About Growing Success for grades 1 to 12

Assessment, evaluation and reporting for students in grades 1 to 12 is based on the policies and practices described in Growing success: assessment, evaluation, and reporting in Ontario schools – first edition, covering grades 1 to 12.

Growing success aims to maintain high standards, improve student learning and benefit students, parents and teachers in elementary and secondary schools across the province.

Before you download this PDF

Growing Success was published in 2010 and continues to reflect ministry policies and practices. However, several updates have been introduced since its initial release. These updates are not included in the PDF available for download. It remains available while it is undergoing a review to streamline information and improve usability. For updates since publication, please read the updates on this page.

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Updates since 2010

  1. September 2026 — Financial literacy graduation requirement
  2. September 2024 — Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) Grade 9 mathematics assessment
  3. September 2023 — Completing the provincial report cards: language, grades 1 to 8
  4. September 2020 — Completing the provincial report cards: mathematics, grades 1 to 8

September 2026 — Financial literacy graduation requirement

Starting in the 2026–2027 school year, students must complete a financial literacy graduation requirement to earn their high school diploma.

For most students, this means earning a mark of at least 70% on financial literacy modules delivered during their Grade 10 Career Studies course. This mark will make up 5% of their final mark in Career Studies.

Students will have 2 attempts during the Grade 10 Career Studies course to complete the requirement. For students requiring multiple attempts to meet the requirement, the highest attempt mark will be used as part of the final mark in Careers Studies.

Students who do not meet the requirement after the first attempt will have the opportunity to strengthen their learning by reviewing additional resources on TVO Learn, accessing available school supports and receiving educator support.

Students who do not meet the requirement after 2 in-course attempts can try to complete it the following semester by:

  • re-attempting the modules outside of the course under the supervision of a designated staff member and achieving a mark of 70% or higher
  • receiving additional instructional support prior to re-attempting the modules (for example, through student success, credit recovery model, tutoring supports, etc.) and achieving a mark of 70% or higher
  • completing a set of financial literacy learning activities developed by TVO and administered by the school or TVO as an equivalency to the assessment (available starting in February 2027)
  • meeting the requirement through an adjudication process (in extenuating circumstances, including students close to graduation)

Students who are unsuccessful in both Career Studies and the financial literacy graduation requirement may need to retake Career Studies. This provides 2 new opportunities to meet the requirement.

Students that have successfully met the requirement but were unsuccessful in Careers Studies do not need to repeat the requirement when re-attempting the course. The course final evaluation would now reflect 20% instead of the original 15% with the requirement no longer encompassing 5% of the final course mark due to the requirement previously being met.

September 2024 — EQAO Grade 9 mathematics assessment

This section updates the policy described on page 93 in Appendix 1 of Growing Success (PDF).

Updated policy

The EQAO Grade 9 assessment of mathematics assesses the mathematics knowledge and skills students are expected to have learned by the end of The Ontario Curriculum: Mathematics, Grade 9, De-streamed (MTH1W), 2021. The results of the EQAO Grade 9 assessment of mathematics are to be included in the final evaluation of the Grade 9 mathematics course, for at least 10%, and up to a maximum of 30% of the final mark for the 2025–2026 academic year.

September 2023 — Completing the provincial report cards: language, grades 1 to 8

This section updates the policy for reporting the achievement of students in elementary language to align with the revised language curriculum, The Ontario Curriculum: Language, Grades 1 to 8, 2023. It replaces the policy for language described on page 57 of Growing Success (PDF).

Updated policy

To foster a cohesive approach to both instruction and assessment across the elementary language curriculum, achievement in language will be reported as one overall grade or mark, with supporting comments.

Fill in the letter grade/percentage mark that best reflects the overall learning of the student in language in the column headed Report 1 or Report 2. When assigning a grade or mark, consider the student’s integrated learning across the strands in each reporting period.

Your comments:

  • should describe significant strengths that the student demonstrates
  • should identify next steps for improvement
  • can describe growth in learning
  • can refer to particular strands, and should include comments on the foundations of language, including reading and writing.

For more information on determining a grade or percentage mark for the report card, review pages 38 to 46 of Growing Success (PDF).

Find the revised report card templates on our Elementary and secondary report card templates page.

September 2020 — Completing the provincial report cards: mathematics, grades 1 to 8

This section updates the policy for reporting the achievement of students in elementary mathematics to align with the revised mathematics curriculum, The Ontario Curriculum: Mathematics, Grades 1 to 8, 2020. It replaces the policy for mathematics described on page 58 of Growing Success (PDF).

Updated policy

To foster a cohesive approach to both instruction and assessment across the elementary mathematics curriculum, achievement in mathematics will be reported as one overall grade/mark, with supporting comments.

Fill in the letter grade or percentage mark that best reflects the overall learning of the student in mathematics in the column headed report 1 or report 2. When assigning a grade or mark, consider the student's integrated learning across the strands you’ve taught in each reporting period.

Your comments:

  • should describe significant strengths that the student demonstrates
  • should identify next steps for improvement
  • can describe growth in learning
  • can refer to particular strands

For more information on determining a grade or percentage mark for the report card, review pages 38 to 46 of Growing Success (PDF).

Find the revised report card templates on our Elementary and secondary report card templates page.

Companion document: Kindergarten addendum (first issued September 2016)

This update describes Ontario’s policy for assessment, evaluation and reporting for kindergarten. It is an addition to Growing Success (PDF) and is similar to the Grades 1 to 12 policy. It is currently being updated to align with the content, philosophy and intent of The Ontario Curriculum, Kindergarten, 2026, a play- and inquiry-based program designed to be developmentally appropriate for young students.

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