Student Perceptions of Literacy after the Ontario Secondary Literacy Course - A Qualitative Inquiry

Oct 15, 2026

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Adolescent literacy is examined through the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) and the subsequent mandatory Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course (OSSLC), focusing on how standardized assessment shapes students’ identities and self-concepts. The study uses an ethnographic case design with semi-structured interviews of high-school learners from northern Ontario, exploring perceptions of literacy beyond conventional classroom measures. Findings address limited achievement patterns, literacy difficulties, and how test-linked experiences may weaken self-esteem and self-efficacy while affecting engagement and literacy outcomes.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages21

Reading Time53 min

AccessFree to download

Background and Significance

Adolescent literacy, identity, and voice

Standardized testing and student self-concept

Measuring literacy achievement in Ontario

OSSLT graduation requirement and course enrollment

Literacy testing, attitudes, and aliteracy

Student Perceptions of Literacy after the Ontario Secondary Literacy Course: A Qualitative Inquiry Lianne Van De Wal Nipissing-Parry Sound Catholic District School Board Thomas G. Ryan Nipissing University Abstract Adolescent literacy has emerged via the high-stakes standardized test known as the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) as a critical area of debate and study. Research has indicated a direct connection between literacy and identity, and that student literacy practices differ from traditional measures of literacy located in school curriculum and evaluated via standardized tests such as the OSSLT. Outcomes such as limited achievement, difficulties with literacy and the development of literacy skills, and subsequent below standard scores can diminish student self-concept, lower self-esteem, and impede self-efficacy. This ethnographic case study illuminated the impact of OSSLT and subsequent mandatory enrolment in the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course using semi-structured interviews involving high-school students from a northern Ontario secondary school. Previous related research outcomes, which demonstrated a connection between standardized test scores and self-concept, were realized via participants’ understanding and perception of literacy, and through mitigating factors impacting literacy engagement and achievement. Keywords: Literacy, standardized testing, secondary school, failure Lianne Van De Wal is a secondary school teacher at St. Joseph-Scollard Hall in Ontario, Canada. Her research interests include adolescent literacy, multiliteracies, and literacy and reading instruction in secondary schools. [E-mail: vandewal@npsc.ca](E-mail: vandewal@npsc.ca). Thomas G. Ryan (Ed.D.) is Professor within the Schulich School of Education, Nipissing University, Ontario, Canada, where he teaches graduate studies online. As a former elementary and secondary special educator he has worked with students in all grades. Email: [thomasr@nipissingu.ca](thomasr@nipissingu.ca) Measuring secondary student literacy achievement has been a dominant educational focus since the inception and implementation of the Ontario (Canada) Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) in 2002, despite the fact that standardized testing has drawn criticism from stakeholders (McNeil, 2000; Nezavdal, 2003; Ricci, 2004; Sweet, 2006) . The OSSLT compartmentalizes students as “literate” and “illiterate” on the basis of being “successful” versus“unsuccessful” on a single high-stakes standardized test (EQAO, 2011) . Standardizing literacy may only serve to perpetuate the idea that if a student is not successful on the test, he or she isnot literate (Fairbairn & Fox, 2009) . Students, particularly those who do not find success on the test, run the risk of viewing reading and writing as a chore rather than an effective means of conveying their thoughts, feelings, and beliefs (Moon, Brighton, Jarvis, & Hall, 2007) . In Ontario, passing the OSSLT is a graduation requirement, and since 2003 an added provision of the requirement has read that students who are unsuccessful at least once and who have been eligible to write twice (or since June 2004, students who at the discretion of the school principal are deferred from writing) may enroll in the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course (OSSLC) (Ontario Ministry of Education [OME], 2009) . Essentially the OSSLT was repackaged in an instructional course framework. Passing the OSSLC (with a mark of 50% or greater) allows students to fulfill the literacy graduation requirement for an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) . In the OSSLC, students may enter with a negative view of their own abilities after one or more (usually two) on the OSSLT (Van De Wal, 2012) . Often students enrolled in the OSSLC do not begin the course as eager students who are excited about learning; they habitually enter with negative self-image (Fairbairn & Fox, 2009; Van De Wal, 2012) . In some cases

FAQs

What is the OSSLT and how does it affect literacy assessment in Ontario?

The OSSLT is a high-stakes standardized test used to classify students as “literate” or “illiterate” based on success versus failure. Passing is tied to graduation requirements, which increases the stakes for students’ literacy development.

How does enrolling in the OSSLC connect to students’ experiences on the OSSLT?

Students may enter the OSSLC after being unsuccessful on the OSSLT at least once and meeting eligibility conditions. The study emphasizes that many students begin the course with negative views of their abilities shaped by prior test outcomes.

What does the study investigate about students’ perceptions of literacy?

The research examines participants’ understanding and perception of literacy, considering how standardized testing results relate to self-concept. It also explores factors that mitigate literacy engagement and achievement.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by Ben