDURE PR.631.CUR
TITLE: PRIOR LEARNING ASSESSMENT AND RECOGNITION FOR MATURE
STUDENTS
Date issued: 13 April 2004
Last revised:
Authorization: Senior Staff: 17 February 2004
1.0 OBJECTIVE
To outline the requirements for implementing Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition
(PLAR) for Mature Students in the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board.
2.0 DEFINITIONS
In this procedure,
2.1 Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) is the formal evaluation and
credit-granting process whereby mature 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. For mature students, the PLAR process may involve two components for each
of the grades 9, 10, and grades 11, 12. For grades 9 and 10, the two components are
individual assessment and/or equivalency. For grades 11 and 12 the two components
are equivalency and/or challenge.
2.2 Challenge means the process whereby students' prior learning is assessed for the
purpose of granting credit for a Grade 11, or 12 course developed from a provincial
curriculum policy document published in 2000 or later.
2.3 Credits: Challenge for credit for courses based on provincial curriculum policy
documents will be available to students only in courses that are actually taught in
classrooms operated by the Board. All credits granted through the PLAR process – that
is, through either the individual assessment, challenge process or the equivalency
process – must represent the same standards of achievement as credits granted to
students who have taken the courses. The maximum number of credits that can be
obtained from the PLAR process is twenty-six. A maximum of sixteen credits for grades
9 or 10 either through equivalency or individual assessment and a maximum of ten
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credits for grades 11 and 12 either through equivalency or challenge. Each student
must earn the last four credits one of which must be ENG4C or ENG4E or ENG4U or
OLC4O. No substitution is permitted.
2.4 Equivalency is the process of assessing credentials from other jurisdictions, workplace
and other institutions of learning and may involve individual assessment for the purpose
of granting credits.
2.5 Mature Student is a student who is at least 18 years of age on or before December
31st of the school year, has been out of school for a period of a least one year and is
enrolled in a secondary school credit program for the purpose of obtaining an OSSD.
Effective February 1, 2004, mature students who enrolled in a secondary school after
September 1999 (OSS) are governed by this policy. Mature students from outside of
Ontario are governed by this policy. Mature students who enrolled in a secondary
school prior to 1999 in Ontario may choose to be governed by this policy.
2.6 Reasonable Evidence means documentation presented to the principal that the
curriculum expectations of the course have already been achieved for the purpose of
equivalency or challenge.
3.0 RESPONSIBILITY
The principal of the Adult High School and principal of Continuing Education and student
applicants for a PLAR.
4.0 PROCEDURES
4.1 It is the principal's responsibility to:
a) ensure that mature students are responsible for initiating the PLAR process and
for satisfying all the requirements
b) ensure that every prospective applicant is informed about policies and
procedures related to PLAR: individual assessment, equivalency and or
challenge, recording of results in the Ontario Student Record and on the Ontario
Student Transcript.
c) ensure that every prospective applicant is provided with an application form as
well as materials that indicate what is expected in the PLAR challenge (11-12)
and equivalency (11-12) process. (see attached forms OCDSB 172 and 174)
d) evaluate each application after consultation with the appropriate school staff to
determine whether there is reasonable evidence for successfully completing the
challenge or equivalency process.
4.2 In conjunction with information gathered during the PLAR process, the principal will use
as a guide section 6.6 in OSS to determine the number of credits, including compulsory
credits, that the student must earn, as well as other diploma requirements that the
student must satisfy, in order to qualify for the Ontario Secondary School Diploma
(OSSD).
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4.3 The principal will:
a) ensure the appropriate sample forms (attachment OCDSB 172, 174 and 188)
and Ministry tracking record keeping forms (attachment OCDSB 176, 178, 180,
182, 184 and 186) are used;
b) ensure that a student challenges for credit for an entire course, whether it is a
full-credit or a partial-credit course. Credit will be granted only for the specific
course for which the student has successfully challenged for credit;
c) develop formal tests and other assessment strategies;
d) conduct the testing (i.e., the use of formal tests worth 70% of the final mark, and
of other appropriate assessment strategies worth 30% of the final mark);
e) evaluate and report on the student's performance (see attached form OCDSB
188);
f) ensure that no more than ten credits may be earned by one student in the PLAR
challenge and equivalency process.
g) use and maintain the forms entitled:
(i) PLAR for Mature Students - Individual Assessment for Grade 9 and 10
Credits: Cumulative Tracking Record
(ii) PLAR for Mature Students - Individual Assessment for Grade 9 and 10
Credits: Interim Tracking Record
(iii) PLAR for Mature Students - Challenge Process for Grade 11 and 12
Credits: Cumulative Tracking Record
(iv) PLAR for Mature Students - Challenge Process for Grade 11 and 12
Credits: Interim Tracking Record
(v) PLAR for Mature Students - Equivalency Process for Grade 11 and 12
Credits: Cumulative Tracking Record
(vi) PLAR for Mature Students - Equivalency process for Grade 11 and 12
Credits: Interim Tracking Record
No changes of any kind will be made to these forms. These forms must be
included in the student's OSR;
h) ensure that students who do not have appropriate documentation, owing to
extraordinary circumstances, will receive advice concerning the gathering of
evidence.
4.4 Record Keeping
a) The principal of the Adult High School or the principal of Continuing Education
will ensure that the PLAR: Cumulative Tracking Record forms (attached OCDSB
180 and 182) are maintained and included in the student's OSR. These forms
are intended to track the number of credits earned and the disciplines in which
credits have been earned through the challenge or equivalency process, as well
as failures and withdrawals.
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b) PLAR Interim Tracking Record forms (attached OCDSB 176 and 178) will be
maintained for credits earned through the challenge or equivalency process by
the mature student. The principal of the school outside the student's regular
school will use the "Interim Tracking Record" form to communicate the results of
the student's challenges or equivalency for credit to the school that maintains the
OSR.
c) For challenges for credit for grade 11, or 12 courses, the student's passing
percentage grade, failing percentage grade, or withdrawal from the challenge
process must be entered on the appropriate tracking record form(s) (attached
OCDSB 176 and 180);
d) For individual assessment for credit for grade 9 and 10 courses, only pass, fail
will be recorded on the appropriate tracking form(s) (attached OCDSB 184 and
186);
4.5 The following entries must be made on the Ontario Student Transcript as applicable:
a) for challenges for credit for grade 11 and 12 courses, passing and failing
percentage grades will be entered on the student's OST. No notation will be
entered on the OST if the student withdraws from the challenge process;
b) for equivalency credits for grades 11 and 12, EQV is stated on the OST along
with whether the course is compulsory or elective;
c) for grades 9 and 10, “Equivalent Credits” is entered as one total with up to
fourteen compulsories and two electives.
4.6 The principal shall ensure that only teachers certified by the Ontario College of
Teachers conduct the PLAR process.
4.7 Student Responsibilities
a) Mature students enrolled in the Adult High School and its Alternate sites are to
apply for PLAR at the site in which they are enrolled. All other mature students,
not registered in a day school credit program are to apply for PLAR credits
through the principal of Continuing Education.
b) Students cannot be granted credits through the challenge process for any of the
following courses:
(i) a course previously failed;
(ii) a course for which the student has already earned a credit but for which
he or she wishes to improve the mark;
(iii) a course in any subject if a credit has already been granted for a course in
that subject in a later grade;
(iv) a course for which there is significant overlap with a course for which the
credit has been granted;
(v) a transfer course;
(vi) a locally developed course;
(vii) a cooperative education course;
(viii) a course in English as a second language (ESL), English literacy
development (ELD), or Anglais pour débutants (APD), if the student has
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one or more credits in English from the curriculum policy documents for
English for Grades 9 to 12 under OSS (i.e., the documents for
English-language or the documents for French-language schools) or from
the curriculum guidelines for English or Anglais/English for Grades 9 to
12/OACs under OSIS;
(ix) a course in French as a second language (FSL), Actualisation linguistique
en français (ALF), or Perfectionnement du français (PDF), if the student
has one or more credits in Français from the curriculum policy documents
for Français for Grades 9 to 12 under OSS or the curriculum guideline for
Français for Grades 9 to 12/OACs under OSIS;
(x) the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course (OLC4O).
c) A student will be permitted to challenge for credit for a specific course a second
time after a reasonable interval if the student can provide reasonable evidence to
the principal that he or she is likely to be successful after having benefitted from
additional study and experience during the interval.
5.0 APPENDICES
OCDSB 172 PLAR Application to Challenge for Credit for a Course
OCDSB 174 PLAR Application for Assessment for Gr11 and Gr12 Credits through the
Equivalency Process
OCDSB 176 PLAR Challenge Process for Gr 11 and Gr 12 Credits - Interim Tracking Record
OCDSB 178 PLAR Equivalency Process for Gr 11 and Gr 12 Credits - Interim Tracking
Record
OCDSB 180 PLAR Challenge Process for Gr 11 and Gr 12 Credits - Cumulative Tracking
Record
OCDSB 182 PLAR Equivalency Process for Gr 11 and Gr 12 Credits - Cumulative Tracking
Record
OCDSB 184 PLAR Individual Assessment for Gr 9 and Gr 10 Credits - Interim Tracking Record
OCDSB 186 PLAR Individual Assessment for Gr 9 and Gr 10 Credits - Cumulative Tracking
Record
OCDSB 188 PLAR Record of Assessment of Challenge for a Credit for a Course
6.0 REFERENCE DOCUMENTS
Ministry of Education PPM 132: Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition for Mature
Students
Ontario Student Transcript (OST): Manual, 2013
Ontario Secondary Schools, Grades 9-12: Program and Diploma Requirements (OSS), 1999
Ontario Schools Intermediate and Senior Divisions (Grades 7 - 12/OACs): Program and
Diploma Requirements (OSIS), rev. ed., 1989
OCDSB Policy P.109.CUR: Prior Learning and Recognition in Secondary Schools
OCDSB Procedure PR.634.CUR: Prior Assessment and Recognition in Secondary Schools
OCDSB Policy P.112.CUR: Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition for Mature Students
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