1 To qualify for a Certificate of High School Achievement, students must successfully complete a minimum of one academic Knowledge and Employability course or be identified as a Knowledge and Employability student (710 code) within the 12 months previous to the awarding of the Certificate.
2 There is an exception for Canadian and immigrant unilingual Francophone students who enter the Alberta school system within five years of their graduating year. For more information, see Certificate of High School Achievement Requirements for Francophone Students – English Language Arts below.
3 See information on exemption from the physical education requirement.
4 See information on exemption from the CALM requirement.
5 Courses that are identified using a post-secondary institution (PSI) course code may be used to meet the certificate requirement of “5 credits in Advanced level (3000 series) in Career and Technology Studies courses.”
6 Students may earn a maximum of 30 credits in Work Experience, but only 15 credits may be used to meet the 80-credit requirement for the Certificate of High School Achievement. Refer to the Off-campus Education Handbook for additional information.
7 Refer to Alberta.ca for additional Green Certificate information.
8 Refer to the Off-campus Education Handbook for additional information.

The requirements indicated in this chart are the minimum requirements for a student to attain a Certificate of High School Achievement. The requirements for entry into post-secondary institutions and workplaces may require additional and/or specific courses.

80 CREDITS1
including the following:

FRANÇAIS 20-2 OR 30-4

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS 20-2 OR 30-42

MATHEMATICS 10-3 OR 20-4

SCIENCE 14 OR 20-4

SOCIAL STUDIES 10-2 OR 20-4

PHYSICAL EDUCATION 10 (3 CREDITS)3

CAREER AND LIFE MANAGEMENT (3 CREDITS)4

5 CREDITS IN

  • 30-level Knowledge and Employability occupational course, or
  • Advanced level (3000 series) in Career and Technology Studies courses,5 or
  • 30-level locally developed course with an occupational focus

AND

5 CREDITS IN

  • 30-level Knowledge and Employability Workplace Practicum course, or
  • 30-level Work Experience course,6 or
  • 30-level Green Certificate course,7 or
  • Special Projects 30

OR

5 CREDITS IN

  • 30-level Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP) course8
  • Only 5 high school credits for external learning may be used to meet the 80-credit requirement for the Certificate of High School Achievement.

Certificate of High School Achievement Requirements for Francophone Students – English Language Arts

Francophone students who use Français 20-2 or Français 30-4 to meet the language arts requirements for a Certificate of High School Achievement must also either complete English Language Arts 20-2 or 30-4. The principal of a Francophone school may exempt Canadian and immigrant unilingual Francophone students enrolled in a Francophone regional authority from meeting the English Language Arts 20-2 or 30-4 Certificate of High School Achievement requirement provided that:

  • the student entered the Alberta school system within five years of the anticipated completion year; and
  • the principal deems the student does not demonstrate sufficient English language proficiency to successfully complete English Language Arts 20-2 or 30-4

The principal must report the exemption in PASI at the time it is granted. Note that the exempted student must still be enrolled in English as a second language or English language arts courses. The student is still required to achieve the necessary minimum requirement of 80 credits to earn a Certificate of High School Achievement.

For more information, contact Francophone Field Services. For contact information, see Appendix 1.

Last updated: August 26, 2022