Planning My Way – Grades 7 and 8

Your journey into secondary school is an exciting time! You will have the opportunity to participate in, learn from and connect with new activities and people. At HWDSB, we strive to ensure that every student experiences a sense of belonging and engages in dynamic learning to reach their potential and build their own future.

Education and career/life planning helps students develop the knowledge and skills they need to make informed choices for their education, career and life outside school. Students get a chance to learn more about themselves and their opportunities, set goals and make plans to achieve them.

HWDSB schools provide opportunities and supports for all students to plan their individual pathways and make a successful transition to their initial post-secondary destination. The five pathways are: Apprenticeship, College, Community, University and Workplace. Click here to learn more about post-secondary pathways.

Grade 9 at HWDSB

Instead of asking you to choose a pathway before entering secondary school, de-streamed Grade 9 keeps all your pathways open! By dismantling barriers and providing equitable opportunities, Grade 9 programming now increases student engagement and learning for all.

Grade 9 Open Core French Course: FSF1O
This introductory course provides students who have little or no knowledge of French, or who have not accumulated the minimum of 600 hours of elementary Core French instruction, the opportunity to earn their compulsory French credit.

Grade 9 French Immersion courses will be available as Academic courses for some subjects and Open courses for other subjects. Secondary French Immersion programming is available at Sherwood and Westdale.

Course Substitution
In special circumstances, substitutions may be made at the secondary school principal’s discretion in consultation with secondary team. Substitutions should be made to promote or enhance student learning, or to respond to special needs and interests.

Which Courses do I take in Grade 9?

It is important that you select your Grade 9 courses based on your strengths and interests. In Grade 9, you will take a total of 8 courses: 5 compulsory courses and 3 optional courses.

Typically, students in Grade 9 take English, mathematics, science, geography, and French. They select 3 additional courses which may include physical education, drama, visual arts, music, technology, business, or social science.

We encourage students to make informed choices. Taking academic courses in Grade 10 keeps the widest number of options and post-secondary opportunities open. If you are uncertain about courses, contact your secondary school’s student services department for assistance.

Types of Courses in Grades 9 & 10

SINGLE-STREAMED COURSES (Academic Curriculum, Grade 9)
These courses concentrate on fundamental concepts and emphasize theoretical applications.

DE-STREAMED COURSES (Grade 9)
You will take 3 de-streamed courses in Grade 9: Math (MTH1W), Science (SNC1W), and English (ENL1W).

OPEN COURSES (Grade 9 and 10)
Open courses have a single set of expectations and are suitable for all students.

LOCALLY DEVELOPED COURSES (Grade 9 and 10)
These lead to workplace pathway courses in grades 11 and 12.

APPLIED COURSES (Grade 10)
These emphasize practical applications and lead to college-level courses.

ACADEMIC COURSES (Grade 10)
These emphasize theoretical applications and lead to university or college-level courses.

Grade 9 Course Codes

Courses use a 6-character course code for identification. The first 5 characters are set out by the Ministry of Education. The sixth character is used by school boards to identify a specific characteristic of the course.

Grade 8 to 9 Progression Timeline

Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT)

The literacy requirement is mandatory for obtaining an OSSD. In Grade 10, you are expected to take the OSSLT. Click here to learn more.

Grade 9 EQAO Assessment of Mathematics

Grade 9 students participate in the province-wide Assessment of Mathematics. 10% of your final grade is determined by your EQAO score.

Plan Your Way