VDA is proud to announce that students in Grades 9 and above who enroll in our debate classes can now receive high school elective credits towards their B.C. graduation requirements!
B.C. High School Elective Course Credit
According to the British Columbia Ministry of Education, in order to graduate from high school, all students are required to have a minimum of 80 credits, within which, at least 28 credits are elective courses.
In partner with Heritage Christian Online School, VDA is now offering our debate courses approved for BC Ministry of Education credit. Each term is worth two credits towards graduation, and students can complete six terms of debate for a total of twelve elective credits.
Why should I choose the for-credit debate class?
Get Elective Credits
Every high school student, either if you are in a private school or a public school, has to fulfill the elective credits requirement to graduate from secondary school. So get your elective credits with us!
Benefit College Application
Colleges today pay close attention to high-calibre activities. Having debate on your official transcript shows your speech, critical thinking, research, organization, teamwork, and leadership skills. It makes you stand out from other candidates and increases your university acceptance rate!
No Additional Cost
For domestic students registered in a B.C. high school, there is no extra cost for taking debate for elective credit. For international students, a $250/2 credits charge is applied.
Frequently Asked Questions
Students must be in grade 9 or above and be attending an accredited BC school.
The courses offered are:
- 10A – Foundations Debate
- 10B – Competitive Track
- 11A – Intermediate Debate
- 11B – Competitive Track
- 12A – Advanced Debate
- 12B – Competitive Track
Each is worth 2 credits and is completed in a single term.
Spoken and written assignments are evaluated by the coach and students are assessed on performance and knowledge, just as in any other debate class.
Each term of debate is worth 2 credits. Students can take 6 terms of debate for a maximum of 12 elective credits.
Please contact our office directly to sign up.
- email: info@vancouverdebate.ca
- phone: 604-366-6269; 604-366-0708
At this time, students must be currently enrolled in grades 9 or above, but you’re welcome to contact us for more information.
You can sign up, yes! However, please be advised that a certain level of fluency and vocabulary is necessary for debate; significant ESL issues may be reflected in student grades.
Students may retake the same course as many times as they like without additional fees or penalties, but will not receive additional credits for retaking the same course.
This is an elective class, NOT an academic one. However, students WILL need to complete written assessments for homework, as well as in-person assessments (in-class debates). Students are required to take this program seriously and must meet the requirements and complete the work to attain high scores.
Yes! Students may withdraw from the course at any point in the term, and will not receive a ‘W’ or ‘F’ on their report card. However, students who withdraw will need to wait two terms before being able to re-enroll.
You can drop the credit aspect of the course and continue in debate. However, if you decide to quit debate, please contact our office to inquire about our refund and credit policies.