Student information must be verified by the school administrator in the e-assessment system. The Data Definitions and File Submission Specifications are comprehensive resources found in the EQAO’s secure site and are available to administrators and board contacts for the purposes of uploading student data to the e-assessment system.
Some helpful definitions are noted here.
Accommodations: Changes in the way the test is administered or the way in which a student with special education needs responds to its components. Accommodations do not alter the content of the test or affect validity or reliability.
Deferrals: Decisions to postpone the writing of the test until the following school year for students who are working toward an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD). Refer to Ontario Schools, Kindergarten to Grade 12: Policy and Program Requirements, 2024 for guidelines about deferrals. Deferrals are granted in accordance with the policies described in Appendix 3, Section 3.
A deferral is not considered to be an opportunity for a student to write the test. For further information refer to the Ontario Schools, Kindergarten to Grade 12: Policy and Program Requirements, 2024.
Exemptions: Available for students whose Individual Education Plan (IEP) states they are not working toward an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD). Refer to Ontario Schools, Kindergarten to Grade 12: Policy and Program Requirements, 2024, for guidelines about exemptions.
First-time eligible: Describes students who are working toward an OSSD and
- entered Grade 9 in the 2023–2024 school year or;
- entered Grade 10 in the 2024–2025 school year from out of province.
Insufficient Evidence (applicable only to OSSLT): Students who did not submit work for one session, due to absence or for other reasons.
Modifications: Changes to the content of the assessment. These are not permitted, because they affect the validity and reliability of the test.
Previously eligible: A student is previously eligible if he or she has not satisfied the graduation requirement and:
- was unable to participate due to an administration disruption in a previous school year
- was absent, was not yet successful, or received a deferral in a previous school year.
- was exempted from the administration in a previous school year but is now working toward an Ontario Secondary School Diploma;
- came from out of province or from another board and entered Grade 11 or 12 in the 2024–2025 school year;
- is enrolled in an adult education program and began Grade 9 in or after the 2000–2001 school year;
- is a mature student; or
- has fulfilled or plans to fulfill the graduation requirement through the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course (OSSLC) during the school year (i.e., during summer school the previous summer or during the first or second semester or over the full year). Note: If the school does not offer the OSSLC every year and the student plans to take the OSSLC in the following school year, his or her participation should be indicated as deferred for the current school year.
Prompt: A tap on the desk or a verbal signal (e.g., a word or phrase) to draw the student’s attention back to the test. Prompts are used for students who are off task. Prompts do not include clarification, explanation or translation of any part of the test and may not be used to draw the student’s attention to a specific part of the OSSLT.
Scribe: An individual who supports the accommodations the student receives on a regular basis for all forms of test by recording student responses verbatim. Scribes must be adults and must not be relatives of the students they are assisting. Scribes should work only with students who have been identified as receiving a scribing accommodation, and they should not scribe for any other students.
Withheld: Results are being withheld by EQAO due to academic dishonesty or other administration irregularity. For further information, please contact the school principal.