The Near North District School Board is one of a handful of school boards participating in this year’s optional field test of the new online Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT).
The field test, which runs between March and June, allows students in Grades 10 and 11, and non-graduating Grade 12 students, to attempt the test and, if successful, have it counted on their transcript.
If the student is not successful, it does not count against them since this year is a trial of the new system.
Earlier this school year, the Ministry of Education waived the literacy graduation requirement for all students graduating during the 2020-2021 school year.
Graduating students do not need to take the field test.
This pilot will replace the former written by hand assessment and is slated to roll out across all provincial school boards for the 2021-2022 school year.
These digitized assessments can be adaptive and allow for a more student-focused experience, which in turn helps to reduce test anxiety and allows students the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge in different ways.
The new online OSSLT is only available for students learning in-person because a proctor is required to supervise the assessment.
Families, students, and staff can view the online test and its platform through EQAO’s online practice test.