Academics

List of 4 items.

• In-School Summative Policy

  It is acceptable for a student to have two major, in-school summative assessments on the same day.
  
  

  If a student has three or more major in-school summative assessments in one day the student should email and cc all three teachers and their Mentor on one email, to confirm the nature and scope of the summative assessments. Teachers will shift and make accommodations on the timing of the summative for the student such that the student does not have more than two major summatives in a single day.

• Policy on Courses in Upper School

  To earn the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD), students must accumulate 30 credits, pass the Ontario Literacy Test, and complete 40 hours of community service. For students graduating in or prior to June 2027,  18 of the 30 credits are compulsory and 12 are elective. For students graduation in or beyond June 2028, 19 of the 30 credits are compulsory and 11 are elective.
  
  

  Crescent students in Grades 9, 10 and 11 must take eight courses per year and accumulate 24 credits. Students in these grades usually have full timetables but one spare is allowed in Grade 11. By the end of Grade 11, most Crescent students will have accumulated 17 of the 18 compulsory credits. The one remaining credit is Grade 12 English (ENG4U).
  
  

  Students in Grade 12 at Crescent School must take at least five courses. The Grade 12 courses are demanding. To help nurture success, our Grade 12 students are permitted to have spares, usually one per day. The reduction from eight courses in the final year means that students have more time to focus on their work. With 80-minute spares, much work can be accomplished at school thus making evening homework sessions more manageable.

• Advanced Placement (AP)

  All students at Crescent School can take advantage of the Advanced Placement (AP) program, which culminates in examinations set and graded externally.
  
  

  Participation in the AP program at Crescent is an option many of our students choose to pursue. AP courses and exams represent the beginning of the journey through university-level challenges. An increasing number of our students choose to take AP courses. 

• Taking Courses Outside Of Crescent

  Crescent School has a long-established reputation as a first-rate university preparatory school. History has shown that Crescent students are extremely well prepared for their post-secondary education. The vast majority of our graduates earn acceptance into the university of their choice, and moreover, they thrive once admitted. 
  
  

  Some students choose to take additional courses outside of Crescent School. These include summer school courses as well as evening and distance learning courses taken during the regular school year. Crescent has monitored the experience of students taking such courses for a number of years. It has become clear to us that there is an increasingly wide variety of service providers and, more importantly, an increasingly wide range in the quality and rigour of these programs. We are also learning that many post-secondary institutions are scrutinizing where particular courses are taken and the timing of such courses. This is a practice that we believe will continue to grow. For these reasons, we do not look favourably on credits in foundational courses such as English, mathematics and science taken outside of Crescent School. These courses are the cornerstones of success in university and our students are most reliably prepared for university in these critical academic disciplines through our own program. In order to receive their Crescent Diploma, we expect students to take all prerequisite courses at Crescent.
  
  

  Students are required to complete an Externally Obtained Credit form if they are considering taking credit courses outside of Crescent. This form will be reviewed by their guidance and university counsellor and by the Assistant Head of Upper School, Academics and must be completed prior to course registration to ensure the course is suitable. This is particularly important when a course taken outside of Crescent School is used as a prerequisite for a subsequent course taken at Crescent. At Crescent’s sole discretion, external courses taken without prior approval from Crescent may not be considered appropriate prerequisites for subsequent Crescent courses. This form is available in the Guidance and University Counselling Group page in the Green Room. 
  
  

  Upon final registration of a course outside of the school, please advise the Guidance and University Counselling Department as soon as possible so that a record of the course can be maintained. Upon completion of an outside credit course, the student must ensure that the results are sent to Crescent where the information is entered into the student’s record. Students are responsible for ensuring that Crescent is aware when they have completed a course outside of the school.