Various Classes for Student Placement at M.B.C.I.

Regular Classrooms: Regular Credits, most are offered in one semester,4.5 months

 Semester 1: September until end of January Semester 2 February until end of June

• time moves quickly to include as much material and course work as possible
• less reminders and guidance regarding all parts of learning is based upon independent student skills
• lessons are longer and include more information per lesson with some examples and then students work on their own, with the option of course to ask for clarification or support
• assignments are presented with each part identified and then students work independently to complete the assignment as a whole and hand it in at a designated date.
• homework is posted on the whiteboard or in blogs.Students are told about the homework then they are expected to record and complete their homework.
•  material is both concrete and implied with less emphasis on drawing the links between the two types of information, students are encouraged to discover these links and express them in discussions and writing activities.

Tutorial Classrooms: Regular credits that exclude extra information and activities as approved by the Department of Education.

• the same core information as the regular credit is provided and the same learning goals are worked upon in a tutorial classroom.
• to ensure there is more time for students to learn material and do course work.
• more reminders and more guidance to support each part of student learning.
• teacher takes a mini lesson approach, does a high number of examples with students before students do the work on their own.
• teacher breaks down each part of assignments and demonstrates to students how to complete each section until the whole assignmet is complete.Students pass in each part of of the assignment they complete until the whole assignment is done by a given date.
• frequent reminders about homework and due dates as well as reminders to hand in completed work.
• many links are made between concrete information and information that is implied.

Independent Study Option:ISO Regular credits delivered through modules/packages that  can be purchased from the Department of Education through Student Services here at M.B.C.I. The Guidance Counsellors Heather Marlow and Merrilee Hamilton are the ladies to contact about ISO's.

• Students need to be very motivated and able to work independently to meet the deadlines for course work and exams. 
• A minimum of two hours a day is required to work through the material and meet the course completion deadlines.
• ISO's cost about $135.00 per course, the counsellors can speak to this more accurately than I.

Alternative Academic Program Classroom:(AAP) regular credits as described above with no teaching in front of the students, its a modular based way to complete credit work.

• Core credits from grade 9-12 such as Math. English Language Arts, Science and Social Studies are taught in AAP.Advanced credits such as biology and precalclius are taught in regular classes.
• Less students,18 at most, per period so very limited access to this class.
• An educational assistant to support student learning.
•  Each student works independently on packages or modules. 
• The teacher provides 1 to 1 instruction as the student needs it.
• Attendance is tracked carefully as students are still expected to attend on a fairly regular basis so that they can actually learn concepts. 
•  If attendance drops too far then students are designated as skill building and are shifted to a study hall time slot until such time as their attendance improves with enough consistency to be reconsidered for AAP.

Modified Credits: identified students must meet very specific criteria to do Modified or M credits. There are very few students who do modified credits. Modified credits can be obtained in all the classrooms described above, as well as lifeskills below, it depends upon the student, family and realistic doability of the credit.

• the same topics, where possible, as the Department of Education approved curriculum for each credit for example Grade 9 science has the topic electricity so a student attending grade 9 science and doing a modified credit still explores electricity with his/her peers.
• less than 50% of Department of Education approved curriculum content and learning goals.
• teacher selects the most concrete material and most doable activities for the student to do.
• students are expected to complete the selected work and where possible master the content just like their peers.
• IEP meetings happen 2 times a year where the teachers, families and resource work together to support these students.
• Entrance to post secondary education programs is severally restricted by the modified credit high school diploma or completion certificate.

 Lifeskills Classroom:  Mrs. Angelika Bate,our other resource teacher, and her team of Education Assistants.

Individualized Programs involve:

• more 1 to 1 instruction all core subjects math,English Language Arts, Science, Social Studies. 
• work place experiences and training in local businesses around The Pas.
• life skill training such as shopping, cooking, laundry etc.
• community based activities such as skating, visiting the library etc.
• involvement in classes with peers where ever possible. 
• modified credits and completion certificates (see above)
• Individualized Education Programs and family support agencies from our community.
• Depending upon the need of the student there have been regular credit strudents associated with lifeskills who just needed a daily "home base and emotional support" .

Study Hall: Room 204

• 1 to 1 help provided by an educational assistant
• only 10 spaces per period; so extremely limited access
• attendance is taken and monitored very closely so that those who really need it and use it have first chance to access it as a support. 
• students must bring school work, it is not a free period or a spare
• students sometimes write tests and quizes there.
• the main office tracks students who do not have study hall in their time table and page visiting students into the room where the educational assistant records the reason for their visit.