Ways to earn credits for learning “outside” of a typical BC curriculum

Students can earn external credentials by taking courses, programs or activities that fall outside the normal B.C. school curriculum. An example might be graduation credits for Grades 10, 11 or 12 given to students who have completed B.C. Conservatory of Music training.

Because these courses are developed and offered outside the B.C. school system, they must meet specific criteria in order to be authorized as an external credential course – this includes the same (or greater) level of depth, breadth, and rigour as would be found in Ministry-developed Grade 10, 11 or 12 courses, as well as an evaluation component that assesses the intended learning outcomes. Organizations offering these kinds of courses must also:

• Be governed by a provincial, national or international body
• Have certified instructors
• Be non-discriminatory and offer credentials that are available to a significant number of students throughout B.C.
• Some courses may count for credit towards required courses under the Graduation Program (e.g. Fine Arts or Applied Skills), while others may count as credit towards elective courses. External credentials may also count toward credit for the Adult Graduation Diploma provided they are 4-credit courses at the Grade 12 level.

Click here for a list of organizations offering approved external credentials

External Sport Credentials Program

If you’d like to use the External Sport Credentials Program as credit towards graduation, here are few things to remember:

External Sport Credentials are elective credits and cannot be used to substitute for required courses such as Physical Education 10.

Once a student has received credit for a particular level within the athlete, official or coach categories, they cannot receive additional credits for duplicate participation. For example, an athlete who has earned credits for Athlete 12 by being selected and competing on a provincial team cannot receive an additional 4 credits for Athlete 12 if they have progressed and been selected and competed on a national team. A student can only receive credit for Athlete 12 once. As well, you cannot receive additional credit for the same category level if you have met the standards and criteria in more than one sport.

High school, community and club sport programs are not eligible for external credit because they don’t meet organizational eligibility standards and minimum high performance sport criteria.

Getting Credit

Students seeking credits for a sport course or program are required to present specific documentation as proof of participation or completion. All letters and certificates must:

• Be on official letterhead (either from the provincial sport organization or the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport)
• Include the student’s name, sport program, category and level of credit