Early Reading Strategy
The Report of the Expert Panel on Early Reading in Ontario, 2003
Setting the Context
A child's success in school and throughout life depends in large part
on the ability to read. Educators in Ontario have the profound challenge
of making reading a reality for all children.
The demands of the information
age require that people be competent readers and writers if they are to
participate and thrive in society. There is keen awareness that the public education system must therefore
focus on providing children with the best possible reading instruction.
A broad consensus now exists among researchers and educators regarding
the knowledge and skills that children need in order to read, the experience
that influences the development of such knowledge and skills, and the
basic components of reading instruction. The purpose of this report is
to draw practical conclusions from the evidence and put them in the hands
of Ontario educators so that teachers can make a difference where it matters
most – in the classroom.
While this report has been written primarily for teachers of Kindergarten
to Grade 3, its message is important for everyone in Ontario with an interest
in early reading achievement, including school and board administrators,
parents, early childhood educators, community partners, and faculties
of education.
The Ontario Context
Addressing the teaching of reading in Ontario begins with an understanding
that there are two official languages in use in the province. Seventy-seven
per cent of Ontarians have English as a first language. Franco-Ontarians,
who represent 5.4 per cent of the population, constitute a minority with
established historical educational rights. About 18 per cent of Ontarians
have a first language other than English or French. With immigrants representing
almost 25 per cent of Ontario's population, there is rich cultural diversity
in many of the province's classrooms. In some large urban school boards
there are 75 or more different home languages and dialects spoken by the
students. This diversity in student backgrounds has many implications
for early reading instruction. It is not, in itself, an obstacle to reading
achievement, provided that the students have a solid foundation in their
first language and support for attaining fluency in the language of instruction.
All Ontario children have a right to an English-language education. Parents
with rights under section 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
are also guaranteed the option of a French-language education for their
children. The majority of students receiving a publicly funded education
(approximately 96 per cent) are enrolled in English-language schools.
Approximately nine per cent of those students attend French immersion
programs. The other four per cent of Ontario students are enrolled in
French-language schools.
This report affirms that the basic components of effective reading instruction
are the same whether the language of instruction is English or French.
However, the English and French school systems face different challenges
in meeting the needs of their students.
English-language Instruction
Being in the majority, English-language schools have access to a greater
variety of reading resources, especially levelled texts. Because English
permeates the culture, children have daily opportunities to hear, speak,
and see it – at school, on the street, in libraries, stores, and
theatres, through street signs, books, magazines, newspapers, television,
radio, movies, and more.
Many children come to school speaking a language other than standard
English. Those who lack basic skills in English should receive additional
instruction in English as a second language (ESL) or English literacy
development (ELD). ESL
is designed for students who have little or no fluency in English, although they are fluent in another language.
ELD
is for students who speak a variation of English that differs from standard
English, or who have had limited prior schooling, and who need help to
improve their skills in reading, writing, and oral communication. At the
elementary level, ESL and ELD are support programs or interventions, rather
than separate curriculum subjects. ESL/ELD students need time and assistance
to develop the skills that will enable them to take full advantage of
their schooling and meet the expectations of the Ontario curriculum. Because
this support can be crucial in helping children to succeed, not only in
reading but in all subjects, teachers need to incorporate ESL/ELD approaches
and strategies throughout the curriculum.
French-language Instruction
The environment is different for children learning to read in French.
Depending on the community in which they live, they may have limited exposure
to the French language outside of the classroom. In addition, it is a
challenge to find reading resources such as levelled texts that are adapted
to the Franco-Ontarian context.
The school may be the only place where the children are exposed to French
in a meaningful and consistent way. It becomes critical, then, that the
school be a place steeped in French language and culture, and that support
programs be strong and readily available. These programs include Actualisation
Linguistique du Français (ALF) and Perfectionnement
du Français (PDF).
ALF is designed for children
who are entitled to attend French-language schools and who have little
or no fluency in French. It provides the children with the linguistic
and cultural skills they need for learning. The PDF
curriculum is a basic literacy program and an orientation to Canadian
culture for new Canadians. These children may have had schooling in another
country, but their schooling was disrupted or the system was very different
from the Franco-Ontarian system, and so they lack rudimentary skills in
reading, writing, and mathematics. PDF
provides instructional support and familiarizes the children with both
the Franco-Ontarian education system and their new social and cultural
environment.
About the Early Reading Panel
The Early Reading Panel was composed of members from a wide range of constituencies involved in reading. Teachers, consultants, principals, school board administrators, academics and researchers – from English, French, and Aboriginal communities – worked together to share their expertise in the field of reading. The panel reviewed and discussed a wide range of research on reading to produce a report that outlines effective instruction and defines good practices for teaching reading to all Ontario children. The panel's guiding principles, and the key themes of this report, are summed up by four beliefs.
| Belief #1: Reading instruction
should be based on the evidence of sound research that has been verified
by classroom practice. |
Despite the widely different conclusions and practices advocated by individual
research papers or particular programs, there is an important consensus
in the scientific community about the teaching of reading. Good research
informs educators about the components of an effective reading program.
The research is clear in showing that effective reading instruction compensates
for risk factors that might otherwise prevent children from becoming successful
readers.
This report takes an important step in capturing the best knowledge currently
available to guide teachers in early reading instruction. Reading research
needs to continue in order to ensure that our public education system
has the information it needs to support improvement in the future.
| Belief #2: Early success in reading is critical for children. |
Reading success is the foundation for achievement throughout the school years. There is a critical window of opportunity from the ages of four to seven for children to learn to read. Research on early reading difficulties is very clear: children who continue to experience reading difficulties in Grade 3 seldom catch up later. It makes sense to detect problems early in order to avoid the escalation of problems later.
| Belief #3: The teacher is the key to a child's success in learning to read. |
A major consensus of research is that the ability of teachers to deliver good reading instruction is the most powerful factor in determining how well children learn to read.
It is essential to recognize the critical role teachers play in preventing reading difficulties and to provide teachers at all grade levels with the best and most up-to-date knowledge and skills to teach reading and promote literacy. This understanding can help to ensure that teachers are not mere consumers of packaged products or programs, but are informed and critical thinkers who are able to make wise choices that consider the needs of the children and accomplish the goals of reading instruction.
| Belief #4: In order to succeed in the classroom, teachers need the cooperation and support of instructional leaders at the school and board level who value and provide ongoing professional development. |
Effective early reading instruction does not happen in isolation. It involves not only primary classroom teachers but all partners in the education system. Recognizing the importance of a system-wide, supportive approach to reading instruction, this report addresses issues regarding leadership, the development of the expertise of teachers, and the role of the home and the community. All partners play a significant role in ensuring that the conditions are right for teachers to provide effective instruction and for children to learn to the best of their ability.
Building on Common Ground
When passions for the outcome run high, and opinions are diverse, working
together to find solutions that will make a meaningful difference for
all children can be a huge challenge. We know what it's like: we members
of the Early Reading Panel came from diverse backgrounds and brought to
the table the perspectives of years of experience in our own milieus.
It was indeed a challenge to recognize and address our differences, especially
within the constraints of our mandate and timeline. Nevertheless, we found
common ground in our passion for ensuring that all children learn to read
and our conviction that good teaching makes the difference. With those
fixed points to guide us, we discovered that our diversity was a strength
that enabled us to see problems from many angles, draw on a wider range
of resources, test our assumptions, and support our conclusions.
We recognize that this report is not an end in itself, but a contribution
to an ongoing process. We offer it to the people of Ontario with our thanks
for the opportunity to travel together this far on the journey.
Panel Members
Dany Laveault (Co-chair)
Professor
Faculty of Education, University of Ottawa
Bonnie McEachern (Co-chair)
Superintendent
Upper Grand District School Board
Mary Anne Alton
Superintendent
Bluewater District School Board
Chantal Bergeron
Teacher
Conseil scolaire de district des écoles
catholiques du Sud-Ouest
Johanne Bourdages
Professor
Faculty of Education, University of Ottawa
Cécile Champagne-Muzar
Professor
Faculty of Education, University of Ottawa
Thérèse McNamara
Curriculum Consultant
Simcoe County District School Board
France Nicolas
Teacher
Conseil scolaire de district catholique
du Centre-Est de l'Ontario
Julia O'Sullivan
Dean of Education, Lakehead University
National
Director, Centre of Excellence for Children and Adolescents with
Special Needs
Pat Prentice
Curriculum Consultant
Durham District School Board
Angela Puma
Curriculum Consultant
Toronto Catholic District School Board |
Brenda Davis
Consultant
Six Nations
Joan Fallis
Teacher
Grand Erie District School Board
Colleen French
Superintendent
Toronto Catholic District School Board
Annie Gaudreault
Curriculum Consultant
Conseil scolaire de district
du Centre Sud-Ouest
Alyson McLelland
Principal
Toronto District School Board
Mary McGuire
Curriculum Consultant
York Catholic District School Board
Colleen Russell
Principal Toronto
District School Board
Julie St-Onge
Assistant Professor
Faculty of Education, Laurentian University
Sharon Turnbull-Schmitt
Superintendent
Toronto District School Board
Lesly Wade-Woolley
Assistant Professor
Faculty of Education, Queen's University
Dale Willows
Professor
Institute of Child Study, Ontario Institute
for Studies in Education, University of Toronto |
