The Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) is a provincial standards-based test of the reading and writing skills students are expected to have acquired across all subjects up to the end of Grade 9.
The test determines whether a student's literacy skills meet the minimum standard according to the expectations in the Ontario Curriculum for:
All students in public and private schools who are working toward an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) are required to write the OSSLT in Grade 10.
Students who have been eligible to write the OSSLT at least twice and have been unsuccessful at least once are eligible to fulfill the requirement through the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course (OSSLC).
Successful completion of the OSSLT or OSSLC is one of 32 requirements for an Ontario Secondary School Diploma.
There are only two outcomes on the OSSLT – successful or unsuccessful.
Do not schedule any personal appointments on that day as the only opportunity for eligible students to write the OSSLT is March 31, 2011. There will not be another opportunity for eligible students to write the OSSLT until March 2012. If a student is unable to attend school on that day, he/she is responsible for contacting the school as soon as possible.
For additional information about the OSSLT, visit the web site of EQAO (
www.eqao.ca). It provides additional materials that students can use to prepare for the test.