| Myth # 1: |
ACE is a new program |
| Fact: |
ACE is the updating and renaming of a program approved
for delivery by colleges in the mid 60’s: Basic Training
for Skills Development or BTSD. BTSD was
approved as equivalent to 4 grade levels: BTSD 1 (0 to 6),
BTSD 2 (7 and 8), BTSD
3 (9 and 10) and BTSD 4 (11 and 12
All colleges (22 Anglophone and 2 Francophone) have been
continuously delivering BTSD 4, now ACE, since the 60’s. |
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| Myth # 2: |
ACE goes considerably beyond what was formerly delivered
in college
upgrading |
| Fact: |
ACE is the recognition
and documentation of the evolution of BTSD
Level 4. The original approval mentioned
only Communications,
Mathematics and Science. As colleges increasingly
focused on preparing
a more diverse student population for post
secondary college programs the
three originally identified courses were
expanded and made more specific.
ACE recognizes what colleges were actually
doing: Communications, Self-Direction, Computers,
Core Mathematics, Apprenticeship Math, Business
Math, Technology Math, Biology, and Chemistry,
Physics in the
Anglophone colleges and the additional Communications-
Français and
Anglais Langue Seconde in the Francophone
Colleges. None of these are
new courses. |
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| Myth # 3: |
ACE is based on the new Secondary School Curriculum |
| Fact: |
The catalyst to update
and rename BTSD 4 was a need to ensure college
upgrading students could continue to access
a dramatically changing post
secondary environment and to maintain existing
post secondary admission
agreements. The changes in prerequisites
for admission to nursing and
apprenticeship were the primary motivators.
BTSD 4 has always been
described as Grade XII equivalent so it was
important to make sure that
colleges could demonstrate that the new secondary
school curriculum had
also been considered. The primary concern
was to ensure college
upgrading students could not only access
post secondary programs but
also succeed once admitted. Various Essential
Skills documents including
the Conference Board of Canada list were
also considered. While colleges
focus on preparing students to access and
succeed in post secondary and
apprenticeship training, they are also committed
to providing the essential
skills which will ensure that students will
be able to adjust both
professionally and personally to their changing
environments. |
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| Myth # 4: |
ACE does not provide a real or genuine certificate |
| Fact: |
ACE is a college certificate which meets all the criteria
required of any college program issuing a certificate. (The
Credentials Framework is
Appendix A of the Framework for Programs of Instruction part of the
Minister’s Binding Policy Directive issued April 1, 2003 and Revised
September 8, 2003) Students qualifying for an ACE Certificate receive a
document identifying the college and signed by the appropriate senior
management. ACE is recognized as Grade XII equivalent by Colleges and
Apprenticeship for purposes of admission to post secondary programming.
It is also recognized by employers across the province.
The ACE approval process was a lengthy and rigorous procedure
which took 2 years to complete and required the input of
college upgrading
faculty and management at all 24 colleges, evaluation by post secondary
faculty, and acceptance by the Vice Presidents Academic. This was a
careful and highly consultative process. |
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| Myth # 5: |
ACE does nothing for students upgrading to access university
education |
| Fact: |
The focus of ACE is on securing access primarily for students whose goal
is a post secondary college program. The identified course outcomes are
the minimum which must be learned to qualify for a certificate. There is
nothing to stop individual colleges from supplementing activities for
individual students to meet the admission requirements of a specific
university program. The more common process has been for colleges to
develop specific preparation programs as part of college offerings e.g. Pre
Health and Pre Technology. The learning outcomes for these courses are
different from ACE. An increasing number of colleges are either
collocated with universities (Canadore), have themselves been reclassified
as college/universities (Durham) or have articulation agreements with a
university (Nursing:Fanshawe and UWO). |
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| Myth # 6: |
ACE is accessible only to those living near a college campus |
| Fact: |
All 24 colleges offer ACE not only at main campus sites, but also at satellite locations. According to the LBS tracking system there are 67 sites, but many of these sites include more than one community. More recently many colleges have formed partnerships with programs in other streams and sectors to expand the onsite availability of Academic Upgrading programming. At last count ACE programming was available in more than one hundred communities across the province.
Beginning in July, 2008, all 10 English and 11 French ACE courses are available via Distance Delivery. To find out more about ACE Online including information about registering click go to ACE On-line. |
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| Myth # 7: |
ACE is accessible only to those who are able to pay fees |
| Fact: |
No fees are charged for participating in ACE. There is a fee paying option
at eleven of the twenty four colleges. Participants at these colleges may
opt to pay fees if they are unable to meet Ministry guidelines regarding
attendance and progress. ACE is available at no charge at all colleges. |
