New Resource for Educators
As communicated on May 30, 2024, starting in September 2024, the Ministry of Education has standardized the practice currently used by many teachers of incorporating the results of the Grade 9 Assessment of Mathematics in the final mark of the Grade 9 mathematics course. More information is found in the Overview of the Grade 9 Assessment of Mathematics section. To support educators, EQAO has updated the ISR to include a dot score which will indicate where the student’s result is located within the level. Also, in the Reports section of the e-assessment platform, EQAO has added a reference document for teachers, which provides the relationship between the dot score and a score out of 100 and frequently asked questions.
Updates to the Grade 9 Framework Document
The Grade 9 Assessment of Mathematics Framework has been updated for 2024-2025. The framework includes the blueprint of how the assessment aligns with the Ontario curriculum, the assessment design and a sample ISR, which was updated for 2024-2025. Review the Grade 9 Assessment of Mathematics Framework.
Individual Student Report (ISR)
All eligible students will receive an ISR. ISRs will be available shortly after the administration period for students who are not fully participating (do not engage in both sessions).
Alternative Version Requests
Formats of the Alternative Version requested by the school will be provided through the Message Centre as a compressed folder. The Alternative Version of the Sample Test will also be provided through the Message Centre in the same format requested by the school. Monitor the Message Centre in the school administrator’s account for communication and files from EQAO.
School administrators can monitor the pending, approved or cancelled status of the Alternative Version requests by accessing the Requests tab in their account. Please refer to instructions for requesting or cancelling in the Alternative Version of the Assessment.
Professional Responsibilities
This section has been moved for easier access and review by all individuals involved in the administration of the Grade 9 Assessment of Mathematics. Prior to logging into the e-assessment platform, educators must attest that they have read and understand the Professional Responsibilities.
Scheduling Assessment Sessions
A new feature in the e-assessment system allows for teachers/invigilators to schedule assessment sessions in advance of the administration window (i.e., prior to January 8, 2025 or May 28, 2025). Scheduling early provides visibility for EQAO’s technical support. Scheduled assessment sessions can be changed by the school at any time if needed during the administration window. For more information about scheduling assessment sessions refer to Scheduling and monitoring the assessment.
Unsubmitting a Session
New system updates are in place for the 2024-2025 school year. Automatic unsubmissions by the teacher will only be available within 1 hour of a student submitting a session, as students should complete each session in one continuous supervised sitting. Scheduling the appropriate amount of time is within the school’s responsibility and not a reason to reopen a session once students have accessed assessment questions. If an administration irregularity occurs, and the school would like special consideration to re-open a session it must be requested using the process outlined in this user guide for EQAO’s consideration. It is important to note that these requests will take up to 24 hours to be approved. Review these new system updates here so that students will not be impacted when completing the assessment.
Guest Students
The instructions for administrators regarding how guest students will access the assessment have been updated. This information can be found in the Setting Up for Administrators section under the tab Guest Students.
Supports for all students
Information about supports for all students, including students with Special Education Needs, English language learners, permitted accommodations and the alternative version are located in the section Administration Guidelines and Supports for all Students.
Safe Exam Browser and Windows 11 24H2
Due to a recent update to the Windows 11 system, devices using Windows 11 24H2 will need to update their Safe Exam Browser to 3.8.0 in order to run the assessment. The previous version of Safe Exam Browser, 3.4.0, is not compatible with Windows 11 24H2. You can find installation instructions for public schools here and for private and First Nations schools here. If you are using Windows 10 or any Windows 11 versions below 24H2, you can proceed using SEB 3.4.0.
Kiosk and Respondus
Google Chrome Apps will only support the use of the KIOSK application until the end of July 2025. EQAO is working with their school board IT professional partners with regards to Respondus, which is a new lockdown browser. Instructions will be available in December.
Domain Safelist
The domain safelist for the network and technical readiness checklist has been updated. No further additions to the domain safelist are required but users should reference here for public schools and here for private schools for any additional security measures.