Q1: Who can take courses at Oak Valley Academy?

A：Anyone who needs Ontario Secondary School Diploma can take our courses at Oak Valley Academy. Anyone who needs to fulfill post-secondary admission or apprenticeship requirements.

Q2：What language available in the course?

A：All courses contents are in English Only.

Q3: How do I register?

A：Registration is completed online using our Register page.

Q4: How do I start?

A：Students may enroll any day of the year and begin their course(s) within 2-3 days of registration. Students have up to 12 months to complete each course. This model allows students to work at their own pace and manage their own deadlines. All students are eligible to take courses with our school. Permission from the student’s main high school of registration is not required.

Q5: How will I be supported?

A：In addition to the support we provide with our qualified Ontario Certified Teachers, all our courses include access to unlimited, on-demand, online tutoring included in the course fee. 

Q6: How long does a course take in general?

A：Students study on their own pace. Students generally complete a course in 4 months and have the option to pay for course extensions if required. They have up to 12 months to complete the course.

Q7: Will these courses credits count towards my diploma or university application?

A：Yes. All credits earned in Oak Valley Academy are the same credits earned by students in bricks and mortar public and private schools in the Province of Ontario.

Q8: Can I take multiples courses at the same time?

A：Yes. You can take as many courses as you can at the same time. It is according to your study schedule. We recommend you schedule at least 8-10 hours per weeks per course. 

Q9: Can I take Oak Valley Academy courses while I am attending school in my home country?

A：Yes. We offer the online courses for anyone who wants to earn an OSSD around the world. You can take the courses at your own pace but make sure you have enough time to work on it.

Q10: Will these courses count towards my diploma or university application?

A：Yes, all credits earned at Oak Valley Academy that are required for graduation count toward your OSSD, which helps you to apply universities and colleges.

Q11: How can I communicate with my teacher?

A：Primarily by email, some other communication tools such as telephone or video conferencing can be arranged upon request.

Q12: How does the tutoring work?

A：When students need assistance, they can send an email to teacher about the lesson or assignments. Tutors will help students with any questions they have about the topic under study, but do not provide students with answers. Students will not be permitted to utilize the tutoring service during the final exam.

Q13: Where will I do the exam?

A：All course exams are written at the convenience of the students. Students may finish their courses and write their proctored final exams online any day of the year from anywhere in the world. You can learn more here

Q14: What is the procedure for writing the final exam?

A：The proctor must first be approved by OVA following the guidelines above. Once the exam is scheduled with the proctor, it is up to the student to ensure that he/she understands the rules and regulations surrounding the final exam. For example, the student cannot access any external content during the final exam. The student will access the exam online and a password will be entered by the Proctor in order for the student to access the exam. The exam will be timed, so it is important for the student to be aware of any time constraints for the exam. The student will then work through the exam and save his or her responses as questions are completed. 

Please note：The final report card for the course will not be released until Oak Valley Academy receives the signed Proctor Memorandum from the Proctor

Q15: When can I write the final exam?

A：When students finish all the contents of the courses, the student selects the date, time and location of the final exam with a proctor. 

Q16: What is a prerequisite course? Do I have to complete this course before I register?

A：A prerequisite course is the course a student must complete prior to taking the next level of the subject. Prerequisite requirements are outlined by the Ministry of Education in order to ensure that students are properly prepared to take a course at the next higher level. Students should obtain and send Canadian Advanced Senior High a copy of their Ontario Student Transcript, Report Card, or Credit Counseling Summary, to prove that the student has achieved the prerequisite for the course.

Q17: Students studying in US high schools or general certificate of education advanced level in China, can they take courses in OVA to earn the OSSD?

A：Yes. Oak Valley Academy has a special course advisor who is responsible for the conversion and evaluation of students' credits and can review the credits taken by students in China. Credits from different education systems such as the United Kingdom and the United States can be converted into Canadian credits according to a uniform standard.

Q18: What is an ESL? What should I do if my English is not good enough to keep up with my progress? 

A：ESL means English as a second language. Students from non-English-speaking countries are required to take an English proficiency test when they enter the school. They are also required to evaluate the corresponding level according to the test results and to learn ESL courses. The ESL courses are divided into 5 levels, which are SLAO/ESLBO/ESLCO/ESLDO/ESLEO. Normally, only when ESL reaches level D can students be eligible for other courses. Therefore, under the arrangement of this scientific and perfect teaching system, students' English level will match their learning.

Q19: Are students taking ESL courses at both levels? Such as ESL B and ESL C? 

A：Not at the same time. Students must have completed the ESLBO course with a 50% (pass) grade to qualify for the next class of ESLCO.

Q20: What are the requirements for students to learn in online classes? What is the grading standard for students? 

A：In order for students to learn well, the basic requirements for students are that each course should be studied at least three times a week, and the learning frequency that students should achieve should meet the basic requirements. Each course requires more than 110 hours of online learning and corresponding homework, examination, test, etc., must be completed according to the requirements. Students can truly learn knowledge and obtain good results. The scoring criteria will be based on: attendance rate, completion rate and quality of homework, whether to take an examination, etc. As long as the students take classes seriously and finish their homework carefully, the students can finally get the ideal scores.

Q21: What are the advantages of applying for university with Canadian OSSD? 

A：After the students register with OSSD, they will apply for the prestigious universities in the world as local students in Ontario. The application channel is the same as the local students in Canada, avoiding the fierce competition with students from overseas. The Ontario high school diploma in Canada has been recognized by mainstream overseas study countries such as the United States, Britain, Australia, Singapore and Hong Kong and Macao in China. Ontario is the province with the largest number of universities in Canada. The batch of admissions is higher than that of students from other provinces in Canada and overseas students, with a high success rate. Take China's high school diploma as an example. If China's high school graduates apply for Canadian universities, they will need to transfer credits for China's high school diploma and high school results. And prestigious universities such as the University of Toronto will also need to provide college entrance examination results, which will make it significantly more difficult for students to apply.

Q22: Can students take Canadian high school credit courses in their home countries and obtain graduation certificates? Is it the same as the graduation certificate obtained in Canada? 

A：Students can take high school credit courses in Ontario, Canada in their home countries and obtain the same graduation certificates as local students in Canada. Our OSSD program is non-geographical and allows students to register in Ontario, Canada, no matter where you are.

Q23: Does the Oak Valley Academy offer study visa services? 

A：For students who need to go to high schools and universities in Canada, OVA can provide visa guidance and services, including the school documents required to apply for a student visa or a visitor visa, which the school will assist in providing.

Q24: Does the Oak Valley Academy help students apply for universities?

A：For OSSD students, we have university application tutors, who will help students to recommend suitable universities and majors based on students' scores and specialties, and guide students to fill in the application information online.

Q25: Does Oak Valley Academy has a summer or winter camp? 

A：Oak Valley Academy will organize summer camps or winter camps regularly, which will not be held for the time being due to the epidemic. A corresponding plan will be formulated after epidemic recovery.

Q26: What is the difference between a Canadian high school and a Chinese high school? 

A：Senior high schools in exam-oriented countries generally adopt the academic year system, while senior high schools in Canada adopt the credit system. Students can graduate after completing 30 credits, including 18 credits for required courses and 12 credits for elective courses. Canada's high schools teach in English and have high requirements. School is equipped with ESL courses, which can help the students to make a smooth transition to the courses. Learning in Canada mainly depends on students' autonomy and spontaneity. Students do not have much homework. Some subjects require students to be able to search for information on a topic spontaneously, organize courseware and make speeches and presentations in the public.