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The Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) is on Thursday, April 11, 2013
This test measures whether students are meeting the minimum standard for literacy (reading and writing) across all subjects up to the end of Grade 9.
- Students take this test in Grade 10.
- Successful completion of the OSSLT is a requirement for the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD).
- There are supports for students who do not pass the OSSLT, including an opportunity to rewrite the test or to take the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course.
All students working toward an OSSD must take the OSSLT. For students with special education needs, some accommodations that are consistent with regular classroom assessment practices are permitted on the provincial tests. Special provisions may also be permitted for English language learners.
When is the Test?
The Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test will be held in the morning of Thursday, April 11, 2013. It is important that you reschedule any appointments that conflict with the Test. Successful completion of the OSSLT will meet the literacy graduation requirement.
Students will be notified of their test room.
Test Timeline
- Booklet 1 (75 minutes)
- Break (15 minutes)
- Booklet 2 (75 minutes)
- Questionnaire (10 minutes)
| 8:35 am |
Students proceed to test rooms |
| 8:40 am |
Students admitted to test rooms and instructions are read |
| 8:45 - 10:00 am |
Booklet 1 of the OSSLT |
| 10:00 - 10:15 am |
Break (refreshments provided) |
| 10:15 - 11:30 am |
Booklet 2 of the OSSLT |
| 11:30 - 11:40 am |
Time for questionnaire |
| 11:40 am |
Dismissal (students with accommodations may have additional time) |
Reading Questions
Students read five different passages, covering a range of topics. They vary in length from a single paragraph to two pages. Selections include the following forms:
- Information paragraph (presents ideas and information on a topic)
- News report (presents information in the form of a news story)
- Dialogue (presents a conversation between two or more people)
- Real-life narrative (presents an account of a significant time in an individual’s life)
- Graphic text (presents ideas and information with the help of graphic features such as schedules, timetables, graphs, charts, sketches or drawings)
By answering comprehension questions, students must show they can:
- Understand explicitly stated information and ideas
- Understand indirectly stated information and ideas
- Make personal connections to the text
Questions are in two forms:
- Multiple choice questions
- Short open-response questions including a summary
Writing Questions
Students must complete the following items:
- A news report (one page response)
- A series of paragraphs expressing an opinion (two page response)
- Short writing tasks (requiring a response in six lines)
- Multiple choice questions
In their writing, students must demonstrate skill in:
- Developing a main idea with sufficient supporting details
- Organizing and linking information and ideas
- Using correct grammar, punctuation and spelling
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