This section highlights what is new for the 2022-2023 Grade 9 Assessment of Mathematics.
Professional Responsibilities Pop-Up Form
EQAO relies on school administrators and teachers to ensure all EQAO assessments are administered in accordance with EQAO policies and administration guidelines. The responsibilities of school administrators and teachers are outlined in the Professional Responsibilities which are available in this user guide. A new pop-up window will open for school administrators and teachers to read and accept the Professional Responsibilities prior to accessing the e-assessment system.
Additional Format of the Alternative Version of the Sample Test and the Operational Assessment
For the 2022-2023 assessment, there will be an additional format of the alternative version available for both the sample test and the operational assessment. This format is for students who have special education needs or special circumstances and require the alternative version, but do not require the audio with full descriptions of all mathematics graphics. These students may be unable to complete the assessment online or are able to complete single-select questions only. For more information refer to the Alternative Version of the Assessment section.
Field-Test Questions
Starting in 2022-2023 the Grade 9 Assessment of Mathematics will contain a total of 54 questions which includes four field-test questions. Details on the updated design are in the Framework document and the Assessment Design and Duration of Assessment Sessions section in this user guide.
Technical Readiness Updates
The Network Readiness Checklist has now been reset for the 2022–2023 school year. Board IT contacts must complete the Network Readiness Checklist before the EQAO assessments can be administered. The checklist is available through the board IT e-assessment account.
The Technical Readiness Checklist has also been reset and will need to be completed by school administrators before schools can administer EQAO assessments for the 2022–2023 school year.
Please review the guidelines for Device Configuration at IT Professionals Device Configuration.
School administrators may also wish to review updates regarding Accessing the E-Assessment System and Platform.
Updates to Safe Exam Brower (SEB)
The SEB was updated to its latest version. The previous SEB version must be uninstalled from all devices and will need to be reinstalled before being used for the e-assessments. Details regarding the SEB can be found in the section called Device Configuration.
Device Diagnostic Check
A pre-administration hardware check will be available from the student login page of the e-assessment platform to help identify devices which may not run well with the SEB or Kiosk Lockdown Browsers, or the Direct Access to the e-assessment platform.
System Status Page
A system status page that will provide a real-time update on e-assessment system health is available for schools and boards to monitor at the following link system status. This will help determine whether any technical issues being experienced are arising from the e-assessment system or locally.
Managing Access to the School Account
A new feature is available for the school administrator to give access to the school account to another member of the school administration team. School administrators who no longer require access to a school account in the e-assessment system can follow the instructions to remove it from their dashboard. Read more about this in the Managing Access to the School Account section of this user guide.
JAWS software
EQAO is continually working to ensure the e-assessment platform meets the needs of all students. In addition to other third-party accessibility software, students can now use JAWS to interact with the e-assessment platform. Example videos demonstrating how JAWS works can be found in the Using JAWS section.
Unsubmitting a Session of the Assessment
The Grade 9 Assessment of Mathematics is comprised of two sessions (Session A and Session B). Students must complete each session in one sitting. A session can be unsubmitted by the teacher/invigilator if the session was submitted in error and if the student responses have not yet been submitted to EQAO by the teacher. If a school requires access to a session that was inadvertently submitted, the process is explained in the Unsubmitting a Session section.
Reporting Issues
During the Grade 9 Assessment of Mathematics, school administrators and teachers must report issues to EQAO that may affect the security, validity or reliability of the assessment. Some updates have been made regarding the process to report issues. Review updated information in the Reporting Issues section in this user guide.
Updated Resources
The English–French and French–English Glossaries for use during the Grade 9 Assessment of Mathematics have been updated. Students can access the glossaries on the e-assessment platform. They can also use hard copies of the glossaries, which can be printed from the EQAO website. Regular-print and large-print copies are available on the website.
The EQAO Formula Sheets also had minor updates. The large-print version of the EQAO Formula Sheet was updated so that it can now be printed on letter-sized (8.5″x11″) paper. Students can use hard copies of the EQAO Formula Sheet during the assessment. A regular-print version is also available on the EQAO website.
These resources were available on the EQAO website on November 16, 2022.
EQAO Contact Number
EQAO’s contact number has changed to 1-888-327-7377.
Please use this number if you have questions or require technical support, and you will be directed to the appropriate agent.
Updates to the User Guide
The user guide is published online after an annual review. Any updates that are needed during the school year will be communicated in the Quick links to recent updates section. Please check this section for recent updates.