The Cowichan Valley School District, comprised of 20 elementary, middle, and secondary schools on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, has been actively implementing evidence-based reading instruction despite it not being a provincial requirement. Their commitment to inclusive education has garnered them the 2024 Dyslexia Canada Educational Excellence Award.
Their journey began approximately four years ago, and in the current 2023-2024 school year, they are already in their second year of implementation.
Superintendent Robyn Gray and Associate Superintendent Darlene Reynolds noted that an analysis of student achievement data across the district underscored the need to develop a literacy framework and adopt evidence-based practices.
Associate Superintendent Darlene Reynolds, who has led this kind of work in other districts in the past, says she has never worked with a district where it has come to life so quickly. "It's not a top-down or bottom-up situation; it's been a collaborative effort where everyone has come together, focused on improving reading achievement," she explained. "Teachers drive change when they believe it benefits their learners and they have confidence in their ability to enact it."
The improvements across the Cowichan Valley District have been significant. Through collaboration among teachers, supported by shared data and real-time resources, they've been able to identify and address student learning needs effectively. Teachers are now collaborating across classes and grades to better target and meet these needs.
"We want our students to develop a sense of lifelong learning and the ability to navigate their future world," Reynolds said.
She recalled watching a child in the classroom get frustrated because another child could read while he couldn't. He said, "Why can you read and I can't? Did someone sprinkle magic dust on you when you were born and miss me?" She remembered this moment as particularly impactful because, at that time, she didn't have the knowledge needed as a teacher to help that learner.
The team also works closely with First Nations, developing their guiding document in collaboration with the Indigenous Education Department, Inclusive Learning Department, and the Learning Department to ensure all voices were included.
Gray and Reynolds noted that with the abundance of online resources, teachers can easily become overwhelmed, but by aligning common goals for each grade level and providing direct access to resources, they identify effective strategies.
The district has also introduced screenings. These assessments are not judgments or evaluations but reflect each learner's current stage in their learning journey. Teachers can reassess at any time to access real-time data. Additionally, the team collaborates with teachers to analyze this data and plan instruction to meet students' needs. They provide readily available resources for teachers, alleviating the need for them to create materials from scratch. Through research on evidence-based resources and practices, they identified effective activities for differentiated instruction.
Moreover, they provide readily available resources for teachers, sparing them the need to create materials from scratch, and have identified effective activities for differentiated instruction through research on evidence-based resources and practices.
Looking ahead, Gray expressed their desire to develop a learning series aimed at supporting educational assistants in improving their literacy instruction skills, enabling them to better assist students in enhancing their literacy abilities.
"Our focus remains on building our community's skills and competencies for the future, where we can truly make a difference."
To learn more, listen to Cowichan Valley School District’s interview on the Dyslexia Canada podcast. It is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and everywhere you typically access your podcasts.
In this series, we profile the recipients of the 2024 Dyslexia Canada Educational Excellence Awards. This prestigious award recognizes individuals across the nation who have made exceptional contributions to ensure that all Canadian children have access to essential literacy support.