High-stakes Standardized Testing and Marginalized Youth: An Examination of the Impact on Those Who Fail

Oct 15, 2026

Study investigates how high-stakes, large-scale standardized literacy testing affects Ontario youth who fail the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test. Interviews show the unintended harms of such policies are more severe than policymakers and educators anticipate. While literacy policy claims to advance learners’ well-being and educational equity, youth report shame and further marginalization tied to the testing mechanism. Findings call for expanding public discussion about these effects.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages19

Reading Time48 min

AccessFree to download

Educational Policy, High-Stakes Standardized Testing and the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT)

Introduction

High-stakes Standardized Testing and Marginalized Youth: An Examination of the Impact on Those Who Fail Laura-Lee Kearns St. Francis Xavier University Abstract This study examines the impact of high-stakes, large-scale, standardized literacy testing on youth who have failed the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test. Interviews with youth indicate that the unintended impact of high-stakes testing is more problematic than policy makers and educators may realize. In contrast to literacy policy’s aims to help promote the “well-being” of all learners and “equity” within the educational system, youth attest to feeling “shame” and show further marginalization due to this testing mechanism. These findings suggest that it is necessary to broaden the dialogue about the impact of high-stakes standardized literacy testing and its effects. Key Words: high-stakes standardized testing; literacy; equity; marginalized youth Résumé Cette étude examine l'impact des tests normalisés en littératie, à grande échelle et aux enjeux élevés, sur les jeunes qui ont échoué au Test provincial de compétences linguistiques. Les entretiens avec ces jeunes indiquent que l'impact involontaire des enjeux liés au test est plus problématique que les législateurs et les éducateurs ne peuvent se rendre compte. Contrairement aux objectifs de la politique en littératie pour aider à promouvoir le «bien-être» de tous les apprenants et l'«équité» dans le système éducatif, les jeunes témoignent d'un sentiment de «honte» et montrent une plus grande marginalisation due à ce système de test. Ces résultats suggèrent qu'il est nécessaire d'élargir le dialogue sur l'impact des enjeux élevés liés aux tests normalisés en littératie et leurs effets. Mots clés: enjeux élevés des tests standardisés, littératie, équité, jeunesse marginalisée CANADIAN JOURNAL OF EDUCATION 34, 2 (2011): 112-130 ©2011 Canadian Society for the Study of Education/ Société canadienne pour l’étude de l’éducation Educational Policy, High-Stakes Standardized Testing and the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) Introduction Current educational policy practices reflect local and global pressures to have a “literate”workforce.1 Education reforms that target youth as a population in need of testing, monitoring, and improvement have emerged in Ontario, other Canadian provinces, and in other countries such as Australia, Britain, New Zealand and the United States (Lesko, 2001; Lipman, 2004; Te Riele, 2006; Thomson, 2002). High-stakes standardized tests “are increasingly seen as a means of raising academic standards, holding educators and students accountable for meeting those standards, and boosting public confidence in schools”(Heubert & Hauser, 1999, p. 1) . As part ofits response to calls to hold educational systems accountable for producing literate youth and better equipped citizens, the Ontario government created the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) to produce and implement the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) . Since the 2001–2002 school year, the OSSLT has been administered to all Grade 10 students in the province of Ontario. In addition to being a standardized literacy test, the OSSLT is classified as a high-stakes test because it is a mandatory graduation requirement for all Ontario high school students. Youth who are not successful on their first attempt at writing the OSSLT can take it a second time the following year, and, if they are still not successful, they can take a specific literacy course to try to obtain their literacy graduation requirement. EQAO policy maintains that the reason for collecting large-scale data through a high stakes standardized test is because “it is in all of our interests that students maximize their potential to become active, productive contributors of society. Knowing that students are accomplishing their goals calls for evidence. Collecting this evidence has been central to EQAO’s role”(EQAO, 2007) .

FAQs

What does the study examine about high-stakes literacy testing?

It examines how high-stakes, large-scale standardized literacy testing affects youth who have failed the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test.

How do the interviews describe the impact of the test on marginalized youth?

Youth indicate that the unintended impact is more problematic than policymakers and educators realize, including feelings of shame and further marginalization.

Why is the OSSLT considered a high-stakes test?

It is a mandatory graduation requirement for Ontario high school students, with limited options for retesting and additional coursework if they remain unsuccessful.

Oct 15, 2026

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