1. Thomas A. Stewart Literacy Test (OSSLT) Prep Guide 2013
How to prepare.

2. On the night Before the Test:
Mark your calendars: Date of OSSLT is Thursday March 31, Eat a healthy dinner. Review for the test Go to bed early Have a good breakfast. Report to your assigned classroom by 8:10 AM. The test starts at 8:20 AM and you must be in your seat ready to start. Bring pencils, black or blue pens and a highlighter. Also, bring material to read if you finish early. NO electronic devices are allowed in the room. Leave your cell phones and mp3 players at home.
On the Morning of the Test: 2

3. Tips and Reminders Reading Questions:
Read the first and last sentences right away.
Read the entire selection slowly.
Number the sentences and the paragraphs.
Study graphics and pictures carefully.
Highlight challenging words and expressions. 3

4. Tips and Reminders Multiple Choice:
Read the multiple choice questions and go back to the selection to find the answers.
Usually, all of the multiple choice options are found in the text but you have to choose the right choice for the QUESTION being asked.
When part of the question is in “quotation marks”, you must find that exact phrase in the selection to get the correct answer. 4

5. Tips and Reminders Written Response:
Use the question as the first sentence of your answer. For example:
(Question): “Should high school students wear uniforms?” (Answer): “No, high school students should not wear uniforms.”
Always use points from the “selection” to support your opinion.
Summarize: your first sentence should tell the reader the main point of the selection. Then you should include supporting ideas. Make sure your response is an accurate reflection of the ideas presented in the “selection.” 5

6. Tips and Reminders Writing: Read the question carefully.
Use the rough work section given on the OSSLT and brainstorm your ideas.
Organize your ideas before you start writing.
Indent your paragraphs.
DO NOT double space.
Stay on topic.
Proof read carefully for spelling errors.
Make sure your ideas and paragraphs flow well.
Make sure you have strong opening and closing sentences that relate back to the original question or topic. 6

7. OSSLT-speak Decoding the OSSLT:
The OSSLT has its own special terminology. It’s important to know what their terms mean.
Selection: A “selection” is the thing they have you read…it might be part of a book, a story from a magazine, something from a website, but basically it’s the thing you need to base your answers on.
Prompt: The “prompt” is basically the question. For a Series of Paragraphs Expressing an Opinion the “prompt” will be the topic they want you to write about.
Response: Your “response” is your answer; what you write about the “selection” in answer to the “prompt.”
Scoring: “Scoring” is the word they use for marking or grading. Your score on each question is called a Code. So if you get 30 they call it a Code 30.
Conventions: Spelling, grammar, sentence structure and punctuation.

8. What’s on the Test Reading Questions
Students will be asked to read and respond to:
An Information paragraph
A News report
A Dialogue
A Real-life narrative
A Graphic text
The reading selections are followed by multiple-choice and/or
open-response questions. 8

9. STRATEGIES: Reading Questions Make sure you:
Read the question carefully and take a second to think about what it’s really asking you.
Find the part of the “selection” that is most closely related to the question.
Start your answer by re-stating the question.
Write in full sentences.
Quote the part of the “selection” that best answers the questions.
Use at least two examples (points) from what you read.
Try to avoid slang and popular expressions (You so don’t want an Epic Fail).
Look your work over for spelling mistakes. 9

10. What’s on the Test Writing Questions Students will be asked to answer:
Two Short-writing tasks (6 lines each)
Two long-writing tasks:
a news report (one page)
a series of paragraphs expressing an opinion (two pages)
Multiple-choice questions that test writing skills and are independent of the reading selections. 10

11. Strategies: Writing Questions
Writing questions are not related to the Reading Questions. They expect you to draw from your own experience when answering the Writing Questions.
News Report Questions are often “School related.” Use TAS as the school and use the names of people you know.
In both the News Report and the Series of Paragraphs us one idea per paragraph.
Write five paragraphs for the Series of Paragraphs and at least that many for the News Report.
On the Series of Paragraphs “expressing an opinion” pick one side of an issue and stick to it. Support your opinion as clearly as you can and don’t try to argue both sides.
Keep your opinion out of the News Report.
Write the news report in the Third Person and in the past tense.
Make an effort to check your spelling and punctuation.
For more in depth information see the individual guides in this series. 11

12. Ministry Resources
Here are some links to help practice and prepare for the test.
The EQAO website has two practice tests along with answers
Planning and Preparation
Guide
Getting Ready Guide
Sample Test booklet 1
Sample Test booklet 2
Blank Student Answer Sheet
Multiple Choice Answer Key 12

13. Thomas A Stewart OSSLT Guide
TAS OSSLT Guides:
How the test is marked and why this matters
Reading Questions: Open Response
Reading Questions: Multiple Choice
Writing Questions: Series of Paragraphs
Writing Questions: Open Response Short Writing
Writing Questions: News Report
How to prepare for the OSSLT
Overview of the OSSLT