To participate fully in the society and workplace of the twenty-first century, today’s students will need to be able to use language skillfully and confidently. The Ontario curriculum recognizes the central importance of reading and writing skills in learning across the curriculum and in everyday life, and prepares students for the literary demands they will face in their post – secondary endeavors. To ensure that they have the essential competencies in reading and writing that they will need to succeed at school, at work, and in daily life, students in Ontario must demonstrate those skills as a requirement for graduation.

The Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course (OSSLC) is a full-credit Grade 12 course that is offered as a part of the English program to provide students with intensive support in achieving the required reading and writing competencies. The reading and writing competencies required by the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) form the instructional assessment core of the course.