The information in this section as well as the sections During the OSSLT and After the OSSLT are found in a checklist which can be accessed and printed from the section Checklist.
Summary of Steps Before Administering the OSSLT
- Read this user guide and the Professional Responsibilities.
- Ensure you understand how to administer the OSSLT using the e-assessment system. EQAO provides webinars and self-guided learning modules.
- Meet with the school administrator to review roles and responsibilities, and to plan for the administration, accommodations, etc.
- Coordinate with the school administrator to ensure that the alternative version of the assessment will be available in all formats that students will use.
- Register, activate and log in to your e-assessment account.
- Ensure you are assigned to the correct grouping as communicated by your school administrator.
- View student list and click on each student’s name to ensure information is accurate (including accommodations).
- Add additional teachers or invigilators to your grouping, if applicable.
- Schedule the practice test. Session A must be scheduled before Session B.
- Confirm students are able to log in to the e-assessment system. Provide each student with their OEN and access code for the group.
- Enter the 4-digit (SEB) or 6-digit (Kiosk) code on each computer before students can log in.
- Have students practise using the tools and platform functionality while completing the scheduled practice test. Ensure that the Submit student responses to EQAO button is selected following the administration of the practice test. This will close the practice session and allow you to open the OSSLT when ready.
- Schedule the OSSLT (if not already scheduled by your school administrator).
- Confirm access to resources as needed, including headphones, and paper and either pen or pencil for rough work.
Creating Your Account
To start the process, you should have received an e-mail invitation from no-reply@eqao.vretta.com. This e-mail contains directions on how to sign up for an account, as well as a unique invitation code, which is needed for the creation process. If you have not received the e-mail invitation, please check your junk or spam folder or contact your school administrator to confirm that the e-mail has been sent.
Note: Teachers that have an existing account will use the same account for different assessment years. There is only one account associated with a teacher e-mail. If necessary, click on Forgot Password to login into your existing account.
Listed are the steps to take after you have received the invitation e-mail:
1. To create a teacher account, first click the link provided in your invitation e-mail. This will take you to the Complete Your Registration page.
Note: Each invitation code can be used only once and is valid only for seven days from the time it is sent out. Should you require an extension, please send an e-mail to eqao-support@vretta.com.
2. On the Complete Your Registration page, enter the unique invitation code that you received in your e-mail invitation, create a secure password and then click Create Account.
3. Once the account is created, you will receive a second e-mail with a link to confirm you account. Click the link in this e-mail to activate your account.
4. Once you have activated your account, click the Proceed to Login button and you will be redirected to the login screen where you will need to fill in your login information, using the same e-mail address and password used when creating the account.
5. Once you have logged into your account, you will be redirected to the Classes/Groupings page.
Logging in
Go to the Login Page.
Enter your e-mail address and password and click Sign In.
Resetting a Password
- Go to the Login Page.
- Enter the e-mail address you used to create your account, and click Forgot Password?
- Instructions explaining how to reset your password will be sent to the e-mail address you have entered.
Note: If you enter an e-mail address that is different from the one your school administrator created your account from, you will not receive a password reset e-mail. If the e-mail does not arrive in your inbox, please check your junk or spam folder.
Viewing and Managing Groupings
In your account, you will have the groupings that contain all of your students. These groupings are where you will schedule the practice test and the OSSLT and manage students. To view or manage your groupings, follow these steps:
1. Log in to your teacher account.
2. Once you are logged in, you will be able to see and manage your groupings by selecting the Classes/Groupings tab on the left-hand sidebar.
3. In this view, you will see your groupings. To open a grouping, click Select Grouping.
4. Once you have opened your grouping, you will be able to review key information about the grouping and start or schedule the practice test and the OSSLT. The image below shows a sample grouping. The descriptions beneath the image correspond to the numbers in the image.
- Access Code for Group (1): Your grouping will have an access code. Students will need this access code to access the assessment session.
- Grouping (2): Your grouping is school administrator assigned.
- [Add/Remove] Additional Teacher(s)/Invigilators (3): Click [Add/Remove] to add or remove an additional teacher or invigilator to your grouping. Adding additional teachers/invigilators will allow them to invigilate tests for this grouping.
- Active & Completed Assessments (4): Click Start or Schedule Assessment Session to run a practice test or the OSSLT with your students. Refer to the Schedule a Practice Test section for information. Refer to the Schedule the OSSLT section for more information.
- Manage Students (5): Students currently in the grouping are listed here.
Adding and Removing Additional Teachers or Invigilators
Important: When the grouping is created and a main teacher has been assigned to the grouping by the school administrator, that teacher can add new teachers and invigilators to their grouping. Once the additional teacher or invigilator has been added, they will then have access to the invigilation page.
Note: Any changes you make will be visible in the school administrator account. As soon as a change is made, school administrators can see a record of additional teachers or invigilators who have been added to a grouping in the Classes/Groupings Tab and Teachers/Invigilators tab.
1. To add additional teachers or invigilators to a grouping, you first need to select the grouping from the teacher home page.
2. Next, click [Add/Remove] to add or remove an additional teacher or invigilator to your grouping. Adding Additional Teachers/Invigilators will allow them to invigilate the test for this grouping.
3. To add a teacher or invigilator, select the box next to the teacher or invigilator’s name, then click OK.
Note: To remove a teacher or invigilator, you can unselect the box next to the teacher or invigilator’s name, and then click OK.
4. Once the additional teachers or invigilators have been added or removed, you can see a record of the currently assigned Teachers/Invigilators at the top of the Assessments page next to [Add/Remove] Additional Teacher(s)/Invigilator(s).
Note: The main teacher originally assigned to the grouping will not see their own name displayed in the additional teacher/invigilator list.
Viewing and Managing Students
- Log in to your teacher account.
- Once you are logged in, you will be taken directly to the Classes/Grouping page where you can see and manage your grouping.
- To open a grouping, click Select Grouping.
4. Click Manage Students.
5. This will open a list of all your students in the grouping and their information.
Adding Students to Groupings
You may need to add students to your grouping after the initial upload. This can be done directly from your grouping. Your administrator can also add new students to your grouping.
1. Open your grouping, and click Manage Students.
2. In this view, you can click New Student Account and enter the student’s personal information and OEN. This will add the student to your grouping.
You will need the student’s OEN in order to add the student to your grouping. Your school administrator will need to validate the student’s information.
Adding Guest Students to Groupings
A guest student is a remote student associated with a virtual school (i.e. online through a virtual school at the school board), who would complete the practice test or the OSSLT at your school under the supervision of school staff.
Note:
- Home-schooled students are not considered guest students; the school administrator will ensure that they are added to the school list. This student can complete the OSSLT in-person because they are on the school list.
- A student who is attached to the school and receives home-instruction services or is learning online through the school, is not considered a guest student.
Please follow the steps below to add a guest student to a grouping.
1. Select the grouping from the teacher home page.
2. Next, click Manage Students from the Assessments page.
3. After clicking on Manage Students, you will see a page displaying a list of registered students in your grouping.
To add guest students, click Add Guest Students.
4. To add guest student(s), you will need to input the Access Code (1) from the students’ assigned grouping at their home school. After you enter the Access Code in the space, press “Add” (2).
5. All students associated with the code will be added to your grouping with the label Guest next to their names.
6. To remove guest students from a grouping, select Guest Classes (1) beside Registered Students. A table will appear listing the access codes of the classes that were added. Select the remove button (2) found below column labelled “Remove” in the row of the guest class access code you would like to remove. Clicking on the Registered Students will take you back to your list of students. Students who were labelled as “Guest” will no longer appear in your list.
Note: The teacher from the home school should not schedule the practice test or the OSSLT for students that have been added to groupings at another school as guest students.
Viewing and Managing the Practice Test
This section includes instructions on how to provide students with access to the practice test through the e-assessment platform. The OSSLT can be scheduled by the school administrator or the teacher. If the school administrator is scheduling the practice test, the teacher can skip these steps.
The practice test allows students to go through the types of questions and features that they will experience during the OSSLT. It also includes all tools and accessibility features that will be available during the OSSLT, so that students can familiarize themselves beforehand.
Note: An alternative version of the practice test has been created for students with special education needs.
Scheduling the Practice Test
You can complete a practice test in order to give your students a chance to experience the e-assessment platform before the OSSLT.
Follow these steps to schedule a practice test.
1. Log in to your teacher account.
2. Once you are logged in, you will be taken directly to the Classes/Groupings page where you can select you can view of manage your Grouping.
3. To open a Grouping, click Select Grouping.
4. Once you have selected your grouping, you will be taken to the Assessments Page. Under ACTIVE ASSESSMENT click Start or Schedule Assessment Session to begin the scheduling process.
5. Two more choices will appear asking you to choose which assessment you would like to create a session for: Practice Test (OSSLT) and Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test. Click Practice Test (OSSLT).
6. Two more choices will appear asking you to choose when you want to start: Start Now and Schedule for Later.
(a) Click Start Now to begin the practice test immediately.
(b) Clicking Start Now will allow you view a table summarizing the students who have and those have not completed the practice test. After you have reviewed the list of students, click Continue start the practice test.
Note: If you selected Start Now, you will be taken to the invigilation page. Refer to the section called Administering the Practice Test for information on monitoring the practice test.
(c) Click Schedule for Later if you would like to schedule the practice test for a future date.
(d) Clicking Schedule for Later will allow you to view a table summarizing the students who have those have not completed the practice test. After you have reviewed the list of students, click Continue start the practice test.
This will allow you to set start date/time for Session A and B. When you have finalized your dates, click Schedule Assessment to finalize the scheduling the practice test for your grouping.
7. After you click Schedule Assessment, you will be returned to the Assessments page There you will notice that the practice test you just scheduled is now listed under ACTIVE ASSESSMENT.
8. When you are ready for your students to complete the scheduled practice test, refer to the section below.
Administering the Practice Test
If you selected Schedule for Later, follow these steps to administer the practice test.
1. Log in to your teacher account.
2. Once you are logged in, you will be taken directly to the Classes/Grouping page where you can view and manage your grouping.
3. To open a grouping, click Select Grouping.
4. If you selected Start Now, you will be taken to the invigilation page. If you selected Schedule for Later, on the Assessments page under ACTIVE ASSESSMENT on the Assessments page, click the Practice Test that you have previously scheduled.
5. Assist students in logging into the practice test.
Note: For the practice test, we recommend using the same access method that students will be using for the OSSLT. By using the same access method, you can troubleshoot any technical issues and fully test out the system prior to the OSSLT.
Logging in Using the Lockdown Browser
The SEB or Kiosk application will need to be started and the password will need to be entered for each device. School administrators will provide the password to you. After entering the password, a page will open where students can log in to the practice test using the access code and their OEN. The access code and the student OEN can be found on the invigilation page. Once logged in, students will have to enter their last name to access the landing page of the practice test.
Logging in Using the Alternative Access for Specific Students with Accommodations
If a student requires specific accessibility software that is not compatible with the SEB or the Kiosk application, the student will be able to access the assessment directly by logging in through the EQAO login page. Students can log in to the practice test using the access code and their OEN. The access code and the student OEN can be found on the invigilation page. Once logged in, students will have to enter their last name to access the landing page of the practice test.
Invigilating the Practice Test
Once the practice test has been started, you will be redirected to the invigilation page. This page is where you will monitor and manage your students’ progress throughout the practice test. The image below shows a sample invigilation page. The descriptions beneath the image correspond to the numbers in the image.
- Access Code (for Grouping) (1): Each grouping will have an access code for the practice test that students will need to enter each time they login to complete Session A or B.
- List of Students (2): This is a list of all students currently enrolled in your grouping for the session. Beside each student name is the student’s OEN which can be seen by clicking Show OEN. During the practice test, you can see which students are currently online or offline.
- Unlocking Sessions (3): A session must be unlocked by the teacher for students to start it. To unlock a session or stage for the entire grouping, click the lock icon associated with the session you would like students to complete. Ensure the session is unlocked only for the students who are present in your grouping.
- Pausing a Session (for an individual student) (4): If you need to pause a session for an individual student, click the lock icon associated with the individual student for the session you want to pause. When the student needs to return to that session you can click the lock icon again to unlock the session or stage.
- Pausing a Session (for the entire grouping) (5): If you need to pause a session for all students, click Pause Session. The button will change to Resume Session. When you are ready to start the session again, click Resume Session. Refer to the Pausing and Resuming the OSSLT section for more information.
- Reporting Issues (6): Refer to the Report an Issue section for further instructions on how to report an issue to EQAO.
- Closing the Practice Test (7): Once your students have completed both sessions, click the Submit student responses to EQAO button found at the top of the page. Clicking this button will close and end the entire practice test for all students. For more information on Closing the Practice Test below.
- Show Unsubmit Session Button (8): If you need to unsubmit a submitted session for a student, click the Show Unsubmit Session Button found at the top of the page. Clicking this button will allow teachers to re-open a session for a student that was submitted in error.
Locking and Unlocking a Session of the Practice Test
Locking and unlocking sessions of the practice test allows you to become familiar with this function before administering the OSSLT. Students must complete the sessions in order, and you will unlock one at a time.
Unlocking a Session for an Entire Grouping: Click the lock icon associated with the session you would like your grouping to complete. This will unlock the session for everyone.
Locking a Session for an Entire Grouping: Click the unlock icon associated with the session you would like lock for your grouping.
Note: Only students present in your grouping should have the session unlocked. Refer to Pausing and Resuming the OSSLT for instructions on how to lock a session for a student who is absent.
Unlocking a Session for Individual Students: Click the lock icon for each student associated with the session you would like your students to complete.
This will unlock the session for those students. To lock a session for a student, click on the unlock icon for a student.
If you have planned to complete more than one session at this time for your grouping, you can unlock the next session and students can move on to it directly when they have completed the previous one. This will allow you to have students complete different sessions at a time. You do not have to wait for everyone in the grouping to be finished before unlocking and starting the next session. You can also provide a break between sessions and wait to unlock the next session.
Note: When students have finished and submitted their session, it will be locked for them and you will not be able to unlock it. As this is the practice test, you cannot unsubmit a session, however, this option is available for the OSSLT. Refer to Unsubmitting a Session for more information.
Monitoring Students Progress while Invigilating
As students complete the OSSLT, you will notice the status of the students labelled in different ways as they complete Session A or Session B. These include:
- Not Started: A students status is indicated as Not Started (shown by the grey box in the student tracking table) if they have not officially started Session A, Session B or the questionnaire.
- Ready to Start: Once the teacher has clicked the lock icon in Session A or Session B, the session will be unlocked. At this point, the student’s status will change from Not Started to Ready to Start (shown by the light orange box in the student tracking table).
- Section number and Question number: As students work through Session A, Session B, or the questionnaire, information about each will be displayed.
- Submitted: Once a student has submitted Session A, Session B or the questionnaire, their status will show as Submitted.
Closing the Practice Test
Once students have completed the practice test, it must be closed. This step is necessary as only the practice test OR the OSSLT can be active at one time. In order to close the practice test, you will have to click the Submit student responses to EQAO button. Clicking this button means students will no longer have access to this practice test. By submitting student responses to EQAO for the practice test, this will allow you to schedule another practice test (if needed) or schedule the OSSLT on the future date.
After clicking the Submit student responses to EQAO button, a pop screen will appear where you must verify your submission. Type yes in the input box then click OK. This will ensure the test is closed allowing you to open future assessments for students.
You will be returned you back to the Assessments page. There you will notice that listed below COMPLETED ASSESSMENT(S) is the previously scheduled practice test.
Accessing the Practice Test from the EQAO Website
Anyone can access the practice test directly from the EQAO website.
To start the practice test, go to
The practice test provides students the opportunity to become familiar with the digital assessment, its tools and its platform. At the end of the practice test, students will be able to check their answers immediately to the selected-response questions and see sample student responses to the Open-Response question and the Opinion Essay. Schools are encouraged use the online practice test to ensure third-party assistive technology that students may be using for the OSSLT functions appropriately for the student.
These results will not impact the students’ results on the OSSLT. Students can complete the practice test multiple times.
Teachers will not be sent a copy of the practice test results.
Scheduling the OSSLT
1. Log in to your teacher account.
2. Once you are logged in, you will be taken directly to the Classes/Groupings page where you view and manage your Groupings.
3. Open a Grouping by clicking Select Grouping.
4. Once you have selected your grouping, you will be taken to the Assessments Page. Under ACTIVE ASSESSMENT click Start or Schedule Assessment Session to begin the scheduling process.
5. Two choices will appear: Practice Test (OSSLT) and Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test. Click Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test.
6. Click Schedule for Later to launch the OSSLT for the students in your grouping.
Note: Clicking Schedule for Later will allow you to view a table summarizing the students who have and those have not completed the OSSLT. After you have reviewed the list of students, click Continue to schedule the OSSLT.
This will allow you to set start date/time for Session A and B. When you have finalized your dates, click Schedule Assessment to finalize scheduling the OSSLT for your grouping.
Note: You must schedule Session B before scheduling Session A.
7. After you click Schedule Assessment, you will be returned to the Assessments page There you will notice that the OSSLT you just scheduled is now listed under ACTIVE ASSESSMENT.
8. When you are ready for your students to complete the scheduled OSSLT, refer to Administering the OSSLT.