Option 4: Interview someone who works regularly with ELLs

A Report Based on “A conversation between a

SERT & Literacy Consultant.”

Introduction:

The premise of this report will be based on my qualitative professional observations of the

Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) with support from curriculum discourses

specifically looking at the traditional and scientific approaches to curriculum objectives, critiques

of standardization, multiculturalism and un-standardizing curriculum, as well as how literacy is

conceptualized in relation to post colonialism in an attempt to prove the English Language

Learner (ELL) is at a disadvantage when mandated to take the OSSLT and that the Ontario

Secondary School Literacy Course (OSSLC) is a better measure of their literacy skills. An

important change from which the EQAO testing program would benefit would be a change

in policy for the ELL, in regards to the OSSLT. Due to the parallel reasons of the mature

student policy change, the biased make-up of the test as well as the commonalities between the

OSSLT and OSSLC, all ELL’s in group D or E should be permitted to enrol directly in the

OSSLC instead of being mandated to write the OSSLT.

Background:

The Ministry of Education in Ontario defines an English Language Learner (ELL) as a student

whose first language is not English or a student who does speak English but a variation of it,

which is not taught in the Ontario schools. This student is said to require focused educational

support to aid him in becoming proficient in the English language. The Ministry has
implemented two programs in order to assist this learner. The first is known as the English as a

Second Language (ESL) program and the other is the English Literacy Development (ELD)

program.

The ESL program assesses the learner’s language abilities and places them in specific levels

accordingly suited to their needs. Level A, being the least proficient in English and level E being

the most proficient. ESL D and E are the final two levels that the learners will go through to aid

in the progression of, as well as determine their English language proficiency. On a parallel

note, these are the learners that must write the OSSLT to determine if they have grasped the

fundamentals of the grade 9 curriculum as well as if they are to obtain their Ontario secondary

school diploma.

EQAO states that the purpose of the OSSLT is to ensure that students have acquired the

essential reading and writing skills that apply to all subject areas in the “Ontario Curriculum”

up to the end of grade 9 (EQAO, 2009) The OSSLT is mandatory for all high school students to

write at least once. If they are unsuccessful the first time they are eligible at a second attempt. If

they fail once again they are placed into the OSSLC. ELL’s can be deferred the first or second

time by the discretion of their principal. However, this deferral from the test counts as an

attempt on their part. EQAO states that the OSSLT is a test aimed at student success. However,

the statistics show that not many ELL’s are successful on this test.

The EQAO has implemented a course called the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course

(OSSLC) for those who are unsuccessful on the OSSLT. EQAO states that the OSSLC is a full-

credit course that fulfils the literacy requirement for graduation and can be counted as the

compulsory English credit in either grade 11 or 12. (EQAO, 2009) EQAO also states that the

course can be offered in special sections for ELL’s but it does not elaborate on what this means.
EQAO states that all students, with the inclusion of ELL’s, need to successfully complete either

the OSSLT or the OSSLC. In regards to the learning expectations in the OSSLC, EQAO

suggests that they cannot be modified unless the ELL has special education needs. It is

important to note that EQAO recognizes that the OSSLC is an alternative means for students to

demonstrate their literacy skills.

Conclusion:

The OSSLT was viewed by many to be both biased and unfair for the ELL to have to write. It is

for this reason that an important change from which the EQAO testing program would benefit

would be a change in policy for the ELL, in regards to the OSSLT. Due to the parallel reasons of

the mature student policy change, the biased make-up of the test, the commonalities between the

OSSLT and OSSLC, as well as major curriculum discourses in support of the proposal, the ELL

should be permitted to enrol directly into the OSSLC instead of having to write the OSSLT at

least once. The student would thus save time, gain greater insight into literacy and be given

multiple chances to refine their literacy skills.