When staff, students, parents and community partners mention "literacy", they are often thinking about the Grade 10 Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT). However, literacy goes beyond the test. York Region's Profile of a Literate Graduate includes many skills:
- writes with purpose and clarity
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locates and accesses information from a variety of sources
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communicates effectively using visual text forms
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uses oral communication appropriate to purpose and audience
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reads for purpose and pleasure
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reads and interprets visual text forms
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thinks critically
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problem solves
As a result, literacy instruction must be embedded across the curriculum. All teachers of all subjects, from Kindergarten to Grade 12, are teachers of literacy (Expert Panel on Students at Risk in Ontario, 2003). At Mulock, literacy is considered a human right that is supported and developed in all classrooms.
For those students writing the Literacy test, extensive screening and practice is offered to ensure students feel confident and prepared. For more information about the test, please visit EQAO's website at www.eqao.com where there are links for Parents, Students and Educators. For more information about literacy, the OSSLT, or the After School Literacy Program, please feel free to contact the school to speak to a member of the Literacy Committee.
Please note that students who are away the day of the test cannot write the test upon their return. The test is only written once a year across the province. The next test, for those who are absent or unsuccessful, will be in March/April 2010.
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