High-Stakes Tests and Applied Learners: The (Dis)connections Between Curriculum Expectations and Exam Notions of “Literacy”

In 2019, 59% of applied English learners failed the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT), which is a requirement to graduate high school in Ontario. The authors of this paper wondered about the 41% who passed. We asked: What curricular connections are being made (or not made)? What is working well? With these questions in mind, the purpose of this article is to share findings from a thematic analysis of literature focusing on applied learners and the OSSLT. Discussions also include findings from a survey that shares the perspectives and experiences of English educators who support students in their applied classrooms on the OSSLT. Findings show a disconnect between curricular and OSSLT assessment expectations of what is considered and valued as literacy. This article highlights a greater need to find and develop best practices for teaching learners in applied English classrooms and for sharing these evidence-based strategies. Such best practices can help educators further support students in applied English classroom to better prepare for the OSSLT which might also inform curriculum development, literacy instruction and standardized testing.