In July 2023, the Ontario government mandated reading screening for children in senior kindergarten through Grade 2 in publicly funded schools. The results of these screenings will be included on children’s report cards for the first time this winter, as they are sent home in the first months of 2025. But what does it mean if a child is not reaching the benchmark for early reading?
Katelyn Bryant is assistant director and a supervising psychologist at Western’s Mary J. Wright Child and Youth Development Clinic. She explains the importance of these screenings and what parents can do to address early reading concerns.
Western News: What is early reading screening?
Katelyn Bryant (KB): Ontario’s Early Reading Screening program is a universal approach (meaning every student is assessed) that involves giving students brief tests to identify whether they are or are not likely to be proficient readers, now or in the future. The reading screening program focuses on word reading skills – in other words, skills that allow children to read text aloud accurately and at a good speed.
When can parents expect results?
KB: All children in Ontario in senior kindergarten through Grade 2 were to be screened by mid-November, and parents will get the results formally communicated on the first report card of 2025, which goes out between Jan. 20 and Feb. 20.
There is a new box on the report card to communicate these results. Schools may also send results home via individualized letters, which some parents may have already received in November or December. The result of the reading screener is simple, either the child met benchmark, or they did not.
What if a child is not meeting the benchmark?
KB: Performing below benchmark does not necessarily mean a child has a severe reading problem. However, children who perform below benchmark may need increased teaching of letter sounds, additional support to learn to sound out words and more practice reading simple texts with adult support. If children are falling well below the benchmark, they may need more intensive and targeted reading instruction. These children may have a learning disorder or ADHD.
What if a child meets the benchmark, but is still having reading difficulties?
KB: Some children may be on track with word reading skills but have difficulty with understanding what they read or difficulty focusing on reading tasks. These children may still struggle with reading despite meeting the benchmark on the screener.
What if parents want to explore their children’s reading further?
KB: Parents can speak to their children’s teachers about reading progress. There are changes happening to the reading curriculum and the supports available to students who are struggling. School boards may have access to speech language or psychology support for students.
For significantly struggling readers, private speech-language experts or school psychologists can also assess reading. Typically, a psychology assessment is required to evaluate a child for a learning disorder. These may be offered by the school board or could be paid for privately.
At the Mary J. Wright Child and Youth Development Clinic, we offer an Early Reading Screening and Support program that combines parent education with in-depth assessment of children’s reading skills. We can help parents understand the significance of reading problems, whether children may be at risk of a disorder affecting learning and what parents and teachers can do to help children with their reading development.
How can parents help their children at home?
KB: For children who are not yet reading little books, parents can help kids learn letter sounds (phonics) and how to sound out simple two- and three-sound words such as on, up, sat or bed. Parents may be able to get resources from teachers to reinforce phonics at home or can check out online resources like starfall.com or teachyourmonster.org.
If kids are struggling, it is important to only teach a couple of sounds at a time, focus on lowercase versus uppercase letters and ensure kids learn short vowel sounds. Once they can sound out simple words, they can start learning the most common words, sometimes called high-frequency words or sight words. This will allow them to start reading basic books by sounding out words.
As kids start to read actual texts or books, it is extremely important that the text is not too difficult. Kids should be reading texts with at least 90 per cent accuracy. Regular practice reading aloud, with text at their level, helps kids become more proficient readers. It is still a great idea for adults to read books to kids that are too difficult for them to read independently. This can help them build knowledge and a love of books.
