The Evergreen School Division (ESD) is actively working on early reading instruction and intervention — and they’re seeing the fruits of their labours.
When ESD superintendent Scott Hill and his staff started learning more about how children learn best, they delved deep into the research. On the heels of Ontario’s Right to Read inquiry, Hill took the report’s findings seriously, and ESD started making changes.
“There’s a whole body of research informing of the different ways of doing reading instruction,” he said.
The Right to Read inquiry highlights that learning to read is not a privilege but a fundamental and essential human right. It includes 157 recommendations to the Ministry of Education and school boards on how to address systemic issues that affect children’s right to read and learn. Hill felt compelled to make changes in his school division based on the research evidence that supports teaching reading in a way that pays more attention to phonics.
“We knew Manitoba was going to undertake a similar human rights inquiry,” said Hill. “And we decided we wouldn’t wait for Manitoba to draw what we expect will be a similar conclusion in Ontario, so we started drawing a plan.”
ESD’s reading instruction works off of three tiers and a screening system. ESD staff do a reading assessment with each student at least three times a year — at the beginning, middle of the year, and end of the year — where the students demonstrate their ability to make letter sounds and sound out words.
“We screen every early years’ student to basically check in on how their progress with reading instruction is and then we create a multi-tiered approach to making sure every kid learns to read,” said Hill.
All assessment findings go into a diagnostic standardized reading assessment tool, and the data is kept for tracking. These assessments help ESD staff know whether or not their students are where they need to be reading-wise.
Tier One instruction is for every student in the classroom and includes ensuring the children know how to sound out words. If, based on the assessments, staff find a student is struggling with something, they’ll start giving them Tier Two instruction, which is essentially more instruction in small groups.
“They’re usually struggling to decode words, sounding them out,” said Hill. “Some kids need extra time and practice to be taught what letter sounds do. Sometimes they learn in the small groups in the classroom and sometimes they need a more intensive intervention, which is Tier Three.”
Tier three instruction allows the children still struggling to receive more instruction more often. Hill said that some children usually need more repetition when sounding out letters and words, and Tier three instruction gives them that.
“We just need to make sure we have the time for every kid to have that success because reading is foundational for what happens in school and life in general,” he said.
The children receiving Tier Two and Tier Three instruction in ESD have their progress monitored by staff so they can make sure the extra instruction is working.
ESD started doing the reading assessments division-wide last school year. Hill said in the two years the program’s been going, they’ve seen statistically significant improvements across the division’s schools, which is extremely exciting to them.
“We have individual success stories where kids struggle to read and as they move up grades, their confidence as a learner takes a hit and they’ll turn to negative behaviours or other ways of getting attention if they’re not experiencing success,” said Hill. “So, we have stories of kids that were struggling and now having success, and that’s always really gratifying, too.”
Hill said a parent recently gave the school board a presentation about her own child experiencing that success they didn’t before. Before ESD implemented the early reading instruction and intervention program, the student had behavioural challenges from “being no good at reading”. Once the division provided the intervention, the student changed completely.
“He used to toss birthday cards aside and now when you drive through town, he reads the signs on stores and in traffic,” said Hill. “He sees himself as a learner and a reader now. These are the stories that inspire us to keep going.”
ESD won one of the 2024 Dyslexia Canada Educational Excellence Awards for their approach to early reading intervention this May. Hill said they received the award for their proactive approach to reading intervention as it’s similar to many of the organization’s practices. ESD has visitors from other school divisions inquiring about the program often, and Hill hopes he’ll start seeing more of their work across Manitoba.
“It’s exciting to feel like we’re a bit of a leader in some of the work we’re doing,” he said. “I’ve been in education for more than 25 years and this is the most exciting work I’ve been a part of.”
