Grades 9 to 12 + Programming | Thames Valley District School Board

Welcome to High School

This webpage will help you navigate your time at High School, as well as provide you important information about programs, opportunities and post-secondary pathways.

Course Selection Guide 2025

Choosing Courses

Understanding Course Codes

Every subject is identified by a common course code designated by the Ministry of Education. The code consists of 5 mandated characters and a 6th character for school use.

e.g. MTH 1W1 is Grade 9 De-streamed Math

The first three characters identify the subject. The first letter identifies the department:
A: Arts
B: Business
C: Canadian & World Studies
E: English
F: French
G: Guidance
H: Humanities & Social
L: International Languages
M: Mathematics
P: Physical Education
S: Science
T: Technology

The fourth character identifies:

1: Grade 9
2: Grade 10
3: Grade 11
4: Grade 12

The fifth character identifies types of courses:
C: College
D: Academic
E: Workplace
L: Locally Developed
M: University/ College
O: Open
U: University
W: De-streamed

The sixth character is school-specific.
Used to distinguish course characteristics and specialized programs. e.g.

1: Regular Course/1 Credit
X: French Immersion

Types of Courses

You may choose a variety of course types, based on your interests, strengths and goals.

Grades 9 and 10 Courses equip students with the knowledge and skills needed to meet both the university and college pathways in Grades 11 and 12
Develop students’ knowledge and skills by emphasizing theoretical, abstract applications of the essential concepts and incorporating practical applications Develop students’ knowledge and skills by emphasizing practical, concrete applications of the concepts and incorporating theoretical applications

Grade 10 only
PREPARATORY COURSE (LP) Mathematics This preparatory course will provide students who have successfully completed Grade 9 Mathematics (MTH1W) with an opportunity to build on fundamental math skills and investigate key concepts of the Grade 10 Mathematics (MPM2D).

Grade 10 only

PREPARATORY COURSE (LP) Mathematics

This preparatory course will provide students who have successfully completed Grade 9 Mathematics (MTH1W) with an opportunity to build on fundamental math skills and investigate key concepts of the Grade 10 Mathematics (MPM2D).

Grade 9 and 10
LOCALLY DEVELOPED COMPULSORY CREDIT COURSES (L) Focus on building skills Use relevant and practical activities that provide opportunities for students to develop their literacy, numeracy, problem-solving, decision-making and communication skills Prepare students for future studies in Grade 11 and 12 de-streamed academic level and/or workplace preparation courses

Grade 9 and 10

LOCALLY DEVELOPED COMPULSORY CREDIT COURSES (L) Focus on building skills

Use relevant and practical activities that provide opportunities for students to develop their literacy, numeracy, problem-solving, decision-making and communication skills
Prepare students for future studies in Grade 11 and 12 de-streamed academic level and/or workplace preparation courses

Grade 9 to 12
OPEN (O) Offered in all subjects other than those listed as academic, applied or locally developed compulsory. Are designed to equip students with the knowledge and skills needed to meet entrance requirements for many post-secondary programs Emphasize theoretical aspects of the course content, but also include concrete applications

Grade 9 to 12

OPEN (O) Offered in all subjects other than those listed as academic, applied or locally developed compulsory.

Are designed to equip students with the knowledge and skills needed to meet entrance requirements for many post-secondary programs
Emphasize theoretical aspects of the course content, but also include concrete applications

Grades 11 and 12 In Grades 11 and 12, courses offered to prepare students for post-secondary destinations include:
UNIVERSITY PREPARATION (U) Developed with universities. Are designed to equip students with the knowledge and skills needed to meet entrance requirements for university programs Emphasize theoretical aspects of the course content, but also include concrete applications

Grades 11 and 12

In Grades 11 and 12, courses offered to prepare students for post-secondary destinations include:

UNIVERSITY PREPARATION (U) Developed with universities.

Are designed to equip students with the knowledge and skills needed to meet entrance requirements for university programs
Emphasize theoretical aspects of the course content, but also include concrete applications

UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE PREPARATION (M) Developed with both colleges and universities. Are designed to equip students with the knowledge and skills needed to meet the entrance requirements for specific university and college programs Emphasize both theoretical aspects and related concrete applications of the course content

UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE PREPARATION (M) Developed with both colleges and universities.

Are designed to equip students with the knowledge and skills needed to meet the entrance requirements for specific university and college programs
Emphasize both theoretical aspects and related concrete applications of the course content

COLLEGE PREPARATION (C) Developed with colleges to emphasize the development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Are designed to equip students with the knowledge and skills needed to meet entrance requirements for college and apprenticeship programs Emphasize concrete applications of the theoretical material covered in the theoretical material covered in the course

COLLEGE PREPARATION (C) Developed with colleges to emphasize the development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

Are designed to equip students with the knowledge and skills needed to meet entrance requirements for college and apprenticeship programs
Emphasize concrete applications of the theoretical material covered in the theoretical material covered in the course

WORKPLACE PREPARATION (E) Developed with representatives from a variety of workplaces. Are designed to equip students with the knowledge and skills needed for direct entry into the workplace or for admission to apprenticeship programs and other training programs offered in the community Allow students to prepare for a variety of jobs, and training programs

WORKPLACE PREPARATION (E) Developed with representatives from a variety of workplaces.

Are designed to equip students with the knowledge and skills needed for direct entry into the workplace or for admission to apprenticeship programs and other training programs offered in the community
Allow students to prepare for a variety of jobs, and training programs

OPEN (O) Grades 9 to 12

OPEN (O) Grades 9 to 12

*Ask your Guidance Counsellor about potential options

The Objectives of De-Streaming

De-streaming is the phasing out of Grade 9 and 10 Academic and Applied (streamed) courses. Research shows that students benefit from learning with students of varied abilities and interests and in settings where teachers have appropriate expectations for all students and believe that all students can be successful.

Remove barriers and support more students to graduate from secondary school and pursue post-secondary education pathways of the choice.

The Ontario Ministry of Education’s Creating Pathways to Success document grounds our belief that: all students can be successful, success comes in many forms and there are many pathways to success.

Grade 10 Course Selection Resources

The course selection process is a very important one to help students select the courses they need for graduation, as well as additional courses to help them further explore areas of interest and tailor their educational experience at High School. Please check out the resources below to help explore the course options for Grade 10.

Selecting Courses for Grade 10 Infographic (PDF)