Provincial Testing in High School
In high school, your child is required by the provincial government to complete two province-wide tests that are overseen by the Education Quality and Accountability Office:
These tests are administered so that your child can demonstrate skills and knowledge of reading, writing and math. These assessments give parents and teachers valuable information about strengths and areas for improvement.
The Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT)
Students across Ontario are required to write a literacy test in Grade 10 to ensure they have acquired the reading and writing skills that apply to all subject areas in the provincial curriculum up to the end of Grade 9.
Your child must pass the test in order to graduate and receive a high school diploma. Results of this test are recorded on all student transcripts.
Results can be found on the EQAO website.
What if your child doesn't pass the OSSLT?
Students who do not complete the test successfully will receive additional help to prepare for re-testing the following year. Students who have written the OSSLT twice and have been unsuccessful both times are eligible to fulfill the requirement through the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course offered at our schools. Our principals have the discretion to allow students to enrol in the course before they take the test a second time, if the principal determines it is in the best educational interest of the student. The literacy test can not be retaken once it has been successfully completed.
The OSSLT evaluates students' reading and writing skills based on curriculum expectations in language and communications up to and including Grade 9. A student who is taking a special education program or service and who has an Individual Education Plan (IEP) will receive accommodations that are set out in the IEP and/or are available to the student during his or her regular school work when taking the test.