The questions asked are designed to measure students' understanding of ideas and information that are directly or indirectly stated in the text.
The writing component is designed to measure the student's ability to develop a main idea, provide supporting details, organize and link ideas and information, use a tone for the particular type of writing and use correct spelling and grammar.
Reports have circulated by disgruntled parents that their teen who attends the local secondary school was never informed of the OSSLT's existence and thus was never prepared for the tests.
[8] It is designed to assist students in acquiring the basic literacy skills required for getting an Ontario high school diploma.
Those who qualify for adjudication include students who were unable to write the OSSLT and/or enroll in or complete the OSSLC due to unforeseen circumstances, as well as students who have an IEP documenting required accommodations but, because of unforeseen circumstances, did not have access to these accommodations when taking the OSSLT.
The failed implementation of an online form of the OSSLT by Kathleen Wynne's Liberal government was criticized by NDP MPP Lisa Gretzky on October 25, 2016.