The Government of Saskatchewan is making changes to the graduation requirements for high school students in Saskatchewan, beginning with students entering Grade 10 in September 2024, and including a new credit requirement for financial literacy.
The province announced the changes on Nov. 8, and said they are based on "insight and recommendations" from the Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation (STF), the League of Educational Administrators, Directors, and Superintendents, First Nation Education Authorities, post-secondary institutions, various Chambers of Commerce, and parents.
The province said that feedback from these stakeholders has suggested that students require additional credit flexibility to learn subjects they are passionate about to help them successfully enter the workforce. The ministry also noted that the changes bring Saskatchewan more in line with the rest of Canada.
"Allowing students more personal choice in their learning to better prepare them for their futures and getting Saskatchewan back to basics is a positive step forward," said Jeremy Cockrill, the province's recently-appointed minister of education.
"We have heard from the education sector that students need to be prepared for a rapidly changing labour market by focusing on the development of transferrable skills in areas such as financial literacy."
The changes implement in the 2024-25 school year are:
- a new credit requirement at the high school level for a course that focuses on financial literacy;
- a change in the number of required credits for English language arts (ELA);
- a change in the number of required credits for social sciences; and
- an increase in the number of electives students require to graduate.
The number of total credits required to graduate will not change, remaining at 24.
A new Grade 10 financial literacy credit will give students a foundation to understand personal finances and the economy, and aligns Saskatchewan with the majority of Canadian jurisdictions, which have a similar requirement for basic financial comprehension.
Changing ELA requirements from five to three (a single credit at each of Grades 10, 11, and 12) aligns Saskatchewan with BC, Alberta, Manitoba, and Ontario.
The social sciences requirement to graduate will change from three to two.
Following the changes, students will have more flexibility in the electives they can choose from to achieve the 24-credit graduation requirement.
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