September 29th 2025
Dear Families,
Reading is very important for your child’s success in school and life. Every year our school assesses the reading skills of all students in Year 2 of Kindergarten through Grade 2 using a tool called an Early Reading Screener. Early reading screening is now required by the Ministry of Education through Policy/Program Memorandum# 168.
Reading helps your child do better in all subjects like language, social studies, science and math. If children are strong readers, it will also help them in their future careers.
Early reading screening also helps us find out if your child is having any difficulties with reading so that we can give them the help they need. The goal of early reading screening is to:
1. monitor your child’s development in early reading skills,
2. identify children who need additional support, and
3. guide classroom instruction.
The early reading screener is completed one-on-one with a teacher near the start of the school year. Early reading screening is an important tool to help us understand and communicate your child’s individual reading progress so that we can support their needs. This early reading screening does not affect your child’s grades but instead will help identify the support they may need.
The screening covers different foundational skills needed to read. For example, your child might be asked to identify letters and sounds or sound out words. The details of the screening will vary depending on the grade. No preparation is needed for the screening.
Students whose scores fall below the benchmark will be provided with extra support to help them catch up. The screening only provides one piece of information about your child’s language and literacy skills. All the early reading screening measures used are outlined on pages 3 and 4 of this letter.
Teachers will connect with you to discuss your child’s strengths, areas of need, and to share examples of their growth over time. Results of the first screening will also be communicated to you in your child’s first Kindergarten Communication of Learning/Elementary Provincial Report Card and will indicate whether your child has met or not yet met the screening benchmark at the time of their screening. Teachers will maintain communication with families to discuss the results of classroom assessments, as needed.
Should you have any questions or concerns about your child’s reading abilities, you are encouraged to reach out to your child’s teacher and/or principal.
Thank you for your partnership in making sure that your child has the best possible learning experience.
Sincerely,
The Prince Charles School
