How are courses named in Edmonton Schools?

Courses are split into levels. These levels are 10 to 15, 20 to 25, and 30 to 35. They indicate both the grade that the class is usually meant to be taken in, as well as the course sequence if applicable.

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Classes starting with a 1 (10 to 15) are usually Grade 10 level classes

Classes starting with a 2 (20 to 25) are usually Grade 11 level classes

Classes starting with a 3 (30 to 35) are usually Grade 12 level classes

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Classes can be taken at any grade, so long as you have the correct prerequisites

• For example, to take English 30, English 20 must have already been taken

In fact, in certain schools it is standard to take a 20-level class in Grade 10, and a 30-level class in Grade 11. Some junior high schools even allow students to take a 10-level class in Grade 9.

• For example, if you are taking semestered classes, you may take Science 10 in the first semester of Grade 10, Science 20 (or Biology, Chemistry, or Physics) in the second semester of Grade 10, and then the corresponding 30-level class in Grade 11. If the class has a Diploma exam, this would mean you are taking the Diploma in Grade 11.

  • Note: This does not apply to all schools, so check with your school about your options.

Some classes have several streams, such as Social Studies, English, and Mathematics. This means that there are different versions of the class available for you to take. Generally, '-1' courses are more academically rigorous than '-2'.

• Some examples of this are:

  • Math 30-1 and Math 20-1 are precalculus courses designing to prepare students for post-secondary studies that involve calculus, whereas Math 30-2 and Math 20-2 are designed to prepare students for post-secondary studies that do not involve calculus

  • English 30-1 places more emphasis on understanding, analyzing, and reading complex texts than English 30-2

To graduate high school, you can take any stream, however some universities only accept English 30-1 and not English 30-2. There may also be more specific requirements depending on the program you apply to.

A visual example of the course naming system in Edmonton:

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Some important notes:

• Schools may have different conventions with naming, so you may see some variation while choosing your courses. However, the grade level and stream will likely remain unchanged.

• Math at the grade ten level is called Math10C, and is a starting point for both of the course sequences

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How many credits are courses worth?

A 3 credit class has half the amount of classes in a semester/year as a 5 credit class. Two 3 credit classes take up the same amount of space in your timetable as one 5 credit class. This is why oftentimes 3 credit courses may be referred to as half year courses, because they only are offered during one out of the two semesters of the school year.

All core classes (English, Sciences, Math, and Social Studies) are worth 5 credits.

Here is an example of what a schedule may look like for a grade 10 student in an EPSB school that operates on a Day1/Day 2 schedule (where their schedule alternates every day). There is a small explanation included at the end:

Semester One:

Semester Two:

In the above schedules, the student has taken the required core classes (Social, Science, Math, and English), as well as Chemistry 20, Art 10, French 10, Media Design 10 and Dance 15. Social, Math, English, and Art are taken every other day for the whole year (full-year/5 credit classes).

• Science is taken everyday in semester one, and replaced by chemistry every day in semester two (both are still full-year/5 credit classes, but squished into one semester).

• Media Design 10 and Dance 15 are half-year/3 credit courses, taken every other day for one semester (half the amount of classes as English 10). French takes over the time slots covered by the two 3 credit classes in semester two. In this schedule, Art, Media Design, Dance, and French are all considered electives.

  
  

Please note: The example schedules were created to help parents and students understand the course naming system. A schedule that a student chooses to create may vary significantly depending on school, interests, and other factors. Additionally, not every school operates on a Day One/Day Two schedule, which will impact what a students schedule looks like.