Students can access the online assessment in two ways: Direct Access or Alternative Secure Access. These differ in level of security. Schools are already set up for Direct Access for all students and can choose to use the Alternative Secure Access for specific students or the entire school.
The Direct Access method requires more supervision of students when administering the assessment. The Alternative Secure Access method uses either the Safe Exam Browser (SEB) or Kiosk application and provides assessment security by locking down all other functions of the device during the assessment. This means third-party software, including accessibility software will not be accessible as the browser is locked down.
TIP
If a school is using the Secure Access and a student requires assistive technology that is not compatible with SEB or Kiosk, the Direct Access option is available.
To review the options for accessing the e-assessment platform, refer to the sections below.
Direct Access
Through this option, all students in the school will be able to access the assessment directly by logging in through the EQAO login page.
NOTE
Private schools must use SEB or Kiosk. For more information, see Configuring devices for private schools.
The direct access option:
- requires no software installation
- allows the use of third-party software
- does not lock down the device (however, when the student navigates away from the assessment screen, the system alerts the teacher, and the teacher should monitor this for potential Academic Dishonesty)
- allows students to continue with the assessment after they navigate away, with less intervention from the teacher
Navigating away from the assessment
When a student who is using the direct access navigates away from an assessment screen or minimizes a page while in an assessment, an icon will appear next to the student’s name on the teacher’s Invigilation page as a notification that the student has navigated away from the assessment. The teacher will investigate and can dismiss the notification if the student navigated to a permitted resource. Refer to the Supports for All Students During the Assessment section for more details.
However, if the student has navigated away from the assessment for a reason that is likely to impact the validity of the student’s response (for example, consulting an online source for answers to questions), the teacher must use the Report an Issue button.
IMPORTANT
Teachers should use the Invigilation page to frequently monitor students during the assessment.
Note: Above video demonstrates process for OSSLT, but the process is the same for the Assessments of Reading, Writing and Mathematics, Primary and Junior Divisions.
Student login process for direct access
Teachers can advise students to follow the steps below in order to log in:
- Launch the browser and open the EQAO website: www.eqao.com.
- Select Login in the upper-right corner of the web page.
- On the login page, click Login under the Students section.
- Enter the access code and the OEN that your teacher provides, and then click Sign In.
Alternative Secure Access (SEB and Kiosk)
If your school decides to use an enhanced lockdown option, the Safe Exam Browser (SEB) and/or Kiosk application will be used. Refer to Configuring Devices.
The SEB and Kiosk methods
- provide the strongest assessment security, as they lock down all functions of the device.
- require time and staff resources to download the application and configure and safe-list third-party software.
- limit the third-party software that can be used.
Choose the SEB if using Windows devices, Macs or iPads.
Choose the Kiosk application if using Chromebooks or Android devices.
The installation and validation of the SEB software or Kiosk application on the testing devices should be the responsibility of the school’s or the school board’s IT representative. The SEB-configuration file has been made available to the technical specialist for the school to be downloaded or pushed onto these devices.
NOTE
Version 3.4.0 of the SEB must be installed for Windows, and version 3.1 must be installed for Macs and iPads. The previous SEB version must be uninstalled from all devices.
Enabling the Lockdown Browser
Teachers will need to enter the four-digit SEB Password or the six-digit Kiosk Password on each device in order to provide students with access to the login screen. This password can be found in the Technical Readiness checklist. The school administrator must provide this password to all teachers. Teachers will then use that password to enable the lockdown browser. The SEB and Kiosk passwords should not be shared with students. Once the lockdown browser is enabled, students can then log in to the e-assessment platform using the access code for the class and their OEN number provided by their teacher.
IMPORTANT
If a student has an assistive-technology accommodation checked off in the Accommodations and Alternative Version page of the student information page and requires particular accessibility software that is not compatible with the SEB or the Kiosk application, the student may have to access the assessment by using direct access (as described above).