7.2 - EQAO and OSSLT Accommodations - Special Education Advisory Committee Meeting, April 14th, 2026

Sep 30, 2026

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Updated information on EQAO and OSSLT is presented for students who are neurodiverse, emphasizing accommodations that support participation and achievement for learners with IEPs. The briefing reviews 2024/2025 EQAO/OSSLT results, outlines built-in online assessment tools, and identifies specific supports for students requiring Special Equipment Account resources. Evidence highlights the Peel District School Board’s literacy and mathematics plans and a digitized EQAO/OSSLT Practice Tool aligned to assessment structures and IEP accommodations, with impact analysis across equity and policy alignment.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages6

Reading Time15 min

AccessFree to download

Overview

Objective

Highlights

Background

Accommodations to Support Achievement of Students with IEPs

Online built-in accommodation tools

Special Equipment Account (SEA) equipment accommodations

Evidence

Findings/Key Considerations

Impact Analysis

Equity & Human Rights Review

Board or Ministry Policy Alignment

7.2 Special Education Advisory Committee Meeting, April 14th, 2026 EQAO and OSSLT: Accommodations Strategic Alignment: Trustee’s Multiyear Strategic Plan Education Quality and Accountability Office Act (1996) The Better Schools and Student Outcomes Act, 2023 Equity and Inclusive Education (Policy 54) Report Type: For Information Prepared by: Lara Chebaro, Superintendent of Curriculum & School Improvement Harjit Aujla, Associate Director, School Improvement & Equity Submitted by: Rashmi Swarup, Director of Education Overview Objective: To provide updated information about EQAO and OSSLT with a focus on students who are Neurodiverse. Highlights: ● Overview of the 2024/2025 EQAO/OSSLT results for students and specifically students with IEPs (formal and informal) . ● The Peel District School Board’s (PDSB) is engaging in significant work to support students and their educators in improving EQAO and OSSLT results. ● PDSB’s EQAO Practice Tool that supports schools in actioning the School Action Plan (SAP) and the MYSP by guiding efforts towards improving student achievement outcomes. Background EQAO is an agency of the Government of Ontario that contributes to the quality and accountability of Ontario’s publicly funded education system which is governed by the Education Quality and Accountability Office Act (1996) . EQAO assesses reading, writing and mathematics of students at the end of the primary, junior, grade 9 or Grade 10 academic years. EQAO data is a formative snapshot that indicates whether students engaged in the assessment are meeting curriculum expectations in reading, writing and mathematics at key stages of their education. This year EQAO and OSSLT data were released publicly in the Winter of 2025. EQAO assessment data provides a snapshot of whether students are meeting curriculum expectations in reading, writing, and mathematics at key stages of their education. Accommodations to Support Achievement of Students with IEPs Students as well as students with IEPs are offered a variety of accommodations to support their participation in the EQAO assessment. The online assessment contains a number of built in accommodation tools for every student to use during the assessment. Please refer to Appendix A for EQAO permitted accommodations. ● Speech ● Zoom in ● Zoom out ● Notes/highlight ● Calculator ● Split screen Included in the accommodation document are specific accommodations that are available to students with IEPs who require Special Equipment Account (SEA) equipment, that include: ● Braille format or other Alternative Version Formats ● Sign language or an oral interpreter ● Verbatim scribing of responses ● Extended periodic supervised breaks These accommodation tools help students perform to high caliber on this assessment as the online EQAO assessments consist of various types of selected-response questions, such as drag and drop, drop-down menu, ordering, and single-and multiple selection questions. Evidence Findings/Key Considerations PDSB’s Literacy and Math Achievement Plans explicitly outline instructional strategies and supports that will enhance achievement on EQAO and OSSLT assessments with a focus on students with special needs. The Curriculum & School Improvement Department created a digitized EQAO/OSSLT Practice Tool, which we are now using board wide in support of student achievement. PDSB’s EQAO/OSSLT Practice Tool is in the PDSB’s online environment and is structured to parallel the EQAO assessments (Language/Literacy and Mathematics) . Students log in, work through either math or language questions, and then submit their answers. Their responses are recorded, and a report is generated for teachers. Teachers use this report to enhance their teaching practice in support of students’ learning goals. The EQAO/OSSLT practice questions included in PDSB’s EQAO Practice Tool mimic the questions on the assessments. All questions require s

FAQs

What is the main objective of this briefing on EQAO and OSSLT accommodations?

To provide updated information about EQAO and OSSLT with a focus on students who are neurodiverse.

What accommodation tools are available in the online EQAO assessment mentioned in the report?

Examples include speech, zoom in/out, notes/highlight, and a calculator, along with split screen and other supported tools for participation.

How does the Peel District School Board’s EQAO/OSSLT Practice Tool support students and educators?

It parallels the EQAO assessments, letting students practice language or mathematics questions, then generating reports for teachers to enhance instructional practice aligned with student learning goals and IEP accommodations.

Sep 30, 2026

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