Verifying and managing student information

School administrators must ensure that all students eligible for the test are accounted for in the e-assessment system, including English language learners, students with special education needs and students whose results were withheld in previous years. Also account for students whose participation is to be deferred for the current school year, who are to be exempted or who have fulfilled or plan to fulfill the literacy requirement through the OSSLC during the current school year.

First-time eligible students are those who

• entered Grade 9 in the 2022–2023 school year or
• entered Grade 10 in the 2023–2024 school year from out of province.

Previously eligible students are those who

• were unable to participate due to an administration disruption in a previous school year; were absent or deferred for, or were unsuccessful on, one or more previous administrations;
• were previously exempted but are now working toward an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD);
• entered Grade 11 or 12 in the 2023–2024 school year from out of province;
• enrolled in an adult education program and began Grade 9 in or after the 2000–2001 school year or
• is a mature student.

For more information about accounting for all students in the system, review Accounting and Reporting for All Students.

The Students tab allows you to: 

• view the list of students and verify the accuracy of all information  
• create a new student account 
• edit Student Info (accommodations, non-participation status, special provisions, alternative version request) 
• remove student(s) 
• assign student(s) to a grouping 

TIP #1 
Adjust how many students from the list appear on the screen by changing the Page size. 

TIP #2 
Sort students by any field when clicking the header of each column. 

Creating a new student account 

You may need to add students to your grouping after the initial upload of student data by your school board. Administrators can add new students.

1. Under the Students tab, click New Student Account.
2. Verify or complete the student information as needed:
   • Personal information
   • Accomodations
   • Special Provisions
   • Non-Participation Status
   • Alternative Version Request
3. Click Save.

TIP
You will only be able to request the Alternative Version if a student has an IEP, IPRC, or Special Considerations noted in the Accommodations tab.

Non-participation status

Students’ non-participation status must be noted in the system.   Refer to Definitions for details.

1. Select the Student by checking the box. 
2. Click Edit Student Info. 
3. Click the Non-Participation Status tab. 
4. Select the appropriate status. 

If an eligible student will not be participating in this school year’s administration, indicate the reason for non-participation (check one only): 

• This non-diploma student is exempted in accordance with the policies outlined in the User Guides for the Administration of the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT). 
• This student’s participation is deferred in accordance with the policies outlined in the User Guides for the Administration of the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT). 
• This student is not participating and, in accordance with Ministry of Education policies, has fulfilled or is planning to fulfill the requirement through the OSSLC during the current school year (i.e., summer school last summer, first semester, second semester or full-year). 

Editing the student information

1. Select the Student by checking their box. 
2. Click Edit Student Info. 
3. Edit the fields you need to change, as if you were creating a new student account. 
4. Click Save. 

Assigning students to a grouping   

1. Select the Student(s) by checking the box(es). 
2. Click Assign to Grouping. 
3. Select the Class or Grouping. 
4. Click Save.

NOTE
A new grouping must be created for any students who will be completing the OSSLT as guest students at a different school.

Removing students from the list

1. Select the Student(s) by checking their box(es). 
2. Click Remove Student(s). 
3. Click OK. 

IMPORTANT  
Do not delete students who remain enrolled at your school and are eligible for the OSSLT. Note their participation status in the Non-Participation Status tab. 

Importing data from an Excel file 

If multiple students need to be uploaded, it may be easier to use the Import student feature. To import data into the system: 

1. Click Import. 
2. Click Student Import Data Definitions, if needed. 
3. Click Import or Template. 
4. Verify (import) or input (template) the data. 
5. Preview the data.
6. Click OK. 

Using the Provided Data Definitions Template if importing student information:

1. Click Template to download a sample spreadsheet. 
2. Click the Student Import Data Definitions to review the guidelines. 
3. Complete the template with your student information, using the appropriate data definition fields. 
4. Save the file. 
5. Click Import. 
6. Preview the data for accuracy. 
7. Click OK. 
8. Student data will appear in the Students tab. 

NOTE
The system will allow a maximum import of 60 records at once. 

IMPORTANT
If there is missing or invalid information in the student data to be imported, an error message will appear identifying the items with validation errors; this will prevent the student data from being uploaded. You will need to edit the document to include the appropriate information and then import the file again. 

Exporting data to an Excel file 

To export data to your folders: 

1. Click Export. 
2. Verify the information.
3. Download the file. 

Validating student information 

You need to validate student information before Individual Student Reports can be generated. 

1. Under the Students tab, a message will appear if you need to validate any student data.
2. Review the student information noted with a warning icon.
3. Correct the information as needed for the flagged students; then, click Confirm student information and Save.
4. Once you finish the validation, the flags will be removed from the student accounts. You can now click Confirm that all student data has been validated.

Managing home-schooled students 

Students who are home-schooled and would like to participate in the OSSLT are permitted to complete the assessment at their local school. You can add these students to their school list and select Home-schooled under the Student Type field.