The Learning Disabilities Association of Alberta (LDAA) applauds and supports Decoding Dyslexia Alberta’s action statement in response to the Position Statement on Kindergarten Provincial Literacy and Numeracy Screening Assessments made by the Early Childhood Education Council (ECEC), Specialist Council of the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA).
LDAA has long advocated for early screening and intervention. In 2010, LDAA initiated the Right to Read project supporting research in literacy development proving that children at risk of literacy challenges can be identified at an early age, and with early intervention, literacy challenges can be minimized and, in some cases, prevented.
With the support of literacy experts, we developed the Reading Readiness Screening Tool (RRST), our first screening tool and intervention program, and recently released the updated tool, the Assessment of Foundational Reading Skills (AFRS). Over the last 14 years, we have trained 1000’s of kindergarten and early elementary teachers in dozens of school districts across the province, using the RRST/AFRS tools to screen their students for literacy challenges and provide evidence-based instructional approaches.
Recently, we supported the White Paper presented to the Alberta government by the LD/ADHD Network that strongly recommends that basic universal screening be implemented into Alberta education to identify at-risk children at an early age. In fact, research shows that early identification and support results in significantly better outcomes for our students and that intervention in kindergarten or grade one is more effective than in later grades. We want to ensure that children at potential risk of reading problems are provided support at the earliest possible stage in their educational journey and that every child has the right to read. As Decoding Dyslexia Alberta stated, we cannot provide intervention without knowing who those students are.
The research regarding struggling literacy learners strongly indicates that reading difficulties have varied and pervasive impacts on student lives in school and beyond. We echo Decoding Dyslexia Alberta’s call to the ECEC and the ATA to reconsider their position on early literacy screening in kindergarten to support Alberta students’ short-term and long-term outcomes.
