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 Upcoming Report Cards
Term 1 Elementary Report Cards will be distributed to families on Feb 20, 2025. 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 2024
- 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 2024-2025 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 11 and March 7, 2025
- 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
Learning Since the First Screening in Fall 2024
Much classroom instruction, learning and growth has occurred since the screening first occurred in Fall 2024. It is important to recognize that the score you will see on the report card does not necessarily reflect this growth or change. On-going and regular communication with your child’s teacher will give you the most up-to-date information about your child’s literacy skills.
More Information and Resources
- Ministry of Education Policy/Program Memorandum 168
- Acadience Reading
- Ontario Right to Read Inquiry
- HWDSB System Learning Commons
Updated on Thursday, February 20, 2025.