FAQs

Yes, Ontario Virtual School is accredited. OVS has been inspected by the Ontario Ministry of Education and has met all inspection requirements to be given the right to issue (OSSD) Secondary School Diploma credits. OSSD credits are the same credits issued by all public schools in Ontario, which count towards the Ontario Secondary School Diploma. All of our online high school courses follow the Ontario Curriculum. Ontario Virtual School’s Ministry BSID# is 665804.  You can find our accreditation here: Ministry of Education (Ontario) Private School Information Site

1. Go to the Registration page
2. Add the course(s) to your cart
3. Complete the registration form
4. Once registered, you will have immediate access to your courses

Once you register through our website, you will have 24/7 access to your online course. Use your username login and password to access the learning management system. Then, at a pace suitable to your learning, you can progress through the interactive lessons, and practice quizzes. When you are ready you can complete the unit evaluations and submit them into the drop box for your teacher to evaluate and provide feedback. All unit evaluations are completed and submitted online. You can type out your answers, do them on paper and scan them or take a picture of your handwritten work as submission of the evaluations, whatever means you are comfortable with. After you receive a grade and feedback, you can then proceed to the next unit and so forth until the course is complete. At the mid-point in the course, we will mail you a first report card, and upon completion of the remaining units and the proctored final exam you will be mailed a final report card.

In most cases, this form of course delivery works well to support a wide range of learning styles. Students should be motivated to excel, have familiarity with basic computer applications (word processer, web browser), and possess the ability to work independently. Remember there is also an Ontario trained and certified teacher assigned to assist, encourage and communicate with you and will be able to help you achieve your goals in the course.

One of the greatest features of online learning is the flexibility it provides in allowing you to customize your schedule to complete the course at your own pace. Course progress is measured on the completion of the assignments, discussions and summative evaluations. You can login to your course and learn at home any time and at any pace. Students are eligible to write the final exam after completing the minimal number of hours. For example: studying a few hours a day will enable you to complete the course in just four weeks. If you require a slower pace you can take up to 12 months to complete a course.

Yes, our courses are available year-round, meaning you can register and start anytime! During July and August, all new registrations are eligible to complete in as little as 21 days (as opposed to the standard 30 days minimum completion the other 10 months of the year!)

Yes. You are able to take any course(s) through Ontario Virtual School.
If you are from Quebec, you are required to register through OVS Quebec – Northern PreUniversity (NPU)
If you are from China, you are required to register through JG Online – www.jgonline.ca

Please note that there are no refunds through OVS. Students can however request in writing to transfer to another available OVS course within 7 days of their initial registration provided that they have not attempted any of the course evaluations and that they have the prerequisite for the course they wish to transfer into.

Many of our courses require students to write a final exam at the end of the course. This exam must be written pen-to-paper while in the continuous presence of an approved proctor.

Who can proctor?
A proctor is any professional adult who is willing to sit with the student to administer and supervise the writing of the final exam, ensuring that all exam procedures are properly followed. The date, time, location, and proctor are all selected by the student. Proctors must have access to a printer and scanner, and must not be related to the student.

How are exams scheduled?
Students enter their proctor’s details, including their professional email address and phone number, into the “Exam” tab of their course at least 3 days in advance of when they would like to write the exam. This request will first be agreed to by the listed proctor; once they have confirmed their willingness to proctor, their information will be forwarded to the teacher for approval. Once approved, the student and proctor can mutually determine the desired date, time, and location of the exam. The student will then enter the date and time into the “Exam” tab and our system will automatically email a copy of the exam and policy form to the proctor 2 hours prior to the scheduled time. The approved proctor and student may then proceed with the final exam as scheduled. Once the final exam has been written, the proctor must send the exam back to the teacher as a scanned, clearly legible document. If a student chooses a proctor who charges a fee for their services, OVS is not responsible for that fee.

Upon completion, we will automatically mail a copy of the final report card to the day school on file. For students applying to post-secondary, we can also send marks directly to OUAC, OCAS, or to the university – in the case of 105 applicants.

For students applying to university through OUAC, first: add OVS within the Academic Background section of your OUAC account; then, check off “101” when requesting your report card.
For students applying to university as a 105, simply provide the admissions email as well as your student ID with that school.
For students applying to college through OCAS, simply provide your OCAS number when you request your report card.

The primary responsibility of the teacher is that of a facilitator… one who supports all learners to be successful in the course. Teachers assist student by answering questions via email, monitoring threaded discussions and chat topics, providing valuable feedback on evaluations and providing multiple opportunities to demonstrate learning.

Absolutely…. Since Ontario Virtual School is a private school, students do not require permission from their regularly attended day school or school board to take any course. When you have successfully finished the course with us, we will send you one copy of the report card and a second copy will be forwarded to your day school. Your day school will then add this credit to your ongoing transcript. Upon request, OVS can also forward your marks directly to the Ontario University Application Centre (OUAC). There is no charge for this service. All OSSD high school credits are the same regardless of means of delivery.

There are absolutely no hidden or additional fees! All necessary materials will be provided, either directly in the lesson attachments (e.g., worksheets and homework tasks) or in a course resource tab (e.g., course texts, practice evaluations, and assessments rubrics). Courses only require students have access to a word processing program, such as Microsoft Word.

You will need a computer, tablet, or cellphone with high-speed internet; however, our course content runs better on a PC or Mac. (Please see the PC requirements tab). Please read our Privacy Policy.

For courses with tests and exams, students will also need access to a printer to complete their evaluations.

 Internet Speed

Your internet speed needs to be at least 15 Mbps.