Teaching EQAO Without Teaching to the Test

EQAO released its 2025-2026 results on September 25, 2026, and 52 per cent of Grade 6 students in English-language schools met the provincial math standard. Some families will now ask you for a stack of practice tests. The stronger answer is to build the skills the assessment measures, and to show the student the online platform once.

Do Students Need to Prepare for EQAO?

Not in the cram-and-drill sense. EQAO states that its assessments measure the Ontario curriculum students already learn in class, so no special preparation is required. What helps is solid grade-level skill, familiarity with the online format, and a student who walks in calm.

EQAO says it in one line on its own FAQ: "No special preparation is required." The stakes then differ by grade. Grade 3 and Grade 6 results are not included in report card grades. Grade 9 math results are to be included as part of the student's final course mark, under the Ministry's Growing Success policy. The Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) is one of the requirements for the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (EQAO, 2026). For a Grade 3 or Grade 6 student, then, EQAO work is really curriculum work with a new label. The higher-stakes conversation starts in Grade 9.

What the 2025-2026 Results Tell a Tutor

Math moved, slowly. Comparing the 2024-25 results with 2025-26, the share of English-language students meeting the math standard went from 64 to 65 per cent in Grade 3, from 51 to 52 per cent in Grade 6, and from 58 to 59 per cent in Grade 9 (EQAO, 2025; EQAO, 2026). Reading is in a stronger place: 86 per cent of Grade 6 students met the reading standard in 2025-26.

The student questionnaire is the part worth reading twice. Only 48 per cent of Grade 6 students said they like math, and 51 per cent said they think they are good at it. In Grade 9, 52 per cent said they like math (EQAO, 2026). EQAO also flags "consistent gaps in achievement for students with special education needs." A student who has already decided they are not a math person tends to freeze on a multi-step problem they could solve. Rebuilding that belief, one problem at a time, is work a one-on-one session is well placed to do.

How Do You Prepare a Student for EQAO Without Teaching to the Test?

Treat the assessment as a check on the curriculum, and put nearly all of your time into the curriculum itself. In practice that looks like this:

• Teach the strand, not the item. The Grade 6 assessment is built on the 2020 math curriculum and the 2023 Language curriculum. The Grade 9 assessment covers the de-streamed MTH1W course: Number, Algebra, Data, Geometry and Measurement, and Financial Literacy. Find the strand where the student is weakest and teach it properly. A student who understands proportional reasoning handles any question format.
• Use the sample test once, for the interface. EQAO questions include single selection, multiple selection, drag and drop, drop-down menus and checklists, with built-in tools such as text-to-speech, zoom and a high-contrast view. One walk-through of the free EQAO sample test removes the surprise. The tenth walk-through teaches nothing new.
• Ask "how do you know?" every session. The language component includes open-response questions. Students who routinely explain their reasoning out loud are rehearsing a written explanation without a worksheet in sight.
• Build stamina in realistic blocks. Grade 3 and Grade 6 math is delivered in four stages of about 30 minutes each, and the language component in four sessions of about 35 minutes. A focused half-hour problem block inside your session mirrors that rhythm naturally.
• Ask about accommodations early. EQAO offers alternative versions of its assessments for students who need specific accommodations, plus built-in accessibility tools. If the student has an IEP, ask the family which supports the school uses, so work at home matches the conditions the student will actually write under.
• End on a win. Close each session with a problem the student solves without help. Given the questionnaire numbers above, confidence is part of the curriculum you are teaching.

This is the same logic behind a structured literacy refresher for reading: teach the underlying skill explicitly, and the assessment takes care of itself.

Grade 9 Math and the OSSLT Are Different Conversations

Once marks and a diploma are involved, families are right to pay closer attention. The Grade 9 Assessment of Mathematics uses a multi-stage computer adaptive model, and students may use the built-in calculator or bring their own scientific or graphing calculator. The next window runs from January 12 to February 5, 2027. If you are supporting a Grade 9 student this term, the guide to tutoring Grade 9 math under the new curriculum covers the course itself.

The OSSLT runs from November 3 to 30, 2026. In 2025-26, 86 per cent of first-time eligible students were successful, compared with 49 per cent of previously eligible students (EQAO, 2026). For a student who did not succeed on a first attempt, targeted reading and writing support now has a real date attached. Students who need another route can enrol in the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course (OSSLC) once they meet the eligibility criteria.

What to Say When a Parent Asks for EQAO Practice

Reframe the request without dismissing it. Ask whether the family has the student's Individual Student Report: EQAO sends these to schools, which share them with families. Read it together as a starting diagnostic, then explain the plan in plain terms. You will target the weakest strand, walk through the sample test once, and report progress regularly. Parents asking for practice tests usually want reassurance, and a clear plan gives them more of it than a stack of worksheets. For families who want the wider context, point them to our parent guide to the EQAO results.

Tutoring with Connect Education

Connect Education works exclusively with licensed teachers. Families across Canada, including Ontario families watching their child's EQAO results, come to the platform looking for a certified tutor who can explain an assessment and then teach past it, online or in person. If that sounds like the way you already work, read how to become a tutor or start at connect-education.com/start-tutoring.