February 24th, 2019

On Wednesday March 27, 2019 Grade 10 students will write the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT), as well as senior students who have yet to complete this graduation requirement. The Literacy Test, administered by Ontario’s Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO), is used to determine whether a student has the literacy (reading and writing) skills required to meet the standard for understanding reading selections and communicating in a variety of writing forms expected by The Ontario Curriculum across all subjects up to the end of Grade 9. The successful completion of this test or the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course is a requirement for the Ontario Secondary School Diploma.

In order to create a positive environment that will optimize the conditions for successful completion of the OSSLT, the instructional school day for all students at Waterloo Collegiate Institute has been modified. The following is the timetable for March 27:

  • 8:15 a.m. – 11:55 a.m. Literacy Test or supervised quiet study in the cafeteria
  • 11:55 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. Lunch
  • 12:45 p.m. – 2:25 p.m. Tutorial Sessions

Note: Students present for tutorial sessions will sign in for attendance with their teacher

It is important to note the following about the day’s structure.

  • Students not writing the test will only have access to the cafeteria, while the test is in progress, for quiet, independent study. As most school staff will be involved in administering the test, there will be no regular classroom instruction in the morning. The library will be unavailable during the whole day as this space is required to support the administration of the test. School buses will run only at their regular times.
  • Once regular administration of the test has been completed, teachers will be available in the afternoon to provide all students with tutorial assistance in all subjects and at all grade levels. Teachers will announce to their students, and post in their classrooms, the location for their tutorial sessions. Regular attendance reporting procedures remain in effect for this day, in that any student who does not attend will be marked absent.

These adjustments have been made across the Waterloo Region District School Board in order to facilitate the administration of the OSSLT in a manner that provides for the best conditions possible for the students who are writing. If you have any concerns or questions regarding the Literacy Test, or the schedule for March 27, please feel free to contact Erika Litschgy, Vice-Principal, at 519-884-9590.

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