EQAO/OSSLT Information
The Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) assesses how well Ontario’s public education system is developing students’ reading, writing and math skills. EQAO provides reliable and useful information that is used to help improve student achievement and ensure the accountability of school boards.
Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT)
Successful completion of the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) is a graduation requirement for all high school students in Ontario. The Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) measures whether students are meeting the minimum standard for literacy across all subjects. The Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) is employing a computer-based online OSSLT to eligible students across the province. The assessment must be completed in person at the student’s school on a school board owned device.
Some specific details about the schedule are below:
-Grade 10 students will be writing in the semester in which their ENGLISH CLASS falls.
-A practice assessment for Grade 10 students will take place in Grade 10 English classes in advance of the assessment dates.
Schedule:
Students in Ms. Merwart’s ENG 2P1-01 and ENG2D1-04 classes will be writing November 8th & 11th in their classroom.
Students in Ms. Irvine’s ENG2D1-08 class will be writing November 8th & 11th in their classroom
Students in Ms. Bristow’s ENG2D1-10 & ENG2D1-07 classes will be writing November 14th &15th in their classroom.
Students in Mrs. Broe’s ENG2D1-02 will be writing November 20th & 21st in their classroom
Grade 10 students who completed Grade 10 English in Summer School, as well as grade 11, 12, 12+ eligible writers will be invited to write in one sitting on November 26th in the library. This is scheduled for 8:30 am.
**Absence policy: Given this is a graduation requirement it must be the priority over and above other potential commitments on the assigned date. Should a student miss the writing of the OSSLT, another opportunity to write the assessment will not likely be possible until the 2025/2026 school year.
***Students that have made arrangements with their teachers to write on another date/time (due to extenuating circumstances) are responsible to attend the OSSLT session that was agreed to.
Accommodations:
Every student will be provided the following accommodations if required:
Quiet room to write and preferential seating
Extra time
Attention prompts
Frequent breaks
Text-to-speech and assistive tools for the text
The following accommodations will be provided based on individual student needs (as per the IEP and regularly-accessed accommodations throughout the school year):
Scribing
Google Read & Write (text to speech and speech to text)
Specialized assessment formats (e.g. braille, larger font, etc.)
Alternate test writing space (rather than in the assigned space)
Please contact Kevin Dellio and/or Barbara Ball before November 1 if your student requires any of the accommodations above.
Mr. Kevin Dellio (delliok@hdsb.ca)
Mrs. Barbara Ball (ballb@hdsb.ca)
Best Regards,
Ms. Williams Ms. Dailey
Department Head of English Vice Principal
williamsch@hdsb.ca daileya@hdsb.ca
Below is a list of resources for students to access in preparation for the OSSLT:
Slideshow-Preparing and Supporting Students for the OSSLT
EQAO Grade 9 Assessment in Mathematics
Students currently enrolled in a Semester 1 MTH1W Math class will be writing the EQAO (Education Quality and Accountability Office) Assessment in Mathematics during the final exam period at the end of January 2025. Students will receive communication from their teachers about the date, time and location of the test for their class.
Questions? Contact Mrs. MacLean - VP at macleant@hdsb.ca
General Administration Dates 2024–2025 School Year
Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT)
Fall 2024 - Tuesday, November 5, 2024 to Tuesday, December 3, 2024, with individual student results reported on or by the end of January 2025.
Spring 2025 - Tuesday, March 18, 2025 to Tuesday, April 15, 2025, with individual student results reported on or by the end of May 2025.
Grade 9 Assessment of Mathematics
Winter 2025 - Wednesday, January 8, 2025 to Friday, January 31, 2025, with individual student results reported after each student has completed the assessment.
Spring 2025 - Wednesday, May 28, 2025 to Wednesday, June 25, 2025, with individual student results reported after each student has completed the assessment.