Curriculum Coordinator and Learning Strategist

Jennifer Haase

BA (Honours), MScEd, MA, OCT

Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course

OLC4O

Grade 12

University Preparation

Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course

Find additional course details below, including delivery format, course availability, course duration, prerequisite, tuition fee, hardware/software requirements, etc.

OLC4O

Grade 12

University Preparation

Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course

Find additional course details below, including delivery format, course availability, course duration, prerequisite, tuition fee, hardware/software requirements, etc.

Course Details

Course Code

OLC4O

Course Name

Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course

Grade

Grade 12

Course Type

University Preparation

Format

Asynchronous Delivery

Prerequisite

Tuition Fee

$500.00

Course Duration

At Your Own Pace (4 weeks to 12 months)

Credit Value

1.0

Availability

Start Anytime

Course Reviser/Developer

Dr. Karen McCloskey

Latest Revision Date

August 2024

Curriculum

OSSLC – The Ontario Curriculum, English, The Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course (OSSLC), Grade 12, 2003

Course Description, Unit Overview, Timeline

This course is designed to help students acquire and demonstrate the cross-curricular literacy skills that are evaluated by the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT). Students who complete the course successfully will meet the provincial literacy requirement for graduation. Students will read a variety of informational, narrative, and graphic texts and will produce a variety of forms of writing, including summaries, information paragraphs, opinion pieces, and news reports. Students will also maintain and manage a portfolio containing a record of their reading experiences and samples of their writing.

Students residing outside Ontario (including international students) pursuing the OSSD: must successfully complete OLC4O (OSSLC) to meet the literacy graduation requirement.

Students residing in Ontario (with access to OSSLT opportunities): may take OLC4O only if they have been eligible to write the OSSLT at least twice and have been unsuccessful at least once.

Outlined below is a description of each unit, including what students will learn and the recommended hours for completion.

Unit Title & Description

Time Allocated

Unit 1: Introduction to Reading and Writing

In this unit you will be introduced to a variety of reading strategies such as using context clues, vocabulary strategies, skimming, scanning, making inferences and making connections. Students will also work on basic writing techniques such as sentence structure, writing a thesis and the editing process. Students will also be introduced to the course portfolio that they will return to throughout the course.

19 Hours

Unit 2: Informational and Narrative Texts

In this unit students will further develop their reading skills to read, interpret and respond to a variety of informational and narrative texts. Students will develop their skills for summarizing, finding the main idea and finding evidence in a text throughout this unit. They will also further develop and use their writing skills to write an informational text and a narrative text. The students will also be required to reflect on their reading skills and strategies in terms of informational texts.

20 Hours

Unit 3: Graphic Texts

In this unit students will expand their reading and decoding skills to read graphic texts. Students will understand the conventions of the medium and create their own graphic texts. The students will also reflect on their understanding of graphic texts.

17 Hours

Unit 4: News Reports

In this unit, students will examine the elements of a news report to determine what makes the report successful. They will use their writing skills gained throughout the course to develop a series of their own news reports on a variety of topics. Students will put the editing process to use as they practice writing their news reports. The students will also be required to reflect on their assessing and writing skills in terms of the news report.

17 Hours

Unit 5: Opinion Writing

In this unit, students will examine the elements of an opinion essay to determine what makes an opinion piece successful. They will use their writing skills to develop a series of their own opinion writings on a variety of topics starting with single paragraphs and working up to an opinion essay. They will develop skills round using supporting evidence from texts and from their own life to support their writings. Students will develop thesis statements that they will then prove with their writings. The students will also be required to reflect on their assessing and writing skills in terms of writing opinion pieces.

20 Hours

Final Exam/Culminating Task

Course Culminating Tasks
Throughout the course students will develop a portfolio that they will reflect on in this unit. Students will revisit their work, revise key pieces, reflect on their progress and demonstrate a final understanding of their newly developed skills.

17 Hours

Total Hours

110 Hours

Teaching and Learning Strategies

At Royal Ontario Academy, our asynchronous, self-paced courses are crafted to engage students actively, encouraging deep learning and self-reflection. Our online OSSD courses are normally divided into 8-10 smaller sections to help students learn content in manageable portions. Lessons connect concepts to practical, relatable social, environmental, and economic issues, fostering lifelong learning by helping students apply knowledge to real-life contexts.

Students are encouraged to explore, investigate, and think critically as they progress independently. This approach emphasizes problem-solving skills, guiding students to persist through challenges, reason through complex ideas, and explore alternative solutions on their own, building resilience and independence essential for success beyond the classroom.

Our virtual high school courses provide a variety of learning experiences through virtual labs, simulations, knowledge checks, reflections, and videos. Interactive activities and discussion forums are designed to draw on students prior knowledge, keeping them engaged and actively participating. These tools enable OSSD students to practice, reflect, and apply concepts flexibly at their own pace, creating a personalized learning journey tailored to each student’s interests and goals.

Assessment and Evaluation

A wide variety of assessment and evaluation tools will be used to earn credits towards the Ontario Secondary School Diploma at Royal Ontario Academy including quizzes, tests, projects, essays, journals, and final assessments.
The final exam is a closed book, online test that is proctored and has a time limit. Students may also be required to appear on video for other assessments in certain courses.

All OSSD courses follow a simple evaluation breakdown at our virtual high school:
70% of the grade will be based on evaluations conducted throughout the online course. The remaining 30% of the grade will be based on a final evaluation or exam. This may be a final exam, a final project/report, or a combination of both an exam and a project.

Students will receive two reports per course:

First Mid Term Report: Reflects achievement and development after the first 4 Units.

Final Report: Reflects overall achievement and development for the entire course.

According to Growing Success First Edition, Grades 1 to 12, 2010, the primary purpose of assessment and evaluation is to improve student learning. To ensure that assessment, evaluation, and reporting are valid and reliable, and that they lead to the improvement of learning for all students, Royal Ontario Academy teachers use practices and procedures that:

are fair, transparent, and equitable for all students;
support all students, including those with special education needs, those who are learning the language of instruction (English or French), and those who are First Nation, Métis, or Inuit;
are carefully planned to relate to the curriculum expectations and learning goals and, as much as possible, to the interests, learning styles and preferences, needs, and experiences of all students;
are communicated clearly to students and parents at the beginning of the school year or course and at other appropriate points throughout the school year or course;
are ongoing, varied in nature, and administered over a period of time to provide multiple opportunities for students to demonstrate the full range of their learning;
provide ongoing descriptive feedback that is clear, specific, meaningful, and timely to support improved learning and achievement;
develop students’ self-assessment skills to enable them to assess their own learning, set specific goals, and plan next steps for their learning.

Accommodations and IEP for Students

At Royal Ontario Academy, we believe that all OSSD students can benefit from a more accommodating online learning experience Accommodations allow for increased access to the course, without any changes to the knowledge and skills the student is expected to demonstrate.

An Individual Education Plan (IEP)is a personalized document that outlines a student’s learning needs, as well as the accommodations or services they require to succeed in their courses. At Royal Ontario Academy, our flexible online learning environment already addresses many common accommodation needs, but if a student requires additional support, our Principal is ready to help you!

– Students with Existing IEP: If a student has an existing IEP from another elementary or secondary school, Royal Ontario Academy can implement the listed accommodations, provided they are applicable within our online learning environment. To do so, a copy of the student’s IEP must be submitted to our Principal for review.

– Students Without IEP: If a student requires accommodations but does not currently have an IEP, our Principal will work with the student to assess their learning needs and develop a path forward. In this case, students will need to submit supporting documentation to help determine the appropriate accommodations.

– English Language Learners:– English Language Learners: Students who enroll at Royal Ontario Academy can provide information about their English language proficiency during the registration process. This information helps our teachers and Principal to tailor their teaching strategies and implement accommodations that support English language learners effectively.

For students and parents wishing to submit IEP documentation or request accommodations, please contact our Principal at info@royalontarioacademy.com

Resources Required by the Student

Students should have the following minimum hardware and software requirements to access the Advanced Functions
Minimum Technical Specifications

Hardware

A PC running Windows XP or higher or
A Mac running OS X or
A Chromebook running Chrome OS
2GB of RAM
High speed internet connection
A sound card with speakers or headphones
A functional webcam and microphone

Software

Adobe Reader
Java
A typical Office Suite including a word processor application, equation editor and spreadsheets

Browser

Mozilla Firefox4 or higher or
Internet Explorer 7 or higher or
Safari 5 or higher or
Google Chrome 11 or higher
In some cases, a scanner or phone/camera may be used to submit handwritten assignments.

Do students need any additional resources (i.e. textbooks)?

Every student in a virtual high school needs access to a desktop computer or laptop with high-speed internet and word processing software.

Any additional course-specific resources (i.e., calculators, software downloads, etc.) are listed on the individual course outline pages on our website.

All Royal Ontario Academy online course content is contained within our moodle learning management system, so no textbooks are required. For English courses and some social science/humanities courses, students may be required to locate copies of novels and plays that are readily available at public libraries or bookstores.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is OLC4O?
OLC4O is a Grade 12 The Ontario Secondary School Literacy course at University Preparation level.

2. What are LC – (eg: 3M in AWQ3M (OLC4O))
40 for the OLC4O refers to the grade level and the course type. 4 refers to the 12th Grade and the second digit refers to the University Preparation course type.

3. What is the prerequisite for OLC4O?
The prerequisite for The Ontario Secondary School Literacy is none

4. How long does it take to complete the OLC4O online course?
The completion of the OLC4O course varies depending on the availability and pace of each student. However, the course can be completed in minimum of 4 weeks to maximum of 12 months.

5. Will my marks be sent directly to OUAC or OCAS?
Yes. We can send your OLC4O online course marks to OUAC (Ontario University’ Application Centre) or OCAS (Ontario College Application Service).

6. How lessons are delivered for the OLC4O?
At Royal Ontario Academy, course learning is asynchronously delivered for the OLC4O in various formats such as videos, question and answers, interactive tools, written notes, simulations, presentations, and external websites/links depending on the subject material of the course.

7. What is the withdrawal policy?
For students registered in Grade 9 and 10 courses, withdrawals can be made at any time and are not recorded on the Ontario Student Transcript (OST).
For students registered in Grade 11 and 12 courses, withdrawals made within 5 days of the issuance of the first (mid-term) report card from Royal Ontario Academy will result in the mark not being recorded on the Ontario Student Transcript (OST). Withdrawals after 5 days of the issuance of the first (mid term) report card will result in a “”W”” being entered in the “”Credit”” column of the OST, along with the mark at the time of withdrawal.

8. What is the due date of my course?
Since your course is self-paced, there are no set due dates, allowing you to progress at your own speed. However, please be mindful of any deadlines for university or college applications.

9. Can I earn my OSSD (Ontario secondary school diploma) credits through online courses?
Yes, you can earn your Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) credits fully online through Royal Ontario Academy. To earn OSSD credits, you will need to complete 30 credits (18 compulsory and 12 optional), pass the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test, and fulfill 40 hours of community involvement.

Course Pricing

$500

/ 1 course

$900

/ 2 courses

$1275

/ 3 courses

Start your learning journey with us.

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Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course