What to Expect on EQAO Assessments
What students can expect when completing their EQAO assessment.
What to Expect on EQAO Assessments
What to Expect on the Assessments of Reading, Writing and Mathematics, Primary Division and Junior Division
This video will provide information on what students can expect when participating in the Assessments of Reading, Writing and Mathematics, Primary Division and Junior Division.
Welcome. This video will provide information on what students can expect when participating in the EQAO Assessments of Reading, Writing and Mathematics, Primary Division and Junior Division. These assessments will be administered to students in Grade 3 and Grade 6 in Ontario schools this spring.
Students who attend publicly funded schools in person will complete the EQAO assessments during the regular school day. Schools have the flexibility to determine when assessment sessions will be scheduled within the administration dates set by EQAO.
The primary- and junior-division assessments align with the expectations in The Ontario Curriculum and measure the reading, writing and mathematics skills students are expected to have learned by the end of Grade 3 for the primary-division assessment, and by the end of Grade 6 for the junior-division assessment.
Results from the EQAO assessments are used to inform improvement at the student, school, school board and provincial levels. They also help parents and guardians, and educators, to understand how students are doing in literacy and numeracy.
The information helps policy-makers, researchers and others to determine how to support school improvement and student success.
Students will use an electronic device to complete the online assessment at school. For those who cannot complete assessments online, alternative versions are available.
Each assessment has a language and a mathematics component, consisting of different sessions, or stages, that can be completed back to back with breaks in between, or on different dates and times.
The language component consists of four sessions: two reading sessions and two writing sessions. Each session is designed to be completed within 15 to 35 minutes. The mathematics component contains a total of four stages. Each stage is designed to be completed in approximately 30 minutes.
What to Expect on the Grade 9 Assessment of Mathematics
This video will provide information on what students can expect when participating in the Grade 9 Assessment of Mathematics.
Welcome. This video will provide information on what students can expect when participating in EQAO’s Grade 9 Assessment of Mathematics.
EQAO assessments provide parents, guardians and educators with information about student attitudes and achievement in literacy and numeracy in Ontario’s education system. The information provided assists policymakers and researchers in making decisions about and supporting continuous improvement in students’ learning.
The Grade 9 Assessment of Mathematics is administered near the end of the Grade 9 mathematics course. Educators have the flexibility to determine when assessment sessions will be scheduled within the administration windows set by EQAO.
EQAO assessments have been modernized to allow for a more engaging and student-focused experience. Students will complete the online assessment at school.
The questions in the assessment align with the expectations in The Ontario Curriculum and measure the knowledge and skills students are expected to have learned by the end of the Grade 9 mathematics course.
The assessment consists of questions that cover students’ knowledge and skills in the following strands: Number, Algebra, Data, Geometry and Measurement, and Financial Literacy.
Although the assessment does not measure the content in the Mathematical Thinking and Making Connections strand, students will be required to apply the mathematical processes while completing the assessment.
The Grade 9 Assessment of Mathematics is an online assessment that includes two sessions—Session A and Session B. Each session has two stages and is designed to be completed in approximately 60 minutes. The assessment uses a multi-stage computer adaptive testing model that adapts to individual students’ performance as they progress through each assessment session.
At the end of the two assessment sessions, students will complete a voluntary questionnaire that asks them about their attitudes and perceptions with respect to mathematics and their learning environment. EQAO will use this data to provide schools, boards, teachers and parents and guardians with information on how student attitudes and perceptions are related to students’ mathematics achievement.
Students will have an opportunity to participate in an introductory session of the assessment with their teacher. This will help familiarize them with the online e-assessment platform.
During this introductory session, students will complete a sample test and tool exploration, where they can try out the tools that will be available during the assessment, such as the tool for drawing lines, the highlighter tool and the eraser tool.
All students can also use the assessment’s built-in accessibility tools, including the line reader, the zoom-in and zoom-out features, a text-to-speech reader and a high-contrast mode.
A built-in calculator is also provided. The EQAO formula sheet, which includes mathematical formulas students may require during the assessment, and the EQAO English–French and French‒English glossaries are also available in the e-assessment platform. Students can have hard copies of the glossaries to use during the assessment.
Students are also allowed to use their own calculator (scientific or graphing) and a pencil, and paper for rough work during the assessment.
Before completing the assessment, students also have access to reminders of test-taking strategies, and relaxation and visualization activities to help them stay calm and focused.
There are a variety of question types that students may complete during the assessment, such as single-selection, multiple-selection, drag and drop, and drop-down menu questions.
Anyone who would like to become familiar with the format of the Grade 9 Assessment of Mathematics, and the types of questions that may be included in the assessment, can refer to the sample test on EQAO’s website.
Since the assessment is aligned with The Ontario Curriculum, which is used for classroom instruction, the Grade 9 Assessment of Mathematics does not require additional preparation.
A framework document that provides a description of the Grade 9 Assessment of Mathematics, including what is assessed and the assessment design, is available on EQAO’s website. The framework also includes an assessment blueprint that shows how many questions students complete from the different strands of the Ontario Grade 9 mathematics curriculum.
Individual Student Reports, or (ISRs) are made available to teachers after the completion of the assessment sessions. Students will receive their report from their teacher to bring home.
The ISRs provide information about each student’s achievement on the assessment. Results of this assessment may be included as part of a student’s final course mark as per the Ministry of Education’s Growing Success: Assessment, Evaluation and Reporting in Ontario Schools (2010) document. This information enables students, parents and guardians and teachers to plan for improvement.
Please visit www.eqao.com to learn more about the Education Quality and Accountability Office.
What to expect on the OSSLT
This video will provide information on what students can expect when participating in the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT).
Welcome. This video will provide information on what students can expect when participating in the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT).
The results of all EQAO assessments provide valuable information about Ontario’s education system at the school, school board and provincial levels.
The outcomes also help parents and guardians and educators understand how students are doing in literacy and math.
The information helps policy-makers, researchers and others to support continuous improvement in the school system.
The OSSLT assesses literacy only and will be administered at schools in the fall, and again in the spring. The test is scheduled to take place during the regular school day. Schools have the flexibility to determine when test sessions will be scheduled within the administration periods set by EQAO.
The test is grounded in the Ontario Curriculum expectations for all subjects that address reading and writing skills up to the end of Grade 9. Students can take the test starting in Grade 10.
Successfully completing the OSSLT, or completing the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course (known as the OSSLC), is a graduation requirement as established by the government.
For most students, this means successfully completing the OSSLT.
The test is offered online. Students are required to use a digital device to complete the test in person at their school. Accommodations are available based on student need.
The OSSLT includes two sessions—Session A and Session B. Session A is designed to be completed in approximately 65 minutes, and Session B in approximately 75 minutes.
At the end of the two test sessions, students complete a voluntary questionnaire that asks them about their attitudes and perceptions with respect to literacy.
The test is made up of various reading and writing selected-response and open-response questions. There are four different types of reading selections: real-life narrative, information paragraph, news report and dialogue.
There are a variety of question types, such as single-selection, multiple-selection, drag and drop, drop-down menu and checklist questions. Students are also presented with opportunities to write longer answers to open-response questions.
Each student’s outcome is determined by their answers to the selected-response questions and by the scores achieved on the open-response questions.
Prior to writing the OSSLT, students can become familiar with the test by taking the practice test on the EQAO website. Teachers can also organize a practice session in class. This will help familiarize them with the online assessment platform.
Students can try out the built-in tools that will be available during the online test. For example, students can try the highlighter and the eraser. There is also a line reader, a tool for underlining text and a tool for keeping rough notes.
All students can use the test’s built-in tools, such as the zoom-in and zoom-out features, a text-to-speech reader and a high-contrast view.
Before writing the test, students also have access to a minds-on activity, reminders of test-taking strategies, and relaxation and visualization activities to help them stay calm and focused.
Anyone who would like to become familiar with the format of the OSSLT, and the types of questions that will be asked, can refer to the practice test on EQAO’s website.
The OSSLT does not require additional preparation, as it is aligned with The Ontario Curriculum, which is used for classroom instruction.
You can find, on our website, the OSSLT framework document, which explains what is assessed on the OSSLT and how the test questions are scored.
Individual Student Reports are made available to schools following the scoring. Students will receive a report from their school to bring home.
The Individual Student Report provides the outcome for each student who completed the test. This information enables students, parents and guardians and teachers to plan for improvement.
Please visit www.eqao.com to learn more about the Education Quality and Accountability Office.