OSSLT accommodations, deferrals and exemptions

Who qualifies for accommodations

Students with special education needs are eligible for OSSLT accommodations when the accommodation is listed in their Individual Education Plan and is already used for regular classroom work, including tests and other assessments. The school records each student's accommodations in EQAO's e-assessment system before the test, and parents or guardians receive a letter listing what was approved.

Three kinds of special consideration are possible for a student without an IEP, or whose IEP does not describe the accommodation:

• A temporary or unique circumstance, such as a broken arm, with the principal's permission.

• A student who is new to the school with no IEP yet, with the permission of the appropriate supervisory officer.

• Additional accommodations not described in the IEP, approved by the supervisory officer.

Decisions are made in consultation with the student, the parents or guardians (or the mature student) and the appropriate teaching staff.

Accommodations are not modifications

An accommodation changes how a student accesses the test, for example by hearing the text read aloud or writing in a separate room. It does not change what the test measures. A modification changes the content or the expectations, and modifications are not permitted on the OSSLT because it is a graduation requirement. If a student's IEP relies on modified expectations in English, the conversation with the school is about accommodations, deferral or exemption, not a different test.

What everyone gets

Every student writing the OSSLT has the platform's built-in tools: a text-to-speech reader, a zoom tool, a line reader, a high-contrast view, a highlighter and a space for rough notes. Pencil, eraser and rough paper are allowed at every desk, and supervised breaks for water, a stretch or the washroom are allowed within a session.

Accommodations that can be arranged

• Setting: a quiet, individual or small-group room.

• Prompts to return attention to the task, either a tap on the desk or a verbal signal, for students who go off task.

• Assistive technology that the IEP names, such as Read&Write for Google Chrome. The interactive question types (drag and drop, drop-down menus, checklists) need the Hover Speech tool to be read aloud, and any Read&Write feature not listed on the IEP is turned off.

• A scribe. The student dictates, the scribe enters the answers exactly as given, and the student checks the transcription and asks for corrections.

• The alternative version of the test, which has single-selection and open-response questions only, with none of the drag and drop, drop-down or checklist formats. It can be ordered in Braille, with an audio file, or in other formats the school requests through EQAO. The content is the same as the standard version.

• Sign language or an oral interpreter.

Timing deserves a direct conversation with the school. EQAO designs the two sessions to take about 65 and 75 minutes and schools schedule them within the school day. If the IEP provides extra time for assessments, raise it when the accommodations are being set so that it is recorded before the test, not on the day.

What is never allowed

No dictionaries, thesauruses or translators of any kind, including electronic ones. Nobody may define, translate or explain a question, a passage or a word. Nobody may read the test aloud; only the platform's text-to-speech tool can. Nobody may edit a student's work, including spelling and punctuation. These rules apply with or without an IEP.

English language learners

Being an English language learner is not, on its own, a reason for accommodations. English language learners with an IEP receive the accommodations it lists. The school records English language learners separately as a special provision, and the principal can defer a student's first attempt until the following year if they have not yet reached the English proficiency needed for success. The OSSLT for English language learners covers the options and a preparation plan.

Deferrals

A deferral moves the student's first attempt to the next year. It is granted by the principal, in consultation with the student, parents and teaching staff, when a student cannot take part even with every permitted accommodation in place, or when an English language learner is not yet ready. A deferred student still has to meet the literacy requirement before graduating, by writing the test or, after attempting it, by passing the literacy course.

Exemptions

Only a student whose IEP states that they are not working toward the Ontario Secondary School Diploma can be exempted, with the consent of the parent or guardian and the approval of the principal. Because it means the student is not pursuing the diploma, exemption is a pathway decision rather than a test decision. Is the OSSLT mandatory explains how it fits with the diploma rules.

Practise with the supports in place

EQAO's free practice test is the place to try every accommodation well before the test window. Students who use assistive technology should run it on the practice test to find any technical problems early. There is an alternative version of the practice test too, with the same single-selection and open-response format as the alternative test. After that, the free Litguide practice test explains every answer, and the free essay grader gives rubric codes and feedback on a practice essay, which helps a student see what the markers look for.