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Adult High School (Ottawa)
Encyclopedia
The Adult High School is a Ottawa-Carleton District School Board
high school for adults in Ottawa
, Canada
. It is the only regular high school entirely for adults in the province of Ontario. Current enrollment is some 1200 students.
It is located at 300 Rochester St. southwest of downtown in the Little Italy
neighbourhood. The adult education program was founded in 1983. In 1983 it was located in the complex of the Ottawa High School of Commerce
at 300 Rochester St. Over time enrolment in the High School of Commerce gradually decreased and the adult programme expanded until in 1990 the Commerce school was closed and the Adult High School took over the entire structure.
Legally it is a regular high school, and follows the standard Province of Ontario
curriculum. Students are full time and attend teacher-led classes from September to June. Students at AHS must be over eighteen years of age and have been out of high school for one year. The school offers specialized teaching for older students, and has programs for those with mental or physical disabilities. It also has English as a Second Language
programs as many students are immigrants whose high school diplomas are not recognized in Canada. In 2001, 45% of the school's students had a language other than English as a first language. The school also operates a full service day care for students with children.
The school has had considerable success in giving its students the necessary skills to find employment.
resulted in the transfer of the burden of the costs of adult education from the taxpayer to the student, resulting in far fewer adults being able to afford acquiring the Grade 12 equivalency needed for entry into college programs.
While this resulted in a decimation in the numbers of adult students all over Ontario seeking high school credit, along with a further decimation of course offerings to such students by schools in their region, Adult High School had survived and flourished to being a full-service public high school. By contrast, most adult high schools in Ontario offer little more than basic math, science and English credit courses, without even any way to diagnose, accommodate, and properly place students with learning disabilities. Ottawa-Carleton's Adult High School offers workplace-level math, English and science, art and creative writing credit courses that would be well beyond the adult school offerings most other Ontario school boards. The tuition is usually lower than taking a GED exam.
Ottawa-Carleton District School Board
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board refers to both the institution responsible for the operation of all English public schools in the city of Ottawa, Ontario and its governing body. Like most school boards, the OCDSB is administered by a group of elected trustees and one director selected...
high school for adults in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It is the only regular high school entirely for adults in the province of Ontario. Current enrollment is some 1200 students.
It is located at 300 Rochester St. southwest of downtown in the Little Italy
Little Italy
Little Italy is a general name for an ethnic enclave populated primarily by Italians or people of Italian ancestry, usually in an urban neighborhood.-Canada:*Little Italy, Edmonton, in Alberta*Little Italy, Montreal, in Quebec...
neighbourhood. The adult education program was founded in 1983. In 1983 it was located in the complex of the Ottawa High School of Commerce
High School of Commerce (Ottawa)
The High School of Commerce was an Ottawa secondary school that existed from 1929 until 1990. A commerce program had begun at Ottawa Collegiate Institute in 1902. The program became quite popular, and in 1915 it had to move to temporary quarters at Hopewell Public School. In 1917 it moved to the...
at 300 Rochester St. Over time enrolment in the High School of Commerce gradually decreased and the adult programme expanded until in 1990 the Commerce school was closed and the Adult High School took over the entire structure.
Legally it is a regular high school, and follows the standard Province of Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
curriculum. Students are full time and attend teacher-led classes from September to June. Students at AHS must be over eighteen years of age and have been out of high school for one year. The school offers specialized teaching for older students, and has programs for those with mental or physical disabilities. It also has English as a Second Language
English language learning and teaching
English as a second language , English for speakers of other languages and English as a foreign language all refer to the use or study of English by speakers with different native languages. The precise usage, including the different use of the terms ESL and ESOL in different countries, is...
programs as many students are immigrants whose high school diplomas are not recognized in Canada. In 2001, 45% of the school's students had a language other than English as a first language. The school also operates a full service day care for students with children.
The school has had considerable success in giving its students the necessary skills to find employment.
Comparison with the rest of Ontario
The revision of the Education Act in the late 1990s by premier Mike HarrisMike Harris
Michael Deane "Mike" Harris was the 22nd Premier of Ontario from June 26, 1995 to April 15, 2002. He is most noted for the "Common Sense Revolution", his Progressive Conservative government's program of deficit reduction in combination with lower taxes and cuts to government...
resulted in the transfer of the burden of the costs of adult education from the taxpayer to the student, resulting in far fewer adults being able to afford acquiring the Grade 12 equivalency needed for entry into college programs.
While this resulted in a decimation in the numbers of adult students all over Ontario seeking high school credit, along with a further decimation of course offerings to such students by schools in their region, Adult High School had survived and flourished to being a full-service public high school. By contrast, most adult high schools in Ontario offer little more than basic math, science and English credit courses, without even any way to diagnose, accommodate, and properly place students with learning disabilities. Ottawa-Carleton's Adult High School offers workplace-level math, English and science, art and creative writing credit courses that would be well beyond the adult school offerings most other Ontario school boards. The tuition is usually lower than taking a GED exam.