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OSSLT Preparation Tips
- 3. What does OSSLT Stand For?
- 23. After the Test
- 27. Good Luck!
Editor's Notes
- Welcome & introduction Today is NOT March 29 but this entire presentation is about an important event scheduled for Thursday, March 29. Through this presentation I hope to give you some information so that you prepared for the OSSLT.
- Today’s presentation will strive to answer some of the common questions and the format of the OSSLT as well as explain what happens after the test.
- What is the OSSLT? It is an acronym that stands for Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test.
- Passing the OSSLT is one of the necessary requirements for graduating from High School with your Ontario Secondary School Diploma.
- The Ministry of Education wants you to write this test to determine whether or not you have acquired the reading and writing skills that you are expected to have learned by the end of Grade 9. The skills that the OSSLT is testing are the basis for learning in ALL subject areas throughout high school.
- Why grade 10? Simple, it’s a test designed to determine if you have the skills your are suppose to have by the end of grade 9. You may remember writing EQAO in Grades 3 & 6. In grade 9, the ministry divides up the test and the math component is written at the end of the semester you take either Academic or Applied math. Locally developed math students do not write the math test. How you do on these tests in grade 3, 6 & 9 have no impact on your graduation from high school. In Grade 10, all students who are working towards their OSSD write the OSSLT. If you do not pass the test, you can not graduate. However, you have time to get help if you need to improve your reading and writing skills as well as having opportunities to retake the test in the future.
- If grade 3, 6 & 9 your teacher may have used part of the EQAO for marks but the OSSLT does not count for marks in any course. You must pass it if you wish to graduate with your OSSD.
- If you fail the Literacy Test, you are given a chance to rewrite it. You may also be given some extra support so that you can work on developing the literacy skills you need to pass. You may even be given the opportunity to take the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course. No matter how many times it takes you to pass, or if you end up taking Literacy Course, your transcript will simply indicated that you have successfully complete the literacy requirement in English.
- If you end up going on to College, University, or off to the work place, no one will see the mark you scored on the OSSLT. Colleges & Universities will have access to your Transcript, employers do not, and the transcript simply says you passed the test.
- Now don’t get stressed out about the test – there is no way to “study” for it. The test was developed by teachers to resemble the work that students do in class every day up to the end of grade 9. It’s a fair test that is used to determine if you have the skills you are suppose to have.
- If you fail the test, you may retake it again in Grade 11. I also mentioned the Ontario Secondary Schools Literacy Course that is a semester long course that may be offered to some students. You must have written and failed the OSSLT at least once in order to be admitted to the OSSLC. If you take and pass the OSSLC, you are given the literacy equivalency credit and do not have to write the test again.
- For those students who have an IEP, the accommodations that you have for tests and assignments will also be applied to the OSSLT. If you have a scribe for tests, you’ll have a scribe for the OSSLT; if you have access to text-to-speech or speech-to-text software for tests, you’ll have it for the OSSLT. A letter will be sent home soon telling you the type of accommodations you will have.
- I want to make sure this point is clear. If you are working towards and OSSD you must write and pass the OSSLT. Therefore, no student may be exempted if they wish to graduate with and OSSD. IF you have an IEP, and you are NOT working towards your OSSD, you MAY be exempted from writing the test. Some students may be DEFERRED – that is, they will be given an extra year to develop and practice their literacy skills before they write the OSSLT. Those students who have been recommended for a deferral have already received a letter from the school. It is expected that students who are deferred will be writing next year.
- So, the day of the test arrives, which is Thursday, March 29. You had a good night’s sleep and a healthy breakfast and you are all set to write the test. Things are going along great until you come to a question you don’t understand. You decide to leave it blank and move on to the next question. Do your best to answer every question, maybe even guess. Any questions that you leave blank you will get a ZERO for.
- The OSSLT will be written at SDCI the morning of Thursday, March 29, 2012. Do not schedule any appointments for that day and make sure you arrive on time. If you miss the test, you will not be given another chance to write for 1 year! Remember, passing the OSSLT is a graduation requirement.
- The entire test will take about 2.5 hours, including instructions and a scheduled nutrition break. The school schedule on March 29 will be adjusted to accommodate for the test. Some class locations will also change. All of this information will be shared with you by your teacher closer to the date of the test.
- There are 2 booklets you will need to complete. Each booklet takes approximately 75 minutes so you will work on the first booklet in period 1, then have a 20 minute nutrition break, then write the 2 nd booklet in period 2. After you have completed the 2 nd booklet there is a short questionnaire for you to fill out.
- The OSSLT consists of Reading and Writing selections. There are three types of reading selections: Informational materials such as explanations and instructions. Literacy materials such as stories, descriptions, and dialogues. Graphic materials such as schedules, graphs and tables
- There are 3 formats of reading questions including - multiple choice - short answer & - questions that require a brief explanation Within each of these different formats there will be 3 different types of questions Directly stated in the reading selection Indirectly stated in the reading selection - Making connections between personal knowledge & experience and ideas and information in the reading selection
- There will also be 3 different types of writing tasks 1.Long-Writing Tasks news report based on a picture and a headline (one page) series of paragraphs expressing an opinion on a given topic (two pages) 2. Short-Writing Tasks opportunity to use your knowledge and personal experience while demonstrating your writing skills 3. Multiple-Choice Questions opportunity to demonstrate the three writing skills
- The writing questions are designed to measure student achievement in the following areas: Development of an main idea Provision of support details Organization and linking of ideas and information Use of an appropriate tone for the purpose and the intended reader Use of correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling
- Some of you are ready to write the OSSLT and have been since the end of grade 9. Other students may need more support both inside and outside of the classroom. All students who are writing the OSSLT will have the opportunity to write a practice test on Thursday, March 22 – 1 week before the actual test.
- Now that we have talked about the test, let’s answer some of the questions you may have about what happens after the test.
- Probably the only question you have is when will I get my results. Although you write the test in March you will not receive your results until June. Your test is actually shipped to Toronto where a team of teachers will spend time marking, checking, and remarking your test. This teacher team decides on your mark, not SDCI, and whether or not you pass or fail.
- If you or your parents have any more questions, you can visit the EQAO website at www.eqao.com
- If I can offer you some helpful advice, it would be this: - Follow the directions completely (if it says to write 3 paragraphs don’t write 4 in hope of doing better) Don’t leave any questions blank Bring a pen & a pencil to write with - Don’t book any appointments on March 29 - Make sure to have a good breakfast