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Early Reading Screening

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Acadience Reading K-6 logo

Reading is a foundational skill critical to student success, both in the classroom and beyond. Early reading screening is mandated by the Ministry of Education through Policy/Program Memorandum 168. HWDSB elementary schools use Acadience Reading K-6/Acadience Français as the early reading screening tool.

HWDSB elementary schools administer annual early reading screenings for students in:

  • Senior Kindergarten
  • Grade 1
  • Grade 2

What is Early Reading Screening?

  • Early reading screening helps to:
  • Track students’ development in early reading skills
  • Identify children who need more support
  • Guide classroom instruction

The annual screening is completed one-on-one towards the beginning of the school year. The screening only provides one piece of information about your child’s language and literacy skills. Results of early reading screening are not used to determine a student’s grades.

Acadience Reading

Below are the skill areas and reading measures your child will be screened for through Acadience:

  • First Sound Fluency (Year 2 Kindergarten)
  • Letter Naming Fluency (Year 2 Kindergarten, Grade 1)
  • Phone Segmentation Fluency (Grade 1)
  • Nonsense Word Fluency (Grade 2)
  • Oral Reading Fluency (Grade 2)

Grade 1 French Immersion (FI) students will be screened using Acadience Reading. Grade 2 FI students will be screened using Acadience Reading Français. Below are the skill areas and reading measures students in Grade 2 FI will be screened through Acadience Reading Français:

  • Oral Reading Fluency (English)
  • Facilite en lecture orale
  • Facilite a lire des non-mot

Results on Report Cards

The results of the reading screener will be reflected in Term 1:

  • Kindergarten Communication of Learning; or,
  • Grade 1 to 6 Provincial Report Card

In both documents, you will see a box on the second page that includes:

  • Early Reading Screening (ERS) Completed
    • Yes: For students who were screened in Fall
    • No: For students who were not screened
    • N/A: For Junior Kindergarten students and students in Grades 3 to 6 as screening is only required for Senior Kindergarten to Grade 2
  • Date the screening was completed
  • Whether or not your child met the benchmark in screening

About the Benchmark

If Your Child Met the Benchmark

  • No further screenings will be required during the school year
  • Your child’s teacher may choose to screen them again
    • Those scores will not be officially reported on the Term 2 report card

If Your Child Did Not Meet the Benchmark

  • Your child will be screened a second time between February and March
  • The second required screening and its scores will be reported on the Term 2:
    • Kindergarten Communication of Learning
    • Grade 1 to 6 Elementary Provincial Report Card

More Information and Resources

Updated on Wednesday, September 03, 2025.
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