PLAR 

PRIOR
LEARNING
ASSESSMENT
AND
RECOGNITION

CHALLENGE
FOR
CREDIT 

Toronto Catholic District School Board

Prior Learning Assessment And Recognition Challenge Process 

WHAT IS PRIOR LEARNING ASSESSMENT AND RECOGNITION (PLAR)?

Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition is a formal evaluation and accreditation process. Students may obtain credits towards the secondary school diploma (OSSD) for knowledge and skills that they have acquired outside of secondary school. This prior learning is assessed and evaluated to determine whether the student has met the provincial course expectations. The student may “challenge” a specific course for credit or may obtain credits through the “equivalency” process if they have credentials from schools outside Ontario. 

AM I ELIGIBLE TO CHALLENGE A COURSE FOR CREDIT?

Secondary school students who are enrolled in a regular day school program in an Ontario secondary school may challenge a course for credit. This does not apply at this time to mature students (at least 18 years old) who have returned to secondary school after being out of secondary school for at least one year. Mature students will be able to challenge Grade 11 and 12 courses for credit beginning in September 2003.

WHAT COURSES MAY I CHALLENGE FOR CREDIT?

Students may challenge for credit only Grade 10, 11 or 12 courses taught in this board which are developed from a provincial policy document. These courses are described in the schools’ course calendars. 

HOW MANY COURSES MAY I CHALLENGE FOR CREDIT?

Students may earn no more than four credits through the challenge process, including a maximum of two credits in any one discipline. 

IS PARENTAL PERMISSION NECESSARY TO APPLY FOR THE CHALLENGE PROCESS?

Students under the age of eighteen need parental approval before applying to challenge for credit for a course. 

WHAT COURSES ARE AVAILABLE FOR CHALLENGE FOR CREDIT THIS YEAR?

Only Grade 10 courses may be challenged in 2001-2002. Grade 10 and 11 courses may be challenged in 2002-2003 and Grade 10-13 courses in 2003-2004. 

AM I LIKELY TO BE A SUCCESSFUL CHALLENGE CANDIDATE?

The following courses cannot be challenged through PLAR:

·         Grade 9 courses

·         Transfer courses, Locally Developed courses, Cooperative Education courses

·         French as a Second Language courses if the student has earned one or more credits in Francais

·         Courses the student has previously failed

·         Courses the student has previously passed

·         Courses that overlap significantly with credits the student has already earned

·Courses in any subject if a credit has already been granted at a later grade (e.g. a grade 10 course cannot be challenged in a subject where a grade 11 credit has been earned)

You must answer “NO” to all of the following questions to be a likely PLAR Challenge candidate. 

q       Have you already earned a credit in the course you want to challenge for credit? 

q       Have you already earned a credit in a course similar to the course you want to challenge for credit?
         Applied Versus Academic. 

q       Have you already received credit as part of a block of equivalency credits for the course you want to
         challenge for credit? 

q       Have you previously failed this course? 

q       Have you already earned a credit in English and want to challenge an English as a Second Language (ESL), English literacy development (ELD), or AnglaisPour Debutants (APD)? 

q       Have you already earned a credit in Francais and want to challenge French as a Second Language
        (FSL), Actualisation Linguistique en Francais (ALF), or Perfectionnement Du Francais   (PDF)? 

You must also answer “YES” to all of the questions below to be a likely PLAR Challenge candidate. 

q       Do you plan to challenge the entire course for credit? 

q       Have you met the pre-requisite requirements for the course you plan to challenge for credit? 

q       Is your request to challenge for credit entered in your Annual Education Plan (AEP) as part of your
         plans for fulfilling your educational goals? 

HOW DO I GET STARTED? 

Read carefully through this brochure to obtain information regarding the challenge for credit process. A copy of this information is also available on the school board website. 

Your school guidance counsellor can supply you with a copy of the PLAR Application to Challenge for Credit. This form outlines for you all of the evidence and documentation that you must present to be considered for a course challenge. Once you have completed this form, submit it to your counsellor who will present it to your principal for approval. 

 ***Note that applications for challenge must be submitted and approved by November 1 or April 1 to allow sufficient time for assessment and evaluation.

Once your application is approved, you will be assigned a PLAR subject teacher who will conduct the necessary testing and assessment for the PLAR challenge. 

HOW CAN I DO RESEARCH FOR THIS CHALLENGE? 

A student may begin by gathering and organizing any evidence that demonstrates the knowledge and skills related to the course for challenge. Visit the Ministry website www.edu.gov.on.ca and follow the path > English or Francais > Elementary and Secondary > Secondary Curriculum > Choose a Grade > Choose a Course > Curriculum Expectations. You can download a copy of the course curriculum from this website. 

Examples of evidence may include letters of reference from teachers or community leaders, certificates, sample assignments, samples of original work, a portfolio, descriptions of programs, courses or experiences that support your application. 

Visit the board website for additional pertinent information at www@tcdsb.org.

ADDITIONAL CHALLENGE INFORMATION 

In cases where there is a disagreement with the decision of the principal about whether a student should challenge for credit, an adult student or the parent of a student who is not an adult may ask the appropriate supervisory officer to review the matter. 

A student may submit an application for challenge for a specific course for a second time after a reasonable interval, if the student can provide reasonable evidence of additional study and experience. 

Assessment and evaluation strategies will be based on curriculum expectations and achievement charts in the Ontario Curriculum policy. They will include formal tests and other assessment strategies. 

Withdrawal Policy

A student may withdraw from the challenge process prior to the final formal test without a notation on the student’s Ontario Student Transcript (OST). Once students have entered the “final formal test” stage of the challenge process, and choose to withdraw from the process, a mark will be entered on the OST (Grade 11 and 12) and on the Cumulative Tracking Record (Grades 10-12) 

The student’s final percentage grade will be recorded on the student’s Ontario Student Transcript (OST) in the same way as achievement in other courses. 

Applications for PLAR must be completed and approved by April 1 of second semester and November 1 of first semester.