All assessment, evaluation and reporting in Ontario schools is based on the policies and practices described in Growing Success: Assessment, Evaluation, and Reporting In Ontario Schools, First Edition, Covering Grades 1 to 12.
Reporting on the Revised Language Curriculum (Grade 1-8)
Starting September 2023, schools across Ontario began implementing the new Language curriculum. A Parent’s Guide to Language, Grade 1-8 (2023) has been developed by the Ontario Ministry of Education to support families in learning more about the revised curriculum.
Student achievement in Language will now be reported as one overall grade or mark with supporting comments. In the past, the report card reflected a grade or mark in each of the four strands of Language (Oral Communication, Reading, Writing, and Media Literacy). Now, this revised report card grade or mark represents a student's achievement of the overall curriculum expectations, and considers the student’s integrated learning across all four strands of the new Language curriculum:
- Literacy Connections and Applications
- Foundations of Language
- Comprehension: Understanding and Responding to Texts
- Composition: Expressing Ideas and Creating Texts
Student achievement in individual strands is reflected in comments related to their learning, strengths, and next steps.
Early Reading Screening (ERS)
Reading is a foundational skill critical to student success, both in the classroom and beyond. Beginning in 2024-2025, schools will be administering annual early reading screenings for all students in Year 2 of Kindergarten (Senior Kindergarten) through Grade 2. Early reading screening is newly mandated by the Ministry of Education through Policy/Program Memorandum #168.
From language and social studies to science and math, reading skills are critical to student success across their entire educational journey and having strong reading skills can ensure future career success.
This new early reading screening will be an essential tool to identify students who are experiencing difficulties with reading so they can receive the support they need to improve their reading proficiency and give them the best opportunity for success. The purpose of early reading screening is to:
- monitor development in early reading skills;
- identify those who need additional support; and,
- guide classroom instruction.
The newly instituted annual screening is completed one-on-one towards the beginning of the school year. Early reading screening is one valuable tool to help us understand and communicate individual reading progress to support unique needs. This new screening is not evaluated as part of a student’s grades, but instead will help identify the support they need in order to develop reading proficiency.
The screening covers various foundational skills needed for reading proficiency. For example, a student might be asked to identify letters and corresponding sounds or sound out words. The specific details of the screening will vary depending on the grade. No additional preparation is needed nor expected for the screening.
Below are the skill areas and reading measures students will be screened for through the ministry-approved early reading screening tool, Acadience Reading:
Foundational Literacy Skill | Acadience Reading Measures (Beginning of Year) | Description |
Phonemic Awareness: The ability to hear and use the small sounds in spoken words. | First Sound Fluency
Year 2 Kindergarten | Students say the first sound they hear in a simple word spoken by the teacher. |
Phonemic Awareness: The ability to hear and use the small sounds in spoken words. | Phoneme Segmentation Fluency
Grade 1 | Students listen to a simple word spoken by the teacher, and then say the sounds in the word. |
Predictor of future reading skills: The ability to recognize and name letters of the alphabet is not in itself a foundational literacy skill, but it is a predictor of later reading success. | Letter Naming Fluency
Year 2 Kindergarten Grade 1
| Teacher shows the student a page of upper and lower case letters. Student says the names of the letters. |
Phonics: The knowledge that written letters represent the sounds of spoken words, and how to use this knowledge to read and spell words. | Nonsense Word Fluency
Grade 1 Grade 2
| Students use their knowledge of phonics to read a list of unknown, ‘nonsense’ words (e.g., “ib”) |
Phonics: The knowledge that written letters represent the sounds of spoken words, and how to use this knowledge to read and spell words. Accurate and Fluent Reading of Text: Reading text accurately and with confidence, pace, and expression. Reading Comprehension: The ability to understand and draw meaning from what has been read. | Oral Reading Fluency (including retell)
Grade 2 | Students read a short text. After reading the student tells about the story that was read. |
Early reading screening benchmarks indicate how students are doing on a specific set of reading measures. The screening only provides one piece of information about students’ language and literacy skills.
Educators will connect with families to discuss strengths, areas of need, and to share examples of growth and progress over time. Results of the first screening will formally be communicated in the first Kindergarten Communication of Learning or Elementary Provincial Report Card (issued in February of that school year) and will indicate whether the student has met or not yet met the screening benchmark at the time of their screening. Educators maintain ongoing communication with parents/guardians to discuss the results of classroom assessments, as needed.
Report Cards
Elementary school students will receive a progress report card in November and a provincial report card in February and June. Learn more in the elementary school report cards brochure.
Secondary school students will receive two provincial report cards each semester. An interim report is also issued after the first six weeks of instruction. Learn more in the secondary school report cards brochure.
Report card templates are also available. For further information, please speak with your child's teacher.
Final Evaluations/Examinations
All secondary students must participate in the final summative assessment(s). These assessments make up the final evaluation representing 30 percent of your report card grade. You are expected to complete all final summative assessments at the place, date and time indicated by the teacher and by the examination schedule provided by the school. Students cannot leave early for vacations, employment or other activities such as summer camps during the examination schedule.
In the case of extenuating circumstances (e.g. bereavement, court appearance or when you are unable to write an exam because of illness explicitly stated on a medical certificate), the principal will decide, in consultation with the subject teacher, the most appropriate method to determine your final standing in the course. This may include an opportunity to participate in the portion missed. Documentation supporting an absence must be presented in all cases.
In the case of an unexcused absence, a zero may be assigned for the missed portion of the final evaluation assessment and used in determining the final percentage mark on the report card.
For more information, see the Assessment, Evaluation and Communication of Student Learning and Achievement Policy and related procedures.
The Ministry Brochure Supporting your Child's Learning through Assessment, Evaluation and Reporting is available in 22 languages:
English | Français | عربي | 繁體中文 | 简体中文 | فارسى | ગુજરાતી | हिंदी | 한국어 | Português | ਪੰਜਾਬੀ | Română | Русский | Soomaali | Español | Tagalog | தமிழ் | اردو | Tiếng Việt