Reconsidering Reading Levels

The Ontario Human Rights Commission’s Right to Read inquiry concluded that running records and reading level assessments have not been effective in identifying students who need additional support or in providing teachers with accurate information to guide instruction. We now know that there are more effective ways to understand student reading skills and ensure that…

Next STEPS in Literacy Instruction: Connecting Assessments to Effective Interventions

This book is a fantastic resource aligning closely with much of the new Ontario Language Curriculum and reinforcing how assessment can inform our instruction and interventions in order to best help students succeed in literacy. It’s valuable learning for classroom educators, those working in coaching/consulting roles and those in special education. While targeting skills typically…

Response to Cummins: The OHRC Right to Read Report Will Move Ontario into the 21st Century

In this article, Dr. Perry Klein responds to Dr. Jim Cummins’ criticisms of the Right to Read Report, highlighting several recommendations and positions that Cummins attributes to the report but that it does not actually contain. Dr. Klein also identifies five ways in which this report will bring Ontario’s special education policy into the 21st…

Building MTSS for Reading Success

This workshop provides an introduction to multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) as the framework for implementing the science of reading in elementary schools. A clear description of MTSS will be contrasted with the current service delivery models it is designed to replace. Participants will have an opportunity to reflect on the components of MTSS in…

A Case Study of Successful Early Screening and Intervention

In this International Dyslexia Association Perspectives article, author Linda S. Siegel describes the implementation of an early screening and intervention project in British Columbia, the results, and lessons learned. The article outlines the Response to Intervention (RTI) framework that was implemented, including the risk identification and Tier 1 programming used. The results of the study…