Introduction: The Right to Read Inquiry
Twelve years ago, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled in the case of Moore v British Columbia that learning to read was a basic human right, not a privilege. The Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) intervened in that landmark decision, marking the beginning of its work in accessible education. That work continued when the OHRC launched its Right to Read Inquiry in 2019 to investigate the human rights issues facing students with reading disabilities, releasing its report in January 2022. The report highlighted a number of ways for Ontario’s public education system to improve reading outcomes for students–especially students from vulnerable communities.
One of the key themes in the report's recommendations was to change the way that students learn to read. Most school boards in Ontario were following the “balanced literacy” approach to teaching students to read. Balanced literacy has students try to guess words based on clues, like pictures, the other words in a sentence, or the first letter of the word.
The report found that balanced literacy doesn’t work as well with struggling readers, especially those from vulnerable communities. That’s because balanced literacy relies too much on context, experience, and guesswork.
The report recommended that Ontario schools adopt the “structured literacy” approach instead, which is based on the science of reading. Based on decades of studies in cognitive psychology and neuroscience about how we learn, the science of reading teaches students first to understand how sounds and letters build words, then what those words mean.
Solution: “Reaching Every Reader”
The Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board (ALCDSB) was ahead of the curve, as they had launched their own review of literacy instruction in 2018. Their findings reflected the recommendations from the Right to Read report: when students understand how to decode words and sound them out, they become better readers much more quickly.
The ALCDSB made improving reading levels for students in all schools a core part of their 2020-2025 Strategic Plan. In that plan’s first year, they embraced the science of reading to guide their approach and launched Reaching Every Reader. That first step began their transition from “balanced literacy” to “structured literacy” in every school.
Reaching Every Reader is a sophisticated program with many components, including comprehensive training for all K-2 teachers, screening senior kindergarten and grade 2 students to identify reading challenges early, and more support for educators in underserved schools.
Results: Rave reviews, real results
Just four years in, Reaching Every Reader has already been a huge success at the ALCDSB. In 2023, the Board fully trained 100 percent of their K-2 staff and integrated Reaching Every Reader into every school. The ALCDSB also screened 99.8% of its senior kindergarten to grade 2 students to identify who needed more support.
Teachers raved about the structured literacy approach, with one saying:
“Since I’ve integrated a science-based approach to reading into my teaching, I feel much more confident, and I can see the positive impact on my students. For example, one of my students overcame his decoding difficulties. His self-confidence is growing, and he’s blossoming not only as a reader but also as an author.”
The ALCDSB improved EQAO reading scores for their grade 3 students. In the 2021-22 school year, 65.3% of their grade 3 students were reading at or above the provincial average. In 2023-24, that number rose to 68%.
The cherry on top came when the OHRC released a follow-up report to its Right to Read inquiry in early 2024. The update recognized the work of the ALCDSB, calling the Board a trailblazer in literacy reform, praising their proactive adoption of evidence-based practices and their commitment to equity and social justice in education.