What Influences Students' Performance on the Secondary School Literacy Test

This study explored factors associated with English as Second Language (ESL) and English Literacy Development (ELD) students performance on the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) from three aspects: 1) the relationship between test performance and the characteristics of ESL/ELD students; 2) the relationship between ESL/ELD students aggregated school performance and their school-level socio-economic status; and 3) the comparison of ESL/ELD and non-ESL/ELD students performance on three test formats in the reading component of the OSSLT. Test data from 4,311 ESL/ELD students and 5,003 non-ESL/ELD students, their responses to the Educational Quality and Accountability Office s (EQAO) Student Questionnaire, and school-level socio-economic status data from the Education Quality and Indicators Program (EQUIP) were analyzed. The results of this study offered insights into identifying and understanding factors that influenced ESL/ELD students OSSLT performance. The results also provided directions for future research and instructional support in relation to ESL/ ELD students in the context of the accountability framework in Ontario.