The Teacher-Adviser

As of September 1999, all students in Grade 9 will have a teacher-adviser. (The teacher-adviser program, already in place in Grades 7, 8, and 9 in some schools, will be available in those grades in all schools by September 1999, and will be phased in over the following two years in Grades 10 and 11.) The teacher-adviser will help students make the transition from elementary to high school and will assist them and their parents in making decisions about courses and future goals.

The teacher-adviser will maintain regular contact with students throughout the school year in order to monitor their progress in their course work and in other aspects of school life as well, and to help them complete their annual education plan. The teacher-adviser will serve as a key school contact for parents.

If a student needs additional assistance in order to succeed in high school or in planning short- or long-term goals, the teacher-adviser will refer him or her to a guidance counsellor and/or other staff.

Jean-Claude Jean-Claude has always been a very independent person and is not sure what he would like to do in the future. He has many ideas, his interests change frequently, and he usually does well at whatever he is interested in and likes to do. In Grades 9 and 10, Jean-Claude takes applied courses. In Grade 11, he takes college preparation courses and participates in a Junior Achievement company. During his Grade 11 year, Jean-Claude discovers his interest in economics and entrepreneurship and focuses in on business as his goal. He realizes that the postsecondary possibilities he is interested in are offered primarily at the university level, and decides to change his program from college preparation to university preparation. Together with his guidance counsellor, he identifies the transfer courses that he will have to take in order to change pathways. Jean-Claude hopes to be accepted into a business program at a university.

The Annual Education Plan

Every student in Grades 9–12 will prepare an annual education plan with assistance from parents and the teacher-adviser. (The program will be in place in Grades 7–9 by September 1999, and will be phased in over the following three years in Grades 10–12.) The planning process will help students set goals and review and assess their achievements and progress along the way. The plan will identify:

• the student’s goals for academic achievement,
• course selections for the following year,
• co-curricular activities and ways of exploring careers that are of interest to the student (including cooperative education and work experience programs),
• possible postsecondary education or work goals.

Guidance and Career Education

All Ontario high schools have guidance or student services staff. Guidance counsellors can provide students with detailed information about various careers and about the course selections that will prepare them for entry into those careers. In addition, students will be required to take a half-year or half-semester career studies course in order to graduate.

Visits to the high school by guest speakers and representatives from colleges and universities, student tours of colleges and universities, visits to workplaces, and conferences and workshops on career opportunities arranged by the school board will provide students with additional career information.

Special Education

A student who participates in special education programs and services in Grade 8 can continue to do so in high school. As in elementary school, an Individual Education Plan (IEP) will be developed and maintained, based on a thorough assessment of the student’s strengths, needs, and interests. It will identify what the student is expected to learn and will explain how the special education program and services will help him or her achieve the learning goals and expectations set out in the plan. The student’s annual education plan will be developed on the basis of the IEP. For students with disabilities who are fourteen years of age or older, the IEP will include a coordinated plan to help prepare the student for living independently in the community and to facilitate the transition to postsecondary education or the workplace.

Remedial Help

Students in Grade 8 who are not receiving special education services but need additional help to meet curriculum expectations will continue to receive remedial help in high school. It is very important for students and their parents to review all the programs and services offered through the board and, with the help of their elementary and high school principals, to arrange to participate in the ones that best suit their needs. Students who are not achieving at a reasonably high level in their high school courses may also need remedial help to be successful in the next grade, especially if they want to move from one course type to another. Students in this group should talk to their teacher-adviser about the programs and services offered in the school. Peer tutoring services or a mentoring program may be available, and some schools may offer a course in learning strategies.

Parents of students who continue to find course work too difficult can ask for a review to determine whether special education services are needed. If they are, an Individual Education Plan (IEP) will be developed. The teacher-adviser and the special education teacher can help students choose courses and will work with them and their parents to develop an annual education plan.