The Ontario Secondary Literacy Test (OSSLT) Part I

Part 1: What You Need to Know As Students and As Parents 

What is OSSLT? The Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test is a measure of the literacy skills (reading and writing) of students in Ontario. It is also a requirement for earning the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD).

When does it happen? OSSLT is scheduled and administrated through the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) in March or April of each year. This year, the Test is scheduled for Thursday March 30, 2017.

When do I write the Test? Since the OSSLT measures the literacy skills across all subjects up to the end of Grade 9, students often write the Test when they enter grade 10. This also gives students the opportunity to retake the test in future should they not be successful in their first attempt.

Exemption, Accommodation and Deferrals 

1. Students who are not working towards the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD), may be exempt from writing the Test.
2. Students with Individual Education Plan (IEP) and students who are English Language Learners may be entitled to accommodations.
3. Students who are working towards the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) but have not yet reached a level of proficiency in English that would allow them to successfully complete the test are eligible for deferrals. Also students who have illness, injury or any other circumstance that prevents them from successfully attempting the test, are eligible for deferrals.

How Long is the Test? There are two booklets. You have 75 minutes for each booklet and 15 minutes break in between.

OSSLT Result: You are scored on a scale from 200 to 400, in which 300 is the minimum score for a successful outcome.

When are the results released: Individual student results are often released to schools in May of each year.

Resources:

1. The Ontario Schools
2. The EQAO Website

Stay tuned for part 2 of our post on this topic: Practical Ways to Prepare for The Test.