Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) Thursday, March 27th

OSSLT What is Literacy? Literacy is the ability to read, view, design, speak, and listen in a way that allows us to communicate effectively and to make sense of the world.

Why is Literacy Important? Literacy is vital to ensuring that you have the best chance to succeed in school and in everyday life. Literacy allows us to make sense of a range of written, visual, and spoken texts, including books, newspapers, magazines, television, signs, maps, conversations, and instructions.

OSSLT Graduation Requirement All students must achieve a level 3 (provincial benchmark) on the OSSLT in order to graduate with a high-school diploma. If you are unsuccessful on either portion of the test, you must re-write the WHOLE test next year. If you are unsuccessful twice, you must sign up for the Literacy Course in Grade 12.

Test Procedure You MUST be here on the test date – there is NO RETEST. If you miss the test, you will have to write it NEXT YEAR. You MUST arrive on time. You will NOT be given extra time if you are late – the test ends at the same time for everyone! Bring a PEN and PENCIL. Do not bring anything else. DO NOT bring your cellphone or any other electronic device.

Test Procedure Booklet 1: 75 minutes. If you finish early, you may read something provided by the teacher. You MAY NOT leave. Break: 15 minutes. Booklet 2: 75 minutes. Same as above! You must do BOTH sections of the test!

OSSLT Tasks Students must successfully complete: 5 Reading Comprehension tasks and 5 Writing Composition tasks.

Reading Portion Tasks Students will be asked to read 5 passages and complete the following questions: 1. Multiple-choice questions about content and predictions. 2. Short-answer writing tasks that ask students to explain and summarize information.

Reading Tasks The 5 Reading Selections will include: Information paragraph: presents ideas and information on a topic. News report: presents information in the form of a news story. Dialogue: presents a conversation between two or more people Real-life narrative: an account of a significant time in an individual's life. Graphic Text: presents ideas and information with the help of graphic features (pictures, font, page setup, etc.)

Writing Portion Tasks Multiple-choice questions about the writing style of the selected passage: grammar, punctuation, correct word usage, and sentence structure. Short Writing Tasks: questions from the selected passage. News Report: write a news report based on a photograph. Paragraphs: paragraphs responding to selected reading passages. Provide specific support from the passage!

Skills Needed for the Writing Portion Developing a main idea with sufficient supporting details. Organizing information and ideas in a coherent manner. Using conventions (spelling, grammar, punctuation) in a manner that does not distract from clear communication.

Key Words on the OSSLT 1. Explain 2. Summarize 3. Opinion

Difficulties on the OSSLT Difficulties in reading to understand: students are asked to summarize information in a specific section of the booklet, but instead they summarize the entire booklet. students do not read closely for accurate understanding of details – be aware that all of the answers are IN THE TEXT unless you are asked for your opinion. students do not use context to interpret information that is not directly stated.

Difficulties on the OSSLT Difficulties in reading for information: linking relevant information to the main idea skimming, scanning and previewing texts reading contextual cues Difficulties in reading for style Students have difficulty identifying grammar errors (e.g. sentence fragments) and discussing the effect of sentence structure, word choice, etc.

Difficulties on the OSSLT Difficulties in writing Using Standard Canadian English Do not use slang, colloquial language, or “textspeak” – remember that your audience is an educated adult! Use precise wording – avoid stuff, thing, kinda, lol, cuz, I, etc. Using capital letters Providing evidence/support for ideas Writing extended responses develop your ideas and fill up the space provided! Summarizing information (identifying main ideas)

Tips for Success on the OSSLT Read questions carefully and link relevant information to the main idea. Answer all questions -- most “wrong” answers are marked “wrong” because they are left blank! Begin all sentences with a capital letter. Write in complete sentences. Use Standard Canadian English. Use all of the space provided to answer questions – the space provided is a cue for how developed your answer should be! Write legibly!

Tips for effective OSSLT preparation All Gr. 10 teachers will hold class discussions about the test and the skills you will need to have. Practice! Ask questions! Take it seriously! If you want extra help, attend the OSSLT help sessions.

Good Luck!!