<p><strong>OSSLT April 10, 2018</strong></p>

<p>English Language Learners who are in their grade 11 year must write the OSSLT this spring.&nbsp;&nbsp;If students do not achieve the required&nbsp;<b><u>score of 300/400</u></b>&nbsp;they may take the grade 12 Literacy Course.&nbsp;&nbsp;This course must be successfully completed by June of their graduating year.&nbsp;&nbsp;<b><u>Passing the OSSLT</u></b>&nbsp;(or completing the grade 12 Literacy Course)&nbsp;<b><u>is a graduation requirement</u></b>.&nbsp;&nbsp;University acceptances may be revoked if this graduation requirement is not completed by June of the students graduating year.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>Unionville High School offers students the opportunity to take an&nbsp;<b>After School Literacy Course</b>&nbsp;to help prepare students for the OSSLT.&nbsp;&nbsp;It is a fifteen hour course.&nbsp;&nbsp;Classes are 1 ½ hours in length and are offered twice a week for five weeks.&nbsp;&nbsp;This course is offered in the fall and again in the spring.</p>

<p><strong>OSSLT Planning and Preparation Guide</strong><br />
<a href="http://www.eqao.com/en/assessments/OSSLT/assessment-docs/planning-preparation-guide-osslt.pdf">http://www.eqao.com/en/assessments/OSSLT/assessment-docs/planning-preparation-guide-osslt.pdf</a><br />
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<strong>Getting Ready OSSLT Guide for Students</strong><br />
<a href="http://www.eqao.com/en/assessments/OSSLT/assessment-docs/getting-ready-guide-osslt.pdf">http://www.eqao.com/en/assessments/OSSLT/assessment-docs/getting-ready-guide-osslt.pdf</a><br />
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<strong>Examples of the Assessments: Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test, 2017</strong><br />
<a href="http://www.eqao.com/en/assessments/OSSLT/Pages/example-assessment-materials-current-year.aspx">http://www.eqao.com/en/assessments/OSSLT/Pages/example-assessment-materials-current-year.aspx</a><br />
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<strong>Scoring Guide for the OSSLT 2017 with annotated responses</strong><br />
<a href="http://www.eqao.com/en/assessments/OSSLT/assessment-docs/OSSLT-scoring-guide-2017.pdf">http://www.eqao.com/en/assessments/OSSLT/assessment-docs/OSSLT-scoring-guide-2017.pdf</a><br />
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<strong>Video explaining how EAQO tests are created, administered and scored</strong><br />
<a href="http://www.eqao.com/en/Our_Data_in_Action/video_library/Pages/how-eqao-tests-are-created.aspx">http://www.eqao.com/en/Our_Data_in_Action/video_library/Pages/how-eqao-tests-are-created.aspx</a><br />
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<strong>The Newcomer's Guide to Secondary School in Ontario</strong><br />
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<a href="https://settlement.org/ontario/education/elementary-and-secondary-school/newcomers-guides-to-education/the-newcomer-s-guide-to-secondary-school-in-ontario/">https://settlement.org/ontario/education/elementary-and-secondary-school/newcomers-guides-to-education/the-newcomer-s-guide-to-secondary-school-in-ontario/</a><br />
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<p><strong>OSSLT: Frequently Asked Questions</strong></p>

<p>One important measure of students’ literacy is the Grade 10 Ontario Secondary Schools Literacy Test (OSSLT). Below are a series of common parent and student questions about the OSSLT.</p>

<ol>
	<li><strong>What reading skills are evaluated on the test?</strong><br />
	The test has multiple-choice and open-response questions that focus on the reading skills required in school and daily life:
	<ul>
		<li>understanding explicitly (directly) stated ideas and information;</li>
		<li>understanding implicitly (indirectly) stated ideas and information and</li>
		<li>making connections between information and ideas in a reading selection and personalknowledge and experience.</li>
	</ul>
	</li>
	<li><strong>What reading selections are included on the test?</strong><br />
	The reading selections include the following: information paragraph, news report, dialogue, real-life narrative and graphic text (e.g., schedule). They vary in length from a single paragraph to two pages.<br />
	&nbsp;</li>
	<li><strong>What types of reading tasks do students complete?</strong><br />
	Reading tasks include multiple choice and short (paragraph) answers.<br />
	&nbsp;</li>
	<li><strong>What writing skills are evaluated on the test?</strong><br />
	The test has short- and long-writing tasks, and multiple-choice questions that focus on three writing skills required in school and daily life:
	<ul>
		<li>developing a main idea with sufficient supporting details;</li>
		<li>organizing information and ideas in a coherent manner and</li>
		<li>using conventions (spelling, grammar, punctuation) in a manner that does not distract from clear communication.<br />
		&nbsp;</li>
	</ul>
	</li>
	<li>What types of writing tasks do students complete?<br />
	One of the tasks is writing a<strong>&nbsp;news report&nbsp;</strong>based on a picture and headline provided. Students make up facts and information to answer the questions Who? What? Where? When? Why? and How? and write a one page report on the event. The audience is an adult reader of a newspaper.
	<p>The other long-writing task is a&nbsp;<strong>series of paragraphs</strong>&nbsp;expressing an opinion on a given topic. Students develop a main idea with supporting details (proof, facts, examples, etc.) and write a minimum of three paragraphs on the two pages provided for the response. The audience is an adult who is interested in the opinion provided.</p>

	<p>The short (paragraph)&nbsp;<strong>writing tasks</strong>&nbsp;give the student the opportunity to use his/her knowledge and personal experience while demonstrating his/her writing skills.</p>

	<p>The&nbsp;<strong>multiple-choice questions</strong>&nbsp;give you the opportunity to demonstrate the three writing skills.</p>
	</li>
	<li><strong>Does each student have to write the OSSLT?</strong><br />
	If a student entered Grade 9 in September 2000 or later and is working toward an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD), the student must write the OSSLT. This applies to all students in publicly funded schools, private schools, overseas schools, correctional facilities and Section 23 programs.<br />
	&nbsp;</li>
	<li><strong>Why does a student need to write the OSSLT?</strong><br />
	A student needs to be sure he/she has the reading and writing skills that should have been acquired by the end of Grade 9, as outlined in The Ontario Curriculum. These skills are the basis for learning in all subject areas throughout both elementary and secondary school. Successful completion of the OSSLT meets one of the 32 requirements for the OSSD.&nbsp;<br />
	&nbsp;</li>
	<li><strong>Why do students write the OSSLT in Grade 10 instead of closer to graduation?</strong><br />
	Writing now gives students the time to get help if needed to improve their reading and writing skills. If a student does not pass the OSSLT this year, he/she will have opportunities to retake it in future years.<br />
	&nbsp;</li>
	<li><strong>Will the OSSLT count toward course marks?</strong><br />
	No. Successful completion of the OSSLT is one of the 32 requirements for the OSSD. The test will not count toward course marks.<br />
	&nbsp;</li>
	<li><strong>Will universities and colleges see OSSLT results?</strong><br />
	Your secondary school transcript will indicate that you have completed the OSSLT as one of the 32 requirements for the OSSD.<br />
	&nbsp;</li>
	<li><strong>Is the OSSLT difficult to pass?</strong><br />
	The OSSLT is based on the reading and writing skills learned up until the end of Grade 9.<br />
	&nbsp;</li>
	<li><strong>If a student does not succeed, can I take the OSSLT again?</strong><br />
	Yes. If a student does not succeed, he/she will have the opportunity to take the test again.<br />
	&nbsp;</li>
	<li><strong>Can a student get an accommodation?</strong><br />
	If a student has an Individual Education Plan (IEP) for classroom tests and assessments, he/she may be able to get an accommodation. For more information, visit EQAO’s Web site, www.eqao.com, and talk to your school principal and/or teacher (such as the Special Education Resource Teacher, Literacy Teacher, or Student Success Teacher).<br />
	&nbsp;</li>
	<li><strong>Can a student get an exemption?</strong><br />
	To be eligible for an exemption, the student must have an IEP that clearly indicates that he/she is not working toward an OSSD. For more information, talk to your school principal and/or teacher (such as the Special Education Resource Teacher, Literacy Teacher, or Student Success Teacher), or visit EQAO’s Web site, www.eqao.com.<br />
	&nbsp;</li>
	<li><strong>A student is new to Ontario, and English is not his/her first language. Can he/she get a special provision or deferral?</strong><br />
	A student may be able to get a special provision or deferral. For more information, talk to your school principal and/or teacher (such as the Literacy Teacher, Student Success Teacher or English as a Second Language Teacher), or visit EQAO’s Web site, www.eqao.com.<br />
	&nbsp;</li>
	<li><strong>What happens if a student leaves questions blank?</strong><br />
	A student gets a score of zero for these questions.​</li>
</ol>
