Skip to Main Content
Bookmark and Share print small medium large 

HOME / STUDENTS / GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS /


Minister's Directive No. MD 99-01 Senior High School Graduation Requirements

Supersedes Circular No. 85-001

Pursuant to section 8 of the School Act R.S.P.E.I. 1988, Cap. S-2.1, I hereby issue the following Minister's Directive concerning Senior High School Graduation Requirements.

The minimum number of credits required for senior high school graduation (Grade 12) will be increased from 18 credits to 20 credits.

This change will be phased in, so as not to adversely effect students part way through senior high. Students entering Grade 10 in September of 1999 will be required to complete 19 credits for graduation; students entering Grade 10 in subsequent years will be required to complete 20 credits.

  1. The number of compulsory credits which a senior high school student must take to receive the Provincial Senior High School Graduation Certificate remains at 10. These compulsory credits must be taken from the following core areas:

    1. 4 language credits (English/French),
    2. 2 math credits,
    3. 2 science credits; and
    4. 2 social studies credits.

    Three of the language credits must be taken from English or French as a first language program. The fourth language credit can be either an additional credit of the first language program or a credit in the other official language.  
  2. The number of Grade 12 level credits which a student is required to complete will remain at five full course credits. One of these five credits will be English for students in the English program and French for students in the French program. The French program does not include French immersion. 
  3. Full-course credits will consist of 110 hours of instruction time. A student will be awarded a credit upon achieving a pass mark of 50% in a course. 
  4. No modification may be made to the credit value of provincial courses without the prior approval of the Department of Education. If a change occurs in the number of hours required for a credit, this directive will be adjusted accordingly to reflect the time requirements outlined above. 
  5. A number of courses in senior high schools will have prerequisites, for example, English, French and mathematics. Certain courses will require prerequisites in other subject fields, for example, Grade 12 physics will have certain prerequisites in mathematics. 
  6. Although senior high schools may continue to award specific diplomas or certificates to students who achieve beyond the provincial requirements, senior high schools will be required to award their (basic) diploma to students who meet the provincial requirements. 
  7. Provision for local programs will continue to exist, but these programs must have prior approval from the Department of Education.
  8. The compulsory credits required for students of vocational high school and other similar programs to graduate from senior high school will remain unchanged. However, the minimum number of credits required for graduation will be increased from 18 to 20 as noted in #1.

DATED at Charlottetown, March 4, 1999.

J. Chester Gillan
Minister

back to top