UGDSB Quad 2, 3 and 4 Information and Secondary Intent to Change Survey
**NOTE: it has been widely reported in the media that schools may be directed to go to remote learning after the break. Please know that we have no confirmation from the Ministry that this will be happening. If the situation changes, we will communicate with all families.
December 18, 2020
We would like to take this opportunity to provide you with information regarding Quadmester 2, which is currently running, as well as Semester 2 (Quadmester 3 and 4), which runs from Feb. 3 to June 29, 2021.
Parent Contact Period – Week of January 4th, 2021
During this time period, parents/guardians are encouraged to contact their child(ren)’s teacher(s) for an update on their course progress. Midterm marks will be communicated to students on Thursday, December 17. Students will be encouraged by their teachers to share these marks and their progress with parents/guardians. Final marks for half credit courses in Careers and Civics courses will also be made available to students on Thursday, December 17. Please note that midterm report cards will not be issued to students in a quadmestered model.
Final Quadmester 2 Report Cards
Final report cards that include marks, learning skills/work habits and comments will be issued at the end of each quadmester. For quadmester 2, final report cards will be issued on Wednesday, February 10, 2021 for both in-school and students enrolled in the Secondary Remote School.
Final Exams
As a reminder, there will be no exams in the quadmestered model this year. Teachers may choose to include a final evaluation or culminating activity up to 30% of a student’s final mark.
PA Days
February 1, June 28 and June 29 are PA Days. There are no classes for students on these dates.
Turnaround Days
February 2, April 20 and April 21 are semester turnaround days. There will be no classes for students on these dates, with the exception of students in specialized class placements.
Quadmester 3 and 4 Schedule
UGDSB secondary schools will continue to operate in a quadmestered model for all of semester 2. Quadmester 3 will run from Feb. 3 to April 19, 2021. Quadmester 4 will run from April 22 to June 29, 2021.
The schedule for Quadmester 3 and 4 can be found here.
Intent to Change Survey
On Monday, January 4, 2021, an Intent to Change Survey will open for secondary students who wish to change their mode of learning from in-person to remote or remote to in-person. ONLY complete this Google Form if you are requesting a CHANGE from your child’s current placement. The survey will be posted on the UGDSB and secondary school websites, as well as shared on social media accounts.
At this time, we are requesting that only the parents/guardians of students opting to switch their current model complete the survey.
Please note that this survey is to be completed no later than Monday, January 11, 2021, at 4:00 p.m. in order to facilitate your request.
Please note that, unlike Semester 1 where students had the option of switching between quadmester 1 and 2, the January survey will be the ONLY remaining opportunity for students to move to the Secondary Remote School or back to their bricks and mortar home school. In other words, where a student begins Semester 2 is where they will remain for the rest of the school year (June 2021). This will allow schools to best meet the needs of students with respect to course selection, and to ensure, to the greatest extent possible, that students have the courses they need by the end of the school year.
Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT)
The literacy graduation requirement will be waived for all students graduating during the 2020-21 school year. The Ministry is continuing to explore a field test of the online OSSLT in Spring 2021, which could allow the opportunity for non-graduating students to write the test and have successful attempts counted on their transcript. School boards are expecting to receive further clarification and direction from the Ministry of Education early in the new year.
Grade 9 Assessment of Mathematics
For the 2020-21 school year, EQAO will be field testing a new online and adaptive assessment for Grade 9 Academic and Applied mathematics courses. This field test will provide an opportunity for students to try this new format and will support the continued development of the assessment platform.
Post-Secondary Applications
The Ministry has been working closely with the Ontario Universities’ Application Centre (OUAC) and the Ontario College Application Service (OCAS) regarding students applying to university and college programs. They are working to be as flexible as possible regarding admission processes given the various scheduling models schools are implementing across the province.
Please reach out to your school’s Guidance Department if you have any questions or concerns.
Ontario Universities
The currently posted OUAC 2021 Schedule of Dates is in effect, but with adjustments to the types of course/grade information expected during each collection period. Most universities will make conditional offers of admission on a rolling basis using a combination of Grade 11 and available Grade 12 marks.
Ontario Colleges
To provide schools and boards with greater flexibility for transmitting marks throughout the school year, OCAS has adjusted the data transmission schedule posted in the Fall 2021 Important Dates document.
Community Involvement Hours
A reminder to students and parents, that for students graduating in the 2020-21 school year, the community involvement graduation requirement will be reduced to a minimum of 20 hours of community involvement activities. This recognizes that graduating students have had barriers to earning their community involvement hours last school year and there may be continued barriers this school year.
In addition, the Ministry is providing increased flexibility in how all secondary students can earn hours in 2020-21. Students may use the time allotted for the instructional program on a school day, or duties normally performed in the home (e.g., walking a younger child to and from school, helping younger siblings with school work). In addition, students aged 14 years and older can count up to a maximum of 10 hours from paid employment toward their earned hours at the discretion of the principal. Students counting paid employment toward their graduation requirement will be required to complete a reflection exercise indicating how their work contributed to the service for others.
Please refer to UGDSB Community Involvement website for more information.
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