The provincial government has a new plan to assess children’s reading skills and possibly identify children who may be “at risk of future reading difficulties” starting this fall.
Education and Early Childhood Learning Minister Tracy Schmidt announced today the province would introduce universal early reading screening tools. In a release, the province said the goal was to ensure students have “the necessary skills and confidence they need to read”.
“Literacy is a fundamental and crucial skill, and our government is ensuring all students in Manitoba have access to the supports they need to succeed in the classroom,” said Schmidt. “Every Manitoba student in kindergarten to Grade 4 will be screened for early reading skills to ensure that no student falls behind in their studies. Our government understands early identification is important to support the student’s growth as a reader.”
Beginning in the fall term of 2025, what the release described as a “significant number of sch0ols” will take part in a pilot project, with the goal of having all schools in the province using the program by fall of 2026. According to the release, students will be screened in early fall for at least three consecutive years between kindergarten to Grade 4. A second screening will take place in the spring, which will be optional for students that meet benchmarks in the fall.
The program will help identify kids with potential reading-related difficulties, including dyslexia.
“Teachers and school staff are on the front lines of identifying challenges their students may be facing,” said Schmidt. “Our government is supporting this important work of Manitoba educators by implementing early universal screening initiatives to identify the needs of children in their classrooms. A standardized early reading screening tool will strengthen teachers’ ability to identify a student’s strengths and needs, so students have the necessary supports in place for reading and writing in the classroom and beyond.”
