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Before the Assessment

Contents

A checklist with the summary of steps for before, during and after is available.

Summary of steps before the assessment

  • Read the Professional Responsibilities and the rest of this user guide.
  • Ensure you understand how to administer the assessment using the e-assessment system. EQAO provides webinars and self-guided learning modules.
  • Meet with the school administrator to review roles and responsibilities, and to plan for the administration, accommodations, etc.
  • Coordinate with the school administrator to ensure that the Alternative Version of the assessment is ordered based on guidelines from EQAO in all the formats that students require.
  • Register, activate and log in to your e-assessment account.
  • Ensure you are assigned your class.
  • View student list and click each student’s name to ensure information is accurate (including accommodations and response format for open-response questions).
  • Add additional teachers or invigilators to your class, if required.  
  • Schedule the sample test.
  • Confirm students can log in to the e-assessment platform. Provide each student with their OEN and access code for the class. They will also need to enter their last name correctly.
    • If using the lockdown methods, enter the 4-digit (SEB) or 6-digit (Kiosk) code on each device so students can log in. Your school administrator has this code.
    • If using Direct Access students will log in through the EQAO website.
  • Have students practise using the tools and platform functionality while completing the scheduled sample test.
  • Ensure that the End Sample Test button is selected following the administration of the sample test. This will close the sample test session and allow you to open the operational assessment when required.
  • Schedule the operational assessment (if not already scheduled by your school administrator).
  • Choose the response format, paper response or online response, for all students for the open-response questions. (Language only)
  • Print PDF Assessment Response Sheets for students using the paper format (refer to Printing Assessment Response Sheets).
  • Confirm access to resources as needed, including manipulatives, headphones, calculators, and paper and pencils for rough work (refer to Supports for all students).

Step 1 – Managing your account

REMINDER
You must always log in with the email address and password you used to create your account, from year to year.

Creating your account

  1. Follow the directions in the email you received from no-reply@eqao.vretta.com:
    • Enter the invitation code.
    • Fill in your information.
  2. Activate your account by following the directions in the account validation email.
  3. Click Proceed to Login.

NOTE
Each invitation code can be used only once and is valid only for seven days from the time it is sent out. Should you require an extension, please send an email to eqao-support@vretta.com.

Logging in to your account

  1. Go to the EQAO login page.
  2. Click the login button under Ontario school administrators and teachers.
  3. Input your email.
  4. Input your password.
  5. Click Sign In.

Logging out of your account

  1. Click at the top left of the page.
  2. Click Logout.

Resetting your password

  1. Go to the log in to your e-assessment account.
  2. Input your email.
  3. Click Forgot Password.
  4. Follow the instructions in the email you just received.

NOTE
Teachers that have an existing account will use the same account for different assessment years. There is only one account associated with a teacher email.

Step 2 – Managing your Class

To view or manage your class:

  1. Log in to your teacher account.
  2. Select Class from the list at the bottom of the screen.
  3. In your Class page, you can:
    • find the access code that students will need to log in to the sample test and operational assessment
    • start or schedule an assessment session
    • view any active and completed assessments
    • manage your students
    • add or remove an additional invigilator

Step 3 – Adding or removing additional invigilators (if required)

The main assigned teacher can add new invigilators to their class. When added, the new invigilators will have access to the Invigilation page.

IMPORTANT
The main teacher originally assigned to the class will not see their own name displayed in the additional invigilator list.

  1. Click the [Add/Remove] button next to Additional Invigilators.
  2. Select or unselect teacher(s) from the list to add/remove to this class. Only teachers with active accounts will be visible in the list. See your school administrator for more details.
  3. Click OK.

NOTE
Adding teachers allows them to invigilate the assessment for students in this class.

Step 4 – Managing your students

Viewing your students

  1. Log in to your teacher account.
  2. In the Classes/Groupings, click Select Class. 
  3. Click Manage Students.
  4. Review the list of all your students in your class (including OENs, non-participation status, response format and accommodations).
  5. Print the list with OENs if desired.

Selecting Student Response Format (open-response questions for Language only)

  1. From Manage Students, review the list of students.
  2. Review the response format for each student (default is paper for Grade 3, online for Grade 6).
  3. Click on the icon beside each student name to change the response format as needed.
  4. After selecting the pencil icon, these students will require a printed assessment response sheet during the operational assessment (refer to Printing, Scanning and Uploading for more information).

IMPORTANT
Check the response format (paper or online) for the open-response questions in the language component for all students before you start the sample test or the assessment. The default setting for students completing the primary assessment is Paper Response and for junior students is Online Response. This may be changed to meet the needs of your students. Refer to the Printing, Scanning and Uploading section for more information.

Adding students

You may need to add students to your class after the initial upload. This can be done directly from your Class page. Your administrator can also add new students to your class.

  1. Click New Student Account.
  2. Add the student’s OEN.
  3. Click Lookup.
  4. Enter the student’s personal information in the New Student Account form.
  5. Click Create New Account.

Adding guest students

NOTE
Home-schooled students and students receiving home instruction are NOT considered guest students and will be included in the school list. The school administrator must select home-school on the student information page for home-schooled students.

A student is a guest student if they are enrolled in another school, for example a virtual school, and they need to complete the sample test or the operational assessment at your school under the supervision of school staff at your school. They will need to provide you with their access code assigned by their virtual or other registered school to be added to your list. A guest student’s results will be accessed by their own school where they are enrolled. 

  1. Click Add Guest Students.
  2. Enter the access code from the student’s assigned class at the school where they are enrolled.
  3. Click Add.
  4. The guest student should now appear on your list and can now log in with your class access code and their OEN.

NOTE
The teacher from the home school should NOT schedule the sample test or the operational assessment for students that have been added as guest students in a class at your school.

Note: Above video demonstrates process for OSSLT, but the process is the same for the primary or junior assessments.

Step 5 – Scheduling the sample test

  1. Log in to your teacher account.
  2. Select a Class.
  3. Under Sample Test (Primary or Junior), click Schedule/Start Assessment Session.
  4. Choose either Start Now or Schedule for Later.
    • If you choose Start Now, you may administer the sample test immediately. You will access a table displaying the assessment status for your students. Click Continue to go to the Invigilation page. Here you can unlock the Sample Test as needed.
    • If you choose Schedule for Later, select a future date. You will set start date/time for the sample test sessions. When you have finalized the dates, click Schedule Assessment.
  5. Ensure that you provide paper for students using the paper format for language sessions to record answers to open-response questions on the sample test.

Step 6 – Administering the sample test

IMPORTANT
The sample test and operational assessment CANNOT be open at the same time. You must end or pause the one you are on before any student can start the other.

  1. If students are using a lockdown browser (SEB/Kiosk) to access the sample test, initialize the student devices by opening the SEB or Kiosk application using the passcode given to you by your school administrator.
  2. Log in to your teacher account.
  3. Under Sample Test (Primary or Junior), click Ready to Start.
  4. Type sample in the pop-up box.
  5. Locate the access code in the top right corner.
  6. Assist students with logging into the sample test:
    • Provide students with the access code and their OEN.
    • Once logged in, students must enter their last name correctly to access the landing page of the sample test.
  7. On the Invigilation page, you will unlock Sample Test when ready.
  8. If you have the operational assessment session open, you will be prompted to either Go Back or Pause Other Test to allow the sample test to be opened. This will pause the operational assessment until you open it again, and allows your students to move between different parts of the assessment and the sample test.
  9. Monitor the progress of your students from your Invigilation page.
  10. Click End Sample Test when you are ready to end the session for all students. Multiple sample test sessions may be scheduled as desired. 

The sample test allows students to experience the types of questions and features in the assessment, including all tools and accessibility features. Students using assistive technology are encouraged to try it out during a sample test session to increase familiarity before accessing the operational assessment.

NOTE
If the Alternative Version has been assigned to one or more of your students, a sample test is available in the same format. Refer to Requesting the Alternative Version of the Assessment. The Braille version will be delivered to the school once ordered and links will be sent for other formats.

Accessing the sample test from the EQAO website 

Anyone can access the sample tests directly from the EQAO website: 

Primary Division

Junior Division

Students can complete the sample test multiple times. 

Results 

Teachers will not be sent a copy of the sample test results. Students can access their own results after completing the sample test. 

Step 7 – Scheduling the operational assessment

  1. Log in to your teacher account.
  2. Select a Class.
  3. Click Schedule Assessment Session.
  4. Choose Schedule for Later.
  5. Review the table showing your students and the status of their sessions.
  6. Click Continue.
  7. You will set start and end dates for the Language component and for the Mathematics component. When you have finalized your dates, click Schedule Assessment.

IMPORTANT
Do not unlock sessions or stages in the operational assessment for students who are absent or unsupervised.

Updated on April 24, 2024